Reasons Why Erin Loves the Whedonverse #13

Reasons Why I Love the Whedonverse #13: "Shindig"

I have a soft spot for the engineers and mechanics of the sci-fi world. Geordi LaForge, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Chief Miles O'Brien are all favorite characters of mine. So Kaylee already is in the running for my favorite character before I even watch a second of the show. The fact that she is adorable, competent, and well rounded just clinches that distinction. As such, I have to concur with Erin that "Shindig" is a great episode (perhaps the greatest) of the late, lamented Firefly. We should all be so lucky to get as much joy from anything as Kaylee got from eating those strawberries.

And that is all I have to say about that. Go read Erin's post for actual content.

Why Erin Loves the Whedonverse: Part 9 of 31

Why I Love the Whedonverse #9: Jayne Cobb's Cunning Hat

Many of my favorite moments or scenes in my favorite shows are not the big, epic ones. Instead, they are the little ones, such as Jayne getting his hat. They may not move the plot forward, but they reveal so much about the character, and oftentimes are the best way to discern the theme or mission of a given show. By giving a morally ambiguous hard-ass like Jayne a dopey hat lovingly crafted by his ma, it humanizes him in a way that pages of dialogue couldn't. Whedon and his gang were very adept at giving their characters these great moments. It worked in Buffy, it worked in Firefly, and it worked in The Avengers.