The upside to interminable bus rides (aside from the part where they get one to and from New York City) is that they have finally given me a chance to get into Joss Whedon’s Firefly. This is a huge bandwagon already, but I am going to jump on it: the show is great.

Aside from the world and the characterization, I like the decisions Whedon made about cinematography. With few exceptions his shots have an almost documentary honesty about them, which extends beyond the camerawork to the actions under the lens. In the pilot episode alone Whedon shows the cast complaining, eating, sleeping, and most unusually using the bathroom… In some ways that alone would justify the series for me, as Science Fiction (and Cinema in general) is not exactly known for bothering about the less glamorous points of life. These characters are very real people, and it is at least as much due to the filming as it is to their (fantastic) performances.

Even if I can’t see actor Nathan Fillion without thinking of Captain Hammer, his role in Whedon’s more recent show Dr Horrible, I am hooked. Firefly almost makes driving through Connecticut worthwhile again.