Firefly Archives | this ain't livin'

26 May, 201227 January, 2016

Makin’ Me Crazy: The Madness of Drusilla, Sierra, and River

Posted in disability, Joss Whedon, pop culture, Social Justice and Joss Whedon by s.e. smith

Joss Whedon’s frequent return to themes about mental illness is one I’ve remarked on, as has my colleague Anna. His explorations of mental illness have not always been terribly nuanced or complex, and it’s notable that he keeps coming back to some core themes. Charitable readings might suggest that he’s exploring social justice issues and […]

30 July, 20118 June, 2011

Death, Dying and Grief in Pop Culture

Posted in Joss Whedon, pop culture, television by s.e. smith

Pop culture provides us with many insights and views into human experiences; one of the things I adore about it as a medium is the ability to explore the human condition from so many perspectives. And, in television, to return to recurrent themes that are important to the creators or characters. In the summer, I […]

26 February, 201125 January, 2016

What Is It About Joss Whedon?

Posted in Joss Whedon, television by s.e. smith

I think it’s been pretty clearly established that I’m a fan of Joss Whedon’s work; why else would I devote so much time to shredding it? (I critique because I care.) And I interact with a lot of Joss fans who are in the same boat I’m in; we like his work a lot, or […]

30 December, 200931 December, 2009

Whedon’s Brunettes

Posted in disability, Everything, Joss Whedon, social justice, Social Justice and Joss Whedon, television by s.e. smith 10 Comments

Can we discuss, for a moment, Joss Whedon’s obsession with disturbed brunettes who wander around barefoot? I’m not actually asking for permission here, that’s a rhetorical question which is designed to establish the theme of this post, which is, as you may have guessed, Whedon’s obsession with disturbed brunettes who wander around barefoot. It really […]

22 May, 200926 January, 2016

Feminism and Joss Whedon: Misogynist Villains in the Whedonverse

Posted in Everything, Joss Whedon, social justice, Social Justice and Joss Whedon by s.e. smith 6 Comments

(The earlier entries in this series are “Is Joss Whedon a Feminist? The Women of Firefly/Serenity,” “Is Joss Whedon a Feminist? Buffy and Female Empowerment,” and “Joss Whedon and Feminism: The Demon Women and Slayers of Buffy.” They are not required reading, although please note that these posts are very, very, very long, so you […]

18 April, 20095 February, 2016

Is Joss Whedon a Feminist? The Women of Firefly/Serenity

Posted in Everything, Joss Whedon, social justice, Social Justice and Joss Whedon, television by s.e. smith 7 Comments

Part one in an ongoing, and probably protracted, series. I ask this question because I am legitimately looking for an answer: is Joss Whedon’s work feminist? He calls himself a feminist, and many other people do, but others have raised some very valid critiques of the way in which Joss handles female characters, and whether […]