So, usually we recappers have long, elaborate stories explaining how we managed to snag an interview with somebody involved with our shows. Sadly, I'm afraid I don't have one. If it amuses you to think that I ran into Jose Molina while waiting in line to get a lunchtime smoothie at the Jamba Juice on Sepulveda, then go ahead. I don't even know whether there's a Jamba Juice on Sepulveda or not. Anyway, what really happened is that Jose Molina posted on the boards, then contacted me to see if I was interested in interviewing him. After confirming his identity, I said sure. And there you go. Shack: When will you find out about the fate of the first season? Is a time/day change a real possibility, or is that wishful thinking from fans? Jose Molina: We just found out this morning ["last week" -- Shack] that we've gotten two more episodes picked up. The fate of the rest of the first season is still in the hands of TPTB at the network. I'm cautiously optimistic that this limited pickup bodes well. The time/date change is very unlikely, in my opinion. I think if FOX decides to pick up the rest of our season, they'll want to keep their Friday night lineup intact. That's just a guess. How did you join the writing staff of Firefly? The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water signifying by Divine Providence that I, Jose, was to write for Firefly. Also, I'd known Joss and Tim for a while before I came to work on Firefly. I'd worked with Tim as far back as Strange World, and I knew Joss from my brief time at Mutant Enemy as an assistant. I woke up one fateful Friday to a message on my answering machine saying that Tim Minear was trying to reach me. I bolted awake, called back, and within a couple of hours it was a done deal. Of course, I'd been hoping to get that call all week... Do you all have the whole season planned out by now, or are you waiting for a decision from FOX? We have it all planned out, including a season four cliffhanger where we learn that River's midichlorian count is OFF THE CHARTS! She accidentally flies Serenity too close to a sun and the ship winds up with two humpback whales in the cargo bay. Wackiness ensues. At least that's what I'm pitching. ["You have no idea how stupid I feel for having to look up what midichlorians are." -- Shack]
We have a few character arcs that we want to play out -- some for this season, some we want to reveal bit by bit as the seasons go on -- but we obviously have to write the episodes one at a time. Considering the change of the pilot episode and the episodes being shown out of order, how much meddling is going on with FOX? It's all very ambitious on our part. Remember Sammy Jankis. That's all I have to say. Describe what it's like to write an episode of Firefly. It's kind of like trying to sneeze with your eyes open. Think about it. Or if you don't want to think about it, you can check out my essay. You wrote the first episode ("Ariel") that really pushed the Simon-River story arc forward. How does writing an episode like that differ from writing an episode that's more of a stand-alone like "Shindig"? We usually start working on the ideas as stand-alone episodes; sometimes the idea morphs into a more serialized episode, because that's what the story needs to give it some oomph. One thing you have to remember when you're writing an arc episode is that it's almost never the end of the arc, so it's a question of, "How much can I give away?" And, more importantly, "What new questions can I raise?" It's cool because you hopefully get to create a new part of the mythology. It's tough because you have to keep very careful track of everything that's come before and everything that's coming after. Although it's not quite fair to say that I wrote the first episode that pushed the Simon-River arc forward. They've been the most arc-heavy characters on the show. In fact, the two-hour pilot has so much of the Simon-River arc that we've had to use never-before-seen footage on our "previously" recaps. It had been reported that Adam Baldwin's character, Jayne, had been originally planned for only the first part of the season. Was he originally intended to die or leave at the end of "Ariel"? Did that change, or was the pre-season information incorrect? Suckers! I don't know how that rumor got started, but it sure helped to sell the ending of "Ariel." Adam is a full-time member of the cast, and always has been. No one's life is safe when you live in the Whedonverse, but rumors of Jayne's death were greatly exaggerated. As of right now, we're only planning on killing -- oh, wait, I can't say that. Don't worry, you won't miss them. Did I say "them"? I meant him. Or her. (Did I say, "Suckers!"?)
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Was the deadly little device used by the men with blue gloves your idea? What is it, or is that something to be revealed in the future? The device was Joss's idea. But everything about the Blue Glove Men is a mystery, so don't expect to learn anything too specific anytime soon. I will say this: always moisturize. The Alliance. The Independents. The Academy. Capital City. River. Book. Wash. What the hell happened to all the proper nouns? We thought about using only gerunds, but that didn't fly. So is Simon gay or what? He's not gay -- if anything I'd say he's rather glum. How gay would you feel if you'd just gave up everything you had to save your sister? Not very. I think you'd be glum, too. Really. He's gay, isn't he? Maybe sullen? Is the Chinese influence on the show more than just aesthetic? Is the Alliance intended to be a much larger extension of their brand of socialism? Quoth the Whedon: "I went with Chinese so that we could sort of meld the two cultures -- the western, American culture and the Chinese -- as having grown together. Since they are the two great superpowers of this Earth, I thought instead of killing each other as everybody seems to be predicting we will, what if they in fact came up together and melded in the Anglo-Sino Alliance." Why is Book so annoying? I don't know, maybe he's French. I don't think Book's annoying at all! I was actually bummed that I didn't get to write anything for him in "Ariel," and I'm looking forward to writing something meaty for him soon. We haven't had much of a chance to service the character yet, but I think when we reveal some of the things we have up our sleeve, y'all will become much more interested in him. Do you get any negative responses from former Dark Angel fans for joining the show that took its time slot? Yes. Someone sent me an angry message asking how much Fox had paid me to sell my soul. If you're out there, I traded it for a melon-holer and a box of Ritz. If you're interested in buying it, though, I believe it's currently up for auction on eBay. If you happen to be the high bidder, use it in good health. That ketchup stain should come out. I get why DA fans are upset. I was enormously upset myself. First we hear we're on the air, then all of the sudden we're not. It sucked! I had to cut short my honeymoon because of DA's cancellation, so believe me, I was upset! But I'm surprised at the kind of antagonism leveled at Firefly. That, I don't get.
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So is James Cameron as big an asshole as he seems? ["This is me, making sure I can never ever get work in Hollywood. Ever." -- Shack] Jim gets a bad rap because he doesn't suffer fools. If you're a fool, you're gonna think he's an asshole because he's not going to put up with your crap. He's tough because he's a perfectionist, but he's amazing at what he does. If you're going to work for him, bring your A-game or go home. I thought he was a pretty cool guy and would work with him again in a heartbeat. Let's assume that FOX goes against its established tradition of fostering new sci-fi shows, and then beating them to death with a big stick. What can we look forward to if Firefly finishes out the season? **** WARNING: Minor Spoilers**** I obviously can't give away big plot points, but I'll say this. There's a big Wash/Zoe/Mal episode coming up, as well as a big Mal/Inara UST episode. Those are coming up in December. We've also been talking about finally revealing some of Book's backstory. We're not 100 percent sure when that's happening, though. Ooh, and the midichlorians thing! That's in season four.
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