No Right Answer: Required Viewing Before You Die

Joos

Golden pantaloon.
Dec 19, 2007
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Firefilm said:
Required Viewing Before You Die

You know the shows you tell yourself you'll watch when you get the time? What if you die tomorrow? What should be on the top of your to-do list?

Watch Video
Wow, I can't believe how much bs this conclusion was. Lost had one promising season, but the eternal dangling carrot quickly turned uninteresting and the show was ran into the ground and was ended because everyone got sick of it. Typical American "keep squeezing 'til it's dry". And I'm not talking chalk dry here folks, I'm talking Saharan desert, mid day in high summer dry. Everything about lost can be likened to a steaming turd.

Firefly on the other hand, ended before its time. However, that is actually a good thing, since it ended on a high when it was still good and people hadn't got tired of it yet since it wasn't flogged to death. Each and every one of the episodes is at least good, some are brilliant but the show in its entirety leaves a lasting impression. And that's why a cancelled TV-show managed to garner enough support to get a full length movie to conclude it's unfulfilled promise.

So in conclusion, firefly (and serenity) is gold and should be embraced while Lost is a smelly turd and can only be measured by the amount of time it wastes of your life. The end.
 

tohellwithyourcrap

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Oct 5, 2012
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i can't believe no one mentioned Joss Whedon's name. the writer/director of The Avengers, Cabin in the Woods, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (beats the shit out of anything else vampire related, with the exception of maybe Underworld), and I haven't seen much of Doll House but it's worth a look.

Bottom line, Firefly was one of his earliest and, short of Avengers, one of his best works, and honestly I still think it's better than Avengers in terms of hours of available content.

EDIT: ok someone did mention Joss Whedon explicitly, but seriously he's a far superior creator of film and television. He's a better writer, better director, works with more talented actors, AND HE JUST RE MADE MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, AND IT WAS EPIC. Firefly was his origin, without it, we get no Avengers, or any of his future work that we'll still be talking about for years to come. who cares about JJ Abrahms? Did I spell his name right? never mind I don't care.
 

Chris Pranger

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Aug 31, 2011
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So after reading the comments, I have one question beyond all else that I need to ask everyone:

How do I convince my wife to sit down and actively watch Avatar: The Last Airbender with me?

I love that show (and Legend of Korra as well), but I've unsuccessfully convinced my wife to sit with me and enjoy it. How do I convince her to take the plunge? Because you've all convinced me that now that we've both seen Lost, she needs something better in her life.
 

thisbymaster

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Sep 10, 2008
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Um...Both of those wouldn't be anything close to TV shows that I would requirement for someone to see before their death. Star Trek:TNG would open your world view and help you understand other cultures and points of view. I love Lucy is a classic that most people should see, Leave it to Beaver, Gilligan's island, A-Team, etc. This was a really misnamed episode.
 

cyvaris

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May 10, 2011
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Battlestar Galatica beat them both, though only by a very narrow amount. I could never get into Lost because it just seemed so gimmicky. Tune in next week and find out worthless clue number five that may or may not be relevant!!

Seriously the entire show felt like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdhhQhqi_AE
 

Yostbeef

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Apr 14, 2010
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The Wire is infinitely better than both those shows.Sure they're different but the profound impact of The Wire makes it required viewing in my book.I watched Lost and Firefly out of cultural duty and walked away wondering what I'm missing.They're entertaining shows and some of the best the genre has to offer but by no means would I consider them to be "required viewing".
 

RaNDM G

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Apr 28, 2009
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Best show to see before you die? The right answer is always Batman: The Animated Series.
 

Tono Makt

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Mar 24, 2012
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How the hell can LOST win this No Right Answer??!?!? LOST was a show about a Mystery Box... which ended with the writers saying that people who were watching for the Mystery Box weren't watching LOST properly because LOST was about the character relationships. It was a very good show for 2 seasons, was a good show for 3 seasons, was a passable show for most of one season and then ended on one of the worst piles of crap in TV history.

There's no real contest in a question of "LOST" vs "(Insert Show Here)" for "Required Viewing Before You Die". Because of the way LOST ends, there is no reason to watch LOST. Watch Two and a Half Men instead, or Everybody Loves Raymond, or Golden Girls. Or ER. Or Bonanza. Watch something that doesn't try to lead you around with one thing (Mysteries!) and then turn around in literally the last episode and say that what you've actually been following was something different (Relationships!).

Or yes, watch Firefly.
 

Canadamus Prime

Robot in Disguise
Jun 17, 2009
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I don't give a shit about either of those shows.
Also I'm not going to Escapist Expo. I can't afford to take time off work.
 

coheedswicked

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Mar 28, 2010
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Lost was good for the first 4 seasons... then it got really stupid

Im gonna have to go with Firefly since its consistently great
 

MrPhyntch

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Nov 4, 2009
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tohellwithyourcrap said:
Firefly was his origin, without it, we get no Avengers, or any of his future work that we'll still be talking about for years to come.
Actually, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was his origin. Firefly aired somewhere near the end of its run. And while he had done several things before Buffy (including co-writing on Toy Story!), that's really what put him on the map. In fact, without Buffy, Fox would've never agreed to Firefly in the first place. THE MORE YOU KNOW

OT:
In all honesty, I think that a fulfilled life could be lived without seeing either of those. As much as I love Firefly, it's not for everyone, and in the end it just leaves you wanting more (if you did like it).

My nomination would go to The Simpsons, until about season 7 to 10. Not that I'm one of those who thinks that's where it stopped being funny, oh no, I still love the Simpsons. Rather, the early Simpsons stuff is what shaped modern pop culture to what it is today. I say the "necessity" stops between seasons 7 and 10 because at that point, Simpsons started being influenced by itself more than pop culture (probably due, in part, to how much it had affected pop culture), and as a result the cultural impact it had in the first place weakened significantly.
 

RedDeadFred

Illusions, Michael!
May 13, 2009
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Lost had probably the worst ending of anything I've ever seen, played, or read. Firefly was an above average Sci-fi series with an above average movie. I don't think either should be on someone's must watch before you die list. I would probably say Breaking Bad but there's still three episodes left so I won't pass judgment yet.
 

CleverCover

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Nov 17, 2010
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Chris Pranger said:
So after reading the comments, I have one question beyond all else that I need to ask everyone:

How do I convince my wife to sit down and actively watch Avatar: The Last Airbender with me?

I love that show (and Legend of Korra as well), but I've unsuccessfully convinced my wife to sit with me and enjoy it. How do I convince her to take the plunge? Because you've all convinced me that now that we've both seen Lost, she needs something better in her life.
I can help you there!

With my mom, who generally avoids anything too cartoony looking, my father just left it on in the bedroom or the kitchen or anywhere he thought she would be. Evenetually, we all used this tactic and my mom ended up watching it with someone in the room. After a while, she would just watch it by herself because she had become somewhat invested.

And now she's the (second) biggest fangirl in the house! :D

OT: I've never watched either show...but I'd actually give Firefly more of a chance after seeing this. 6 seasons?! It sounds like it goes beyond Inuyasha levels of length and that's the highest I'll ever go.
 

New Troll

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Mar 26, 2009
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I watched Lost. Got halfway through the last season and quit because I found myself not caring at all. My parents were die-hard Lost fans but by the end they just wished they could have had those hours of their lives back.

My parents watched every single episode of Lost, and quit talking about it well before the show ended, almost as if they were ashamed to admit they still watched it. My parents have NEVER seen an episode of Firefly yet still talk about that show to this day because of the relevance it had on everyone they know's life. And one day, they too plan to watch it. Before they die.

Firefly wins. People who watched Lost, lost.
 

The Ubermensch

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Mar 6, 2012
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The arguments about lost could equally apply to Neon Genesis Evangelion.

... Alright Lost, I'll accept that. I'll still never watch it though.
 

nightmare_gorilla

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Jan 22, 2008
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I caught a few episodes of lost and it didn't really grab me. it seemed like the big "mystery" was accomplished simply by intentionally depriving the audience of information for no real reason except mystery.

firefly is one of the 10 greatest shows ever made. i'd go for that. castle also deserves to mentioned. plus without firefly we might not have the avengers. or we might have had it directed by jj abrams which is the same as not having it.

breaking bad I know everyone is in love with but i'm getting more and more aware of the dead time in that show. like I feel like you could turn it into half hour episodes and have the EXACT same show.

the show i'd recommend to watch before you die, Dead like me. truly a phenomenal show with a lot to say about the human condition and it has a lot to say about death. it's cathartic
 

chozo_hybrid

What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets.
Jul 15, 2009
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The reason I never got into Firefly, was not the shows fault, more my friends. They were just going on about how huge and awesome scifi the show was, then I watched some of it and I wasn't grabbed. It seemed more like just a western where they use space ships instead of wagons. That said, I was sold on the show being a scifi epic, if I wasn't lead to believe that, I would have probably enjoyed it.

I do intend to get around to properly watching it, since it's so short anyway. But even then, I would still pick Firefly over Lost any day of the friggin week.
 

nightmare_gorilla

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Jan 22, 2008
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also, I feel it needs to be said that if you're comparing two shows, 1 is 13 episodes, and the other is 5 seasons worth. and they are anywhere similar in quality, social impact, world building, and just general information conveyed. the 13 episodes win. I dunno how long the seasons of lost were but lets say 13 episodes to make it even, if you can do in one season what took someone else 5 seasons. you just win.