I do think it has something to do with that character being the entry character into that universe. I don't think people would feel betrayed or slapped in the face unless it felt like they were perhaps uninivited to that universe. I think possibly that's why the Kittens responded to Tara's death as they did - many of them started watching Buffy because there was a healthy lesbian relationship in it.

Sure. I can completely understand someone who started watching BtVS for W/T leaving after Tara's death. I always have. It was the threats against the writers, the harassment of other boards that didn't condemn the writers for story, and the rest of the bad behavior that I found troublesome. I posted at the Kitten board, back when the spoilers came out for Tara's death. A Big Scooby Death had been the talk all season, and the Kittens had better spoilers than anyone. There was a pathology there, you could see it grow as the spoiler looked more and more sure, and once the episode aired, fuhggedabouddit.

Nobody was safe.

Amen. Wash's death shocked me the first time I saw Serenity and it still got me the sixth time. It still packs a real, emotional wallop even when I know it's coming. I found myself re-watching Serenity much the same way I re-watch Chungking Express these days: just enjoying the ride.

There's no other way I would have felt terror for each and every BDH, watching the gang make a last stand against the reavers. Nobody was safe.

Yeah - I was really off balance after Wash with respect to who else would make it.

I was really off balance after Wash with respect to who else would make it.

Me too. Except for River. I totally expected her to make it through, at least against the Reavers. It was slightly touch and go there with the Alliance at the end but not so much as to make me REALLY fear for her life.

The basic fan reaction to the box office performance seems to be either "Oh we're all doomed" or "Hey Number 2 isn't that bad". Expect much navel gazing and blame casting (if that indeed is a phrase) if the movie has got no legs at all.

I've been reading the reaction, Simon. (It's addictive.)

I'll be very interested to see what next weekend's numbers are.

The Browncoats are scaring me.

Simon, hold me.

Expect much navel gazing and blame casting (if that indeed is a phrase) if the movie has got no legs at all.

FWIW I have no quarrel with the advertising campaign. They did a great job with the trailers and blanketing the ads on the last week and, with one exception, the ads were really good. (I didn't like the ones that pointed to magazine and newspaper "buzz" about Serenity/Firefly/Whedon since those articles implied that it was a nerd phenomenon, which is not a selling point.)

I was really off balance after Wash with respect to who else would make it.

I can't remember another movie where I was so emotionally invested in the fates of the (remaining) characters after Wash bought it. It definitely stripped away most all the emotional distance I typically feel about the fates of movie characters.

And yeah, Tara getting shot was probably the last time I felt that much of a shock over the death of a fictional character.

I've been reading the reaction, Simon. (It's addictive.)

The Browncoats are scaring me.

Well, now I have to go look.