Bewildering Stories Editorial

by Jerry Wright

Do You, Mr. Jones?

Yes, a quote from the grate (sic) Bobby Dylan. "You know something's happenin' but you don't know what it is... Do you, Mr. Jones?"

So... What IS happening? Where? To whom? By what? Never mind, now we're really confused. All seriousness aside kids, I get to park my carcass in one spot for the next several weeks, and not go nowhere. This is a great thing. Who knows, maybe I'll even get three or fours reviews ahead (Yeah! goes Mr. Webb!) And you know, yesterday, I really wanted to write about something in particular, but somehow, I've lost it. Along with my mind, no doubt.

"And we speak of things that matter,
With words that must be said;
Is Margaret Atwood worthwhile?
Is Science Fiction really dead?
(Apologies to Paul Simon and "A Dangling Conversation)

Of course science fiction isn't dead. Nor is it dying. However, it may go underground to occasionally crop up as "fantasy" or "slipstream". Sadly, "The Sci-Fi Channel" has done what it could to destroy true SF, at least on TV, with the exception of three hours on Friday. And even those three hours are hardly top of the line, mind-bending SF. Probably because the average viewer couldn't handle THAT. On the other hand, can the average viewer really handle another (or even an initial) viewing of "The SnakeHead Terror"?

The inability of Television to comprehend science fiction was never more in evidence than Fox TV's massive mishandling of Firefly. Josh Whedon's "horse opera in Space" was well thought out. Of course the "science" wasn't of the most rigorous type, but when you watch the episodes played out in the story arc that Whedon created, you gain an appreciation for the Firefly universe and all the diverse and REAL characters that inhabit said universe.

I just saw episodes six through eight last night (after viewing the initial five and the pilot over the last few weeks (I get them after my son watches them... Hrrrmmm...)). I believe I saw one episode on Fox in its original run. Without a basic knowledge of the Firefly Universe, I really disliked the episode. And yet, when I saw it again, in its proper setting, well, it just glowed.

And yet the word must have been, "I don't get it. I don't like it. Kill it." --random Network Exec.

Reminds me of the movie Head, the swan song of the pop group "The Monkees". The movie, according to usually reliable sources, was for the purpose of killing the careers of the group, as the network was tired of dealing with faux rockstars who had become real rockstars with all that entails. Ah well.

Goodnight.