How much do I love this show? Let me count the ways…

I came to Firefly late, having already seen the film Serenity and therefore knowing how it all worked out in the end. This was, of course, completely the wrong way of going about things – but it worked. The film hooked me, I found the DVD box-set of the series on sale, ran with it to the till before my bank balance could talk me out of it, and the episodes reeled me in.

The pilot is excellent, in every way possible – excellent writing, excellent direction, excellent acting. Fox, in their wisdom, chose not to air it, much to the detriment of the series as a whole. In fact, most of Fox's decisions regarding this series damaged it irreparably. But whoever said that networks had any sense…

The action opens with the final stages of the Battle of Serenity Valley, a grim and unrelenting glimpse at trench warfare of the future. Not so different from trench warfare in any era, as it turns out.

MAL
We're not gonna die. We can't die, Bendis.
You know why?
(beat)
Because we are so very pretty. We are just too pretty
for God to let us die.

The basic character of the leading character, Malcolm Reynolds, is quickly established. Fighting on the side of the Browncoats, Mal is a man of faith who believes absolutely in the justice of his cause and dreams of remaining free from the corporate political machine of the Alliance.

But the battle is lost, and although Mal survives, the man that he was dies right there in that valley as he watches what should have been his air support fly away leaving the remnants of his platoon stranded and still under fire. In this scene we are also introduced to Mal's loyal second, Zoe, a stalwart soldier devoted to her commander. Betrayed and left to die alongside him, the bond between the two of them is obvious from the get-go.

Fast-forward six years, and those who have lost the war have had to find new ways of living. For Mal and Zoe, it seems, this has mostly involved stepping outside the bounds of the law, removing themselves as far as possible from the long arm of the Alliance they fought so hard against. We catch up with them in the midst of a salvage-and-loot operation, and so doing slowly meet the eclectic crew of the good ship Serenity that Mal now runs.

And I would like to note at this point just how much I love that the exterior space shots in this show are always silent, even explosions. No sound in space.

WASH
(as Stegosaurus)
We will rule over all this land, and
we will call it... "This Land."
(as T-Rex)
I think we should call it "your
grave!"
(Stegosaurus)
Ah, curse your sudden but inevitable
betrayal!
(T-Rex)
Ha ha HA! Mine is an evil laugh! Now
die!
(Stegosaurus)
Oh, no, God! Oh, dear God in heaven!

Wash and his little plastic dinosaurs (which are arrayed across the pilot's console right to the bitter end – and beyond) are a huge selling point for the opening stages of the pilot, as far as I'm concerned, because – adorable! He is the next character to get screen time, and the difference between him and the battle-scarred Mal couldn't be more marked. And yet, as we soon learn, these are the two leading men in Zoe's life now – she remains at Mal's right-hand, as she has always been, but is now married to his diametric opposite, the very laid-back pilot, Wash. It is clear from the start, though, that while Wash may be playful and humorous most of the time, he's also very professional where his job is concerned, instantly snapping into 'all business' mode when trouble raises its ugly head.

With an Alliance cruiser happening upon Serenity at the height of their operation, the remainder of the crew are introduced at breakneck speed: Jayne, the rugged, but dim and self-absorbed 'muscle', and Kaylee, the happy-go-lucky young engineer.

It still amazes and delights me that the most macho character on the show has a girl's name. *G*

MAL
Cry, Baby, Cry.

WASH
Make your mother sigh. Engaging the
crybaby.

I love the Cry-Baby: a tiny jet-propelled satellite thingy, beeping out its distress signal. It's small and rough, and has written on a piece of tape: "Crybaby #6." And the Cruiser reads it as a Personnel Carrier in distress. Such a simple but effective ruse for getting out of jail free. The Cruiser abandons the chase to go help, and Serenity escapes, hold stuffed with their salvaged cargo. But, importantly, the Alliance Cruiser puts out a tag on the Firefly as one to watch out for. And there is no hint of victory in Mal's eyes as they make good their escape.

KAYLEE
(re: the salvaged cargo)
They're awfully pretty...

WASH
I'd say worth a little risk.

JAYNE
Yeah, that was some pretty risky
sittin' you did there.

WASH
That's right, of course, 'cause they
wouldn't arrest me if we got boarded,
I'm just the pilot. I can always say
I was flying the ship by accident.
You know, that pretty –

MAL
(harshly, in Chinese)
["Bizui." -- Shut up.]

The Chinese cursing thrown in here and there throughout the series is surprisingly effective. Viewers don't need to be given translations (and aren't) to get the gist of what is being said.

We aren't told what the contraband is, merely getting visuals of small gold bars, leading the viewer to assume away regarding just how sinister the operation is. Viewers are shown by Mal's face on examining the cargo that there is a problem, but he opts not to share this with his crew, simply stating that they need to move it on before they run into another Alliance patrol.

JAYNE
What the hell they doin' out this
far, anyhow?

KAYLEE
Shining the light of civilization.

JAYNE
Doesn't do us any good...

KAYLEE
Well, we're uncivilized.

Serenity, we learn, is headed for Persephone, where a contact named Badger is expected to take the cargo off their hands, and where – in the interests of both respectability and getting paid – they will be taking on passengers before continuing on to Boros.

JAYNE
Pain in the ass...

KAYLEE
No, it's shiny! I like to meet new
people. They've all got stories...

JAYNE
Captain, can you stop her from bein'
cheerful, please?

MAL
I don't believe there is a power in
the 'verse that can stop Kaylee from
being cheerful. Sometimes you just wanna duct tape
her mouth and dump her in the hold
for a month.

She grins and kisses his cheek.

KAYLEE
I love my captain.

The focus then shifts to Zoe and Wash, providing us with the first hint of Zoe's conflict of interest between her captain and husband.

ZOE
I know something ain't right.

WASH
Sweetie, we're crooks. If everything
were right, we'd be in jail.

ZOE
It's just that the Captain's so tense...

Zoe has served at Mal's side for a long, long time. Looking out for him, looking after him – she takes it for granted, and, probably, he does too. But it is equally understandable that Wash is a little jealous of that bond at times. Especially when all he wants is to run away and spend some quality time with his wife when they get their pay-off, only to run headlong into her need for permission from the commanding officer. This girl is army, through and through.

WASH
What if we just told Mal we needed a
few days, 'stead of asking him?

ZOE
He's the captain, Wash.

WASH
Right. I'm just the husband.

ZOE
Look, I'll ask him.

WASH
Don't forget to call him 'sir'. He
likes that.

The next introduction is that of Inara – a professional 'Companion' who makes her home in one of Serenity's two shuttles. The background of Inara's profession is quickly sketched out for us: Companions are highly trained courtesans, generally - although not exclusively - held in the highest regard. Inara is nicknamed 'The Ambassador', her position opening doors for Serenity that would otherwise remain closed.

The difference between the gleaming sophistication of the city where we first see Inara and the bustling dockland area where she rejoins Serenity is marked, highlighting the depths of the class divisions within the Alliance. The advantages for Mal of having her aboard are clear, operating as he does at the lower end of the ladder, but just why the sophisticated Inara should be travelling with the rag-tag crew of Serenity is less aparent.

KAYLEE
I'd sure love to find a brand new
compression coil for the steamer.

MAL
And I'd like to be king of all
Londinum and wear a shiny hat. Just
get us some passengers. Them as can
pay, all right?

KAYLEE
Compression coil busts, we're
drifting...

MAL
Best not bust, then.

*snicker* The fragile state of the compression coil will become a recurring theme.

The division of Serenity's crew into 'military' and 'non-military' is made very apparent visually, without a word being said on the subject. Wash and Kaylee head out in search of supplies and potential passengers, while Mal, Zoe and Jayne take care of 'business'.

BADGER
If you'd gotten here sooner, you
might've beaten the bulletin that
came up sayin' a rogue vessel,
classification 'Firefly', was spotted
pulling illegal salvage on a derelict
transport.

MAL
Didn't ID us. Doesn't lead to you.

BADGER
No, it doesn't. But a government
stamp on every molecule of the cargo
just maybe might.

Business, it seems, rarely runs smoothly for Mal and his crew, and the government stamp on the cargo is the minor detail that Mal picked up on earlier but chose not to share with the crew. Love the dirty look Zoe flashes him when she realises that. And Badger refuses to deal with them.

BADGER
What were you in the war, that big war
you failed to win? You were a Sergeant,
yeah? Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds, Balls and
Bayonets Brigade. Big tough veteran.
Now you got yourself a ship and
you're a captain. Only I think
you're still a Sergeant, see. Still
a soldier, man of honor in a den of
thieves.
(in his face)
Well this is my gorram den, and I don't
like the way you look down on me.
I'm above you. Better than. I'm a
businessman, see? Roots in the
community. You're just a scavenger.

I love the shot of Kaylee sitting in front of the ship in a lawn chair, twirling a parasol and sizing up potential passengers. Adorable.

KAYLEE
You're gonna come with us.

BOOK
Excuse me?

KAYLEE
You like ships. You don't seem to be
looking at the destinations. What
you care about is the ships, and mine's
the nicest.

Shepherd Book is the next character introduced, the wandering pastor fresh from the abbey and very much a man of mystery, his hidden depths hinted at right from the start.

KAYLEE
So, uh, how come you don't care where
you're going?

BOOK
'Cause how you get there is the
worthier part.

With Badger pulling out on their deal, Mal gets to provide a quick-fire rundown for the benefit of viewers on his checkered history with the criminal underbelly of this society. His desperation to keep his ship in the air is obvious, while Zoe stalwartly supports and advises him, and Jayne focuses on what is important to him: receiving and maximising his share of the profit.

MAL
Jayne, your mouth is talking. You
might wanna look to that.

JAYNE
Oh, I'm ready to stop talkin' –

MAL
You're right, though. The last two
jobs we had were weak tea. We got
nothing saved, takin' on passengers
won't help near enough.
(beat)
We don't get paid for this cargo, we
don't have enough money to fuel the
ship, let alone keep her in repair.
She'll be dead in the water.

For Mal, keeping his ship in the air is the most – the only – important thing, and he is prepared to go to all kinds of lengths to achieve it.

MAL
I'm thinkin' Whitefall, maybe talk
to Patience...

ZOE
Sir, we don't want to deal with
Patience again.

MAL
Why?

ZOE
She shot you.

MAL
Well, yeah, she did a bit... still --

During this conversation, Reavers are mentioned for the first time, and the fear they instil is apparent at once.

MAL
Town got hit by Reavers. Burned it
right down.

JAYNE
I ain't goin' nowhere near Reaver
territory. Them people ain't
human.

MAL
Whitefall is the safest and the closest.
Been a long time since Patience shot me
and that was due to a perfectly legitimate
conflict of interest. I got no grudge.
She owns half that damn moon now.
She can afford what we got and she just
might need it.

They arrive back at the ship to find Kaylee and Wash bringing the new passengers aboard. Dobson is played by an actor who has already appeared in both of Joss Whedon's other shows, Buffy and Angel, and played a Baddy both times. This alone is enough to set alarm bells clanging, but his behaviour is unassuming enough here – maybe just a little too much so. The third and final passenger to board is Simon, a young and clearly affluent man, whose primary concern is a large box Wash is stowing away for him (our first glimpse of the Mule#1) and who clearly has no experience at all at appearing inconspicuous.

ZOE
Now we have a boatful of citizens
right on top of our... stolen cargo.
(beat)
That's a fun mix.

MAL
If anyone gets nosy, just, you know...
shoot 'em.

ZOE
Shoot 'em?

MAL
Politely.

Mal's 'welcome aboard' speech to the passengers is fun and instructive, giving us more of an insight into how this universe – and life aboard this ship in particular – functions, meals coming in 'protein in all the colours of the rainbow', and sit-down meals for crew and passengers alike.

MAL
Did you send word to Patience?

WASH
Ain't heard back yet. Didn't she
shoot you one time?

MAL
Everybody's makin' a fuss.

Mal goes out of his way to make Inara's introduction to the Shepherd as awkward as possible, bringing his issues with both to the fore, Book because of the 'religion' thing, while Inara…ooh, the vibes are there right from the start. Sparks fly during her every scene with Mal.

MAL
She's a whore, Shepherd.

KAYLEE
(annoyed)
The term is "Companion".

MAL
Yeah, I always get those mixed up.
(to Inara)
How's business?

INARA
None of yours.

Mal has no respect for Inara's profession, yet she lets him get away with it, because there is so much more to it than that. All very interesting stuff, their conversation packed full of UST with subtext hiding behind every word. And a close friendship between Inara and Kaylee is also established in this scene.

KAYLEE
So how many fell madly in love with
you and wanted to take you away from
all this?

INARA
Just the one. I think I'm slipping.

Next up, Kaylee has herself a Herbal Essences moment with one of the strawberries provided by Shepherd Book as part of his payment for passage along with the fresh ingredients for the meal we soon see almost the entire crew enjoying. Inara and Wash are the only ones absent, and I love that Zoe puts a plate of food aside for Wash. Such a wifely thing to do. *G*

I also love that the show has a married couple on board right from the start. It feels so grown up compared to the teenage antics of, for example, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as much as I love that show. It's a different way of exploring a couple's interactions, by presenting them as already married and dealing with how to make that work in these conditions, instead of taking us through their courtship and getting-to-know-you rituals.

During the meal, the crew dance around the cover story for their detour to Whitefall and a little more of the exposition regarding the universe in which they live is laid out in idle conversation.

DOBSON
I hear a lot of the border moons are
in bad shape. Plagues, and famine...

ZOE
Well, some of that's exaggerated, and
some of it ain't. All those moons --
just like the central planets,
they're as close to Earth-That-Was as
we could make 'em: gravity, atmosphere,
and such, but...

MAL
Once they're terraformed, they'll
dump settlers on there with nothing
but blankets, hatchets, maybe a herd.
Some of them make it, some of them...

Kaylee's attraction to Simon is apparent right away, and some of the background behind their characters is dipped into.

KAYLEE
(to Simon)
You're a Doctor, right?

SIMON
Oh. Uh, yes. Yes, I was a trauma
surgeon on Osiris, in Capital City.

MAL
Long way from here.

KAYLEE
(to Simon)
You seem so young. To be a doctor.

SIMON
(changing the subject)
Yeah. You're pretty young to be a ship's
mechanic.

KAYLEE
No how. Machines just got workings,
and they talk to me.

Jayne's lack of civility comes to the fore as he crudely makes fun of Kaylee's obvious interest in Simon, and Mal slaps him down hard for it, both in defence of Kaylee and for the appearance of things in front of the passengers, ordering him away from the table.

SIMON
What do you pay him for?

MAL
What?

SIMON
I was just wondering what his job is.
On the ship.

Mal stares a moment.

MAL
Public relations.

Next up, all male viewers get happy because the next scene is Inara indulging in a very tastefully filmed sponge bath. And I'd just like to say that I love Inara's quarters, so richly decorated with wonderfully exotic taste and elegance. Her lack of inhibition shows in the absence of any kind of embarrassment at being found so occupied by Shepherd Book, while his matter-of-factness about it is equally telling.

BOOK
I brought you some supper, but if
you'd prefer a lecture, I've a few very catchy ones
prepped. Sin and hellfire…one
has lepers!

The short conversation between the Shepherd and the Companion is pretty revealing, especially regarding how both feel about Mal.

BOOK
He's not wildly interested in
ingratiating himself with anyone,
yet he seems very protective of
his crew.
(beat)
It's odd.

INARA
Why are you so fascinated by him?

BOOK
Because he's something of a mystery.
(beat)
Why are you?

Beat. Inara smiles softly.

INARA
Because so few men are.

Very next scene is Mal, erm, using the facilities. So, so real and natural, and I love that both toilet and sink fold away into the wall, just as the door/ladder down to the crew's rooms do. Such efficient use of space, and again with the industrial appearance of things. Everything aboard the ship is functionally mechanical rather than incomprehensibly hi-tech. I like it.

Wash then calls Mal to let him in on a little problem. Someone just sent out a signal to the nearest Alliance cruiser: they have a mole on board.

Mal instantly suspects Simon, and rushes down to the cargo bay where, sure enough, he finds the doctor checking up on the large box he brought aboard with him. Mal decks the doctor, they exchange angry words, face off…

And Shepherd Book then appears, bringing to Mal's attention that he has the wrong man. He turns to see that Dobson has a gun on him.

MAL
This is not my best day ever.

Dobson moves the gun to point it at Simon.

DOBSON
Simon Tam, you are bound by law to
stand down.

Mal takes a moment to realize the man is after Simon.

MAL
What -- the doctor? Oh.
(indignant at Simon)
Hey!
(hopeful, to Dobson)
Is there-is there a reward?

The standoff is very tense, with so many people involved, all with different agendas and methods of dealing: Dobson wants Simon, Simon wants his freedom, Book wants to prevent any killing, while Mal wants to protect himself and his. And then Kaylee walks into the room at the exact wrong moment, and bang! She's down with a bullet in her gut.

A lot of things happen all at once, but the most telling is that it is Shepherd Book who takes Dobson down, with a fairly brutal jab to the throat and face. Not terribly Shepherdly behaviour. Simon's first instinct is to rush to Kaylee's aid, despite his own predicament. This boy is a doctor right to the bone. And Book then faces down the hardened mercenary Jayne without so much as blinking, which is impressive even if Jayne is a coward at heart, and Zoe swiftly appears to back him up.

With Dobson secured, Mal's primary concern switches to Kaylee, while Inara has also rushed to her side. It is established that Serenity has a fully stocked if rudimentary infirmary, but at this point another spanner is thrown in the works. An Alliance cruiser is headed their way in response to Dobson's call, ordering them to stay on course and prepare to be boarded. Simon's desperation to avoid the Feds comes through loud and clear with his reluctant use of Kaylee's injury as a bartering tool, despite his obvious desire to save her. Mal's fury at being told what to do on his own boat is equally obvious, but the need to save Kaylee overrides. Wash is told to change course and run for it, and Kaylee is rushed to the infirmary.

MAL
This is over, you and me are gonna
have a personal chat.

SIMON
Won't that be fun.

Rather than cutting away from the action at this point, the show stays with it and we get to see Simon at work, showing us – and the rest of the crew – that he really is an excellent doctor. Mal and Inara assist as best they can and – very tellingly for the character – there is also a shot of Jayne crouching outside the infirmary peering in, almost hugging himself with worry. The hardened mercenary does have a heart buried in there somewhere.

And the tension doesn't let up for a moment. Kaylee is no sooner patched up – and not yet out of danger – when Mal decides to find out what this was all about, by opening Simon's precious box despite the doctor's pleas.

The box, it turns out, is some kind of cryo-chamber, and inside it is a naked, unconscious teenage girl. Simon's little sister, River.

River's terror on awakening and Simon's tenderness in reassuring her make this a wonderfully powerful scene, brought to an abrupt halt by Mal's intense focus on what's important to him – finding out what the hell is going on.

The heavy exposition behind Simon and River is handled well, the scene of Simon explaining to the crew in the dining area inter-cut with shots of him caring for a traumatised and near hysterical River in the infirmary, finally sedating her once more.

SIMON
River was more than gifted. She...
she was a gift. Everything she did,
music, math, theoretical physics --
even-even dance -- there was nothing
that didn't come as naturally to her
as breathing does to us.
(smiles, remembering)
She could be a real... brat about it,
too. I mean, she used to --

River's talents led to her being sent away to a prestigious Alliance-run academy, which was when things started to go wrong, as her current state provides ample evidence. Simon's explanation of how gifted his sister was has tremendous impact, inter-cut as it is with shots of how she is now: eyes wandering, muttering to herself – this girl is gone.

SIMON
I got a few letters at first, and then I
didn't hear for months. Finally I
got a letter that made no sense. She-she
talked about things that never
happened, jokes we never... it was
code. It just said...
(beat)
"They're hurting us. Get me out."

ZOE
How did you do it?

SIMON
Money. And, and luck. For two years,
I couldn't get near her. Then I was
contacted by some men, some underground
movement. They-they said she was
in danger, that-that the government was...
playing with her brain. If I funded
them they could sneak her out in cryo.
Get her to Persephone, and from there,
I could take her... wherever.

INARA
Will she be all right?

SIMON
I don't know if she'll be all right.
I don't know what they did to her, or
why. I-I just have to keep her safe.

The need to take care of River is Simon's driving force for the entire run of the series, as well as the film, and his utter devotion to her is touching. The underground movement who helped him get her out, though, is an interesting detail that was never returned to, thanks to the cancellation of the series.

BOOK
That's... quite a story, son.

MAL
Yeah, it's a tale of woe. Very
stirring, but in the meantime, you've
heaped a world of trouble on me and
mine.

Mal's dark side comes through here, loud and clear. Him and his are what matters to him, and he's quite prepared to abandon Simon and River to their fate, dispose of Dobson, whatever it takes to keep his ship flying. Jayne is equally eager to take the easy road, while Wash, Book and Inara argue vocally against being a part of cold-blooded murder. Zoe is once again caught between her captain and her husband, and opts not to take sides – which Wash silently but visibly interprets as siding with Mal against him, and is unhappy about. And Simon demonstrates that he has plenty of backbone under his pampered, Alliance-bred exterior, refusing to take a death sentence lying down.

JAYNE
He can I.D. us all.

SIMON
You wanna throw me out the airlock,
fine, but River's not a part of this.

WASH
Can we maybe vote on the whole
murdering people issue?

MAL
We don't vote on my ship because my
ship is not the rutting town hall!

INARA
This is insanity. Mal...

WASH
I happen to think we're a ways beyond
that now, sir.
(to Zoe)
Come on, we're gonna talk this
through, yeah?

Zoe doesn't answer. Wash is truly pissed.

BOOK
I'll not sit by while there's killing
here.

JAYNE
(smiling)
Shepherd's got a mean streak. We'd
best walk soft.

MAL
[Nimen de bizui! -- "Everybody shut
the hell up!"]
(they do)
Way it is is the way it is. We got
to deal with what's in front of us.

No decisions yet made, and Mal still has a captured Fed aboard to interrogate.

MAL
I'm in a tricky position, I guess you
know. Got me a boatload of terribly
strange folk making my life a little
more interesting than I generally like,
chief among them an Alliance mole.
Likes to shoot at girls when he's
nervous. Now I got to know how
close the Alliance is, exactly how
much you told them before Wash
scrambled your call. So...
I've given Jayne here the job of
finding out.

Jayne pulls out a big-ass knife.

JAYNE
(to Dobson)
He was non-specific as to how.

Jayne's worst qualities come to the fore in this scene – lechery, violence, cruelty, treachery…he might be dim-witted, but he's also something of a psychopath. Dangerous. Dobson offers him a deal, and it is unclear whether or not he'll take it.

The next problem is brought swiftly to Mal's attention by Wash, who has been quietly getting on with his job on the bridge throughout most of the recent craziness. A Reaver vessel – once a harmless transport, now savagely kitted out for war – coming their way.

ZOE
You've never heard of Reavers?

SIMON
Well... campfire stories... Men gone savage
on the edge of space, killing, and...

ZOE
They're not stories.

SIMON
What happens if they board us?

ZOE
If they take the ship, they'll rape
us to death, eat our flesh and sew
our skins into their clothing and if
we're very, very lucky, they'll do it
in that order.

We don't even have to see the Reavers for the tension to work. One glimpse of their ship, and the fear in the eyes and voices of the crew is all it takes. While Serenity quietly slips by, trying not to attract the attention of the Reavers, we see Inara taking out a syringe and vial of blue liquid. Just what this is, we never learn, unfortunately.

WASH
They're holding course.

Mal lets out a long breath. Looks at the other two.

WASH (cont'd)
I guess they weren't hungry. Didn't
expect to see them here...

ZOE
They're pushing out further every
year, too.

MAL
Gettin' awful crowded in my sky.

Time to take a breath as the frantic pace lets up ever so slightly, just for a moment. Mal gets a sweet scene with the recovering Kaylee, his fondness for her contrasting nicely with his hard-edged dealings with Simon and Dobson.

KAYLEE
Well, don't you worry none. Doc fixed me
up pretty. He's nice.

MAL
Don't go working too hard on that
crush, [xiao mei-mei - "little sister"]. Doc
won't be with us for long.

KAYLEE
You're nice, too.

MAL
No, I'm not. I'm a mean old man.

KAYLEE
He wasn't gonna let me die. He was
just trying to... It's nobody's fault.
Okay? Just promise me you'll
remember that?

MAL
(takes her hand)
I'll keep it in mind.

KAYLEE
You are a nice man, Captain. You're
always looking after us. You just
gotta have faith in people.

Faith in just about anyone is, of course, exactly what Mal has been lacking ever since the Battle of Serenity Valley.

It's nice to see Inara offering Simon a little practical support, since Mal is planning to leave him and River on Whitefall. She gives him a few packs of immuno-boosters, all she has to offer, but with Whitefall being the back end of beyond, anything will help and Simon is grateful.

SIMON
I... I'm sorry. For my part in what
happened. See... I've never... I mean,
I don't know how to –

INARA
You're lost in the woods. We all
are. Even the captain. The only
difference is, he likes it that way.

So, Mal then turns around and plays a very mean trick on Simon, scaring him half to death by telling him Kaylee has died when she is in fact recovering well. It is funny, but a bit jarring compared to the highly charged tension of pretty much every scene since Kaylee was shot. But, what the heck – maybe the crew needed to unwind a bit.

SIMON
That man's psychotic.

INT. BRIDGE - MOMENTS LATER
Mal, Wash, Jayne and Zoe are all falling about laughing.

WASH
You are psychotic.

MAL
No, but you should have seen his
face... Oh... I'm a bad man.

And the main plot is returned to at last, with Serenity's arrival at Whitefall and contact being made with the infamous Patience. To his credit, Mal is upfront with her about the cargo being imprinted, and arrangements are made for payment and delivery.

MAL
I believe that woman's planning to
shoot me again.

JAYNE
She meant to pay you, she'd'a haggled
you down some.

WASH
Just a little effort to hide it
would've been –

ZOE
Sir, we don't have to deal with her.

MAL
Yes, we do.

JAYNE
Here's a little concept I been workin'
on. Why don't we shoot her first?

WASH
It is her turn.

MAL
That doesn't get us what we need, either.

ZOE
There's moons on this boat we ain't seen.
We could try our luck –

MAL
(angrily)
Our luck?
(beat)
You notice anything particular about our
luck these past few days? Any kind of
pattern?
(beat)
You depend on luck, you end up on the
drift -- no fuel, no prospects....
beggin' for Alliance make-work.
And towed out to the scrap belt.
That ain't us. Not ever. Patience
has got the money to pay, and she will,
one way or another. There's obstacles
in our path, and we're gonna deal with
them. One by one.

During the standoff with Patience, we finally get to see the reason Mal keeps Jayne on the payroll, as he easily sneaks up on her hidden sniper, knocks him out, and takes up that position himself. He's a useful psychopath in situations like this.

ZOE
Don't think it's a good spot, sir.
She still has the advantage over us.

MAL
Everyone always does.
(smiling)
That's what makes us special.

The wild west feel of the show is at its strongest here, with Patience and her men arriving on horseback, but it makes sense with the history of this universe as given us so far – this might be a space age era, but it isn't the shiny, money-free, easy-replicating society of Star Trek. Entil makes the point in his reviews: that 'when the one source of technology makes it available only when it serves their own interests, the rest of the universe is forced to resort to the next best thing.' This is a frontier society, settlers dumped on new worlds with the bare essentials and left to survive as best they can. The resultant hodge-podge of widely varying technology from the highly advanced to the relatively primitive is apparent right through the series. And I really love the technology of the show, because it comes across as industrial, and therefore, somehow, plausible. In contrast to the squeaky-clean, fluorescent and generally incomprehensible technology of Star Trek, where engines are fixed by pressing a few buttons on a console, it is fantastic. Serenity feels like a machine, and is therefore easier to believe in, somehow.

The nature of the cargo is finally revealed, and it is, well, revealing. Those gold bars are food, black-market practicality. Nice touch.

MAL
It's pure, Patience. Genuine A-grade
foodstuffs. Protein, vitamins,
immunization supplements. One of
those'll feed a family for a month.
Longer, if they don't like their kids
too well.

Meanwhile on Serenity, Dobson has got loose, and is busily carrying out a little mayhem of his own, viciously battering Book around the head and capturing a newly awakened and still deeply traumatised River.

Down on Whitefall, Patience shows her true colours by reneging on the deal and refusing payment. She does have the advantage, but Mal turns it around on her, as Jayne, from the vantage point of his sniper's position, is able to pick off her henchmen from a distance. A shoot out commences. Zoe gets nailed in the chest and goes down hard, so of course the scene instantly cuts to…

...a blissfully ignorant Wash, talking to Simon on the bridge.

WASH
You should think about asking the
captain to drop you somewhere else.
Whitefall ain't exactly civilization
in the strictest sense.

SIMON
You don't have to worry about me.

WASH
Zoe's out on a deal, I always worry.
So... it's not out of my way --

Just then Kaylee calls on the com from the infirmary, to let them know that Dobson has River. Simon rushes out, but before Wash can follow him, a bleeping from one of his instruments heralds yet another complication.

Now the actions cuts back and fore between the two scenes of combat. Simon and Dobson tussle in the cargo bay, while down on Whitefall, Mal and Jayne succeed in taking out Patience's henchmen. Mal takes a shot in the arm, while Zoe is revealed to be winded but fine. Body armour still useful even in the future.

MAL
Well, you were right about this
being a bad idea.

ZOE
Thanks for sayin', sir.

Mal ends the battle by shooting Patience's horse down from under her and claiming his payment.

MAL
Now I did a job. I got nothing but
trouble since I did it, not to
mention more than a few unkind words
as regard to my character so let me
make this abundantly clear. I do the
job.

He takes the money.

MAL (cont'd)
And then I get paid.

And at that moment the nature of the newest problem is made clear as Jayne comes running with a message from Wash – the Reavers are here. Mal, Zoe and Jayne grab horses and ride for their lives, back to the ship. It's a fantastic shot.

On Serenity, a very anxious Wash is warming up the ship ready for takeoff, while Simon continues to tussle ineptly but determinedly with Dobson, finally managing to get hold of a gun and holding it on the lawman. He can't bring himself to shoot, yet is desperate not to allow this man to take his sister. Deadlock.

The standoff is broken by Mal. He comes striding aboard and casually takes Dobson out with one shot. Harsh, brutal, and a perfect snapshot of the nature of the world these people live in. He and Jayne then toss the body off the ship, while Zoe lets Wash know they are good to go.

The chase sequence with the Reavers is excellent stuff, with yet more strong characterisation shining through, as the normally laid-back and flippant Wash becomes almost preternaturally calm and focused under pressure. He demonstrates his excellent piloting skills with serene expertise while those around him panic loudly.

ZOE
[Ai ya, women wanle. - "We're in big
trouble."]

MAL
(to Wash)
How close do they need to be to fire
those grapples?

JAYNE
C'mon, Wash, you dumbass, dodge 'em!

WASH
If everybody could just be quiet a
moment...

And I love that here, throughout the series, and in the film, whenever Wash is flying the ship and she isn't needed elsewhere, Zoe stands behind or beside him with a hand on the back of his chair, as close as she can get without actually touching him, since distracting the pilot while in flight would be bad. It's a nice touch. J

MAL
How we doing?

WASH
(droll)
I don't mean to alarm anybody... but
I think... we're being followed.

Kaylee is needed in the engine room and, since she can't walk there, Jayne carries her, while Mal tells Inara to get the civilians to her shuttle and be ready to run for it if Serenity is captured. Inara takes Simon and River to (relative) safety, but Book goes with Jayne and Kaylee to the engine room. Kaylee is set down in a corner, and uses Book and Jayne as her hands, since she is in no fit state to do the work herself, getting the engine set for full burn while Wash performs tricky manoeuvres to evade the Reavers. Interestingly, Shepherd Book seems to know exactly what he's doing with the engine, although Jayne remains clueless.

WASH
(into com)
Kaylee, how would you feel about
pulling a Crazy Ivan?

INT. ENGINE ROOM – CONTINUING

KAYLEE
Always wanted to try one. Jayne.
Open the port jet control. Cut the
hydraulics.

JAYNE
Where the hell is --?

KAYLEE
Look. Look! Look where I'm pointing.

The manoeuvre that Wash pulls to evade the Reavers makes perfect technical sense, given the specs we've seen of the Firefly. It is great when that happens in sci fi. Means that real and actual thought has been put into the design and schematics of the ship. Serenity escapes just seconds before the magnetic grapple can latch on, and they're away.

MAL
Knew I hired you for somethin'.

The crew celebrate their deep and heartfelt relief, Kaylee quietly and proudly congratulates 'her girl' Serenity, while Zoe is equally proud of her man.

ZOE
Sir? I'd like you to take the helm,
please.
(re: Wash)
I need this man to tear all my
clothes off.

Mal says nothing, just smiles and indicates the way out. Wash climbs out of the chair and exits with Zoe...

WASH
Work, work, work...

Inara, meanwhile, talks Shepherd Book through a mini crisis of faith.

BOOK
I've been out of the abbey two days,
I've beaten a lawman senseless, I've
fallen in with criminals. I watched
the captain shoot the man I swore to
protect.
(beat)
And I'm not even sure if I think he
was wrong.

INARA
Shepherd...

He is shaking a bit, tearing up.

BOOK
I believe I just...
(a pained smile)
I think I'm on the wrong ship.

INARA
Maybe. Or maybe you're exactly where
you ought to be.

But, of course, it isn't over yet. There's still the Simon and River conundrum to be considered. Jayne is all for dumping them as planned, but Mal is more interested in knowing how Dobson got free.

MAL
How come you didn't turn on me, Jayne?

JAYNE
Money wasn't good enough.

MAL
What happens when it is?

JAYNE
(smiling)
Well... that'll be an interesting day.

MAL
Imagine it will.

Seems Mal has changed his mind about Simon, for the time being at least.

MAL
There's places you might be safe.
You want the truth, though, you're
probably safer on the move.
(turns to him)
And we never stop moving.

SIMON
I'm confused. No wait, I -- I think
maybe you're confused.

MAL
It may have become apparent to you
that the ship could use a medic. You
ain't weak. I don't know how bright
you are, top three percent, but you
ain't weak and that's not nothing.
You live by my rule, you keep your
sister from doing anything crazy,
you could maybe find a place here.
'Til you find a better.

SIMON
I'm trying to put this as delicately
as I can... How do I know you won't
kill me in my sleep?

MAL
You don't know me, son. So let me
explain this to you once: If I ever
kill you, you'll be awake, you'll be
facing me, and you'll be armed.

SIMON
(smiles)
Are you always this sentimental?

MAL
Had a good day.

SIMON
You had the Alliance on you, criminals
and savages... half the people on the
ship have been shot or wounded
including yourself, and you're
harboring known fugitives.

Mal looks out at the black sky.

MAL
We're still flying.

SIMON
That's not much.

Mal answers, almost to himself:

MAL
It's enough.

The dream lives on, for another day, at least.

And that's the end of a fun, fast and furious introduction to the world and characters of the good ship Serenity. Firefly hits the ground running. It's fantastic stuff, with wonderful depth to the characterisation right from the word go, creating a world that feels real and plausible, a true frontier society, out there in the black.


Transcript details borrowed from Firefly Resources