Firefly: Objects in Space

River: "I'm not on the ship. I'm in the ship. I am the ship."The opening scenes showed us Serenity from River's point of view. Her feet were bare, symbolic of her extreme vulnerability. Was River really hearing their thoughts, or was it more negative? The dislike of her that she imagined they felt? Simon, care of River's brain, said, "I would be there right now." Simon actually did say

Firefly: Heart of Gold

Mal: "Well, any friend of Inara's is a strictly businesslike relationship of mine."And now for the crew's impression of the Magnificent Seven. This episode felt a bit like "Trash," a fun caper in an unusual setting. The most interesting thing about it was the development in the Mal/Inara relationship. Or non-relationship, as it were.The meaning of the episode title is obvious, as in "hooker

Firefly: The Message

Mal: "You murdered yourself. I just carried the bullet awhile."See, I knew he wasn't dead. But he turned out to be, anyway, and in more ways than one.The shopping expedition in the space station with the sideshow barker, post office, and junk food was country fair crossed with Star Wars. (The final scene with Wash piloting Serenity through mountain chasms also had a Star Wars flavor.) But

Firefly: Trash

Saffron: "He's my husband."Mal: "Well, who in the damn galaxy ain't?"Just another wacky caper episode, and a return engagement with Mal's blushing, psychotic ex-bride, Saffron-Bridget-Yolanda. We thought Saffron was the Artful Dodger; this episode suggested that she was also Rapunzel, that she had hidden depths. (Were they setting up a future love interest for Mal? We may never know.)

Firefly: War Stories

Wash: "What this marriage needs is one less husband."This was a clever, well-written episode about an important but as yet unexplored triangle: Zoe, Wash, and Mal. It wasn't surprising that Wash was jealous of Zoe's closeness to Mal. Wash specifically mentioned that it bothered him that Zoe obeys Mal. Even the most secure husband would have to feel a twinge. It was very interesting that

Firefly: Ariel

Simon: "For this to work, River and I will have to be dead."Jayne: "I'm starting to like this plan."Again, a strong episode that showed Simon in a wonderful light: clever, courageous, risking his life for his sister. It's like Simon is our conventional hero, while Mal is our anti-hero.I'm not quite sure what Jayne is.It's funny how Jayne can remain so likable even while doing such a

Firefly: Out of Gas

Inara: "Mal, you don't have to die alone."Mal: "Everybody dies alone."Beginnings and endings, life and death.The opening scene with Mal's blood dripping through the grate pretty much said it all. Serenity is Mal's life. No reason for Mal to go on living if Serenity dies. Except the final scene where Wash was giving Mal a blood transfusion also said it all in a great big symbolic way. Mal

Firefly: Jaynestown

Simon: "This must be what going mad feels like."I found it hard to write about this episode. How many ways can you say, My god, this episode was funny? It's safe to say that, for me at least, "Jaynestown" is the funniest episode in the series. Some of it was outright hilarious. The mud, the "eerie-assed" statue, the "Ballad of Jayne Cobb," it was classic. But it was more than just funny.

Firefly: Our Mrs. Reynolds

Shepherd Book: "If you take sexual advantage of her, you're going to burn in a very special level of hell. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater."After a job that appeared to have gone very well (despite Mal's frequent assertion that things never "go smooth"), the crew was bamboozled by a deceptive beauty who said she was married to Mal.Other than "you

Firefly: Safe

Jayne: "See? That's my whole problem with picking up tourists. They ain't never what they claim to be."Not my favorite episode, but it had its interesting points. Like, Simon would die for his sister, or with her. Shepherd Book has some weird connection to the Alliance. And beagles are easier to transport than cows.The flashbacks showed that Simon and River have always had a strong

Firefly: Shindig

Mal: "I got stabbed. Right here."Inara: "You also lined up exciting new crime."And it was the Mal and Inara show. They're so obviously in love. But the only place they seem to connect is on Serenity. Why can't he tell her how he feels? Why does he have to be all manly and obtuse? Instead, he snapped at Kaylee for no reason at all, and got himself into a duel he couldn't possibly win.

Firefly: Bushwhacked

Mal: "Looks like civilization finally caught up with us."Moody and scary. And it started out so well.The sideways basketball "hoops" game was not only fun, it also served as social commentary. The players were the five crew members, plus Shepherd Book. This suggested that Book was already being treated as a member of the crew. Simon, River, and Inara watched from above, suggesting that

Firefly: The Train Job

Mal: "They tell you never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious."Very exciting, frenetic episode, full of action as well as exceptionally clever lines. The opening Unification Day barfight in particular was so much fun that I wanted to quote three-quarters of the dialogue. But this episode was also very much about moral choices, an important concept to establish

Firefly: Serenity

Zoe: "I know something ain't right."Wash: "Sweetie, we're crooks. If everything were right, we'd be in jail."This pilot established the basic blueprint of the show. Captain Malcolm Reynolds, who was a sergeant on the losing side in the war six years ago, is now something of a space pirate who makes money any way he can in order to keep his ship in the air. Space. He has a crew of four: