Overall: 8.3
This episode is funny and strangely poignant in equal measure.
Plot Synopsis:
A good summary can be found here.
Writing: 9.0
Over the years, I've noticed that I'm especially vulnerable to feelings of melancholy whenever a beloved and trusty vessel breaks down or bites the dust. Perhaps it's because there's something inside me - something instinctive - that wholly and without question accepts the idea that a captain - and his crew - can love an inanimate ship as if it were a person. Naval romance, it seems, is a part of my DNA. Given this, a bit of a lump rises in my throat when, in this episode, the crew (save Mal) is forced to abandon Serenity. The sorrow that infuses every scene after the explosion feels absolutely real to me -- as does Mal's haunting determination to save his ship or die trying.
Of course, this episode's second purpose is to explain how the crew of Serenity was put together, and I think this is accomplished with the show's usual delightful humor. Mal's discovering Kaylee in a rather compromising position in his engine room is especially classic, as is Jayne's hooking up with Mal for better pay.
Acting: 9.0
The aforementioned sense of loss the viewer feels after Serenity's disastrous malfunction could never have been so profound without this particular ensemble. This episode depends, for the most part, on the talent of Nathan Fillion, but, in truth, everyone gets their moment to shine. I'm struck especially by how well Jewel Staite conveys her character's connection to the ship; her sadness in particular utterly breaks my heart.
Message: 7.0
This is an episode that is carried more by the strength of the characters and the bonds they share than by a clear theme -- and that's okay. I would rather a show be driven by people than by an explicit worldview that I despise.
A highlights section can be found under the cut.
Highlights:
MAL: Well?
ZOE: You paid money for this, sir? On purpose?
MAL: What? Come on, seriously, Zoe. Whaddya think?
ZOE: Honestly, sir? I think you got robbed.
MAL: Robbed? What, no! What do you mean?
ZOE: It's a piece of fei-oo (junk).
MAL: Fei-oo? Okay. She won't be winning any beauty contests anytime soon. But she is solid. Ship like this, be with ya 'til the day you die.
ZOE: 'Cause it's a deathtrap.
MAL: That's not... you are very much lacking in imagination.
ZOE: I imagine that's so, sir.
MAL: I tell ya, Zoe, we find ourselves a mechanic, get her running again. Hire a good pilot. Maybe even a cook. Live like real people. Small crew, them as feel the need to be free. Take jobs as they come -- and we'll never be under the heel of nobody ever again. No matter how long the arm of the Alliance might get, we'll just get ourselves a little further.
ZOE: Get her running again?
MAL: Yeah.
ZOE: So not running now?
MAL: Not so much. (LOL!)
KAYLEE: Shepherd told a funny story 'bout bein' a preacher. Now you tell a funny story about being a doctor.
SIMON: A funny story...
JAYNE: (sarcastic) Yeah, 'cos sick people are hi-larious.
SIMON: Well, they can be... uh... (chuckles) In fact, I remember there was this one time I was working the E.R. and this, this, uh, fellow, this very upright sort of citizen, comes in complaining of...
JAYNE: (interrupts) Now Inara -- she's gotta have some real funny whorin' stories, I'd wager.
INARA: Oh! Do I ever! Funny and sexy. You have no idea. (A beat) And you never will. (Heh!)
MAL: Wash, I need you on the bridge.
WASH: Zoe's hurt.
MAL: And the doctor's gonna do everything he can. Meantime, I gotta have you on that bridge. We need to know how bad it is.
WASH: How bad? It's bad, okay, sir? My wife may be dying, here. So my feeling is it's pretty damn bad.
MAL: Wash...
WASH: I'm not leaving her side, Mal. Don't ask me again.
MAL: I wasn't asking. I was telling.
WASH: Chur ni-duh. (Screw you.)
(Mal grabs Wash and slams him up against the wall.)
MAL: You're gonna get to the bridge and get us on our feet. (Whoa. Good scene.)
SIMON: I always thought the name Serenity had a vaguely funereal sound to it.
INARA: I love this ship. I have from the first moment I saw it.
SIMON: I just don't want to die on it.
INARA: I don't want to die at all.
SIMON: Suffocation's not exactly the most dignified way to go. The human body will involuntarily --
INARA: Please, I don't really require a clinical description right now.
SIMON: I'm sorry. I just, uh... (A beat) It was my birthday. (This is strangely touching.)
RIVER: Don't be afraid.
(Book looks up as River walks into the room.)
RIVER: (re: Book's Bible) That's what it says. Don't be afraid.
BOOK: Yes.
RIVER: But you are afraid.
BOOK: Yes.
RIVER: You're afraid we're going to run out of air. That we'll die gasping. But we won't. That's not going to happen. We'll freeze to death first. (Not exactly comforting.)
MAL: I'm getting a little weary of this attitude, Wash.
WASH: Are you? Well, I'm so very sorry, sir. I guess the news that we're all gonna be purple and bloated and fetal in a few hours has made me little snippy.
MAL: It's possible someone might pick up that signal.
WASH: No, Mal. It's not possible. No one's gonna pick up the damn signal. You wanted us flying under the radar, remember? Well, that's where we are: out of range of anyone or anything.
MAL: Then make it go further.
WASH: I -- What?
MAL: Make the signal go further.
WASH: Can't make it go further.
MAL: Not if all you're gonna do is sit here and whinge about it, no.
WASH: What do you expect me to do, Mal?
MAL: Whatever you have to. And if you can't do it from here, then get a suit on and get out on the side of the boat and --
WASH: And what? Wave my arms around?
MAL: Wave your arms around, jump up and down. Divert the nav sats to the transmitter. Whatever.
WASH: Divert the...? Right. Because teenage pranks are fun when you're about to die.
MAL: Give the beacon a boost, wouldn't it?
WASH: Yes, Mal. It would boost the signal, but even if some passerby did happen to receive, all it'd do is muck up their navigation.
MAL: Could be that's true.
WASH: Damn right, it's true! They'd be forced to stop and dig out our signal before they could even go anyplace!
(Then Wash realizes what he just said.)
WASH: Well, maybe I should do that, then!
MAL: Maybe you should!
WASH: Okay!
MAL: Good!
WASH: Fine!
JAYNE: Hey! What do you two think you're doing, fightin' at a time like this? You'll use up all the air! (LOL!)
MAL: You do realize we been parked on this rock a week longer than we planned?
BESTER: Yeah, but... uh, there's stuff to do.
MAL: As for example that job we got waitin' for us on Paquin. When we landed here you said you needed a few days to get space worthy again and is there somethin' wrong with your bunk?
BESTER: What?
(Mal gives Bester a long Look. Then Bester finally catches on that Mal's referring to the sex he was just having. LOL!)
BESTER: Oh! No, Captain. She likes engines. They make her hot. (ROTFL!)
MAL: Kaylee, what are you doing?
KAYLEE: Sorry, Captain. I'm real sorry. I shoulda kept better care of her. Usually she lets me know when something's wrong. Maybe she did, I just wasn't paying attention...
MAL: I cannot be having this from you right now. We got work
to do. Dong-ma? (Understand?)
KAYLEE: Catalyzer's broke. Gonna need a new one.
MAL: There is no new one. You gotta make do with what you got.
KAYLEE: It's broke.
MAL: (helping Kaylee to stand up) Come on. This the part? It don't hardly seem like nothing. All right. Where's it go?
KAYLEE: (pointing) Here. But it don't fit no more.
MAL: Well you gotta figure a way to make it fit.
KAYLEE: Sometimes a thing gets broke, can't be fixed.
MAL: Without this, engine don't turn? (Kaylee shakes her head.) Engine don't turn, life support won't function. We don't breathe. You want to keep breathin', don't you? (Kaylee nods) So do I. (Awww. I kind of want to squish Kaylee a little bit here.)
INARA: Mal...
MAL: You fly smart, don't push too hard, shuttle life support should last you a good long while.
INARA: Mal, this isn't the ancient sea. You don't have to go down with your ship.
MAL: She ain't going down. She ain't going anywhere.
INARA: You're going to rent this shuttle to me.
MAL: Am I?
INARA: Yes. And for one quarter less than your asking price.
MAL: That a fact?
INARA: It is.
MAL: And you figure you'll be getting this discount... why exactly?
INARA: You want me. You want me on your ship.
MAL: Do I?
INARA: Yes. Because I can bring something that your surveyor or any of the other fish you might have on line can't -- a certain respectability.
MAL: (scoffing) Respecta --
INARA: And based on what little I've seen of your operation, I suspect that's something you could use.
MAL: Fine. Let me ask you this: if you're so respectable, why are you even here? I mean, I heard tell of fancy ladies such as yourself shipping out with the big luxury liners and the like. But a registered Companion on a boat like this? What are you running from?
INARA: I'm not running from anything.
MAL: If it's Alliance trouble you got, you might want to consider another ship. Some on board here fought for the Independents.
INARA: The Alliance has no quarrel with me. I supported Unification.
MAL: Did ya? Well, I don't suppose you're the only whore that did.
INARA: Oh -- one further addendum. That's the last time you get to call me "whore."
MAL: Absolutely. Never again. (HA!)
INARA: Mal... come with us.
MAL: Can't. Four to a shuttle, Inara. Four.
INARA: One more. You know it can't make a difference. Not now.
MAL: I'm not leaving Serenity.
INARA: Mal -- you don't have to die alone.
MAL: Everybody dies alone.
MAL: Which one you figure tracked us?
ZOE: The ugly one, sir.
(A beat.)
MAL: Could you be more specific?
MARCO: Do we look reasonable to you?
MAL: Well. Looks can be deceiving.
JAYNE: Not as deceiving as a low down dirty... deceiver.
MAL: Well said. Wasn't that well said, Zoe?
ZOE: Had a kind poetry to it, sir. (LOL!)
MAL: How much they paying you?
JAYNE: Huh?
MAL: I mean, let's say you did kill us. Or didn't. There could be torture. Whatever. But somehow you found the goods. What would your cut be?
JAYNE: Seven percent, straight off the top.
MAL: Seven? Oh.
JAYNE: What?
MAL: Hmm? Nothing. Not a thing. No, I just... (to Zoe) That seem low to you?
ZOE: It does, sir.
JAYNE: That ain't low...
MARCO: (to Mal) Stop it.
JAYNE: Seven percent's standard.
MAL: (laughs) Okay. Zoe, I'm paying you too much.
JAYNE: Why? What does she get?
MARCO: (to Mal) Knock it off!
MAL: Look, forget I said anything. I'm sure you're treated very well. You get the perks. Got your own room. (off Jayne's reaction) No? You share a bunk?
JAYNE: (re: the other guy) With that one.
MAL: Really?
MARCO: Jayne, this ain't funny.
JAYNE: Yeah, I ain't laughin'. (LOL!)
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