This was actually supposed to be reviewed last week, but my co-author and I have sources with different viewing orders. Sorry!
Overall: 8.3
Saffron makes another appearance. Entertaining hijinks (and nudity) naturally ensue.
Plot Synopsis:
BrownCoats.com has the summary here.
The Skinny:
This episode has what is probably the best teaser ever; I don't think a show before or since has ever topped that shot of Mal sitting buck-naked in the middle of a desert. After you finish laughing, you're almost compelled to ask (with apologies to Jeff Foxworthy), "How did that happen?"
As the episode reveals, what happened was Saffron. If this series had been allowed to run its full course, Saffron likely would've become a great, Garak-like recurring character. Her ability to slip in and out of identities - her ability to mix in just enough truth with the lies to keep everyone guessing - no doubt would've kept us engaged for quite a long while. Beyond that, the chemistry she has with Mal is undeniable; we may be fans of the Mal/Inara coupling here at Right Fans, but we're certainly capable of recognizing an interesting alternative pairing when we see it.
And speaking of Mal and Inara, what a delight it is to watch Inara save the day. For all of Mal's protestations at the end that everything went "according to plan," he was still bested by Saffron. Luckily, he has Inara and the rest of Serenity's crew to back him up. That's the thing about Joss' heroes: they seldom work alone.
Of course, this episode is not entirely fun and games. There is also an interesting subplot in which Simon finally learns about Jayne's betrayal in Ariel -- a subplot which culminates in a fantastic scene in which Simon threatens Jayne without doing so directly. I think it's wholly possible to argue that, since the first episode, it is Simon's evolution that has been the most dramatic. He may be a city slicker, but here and elsewhere, we see that he is adapting quite well to his new life of crime.
Writing: 9.0
I wouldn't say this script is quite as funny as the script for Our Mrs. Reynolds, but it still contains a good collection of memorable moments.
Acting: 9.0
Christina Hendricks is once again given a chance to display her rather considerable talents, and both Nathan Fillion and Morena Baccarin play off of her like pros.
Message: 7.0
This is a lighter episode, but the background emphasis on the importance of teamwork is definitely welcome.
Highlights:
MONTY: Mal, I want you to meet my Bridget.
(Monty's new wife is Saffron. Mal and she instantly recognize each other and pull out their pistols.)
MONTY: So... you guys have met. (LOL!)
SAFFRON: All you gotta do to be a rich woman, hon, is... get over it.
(Zoe smirks.)
ZOE: Okay.
(Zoe then punches Saffron in the face. LOL!)
ZOE: I'm in.
RIVER: She's a liar, and no good will come of her.
JAYNE: Well, as a rule, I say girl folk ain't to be trusted.
RIVER: Jayne is a girl's name. (It's about time somebody mentioned that.)
JAYNE: Well, Jayne ain't a girl! (To Simon) If she starts in on that girl's name thing, I'll show her in a good moment I got man parts. (He sticks his hand in his pants.)
SIMON: I'm... trying to think of a way you can be cruder. It's just... not coming... (LOL!)
MAL: Had to be tough.
SAFFRON: Yeah, have yourself a great guffaw.
MAL: No, I mean it. Six years knowing he was holding on to such treasures, and you didn't move on him? I gotta figure that's a job you told yourself you'd never take. 'Til times got hard enough, and the one line you'll never cross --
SAFFRON: My name's not Yolanda.
MAL: Never entered my mind it was.
SAFFRON: I tried. I actually tried. I thought, 'This is a decent man.' The genuine article.
MAL: A workin' man. Struggling to get by on the barest necessities on his private, floatin' island.
SAFFRON: Yeah, he had money. I thought it would help. I thought if I had everything, I wouldn't want --
MAL: Heinrich the security programmer.
SAFFRON: You know, I'd forgotten his name.
MAL: Addressin' the itch of curiousness... you marry him too?
SAFFRON: No. I didn't kill him either.
MAL: No. Don't reckon there's many you killed. Just put 'em in a position to die easy.
SAFFRON: I should've killed Durran.
MAL: The one guy who don't have it comin'. The one guy who knows you and still loves you, treachery and all. I can't have him walkin' about.
SAFFRON: (starting to cry) You must be loving this.
MAL: Little bit. I seen you without your clothes on before. Never thought I'd see you naked.
SAFFRON: Can't people ever change?
MAL: Depends on the person. I'm guessing... the pain of this fades away, you'll just go back to bein' what you are.
SAFFRON: What is that?
MAL: (getting up to sit beside her) A brilliant, beautiful, evil, double-crossin' snake. (Heh.) Cheer up, weepy. You made yourself a boatload of cash today. You can question the meaning of life on a floaty island of your own for awhile.
SAFFRON: You won't tell anybody about my breaking down?
MAL: I won't.
SAFFRON: Then I won't tell anyone how easily I got your gun outta your holster. (LOL! Oh, crap!)
MAL: (naked in the desert, screaming after Saffron's departing ship) You dirty, dirty whore! Yeah, you better run! (ROTFL!)
SAFFRON: (searching through the trash) Where is it?! It's not here!
INARA: Looking for this?
(Inara is perched above Saffron. She is holding the coveted Lassiter.)
INARA: Wonder if it works. (She turns it on and attempts to fire it. Saffron flinches, but nothing happens.) Oh, well. Still worth a fortune. Anyway, this works fine. (She pulls out her own pistol.) Honey, you look horrific.
SAFFRON: What are you doing here?
INARA: Oh, just my part of the job.
SAFFRON: What part of the job?
INARA: You know -- I put on a big act, storm away in a huff -- then I fly away and wait for you to double-cross Mal, beat you to the rendezvous spot, and grab the loot before you can get to it. (A beat.) What? You didn't see it coming? (Oh, snap!)
SIMON: How much did they offer you to sell out me and River on Ariel?
JAYNE: That's crazy talk.
SIMON: Then let's talk crazy. How much?
JAYNE: Anybody there?
(Outside the doorway, River appears.)
JAYNE: Anybody else?
SIMON: You're in a dangerous line of work, Jayne. Odds are you'll be under my knife again, often. So I want you to understand one thing very clearly: no matter what you do or say or plot - no matter how you come down on us - I will never, ever harm you. You're on this table, you're safe -- 'cause I'm your medic. And how ever little we may like or trust each other, we're on the same crew. Got the same troubles, the same enemies, and more than enough of both. Now, we could circle each other and growl - sleep with one eye open - but that thought wearies me. I don't care what you've done - or what you're planning on doing - but I'm trusting you. I think you should do the same. 'Cause I don't see this working any other way. (Awesome!)
RIVER: Also? I can kill you with my brain. (Heh. Classic.)
MAL: (still sitting in the desert, naked) Yep. That went well.
INARA: You call this going well?
MAL: We got the loot, didn't we?
INARA: Yes, but --
MAL: Then I call it a win. What's the problem?
INARA: Should I start with the part where you're stranded in the middle of nowhere, or the part where you have no clothes? (ROTFL!)
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