Overall Rating: 6.9
Fairly crisp dialogue keeps an otherwise rather cliche story from being anything but entertaining. We get some much needed history on Simon and River and more importantly, River's personality comes to the forefront for the first time as she comes momentarily out of her confusion to speak to Simon.
Plot Synopsis:
When Serenity arrives on a border world intending simply to drop off their cattle cargo and split with their payment, they encounter two big problems. First, while making the transaction with some evidently disreputable characters on the receiving end, Mal, Book and Jayne get caught in the crossfire as local police arrive to arrest their associates. Book is shot in the shoulder and begins bleeding out on the spot...he needs medical attention and pronto. And here's where the second problem worsens the first. Simon and River, while off exploring a backwater town nearby, are abducted by hill-dwellers in need of a doctor, thus leaving Serenity with no choice but to try to get help from an alliance space station with a medical facility. Somehow, Book's ident-card gets him an all access pass to the best medicine money (or social status) can buy, which certainly raises eyebrows amongst Serenity's crew.
Meanwhile, Simon and River find themselves in a heap of trouble when River - reaching into an untapped gift of telepathy - learns of the violent past of a young girl who is too terrified to speak. The school teacher who has been helping Simon care for the injured and sick members of the hill town responsible for his abduction mistakes this for a sign of witchcraft and River soon finds herself on the stake and about to be burned alive. After Book's miraculous rescue by the alliance, Serenity chooses to head back to the outer planet where Simon was lost and shows up just in time to rescue Simon and River from a fiery death.
Writing: 7.0
The scenes between River and Simon...and the flashbacks between Simon and his family...are particularly well written. The rest of the script (the unfortunate need to rely on the old cliched witch-hunt stuff and the gunfight at the OK Corral (heh)) feels a bit slapped together and thin. This episode does what it needed to do however...advance our understanding of River and Simon and their family history. On the bright side, we do learn that there's a lot more to Book than meets the eye, and this will factor into later episodes nicely.
Acting: 7.2
I actually thought the ensemble was quite weak in this episode with the notable exceptions of Jewel Staite (especially her scene with Simon where she tells him off for being ungrateful and snobbish), Summer Glau and Sean Maher. Fortunately, the most important plot here was carried by the latter two and stayed interesting until the witch-hunt crap started up. Summer actually brings tremendous legitimacy to her character's troubled past...her brand of insanity is deeply troubling to watch and very believable and in her clearer moments, she is able to bring out a rich and vibrant personality as well.
Message: 6.5
This episode is a little thin on the message front, but we do give it some credit for its' strands of familial loyalty on display. It was nice to see River come out of her delirium long enough to express regret that Simon had to give up his life of luxury and his home to find her and that Simon stayed strongly loyal, assuring her that she was all that mattered to him. It was also nice to see that although Mal doesn't particularly like Simon or the troubles River causes his ship, he considers them a part of HIS family and shows the same kind of loyalty.
Highlights:
MAL: Get along! Yah! (to the cattle)
JAYNE: 'Bout time they tried out those shoes!
WASH: Clear 'em out...thank goodness!
JAYNE: I like smackin' em!
BOOK: I hope that corral's strong enough to hold them. Shepherd is a purely figurative title, you know. (heh)
ZOE: Next time we smuggle stock, let's make it something smaller, OK?
WASH: Yeah, we should start dealing in those black market beagles. (heh!)
KAYLEE: It's good to see you two out...you should have some fun.
SIMON: Fun...yeah...I consider this fun. It's fun! Being forced to live at the ass end of the galaxy to avoid government thugs on that hunk of junk out there (meaning Serenity). It's fun...being bullied around by our rude, albeit well meaning Captain. That's my idea of fun.
KAYLEE: So that's what you think of all this?
SIMON: Kaylee...no...I didn't mean...
KAYLEE: Yes you did. You meant every word of what you just said.
SIMON: Actually...I was being ironic, so technically...
KAYLEE: You were being mean. And if that's what you think of this life...you can't think much of those that choose it. Can you? (ouch...)
JAYNE: (while rifling through Simon's things, stumbles on a journal) Dear diary. Today I was pompous and my sister was crazy! Today we were kidnapped by hill-folk, never to be heard from again. Amazing we kept 'em this long. (tsk tsk, Jayne...though...I have to admit that was kind of funny)
KAYLEE: Can I?
ZOE: Sure. He's out though.
KAYLEE: (taking Book's hand) You did this for me once. How is he?
ZOE: Cleaned it out...wrapped it up...best I can do. I don't know, though.
KAYLEE: We're headed for help though...right?
ZOE: Captain'll come up with a plan.
KAYLEE: That's good...right?
ZOE: Possibly you're not remembering some of his previous plans. (LOL)
KAYLEE: (mournfully) We left the there.
ZOE: Yeah.
KAYLEE: Don't seem right.
SIMON: What's this?
RIVER: I picked them...for you. You need to eat.
SIMON: Brumburries! Remember when we foud that huge brumberry bush in the Stevensons' yard? We thought they'd grown wild! That was...a long time ago.
RIVER: I took you away from there...
SIMON: River, no...
RIVER: I understand, Simon. You think I don't, but I...I get confused. I remember...everything...remember too much. And some of it is made up...some of it is hard to quantify...terrible...terrible things I remember...
SIMON: River...(he puts a finger to her lips to calm her and hugs her by the shoulders)
RIVER: You gave up everything you had to find me. I know. You gave up...everything...
SIMON: River...listen to me. Everything I have is right here, OK?
RIVER: You need to eat (feeds him another berry)...keep up your strength. We won't be here for long. Father will find us...take us home. I'll get better, Simon. I'll get better.
SIMON: These are better than the Stevenson' berries.
RIVER: They are...except they're poisoned. (Simon spits out a mouth full of berries and River breaks out laughing) We believed her! You made that same face!
SIMON: You are such a brat! (LOL)
FATHER: Have you completely lost your mind?
SIMON: Father, you're overreacting.
FATHER: We had company...I had to excuse myself to come down here.
SIMON: I'm sorry...I wouldn't have tried to save River's life if I thought a dinner party was at stake! (oh snap)
FATHER: Don't you dare be flip with me. I just paid 2000 credits to bail you out of here and I had to walk through that door. That goes on my permanent profile!
SIMON: Father, I didn't do anything!
FATHER: You were in a blackout zone!
SIMON: Talking! To someone who might possibly know how I could find River.
FATHER: Are you trying to destroy this family?
SIMON: I didn't realize it would be so easy. (Oooooohh...)
FATHER: I won't hear any more of this! I've worked very hard to get this faily as far as it's come. This is a slippery slope you're on, Simon and you won't drag us down with you.
SIMON: What is that supposed to mean?
FATHER: I won't come for you again. If you end up back here or mixed up in something worse...you're on your own. I won't come for you. (yikes)
SIMON: She's not a witch!
PATRON: I'm sure she's not. Are you, little lady? I'm the patron of this town, do you know what that means?
RIVER: Yes...it means you're in charge...ever since the last Patron died.
PATRON: That's right.
RIVER: He was sick...he was getting better. You were alone with him. (he slaps her on the mouth for telling this ugly truth)
PATRON: This is a holy cleansing. You wouldn't dare thwart God's will.
MAL: See that man hanging from the ship with the really big gun? Now I'm not saying you weren't easy to find, but it was a long way out of our way and he didn't really want to come back here. He's really itchin' to kill some folks. So I think it's his will you should be worryin' about thwarting. Cut her down.
PATRON: She's a witch!
MAL: Yeah...but she's our witch. Now cut her the hell down. (awesome...LOL)
SIMON: Why'd you come back for us?
MAL: You're on my crew.
SIMON: Yeah, but you don't even like me. Why'd you come back?
MAL: You're on my crew! Why are we still talking about this? (simple...and cool)
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