| Episode No. | Firefly Season 1, Episode 10 |
|---|---|
| Directed by | James A. Contner |
| Written by | Cheryl Cain |
0:01 : Mal’s narration is the second version, heard in the last episode.
1:36 : Simon is looking over the brain scans he made of River using the holo-imager in Ariel.
3:13 : Book also mentions that he heard about Simon’s criminal career. He was off ship last episode, visiting the Abbey.
3:34 : As Serenity moves away, on the other side of the moon, we see a familiar sight: Niska’s Skyplex, last seen in The Train Job.
3:42 : Aboard is Adelai Niska, again played by Michael Fairman. He gets his hands dirty, torturing his prisoner himself. And he very much did not settle for Mal’s apology after the train job.
4:04 : Niska’s aide, the one who tells him Serenity has been sighted on the other side of the moon, is named Viktor later on in this episode. Actor Michael A. Bentt also appeared on JAG.
6:18 : Mal promises that when he meets Inara’s suitor, he won’t start a fight – which he, accidentally, did in Shindig.
6:55 : Wash and Zoe are both concerned about Jayne’s generosity with the apples, as it’s out of character. Of course, he’s trying to redeem himself for his actions in the previous episode, but nobody else amongst the crew knows that.
8:55 : Yet again we see another argument between Wash and Zoe about her close relationship with the captain and how it’s affecting them personally. They’ve been doing this since the pilot, where Zoe mentioned she’d ask Mal for permission for a holiday. It all blows up in this one.
9:30 : Wash loses his cool here with the slightly colourful: “All the planets in space stuffed into my butt!”
12:40 : Katherine Kendall plays the councillor that Inara has selected. The actress also had a small role opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar in Southland Tales (2006).
16:42 : Mal tells Zoe and Wash that the couple’s situation is a “knot of self-indulgent lunacy” and he hasn’t got time to unwind it.
17:22 : Here we are, once again, filming out in the Mojave desert. It truly is stunning. One spot in particular will be familiar to fans of Restless, particularly Buffy’s scenes in the desert with the First Slayer.
17:24 : The criminal Mal is meeting is named Bolles. Actor Rolando Molina has appeared on many shows as a guest, including Boston Legal, Justified and Agents of SHIELD.
19:28 : Book identifies who shot the criminals, which weapon they used, the calibre of the projectile and how the shot was fired. All just by looking at the corpse…
19:36 : …which Jayne questions. Did Book do much shooting at the Abbey? Book tells him there were rabbits, but Jayne clearly doesn’t believe him, having suspected the Shepherd since Safe.
22:00 : Thrown into a cell together, normally there’d be panic – if not for the constant back-and-forth between Mal and Wash. They take turns insulting each other, getting more and more personal. They don’t even acknowledge how dire the situation is. Both actors are incredible, but kudos must go to Alan Tudyk, who very much is the highlight of the episode, stealing every scene he’s in.
22:33 : A brilliant moment here when Wash asks Mal to name one order he’s given that Zoe has never followed. Mal’s loud response: “She married you!” Brilliant!
22:49 : When Mal opens his eyes and sees Niska, his phrase translates to “mother-humping son of a bitch!”
23:24 : Seen already in the recap, Jayne reminds Zoe – and the audience – that Mal kicked Niska’s last aide, Crow, into his moving engine turbine at the end of The Train Job. Mal’s scar, obtained from Crow in that episode, can be seen on his chest throughout this one.
24:00 : And despite the torture, Mal and Wash still don’t stop, but for entirely different reasons. Wash is angry, frustrated that he shares his wife…
24:00 : …whereas Mal is purposely insulting Wash – to keep him angry and to keep him alive. Wash doesn’t realise this until after he’s rescued.
27:23 : As she’s escorted through the Skyplex, Zoe walks through Niska’s office, as seen in The Train Job.
28:18 : Zoe interrupts Niska – an extremely ballsy move – and proves why no power in the ‘verse can stop her. The way she owns the moment is stunning – even Niska seems to be impressed. Zoe should do all the negotiations from now on…
30:57 : Upon seeing Mal’s detached ear, Book’s phrase translates to “Filthy fornicators of livestock!”
34:05 : The aide here is played by Smith Dunn. Killing Mal seems to have been his last television appearance.
36:50 : The Mule, which they’ve used since the pilot episode to transport goods and cargo is reconfigured into a projectile in this episode. By the movie, they’ll acquire a different model that hovers.
39:58 : Although she doesn’t tell anyone until Objects in Space, Kaylee is genuinely scared of River here. The fact that River utters their phrase from their earlier game (“No power in the ‘Verse can stop me”) makes it substantially worse.
41:30 : Mal returns to Serenity, but Niska, unlike his aides, remains alive, but with his forces weakened…
41:30 : Could he possibly have returned again, had the series continued?
41:30 : Michael Fairman reprised the role of Adelai Niska in a fan production set in the world of Firefly called Browncoats: Redemption.
The Watcher's Guide 