| Episode No. | Firefly Season 1, Episode 13 |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Thomas J. Wright |
| Written by | Brett Matthews |
0:00 : A note before we start: The FOX Network originally told Joss Whedon and the Firefly producers that they didn’t want a ‘Western’ and asked for the tone of the show to be changed. Although this was filmed before cancellation, the producers knew this episode was the most Western they would get.
Not only is it possibly the best episode of the series, the weekly format is more at work here: this is what we should have had in the next season had the series not been cancelled. Every single member of the cast shines and gets their moment, the guest stars are sublime and the story is perfect.
0:01 : The narration is back, at least on streaming services. This episode contains the same intro as War Stories.
2:41 : Nandi is played by the incredible Melinda Clarke. The actress has appeared in many roles, including as Julie Cooper on The O.C., and Lady Heather on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Her performance as Nandi is extraordinary: she throws herself into the role with gusto, her entire language and wording shifting to Western-esque. You forget sometimes that these characters speak a very different English to that of modern society, and it’s not as easy to do as it seems. Clarke makes it look effortless.
3:03 : Villain Rance Burgess makes himself known. He’s an absolutely vile man, played with relish by Fredic Lehne. He’s appeared in Dexter: New Blood and Elsbeth. He also appeared in Zero Dark Thirty.
3:40 : Petaline, Helen and Chari are the three women with Nandi in this scene. Petaline, the pregnant girl at the heart of the drama, is played by Tracey Leah, who had begun her career on soap opera Family Passions. Helen, who frequents Jayne’s side throughout the episode, is portrayed by Heather Black in her only television role. Chari will be important later…
7:06 : Great moment: when Nandi tells her that the crew will be helpful as long as they have brains and guns, Inara’s absolutely-serious response: “They’ve got guns.”
7:17 : Inara tells Nandi that the Guild can ‘engage in a feces hurling contest with a monkey’ for all she cares.
7:36 : Nandi’s farewell translates as ‘Blessing on you, dear sister.’
9:00 : Mal sums up his character in this scene: he’s a good man, who will do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do and not because he will get any compensation for it. The definition of a hero in our books.
11:51 : Wash’s penchant for warped humour continues: “Were I unwed, I would take you in a manly fashion.” Kaylee had asked him to tell her she’s pretty.
14:05 : Rance’s wife, who is clearly missing a few marbles to be involved with her husband, is played, in her brief scene, by Sandy Mulvihill. She’s named Belinda in the script.
16:55: When Book says he’s handy with a hammer, watch Malcolm’s face… he’s clearly not concerned, but his look tells us he at least knows something isn’t right with ‘Book’.
7:11 : River knows the labour is starting before everyone (including the expectant mother).
17:59 : The girls who approach Book at the bar are played by Doan Ly and Angie Hart. The former had a recurring role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and plays Emma. Her partner, the blonde Angie Hart is someone we’ll talk about later…
18:55 : Wash and Zoe have, the latest it seems, a conversation about raising children. Wash isn’t too sure. Zoe doesn’t intend to give him a choice. In the comics set after the series, Zoe is revealed to be pregnant during the events of the feature film.
22:40 : This is the first mention of the planet Sihnon as the Companion Guild’s home base as well as it being Inara’s home planet. Nandi says that people expected Inara to rise high in the ranks to Head Priestess and were confused when she suddenly left. Her reasons for leaving remain unknown…
25:02 : Nandi calls herself an ‘Extraordinarily impatient Buddha’ before she tells Mal that she’s been waiting for him to kiss her.
25:17 : Just after they kiss, Mal pauses. When Nandi asks him why, he says he’s just waiting to see if he passes out, a reference to Saffron’s lipstick in Our Mrs. Reynolds.
26:37 : And Chari is revealed to be a traitor. Turncoat Chari’s performer, Kimberly McCullough, moved into production and worked on High School Musical: The Series.
30:06 : Inara’s solo scene after seeing Mal emerge from Nandi’s room will break your heart. This is arguably the moment she realises that their relationship has slipped passed her usually strict professional standards.
31:38 : Nandi knows her friend so well that she can tell with one look that Inara is completely in love with Mal. She also reveals that Mal has feelings for Inara too…
32:37 : …or at least that’s what she tells him. He denies all knowledge of any of it, but she sets him straight in her way, telling him that he should have told her the truth about his feelings before their wonderful night.
34:54 : Nandi’s swearing when one of her girls is hit translates as ‘Sons of bitches’.
40:40 : And here is where Angie Hart comes into play. She performs an exemplary version of “Amazing Grace” in this scene as only she can. She also co-wrote and performed “Blue” on Buffy‘s Conversations With Dead People, and appeared on the Bronze stage with her band Splendid. She also sung backing vocals for Amber Benson‘s musical number “Under Your Spell” in Once More, With Feeling.
43:36 : Inara announces she’s leaving. She’s still around in the next episode, but by the time of the feature film has left Serenity.
43:36 : This conversation between Inara and Mal’s was some of Morena Baccarin‘s favourite scenes as Inara. It’s the first scene where the two acknowledge that their feelings are there, but her beliefs won’t allow her to pursue them. It’s quietly heartbreaking.
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