Ahhh… the repeat guest stars on Firefly are marvelous. This one has my favorite: “No honor among thieves” Saffron. Saffron is such a flexible liar. (*)
This is another episode showing them pulling complicated heists (as The Train Job, Ariel) and gives some indication of the routine jobs they take (Geisha dolls, smuggling). (Did they ever actually deliver the smuggling cargo they transferred from Mal’s war buddy?)
I think Inara was fishing for something from Mal at the beginning - they have an odd relationship.
Okay, how many think that Inara was watching all along and acted on her own, and how many think that Inara was clued in by Mal to watch for a double cross at the end?
Jayne demonstrates his usual oration skills “she’ll turn you in as fast as…”, and “man parts”. I love Simon’s retort about “he tried to think of how that could be cruder, but failed”. What was interesting, though, was River’s knowledge that Jayne is afraid that they’ll know. Clearly River knew, through mental means. I wonder if Simon had deduced it as well before this episode?
Before River pointed out that “Jayne” is a girl’s name, I had sort of figured that 500 years from now it wasn’t (isn’t? won’t be?) anymore, and that it was relatively normal for him to be named Jayne. It’s funnier that it’s still a girl’s name, but it ruined my reasoning. I guess the reason no one mentioned it before is because he’s a little scary.
Mal naked? Whee.
Quotes?
“I SHAVED MY BEARD FOR YOU, DEVIL WOMAN!”
and, of course, “I can kill you with my brain.”
On preview, I see the first one’s already been quoted. Drat.
Monty is such a great character. In the 5 minutes he’s on screen and from the dialogue the crew has on recovering Mal, you get the sense that he’s just as competent a captain as Mal, and maybe even more rough and tumble, but he’s a big teddy bear if you’re on his good side. I love this particular archetype in shows and movies; hell, even the name “Monty” is a normal name for this kind of guy (Montgomery Jack from Chip & Dale’s Rescue Rangers, anyone?).
Personally, I think Inara was in on it from the start, when she was ridiculing Mal’s recent jobs. She’s gotten so used to the way things work on Serenity that she’s actually annoyed they haven’t had a big haul lately, and she probably insisted on being in on this particular job.
It’s also the first time we see Inara actually at a loss; normally she’s the one in control of the conversation. It’s clear their relationship has progressed to the point where she knows what lines not to cross with Mal, even if they’re always verbally pushing at each other.
Overall, it’s just as fun an episode as Our Mrs. Reynolds.
I’m fond of the scene where Jayne wakes up and is being treated by Simon. His arms and legs are still out of commission and he’s clearly feeling vulnerable (very un-Jayne-like). Hearing him wonder “Is anybody there?” and then, after River peeks through the door, “Anybody else?” cracks me up every time.
I do have to point out one thing that’s nagged at me, and just jumped out in sharp relief when I began watching the episode again just now.
At the beginning, when Monty is holding Mal and YoSafBridg apart, the lines in question are:
YOSAFBRIDG: “You’re a liar, Malcolm Reynolds.”
MONTY: “…Now I ain’t never got to tellin’ you his name.”
And this is supposed to be the revelation that breaks YoSafBridg’s disguise. But…they had just drawn guns on each other! Bridget had drawn first! I think it’s pretty damn likely she’d know his name. Hell, Monty even says during the standoff, “So…you guys have met.” (A great line, by the way.) Why, then, is her knowing Mal’s name such a tip-off all of a sudden?
I know I have something of a penchant for overanalyzing a fun show, but this just stands out remarkably brightly as an instance in which the writers tried to be clever but missed the mark. Obviously they had to have some way of revealing the truth to Monty, but it seems like there could’ve been a better way of doing it.
Everything else in this episode is just gravy, though.
YOSAFBRIDG: “Durran, this isn’t what it looks like.”
MAL: “Unless it looks like we’re stealing your priceless Lassiter. Because that’s what we’re doing. Don’t ask me about the gun though, 'cuz that’s new.”
DURRAN: “Well, I appreciate your honesty. Not, you know, a lot, but.”
Best of the unaired episodes, methinks. Very clever structure; just about every scene is a riff on the idea that things are never what they seem whenever Saffron is involved.
Loved the scene where Wash appears to ask a question about the heist plan, but instead blurts out “No, what I meant was, what is she doing on this ship?!?” Also, Simon’s speech to Jayne after he reveals that he knows about Jayne’s betrayal on Ariel. Also, Kaylee’s stylish “walking on the outside of the ship” costume.
BTW, classic Jayne: wakes up after being unconscious to find he’s strapped to an operating table and apparently paralyzed, and the first thing he asks is, “did we get the goods?”
One scene doesn’t quite make sense for me: Mal’s “KHAAAAN!” moment, when he’s running after Saffron’s departing shuttle, waving his fist and shouting at her. Supposedly he knows that Inara will be at the trash bin for backup, and it’s not like Saffron could see him at that point, so why bother?
Anyway, fairly hilarious installment, overall. Man, am I ever depressed that we’re running out of episodes.
The part I liked about the Monty, Bridget & Mal scene was the physical comedy.
Monty: I married her didn’t I?
(punch, kick, smack!)
“Bridget!”
(Smack, kick, punch, punch!)
“Mal!”
(Punch, smack, kick, tackle)
“Hey, quit it you two!”
I think Mal is perfectly well characterized there as being pissed off, even if he isn’t surprised.
BayleDomon, good catch. Even though Monty doesn’t know how she knows Mal’s name, it’s obvious she new him, and that’s not enough to have him suddenly believe Mal. However, what I do believe is what Saffron said: “The war buddy thing is tough to crack”.
El Kabong, although we’re running out of episodes, they’re starting up on the SF channel, so I bet we’ll be getting some new threads (or resurrection of the previous ones, who knows) starting next week.
Besides, the comics are out. (I just picked up the first one today!) We could start threads on those…
Inara: Well, since I can’t seem to find work as companion, I might as well become a petty thief like you!
Mal: Petty?
Inara: pauses I didn’t mean “petty.”
Mal: What did you mean?
Inara: …Sua-xi.
Mal: That’s Chinese for “petty.”
Hee hee!
I love how, on second viewing, you can occasionally see the crew screw up their performances, just as Inara says. In particular, the whole “briefing” scene is full of these- Kaylee is constantly hiding a smile, Jayne totally overacts, etc. It’s all cunningly edited so that, even for a perceptive first-time viewer, the shots of the crew are misinterpreted as being somewhat-goofy reaction shots (which can be rationalized as coming from their surprise at Saffron’s arrival on the ship). Only in later viewings does the viewer pick up on the little mistakes that they make as mistakes.
I just loved Simon’s response after Zoey told him he had a patient. Just that very dark look he had. Does he know how to look creepy or what? Tell me you can’t see him playing an evil surgeon in a horror movie?
This is part of why Simon is my favorite character, after Kaylee. I just get the feeling that he has it in him to be rather nasty, but it’s allways kept buried beneath his manners and ettiquite and love for his sister.
Also, to add to the list of unimportant minor characters that I love, the head Alliance cop who showed up, the one chasing after Mal and YoSafBrig. Dunno why, I just liked him a lot. Also, is it just me, or does the camera seem to focus on a particular ship when YoSafBrig looks out the window while Mal works on the Lasiter’s security thingy?
