I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.
Mal starts out at a bar – and no it isn’t Unification Day again – as he plays pool with Jayne against a couple of slave traders. Inara is there, and after warning her to start back to Serenity, Mal reveals that he picked one of the traders’ pockets and a bar fight ensues. Mal leaves with the others having made his feelings towards slave trading practices known.
Serenity heads back to Persephone for supplies and work. Mal lets Inara know they’ll be landing shortly, and she tells him that her client, a man named Atherton Wing, will be taking her to a ball. They touch down, and Mal’s among those supply shopping when Kaylee notices some fancy dresses. She and Zoe start talking about the types of clothes Inara wears and the presents she gets from wealthy clients. Mal is obviously uncomfortable with this, and makes an off-hand remark that unintentionally hurts Kaylee’s feelings. Mal’s left in the street when he gets a gun at his back. A messenger tells him Badger wants to see him. Mal initially declines the invitation, but he’s made to go anyway.
At Badger’s, Mal learns that a high-society local named Warrick Harrow has some valuable property needed taken off-planet quickly. Warrick won’t deal with Badger directly (because of his lowly reputation) and is not allowed to sell off-planet, so he needs a smuggler, and Badger figures Malcolm has a chance to make the deal. Mal reminds him of their last dealing (in “Serenity”) when Mal was left high and dry with marked Alliance goods because Badger thought Mal saw himself as a better class of villain. Badger admits that Mal’s the “better class of villain” Harrow is looking for, and tells him that Warrick will be attending a local party that evening. Badger has access to a pair of invitations, and Mal agrees to attend.
Mal returns to the ship and heads to the engine room where he finds Kaylee still not speaking to him. Regardless, Mal tells her he needs her for a job and she reluctantly goes. It turns out that the “job” is the same high-society party Inara is attending. Kaylee enters wearing the dress she saw in the window earlier…with Mal as her escort. He meets Harrow and offers his services, but Harrow plays ignorant, calling Badger and everyone associated with him petty thieves. Mal attempts to convince him otherwise when they are interrupted by Inara and Atherton – whom Mal notices holds her a little too tightly. Mal asks her to dance and she accepts. They banter about the legality of their respective professions while on the dance floor and Mal is told that she has been offered permanent residence on Persephone as Atherton’s personal companion. Mal doesn’t like the news, but admits he has no call to stop her from taking the offer and that she has the right to a decent life.
Mal missteps during the dance and they both laugh about it, which is enough for Atherton to step in and grab her away. Mal stops him, saying there’s no need to be grabby, and Wing replies that Inara is his. Mal responds by saying Inara belongs to no one. Wing explains that since money changed hands, she does belong to him for the night. Mal reacts by hitting him, which is seen by Atherton as a challenge. Mal has no idea what he’s talking about but Warrick tells him that he’s now set to face Atherton in a duel to the death then next morning. Inara tells Mal he’ll need a second for the duel – to fight in Mal’s place if he refuses – and Warrick volunteers, admitting that Mal earned his respect by hitting Atherton. However, Warrick doesn’t believe Mal will live long enough to do business. Mal’s fine with the whole idea of the duel…until he learns it’s a sword fight.
During the night, Mal practices using a sword when Inara visits him with a plan of escape. He refuses to leave, believing he was defending her honor. Mal, thinking she would know something about dueling since she’s so educated, asks her for help, and she does.
The next morning, Mal meets Atherton for the duel and Warrick is there as his second. Mal draws first blood, but is quickly wounded and easily defeated. Before Atherton can kill him, Inara agrees to stay on Persephone as Atherton’s personal companion. Mal uses the distraction to get the upper hand and decides to leave Atherton alive but disgraced. Warrick is impressed by how hard Mal fights, and agrees to have his property loaded onto Serenity before midnight.
Mal returns to Serenity badly wounded with Inara helping him. Badger is there, along with some of his men, and asks him if he got the job. Mal tells Badger he does, and to get off his ship.
Mal ends up sitting over the cargo hold with Inara after Simon tended to his wounds. She thanks him for defending her honor, and he admits that looking back it might have been better if he stayed out of her world.
Notes of Interest:
1) Mal’s bantering with Inara throughout the entire episode reminds me of Tracy/Hepburn movies. The chemistry between them is that good.
2) This episode also shows Mal’s personal feelings towards slavery, reflected in the scene at the bar and Inara’s situation.
3) I like Mal’s comment about a high-society party being something to only attend when getting paid to. Kind of rings true, doesn’t it?
4) Mal and Inara talk about Kaylee and her dress. Inara says she looks adorable, and Mal agrees – but makes a point to say that she can’t tell Kaylee that. This seems to strengthen the idea that he sees himself as Kaylee’s older brother, but has to maintain the distance required as her captain.
5) At the ball, the first thing Mal mentions – after his tight pants – is why the chandelier would be hovering. Not how it’s done, but why, which shows that while he has a working knowledge of the technology in the ‘verse, he lacks an understanding behind possible applications of that tech.
6) Mal shows his true feelings towards Inara as she helps him prepare the night before the duel, explaining that while he may not respect what she does, Atherton doesn’t respect her, and that’s why Mal hit him. Then he tells her not to take the offer. What makes this all the more important is the way he does it, all shy and boyish-like, which is a very different Mal than we’ve seen up to this point.
WTF? Moment: This may be nit-picking, but I think it would have made more sense for the bar fight at the beginning of the episode to take place later, after they reached Persephone. All we’ve seen of the planet up to this point is from the first episode: the city skyline and one of the space docks. This episode focuses on Inara’s world and Mal’s interaction with that. The parts of Persephone she’s accustomed to seeing, beautiful countryside and fancy parties, clashes with Mal’s world of bar fights and lowlifes. Showing Persephone to have both lifestyles on one planet would have strengthened the subtle point that they could coexist (relatively) peacefully, something Mal and Inara are obviously trying to figure out.
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