Malcolm Reynolds Part 14: “Objects in Space” – Firefly, Episode 1:14 (December 13, 2002)

Mal learns more about River - both the danger and the blessing.

I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.

Inara tells Mal of her intentions to stay on New Melbourne when they arrive to pick up cargo when a scene develops in the cargo bay – River has a gun. While some of the others try to talk to her, Mal steps in and takes it away before anything happens. Later, he has a “discussion” with Jayne about how she managed to get one of his guns.

In the mess hall, Mal talks with Simon, Book, Zoe and Wash about River’s condition, when Kaylee comes in and tells them about River’s actions during “War Stories”. Mal makes it clear that he’s aware that River is a danger to everyone, and admits to being fond of her himself. He also believes that she knows things she shouldn’t or couldn’t, and thinks she’s a “reader”. He tells everyone he needs time to think before deciding on a course of action, and they all retire for the night…except Mal who can’t sleep.

He wanders the ship and finds a stranger aboard. They fight, but Mal gets knocked out and wakes up locked in his quarters. He then hears River talking over the radio saying she’s Serenity and that the invader’s name is Jubal Early - a bounty hunter that has Simon hostage and is there to collect River. Mal starts to get his bearings when River speaks to him privately and asks him to trust her.

On River’s signal, Mal leaves his room, dons a spacesuit and waits for Jubal outside the ship near the airlock. When he gets there, Mal throws him off the ship and into space. River, who was on Jubal’s ship the whole time, spacewalks back to Serenity and asks Mal’s permission to come aboard. He smiles and helps her back inside.

Mal shares an awkward moment with Inara about the busted lip she got from Jubal and Serenity continues on her way to New Melbourne.

Notes of Interest:

1) At this point, Mal and River are the only ones who know Inara plans on leaving Serenity.

2) Jayne backs down immediately when Mal brings up the events from “Ariel”.

3) Mal has no issue with Kaylee not shooting/killing anyone, even while rescuing Mal from Niska.

4) It’s interesting that he won’t make any quick decision regarding River.

WTF? Moment:  Why would Mal tell Simon no one on the ship could help him if he was shot? It’s been shown throughout the series that Mal and Zoe know their way around the infirmary during a crisis. And even if they don’t know how to remove bullets, they’d do what they could until they found help.

WTF? Moment #2: Mal mentions that River knows things she shouldn’t or couldn’t know. Exactly when does Mal discover this? Could Simon have revealed how the siblings were almost burned at the stake?

WTF? Moment #3: Now for the big question: When River reads Mal’s mind, he says “None of it means a damn thing.” What is he talking about? The things he’s trying to say to keep Inara on board? Their relationship? Life in general? What the heck is it?

I've got nuthin' today...

Sorry about that.

Malcolm Reynolds Part 13: “Heart of Gold” – Firefly, Episode 1:13 (Never Aired)

Mal makes a new acquaintance, and loses much more.

I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.

 

Mal’s cleaning his guns in the mess hall when Inara comes in and surprises him. They share some petty yet meaningful banter until Wash interrupts them with news of an incomming wave for her from someone asking for help. Mal admits to eavesdropping and learns that her friend Nandi, a former Companion now running a whorehouse, is in some trouble with a local man. When asked about payment, Inara tells him Nandi’s people have no money and offers to pay him herself. He tells her to keep her money, but she insists…preferring to keep their relationship strictly professional. Mal lets the crew in on what’s going on, and they meet with Nandi.

She tells Mal, Zoe and Inara about the cause of the fuss: Rance Burgess, a man who insists that Petaline (one of Nadine’s girls) is carrying his child. He wants the child badly enough to burn Nadine’s place to the ground along with anyone sitting inside it. Mal tells her he wants to meet the man so he can size Burgess up before taking the job. Nadine tells him the where and when, and Inara agrees to go with him. They arrive at the event, and after a five minute conversation with Burgess, Mal leaves. Inara chases after him asking what he thought, and Mal tells her they should leave as soon as possible.

Back at Nadine’s, Mal lays it out to everyone - Burgess is too powerful a man to be reasoned with. Nadine assumes Mal’s turning down the job, but he’s actually inviting Nadine and her people to load up Serenity and start over somewhere else. She refuses to leave, and after some convincing by Book, Zoe, Wash and Jayne, Mal agrees to take the job. He stays with Nandi to get acquainted with the layout and they get…friendly.

The next morning, Mal wakes up in Nandi’s bed, and as he leaves her room (half-dressed) Inara appears. She tells him she’s glad Mal was with her the night before the fight of her life, but he’s worried about Inara thinking he took advantage of her friend.

Mal and Nandi prepare for the upcoming battle, and she hints that there’s more going on between him and Inara than he let on. Mal starts to respond, but is cut off by Burgess’ posse heading their way. During the gunfight, Mal hears laser fire inside the Heart of Gold. He bursts into a hallway to find Nandi dead and Inara kneeling over her body. Guessing what happened, Mal mourns, locks eyes with Inara for a moment and then charges after Burgess.

He catches up with the man responsible for Nandi’s death and they fight. Mal gets the upper hand and beings Burgess back to the house to get tied up with the others, all the while calling out to Petaline to bring him his son. Mal watches as Petaline comes out carrying her son in one arm and a gun in the other. She shoots her baby’s father dead, and tells Burgess’ men to leave and never come back. She also has another of the girls go with them, presumably a spy that helped Burgess get into the building.

Mal attends Nandi’s funeral, and as Serenity heads back into the black he has a conversation with Inara. He tells her he feels guilty for failing Nandi, and tries to open up about his feelings for Inara when she tells him she’s leaving Serenity.

Notes of Interest:

1) Who knew Mal startles so easily?

2) He does a good job keeping focused on the task at hand despite being surrounded by attractive women, and is clearly embarrassed at Jayne’s behavior.

3) Mal admires Nadine for her willingness to fight and possibly die for what’s hers.

4) He learns that Nandi left the companion house on Sihnon before Inara did, and for a while Inara had her eye on becoming house priestess.

5) Mal’s emotions towards Inara are becoming clearer. He looks hurt when she mentions keeping their relationship professional – to the point of making a jab about it when introduced to Nandi – and again when she tells him she’s leaving the ship.

6) Anyone else catch the reference to “Serenity” when Mal mentions not shooting horses?

7) How about Mal’s comment about passing out? That’s damn funny.

WTF? Moment: Why would Mal overreact when Petaline goes into labor? If he was raised on a ranch, wouldn’t he have been exposed to horses and cattle having babies?

WTF? Moment #2: Without looking too much into it, could it be that Nandi…in some way…reminds him of his mother? A frontierswoman holding her own against impossible odds without backing down and building a family out of strangers? Then again, could Nandi remind him of himself as well? “My kind of stupid”, indeed…

I think I'm going to keep this pic for when I have nothing to say...

...because why the hell not?

C4...The Sequel...Has a Date!

I'm so excited! They're doing it again, only over three days this time on Nov 9 - 11.

Between this, the End of Days PortConMaine June 21-24, and the slew of comicbook-themed movies coming out this year...along with my finally getting a Blu-ray player...this is going to be an awesome year...

...just in time for 12/21/12.

At least I'll have a smile on my face...

"That '80's Sound..."

Glee is one of the shows out now that my wife, daughter and I watch together as a family. There've been some hits and misses this season, but all in all not bad.

I bring this up because most times after watching, my wife and I torture our kid with Youtube videos of songs that were either played in the episode, or inspired by songs that were played in the episode.

We showed her Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal", and she said she liked it once she got over "that 80's sound".

I have to say...it kinda hurt. Then I realized I was the same way at her age whenever my parents brought out '60's music. Not The Beatles or Stones mind you, I'm talking Peter, Paul and Mary...early Bee Gees...stuff like that.

It got to the point where I could tell the songs after the first three notes.

I'm at the point now where I can listen to that stuff and appreciate their place in history, and acknowledge that that music laid the foundation for "that '80's sound"...and the crap my daughter listens to today.

So I'll wait for someone to come along not 5 years from now and start a revival of "that '80's sound".

...Which, by the way...is still cool...

early mornings...

Working in the morning sucks.

Working in the morning after working late the night before sucks more.

Very little time to sleep, eat, read, think...and write.

First Impressions: Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance

My daughter and I saw the movie Monday afternoon in a 2-D theatre.

First Impressions: I didn't know what the hell was happening the first ten minutes of the film other than - there's a kid, and his mom, being chased out of some monestary run by Uther Pendragon from "Merlin" by some bad dudes led by a guy who looks like Swan from The Warriors who in turn are being chased by Heimdall from Thor.

It was then that I remembered this movie was directed by the guys who did Crank and settled in for the ride.

On a side note - I only saw both Crank films on Netflix, so I wasn't used to the constant camera motion on a big screen, which made me kind of sea-sick.

There was the necessary narrative that summed up the first film for viewers that never saw it, which does tie into the plot of this film. We also learn the boy's first name (but not his last), his connection to Ghost Rider and the reason everyone's after him.

There was a lot of action and special effects (of course), and a nice cameo by Connor MacLeod.  Cage's acting is as you'd expect from a film like this - somewhat over the top.

I could tell that this movie is another victim of the "let's convert it to 3-D after the fact in an effort to get more people to see it" school of thought, and I can only imagine how few shots would actually work in 3-D.

My daughter thought it was a fun film, with a simple plot but "looked cool". I'd have to agree. Definitely worth the matinee price during a school vacation week.

I noticed it was released through the Marvel Knights production company - like Punisher: War Journal before it, which didn't perform so well at the box office. Plus, GH2 was rated PG-13, which is why I brought my daughter to see it with me. If Marvel Knights Productions plans to stick around, and I think it could, their first rule should be to stick to R-rated films.Rule #2 should be to move to another medium, like cable television or a Marvel owned webzone. Rule #3 should be to begin it's own sub-Marvel Movie Universe with more Blade/Son of Satan/Nightstalkers/Doctor Strange/Morbius type films.

I hope this movie does well enough to continue the franchise, but we'll have to wait and see.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled program...

My daughter is home from school this week on February Vacation.

What this means is, I'll have limited access to our only computer for the week.

I still plan on posting daily, but what ends up posted may not be what I intended to post.

Sorry about that...

WTF?

Epic

When I was a kid, that word was used to describe movies. Not your typical, run-of-the-mill films, I’m talking about movies such as Superman – The Motion Picture, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Die Hard. Films now called “Blockbusters”. (Which is odd to me: what makes a Blockbuster a Blockbuster? Whose block is being busted?)

Today, my daughter uses “Epic” to describe a successful event. Whether it’s a good grade on a test or finding matching socks.

Songs and books are also called "Epic", but I can get behind those since they can be considered creative works like the epic films of my day.

Then she tells me about the variation on that theme: the “Epic Fail”.

When a skateboarder falls on his face, or a nervous kid drops the ball during a game, or someone asking for a date is shot down, these are examples of the “Epic Fail”.

I hated getting laughed at when I fell on my face, dropped the ball, and got shot down. So I can only imagine how it would feel to have those things be called “Epic Fail’s”.

To me, the most recent things I firmly believe earned the right to be called “Epic” are the Lord of the Rings movies.

“Epic Fail’s” would be the Transformers trilogy, or the Star Wars Prequels (all of which, I believe, are “Blockbusters”).

Birthday Parties...

My daughter celebrated her 12th birthday this weekend. She was born in December, but due to family holiday obligations she decided to have her birthday party...a two-night sleepover with friends...in February.

I'm glad she has friends she feels comfortable doing things like this with, I just wish she did these things somewhere else. I was home most of the time, so I did my best to stay out of the way by hiding in my space in the basement where I have my DVD player, Playstation 2 and comics.

But it's in the basement, and it's cold.

Malcolm Reynolds Part 12: “The Message” – Firefly, Episode 1:12 (Never Aired)

Mail Call in the ‘verse is not as simple as you’d think.

I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.

After trying unsuccessfully to fence the Lassiter he successfully stole last episode, Mal and the crew collect their mail. One of them is a crate addressed to him and Zoe, and they open it to find a dead body. The body belongs to Tracey, a fellow soldier they met seven years ago at the Battle of Du-Khang. Mal was a sergeant at the time, and tells Zoe to regroup the troops after assuming command from a shell-shocked lieutenant. Mal acts quickly to redirect incoming fire, and saves Tracey’s life.

Back in the now, Mal and Zoe reseal the crate and take it on board Serenity. He listens to a recording Zoe finds on the body – it’s Tracey, asking Mal and Zoe to take him to his family on St. Albans. He’s about to ask Wash to plot a course, but he’s already on his way to the bridge. Mal then turns to Inara and asks if the change will affect her client schedule but she’s tells him that it isn’t a problem.

Mal deals with Tracey’s situation by sharing an old war story with Zoe and Inara, but they’re interrupted by an explosion outside the ship. Mal gets to the bridge and Wash tells him there’s an Alliance Enforcement officer on their tail that made that warning shot. The officer calls them and orders them to prepare for boarding. Mal speaks with him and learns that they’re looking for stolen property. Mal assumes it’s the Lassiter they’re after, but further conversation makes it clear that they’re after the crate containing Tracey’s body.

Mal, Zoe and Jayne search the crate and the body for anything worth the fuss but they come up empty, and Mal tells Simon he’ll have to do an autopsy to hopefully take out whatever it is they’re wanting. They all head to the infirmary, and just when Simon starts his procedure…Tracey wakes up.

After settling down, Tracey tells Mal that he is carrying something – cloned human organs, which are banned by Alliance. The plan was for Tracey to go to a hospital on Ariel and get them removed and his original organs put back, but someone made him a better offer, and Tracey never went to the hospital. When Tracey arrived at the new location, his contact was dead and he was on the run. So he faked his own death and sent himself to Mal and Zoe to get him home so his family would get the money from the organs. What Tracey wasn’t counting on was the Alliance officer closing in on them.

Mal contacts the officer and agrees to meet on St. Albans, but then has Wash try to lose them in the mountains. He shakes the tail long enough to reach a cave, but the Alliance ship starts bombing the area, threatening a cave-in.

On the bridge, Book suggests they meet with the officer and Mal agrees, but Tracey overhears the discussion and pulls a gun on Mal. Mal orders Wash to contact the officer and send Book’s message and Tracey shoots at Wash. He misses, but Zoe doesn’t. Wounded, Tracey backs off the bridge but takes Kaylee as a hostage. Mal catches up with them, gun drawn, and tries to talk Tracey down. Jayne and Zoe, also armed, close in from other directions and cause a distraction. Mal takes the shot, and kills Tracey.

After meeting with the officer, who was running the illegal organ business on the side and saw Tracey’s bloody body as “damaged goods”, Mal makes good on Tracey’s wishes and returns his body to his family.

Notes of Interest:

1) Mal’s savvy enough to know when he’s being pinched by a pickpocket.

2) He’s authorized to sign for mail for his entire crew – except for Simon and River of course.

3) During the Battle, we learn Mal’s philosophy of war: Everyone dies, and even has a bullet sitting somewhere with their name on it. The trick is to die of old age before it finds you. It seems Mal had Tracey’s bullet all along.

4) Even though he took command, Mal made sure that no record was made that would damage the lieutenant’s record. In fact, he’s not surprised in the least that an officer got taken out of commission by fear.

5) Mal’s character really shines during the Battle, where he’s brash enough to tell the advancing Alliance troops where he is even though he’s well aware his side is falling apart. He seems to thrive amidst chaos.

6) He's never heard of the Mona Lisa.

WTF? Moment: Mal turned down Inara’s offer to fence the Lassiter because he didn’t want her to “jeopardize her career”. Is this the same career that Mal’s been disrespecting throughout the series? He even said as much in “Shindig”. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to say he didn’t want her “neck deep in trouble”, or “running from Alliance”? Could it be that Mal’s starting to see her Companion-ship as an asset to his work?

WTF? Moment #2: Mal has another philosophy of war: When you can’t run, you crawl. When you can’t crawl, you find someone to carry you. This sums up the Browncoats in that they’ve lost every battle we’ve seen so far. They’re either retreating, like at Du-Khang; or surrendering, like at Serenity Valley. By the way - Mal gets in a minor victory both times.

But it also sums up Mal’s life since the war. Think about it, he’s got Serenity – a ship that allows him to stay “a little bit farther” away from the Alliance; he’s got Zoe – someone who carried him (or he carried her or both) through the war; and he’s got a crew he has defended and protected repeatedly (and have, in “War Stories”, rescued him). Let’s face it – each member of the crew is either carrying or is being carried by everyone else, and Serenity herself is carrying them all. While it seems he’s been happiest during the war, Mal’s been the most at peace since he found Serenity.

WTF? Moment #3: Kind of makes everything all the more tragic since it was during the making of this episode that Fox decided to pull the plug, doesn’t it?

Malcolm Reynolds Part 11: “Trash” – Firefly, Episode 1:11 (Never Aired)

We find Mal sitting on a rock in the middle of nowhere…naked…going over events of the past seventy-two hours that got him to this time and this place.

I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.

Mal is on his own on another piece of nowhere collecting the cargo for his leg of a smuggler’s run from Monty, a fellow smuggler that Mal met during the war. Monty drops the news that he’s married, and Mal is introduced to Bridget only to discover that the woman is Saffron from “Our Mrs. Reynolds”. They draw guns on each other and then fight for a spell until Monty breaks it up. Mal explains that ‘Bridget’ married him a while back and went by the name Saffron, but Monty doesn’t buy it until Bridget/Saffron gives it away by calling Malcolm by his full name – which Monty never gave. Heartbroken and furious, Monty leaves Bridget/Saffron behind while Mal waits for Serentiy to arrive and load the goods.

Mal wants nothing to do with her and tells her to start walking. She tells him she’s working on a score that she’s willing to cut him in on for a ride, but he tells her to keep walking. Serenity arrives, and Mal leaves the crew to load the shipment while he sees Simon to treat his still-bloody nose.

Inara invites him to her shuttle and offer him tea. Mal smells a butter-up and she tells him that she needs clients, which she hasn’t been able to do for a while thanks to his attempts at high-thievery. They argue, and Mal takes offense that she calls his work petty. He leaves her shuttle, goes to the cargo bay and opens one of the crates to ask Bridget/Saffron for more information about the score she’s planned.

The two of them meet the others in the mess hall as she goes over the details: the mark, the prize, the layout, the place and the time. Inara tells them all not to trust her, and Mal offers to listen if there was any other job they could do at the moment. After convincing Wash and Zoe, they all agree to help.

Mal and Bridget/Saffron sneak into the place disguised as workers and make it to the prize: an antique laser pistol called The Lassiter. Mal starts working on disabling the security around it when the mark, a man named Durran, walks in…and hugs Bridget/Saffron. It turns out he knows her as Yolanda, his wife who disappeared six years ago. He thought she died along with a computer programmer who went missing at the same time. Durran goes to the kitchen to make them some tea, and while he’s gone, Mal finishes up and removes the Lassiter. Yolanda/Bridget/Saffron pulls a gun on him, but is interrupted by Durran’s return. Mal ditches the gun in the trash (which was part of the plan), comes back and pulls his gun on her. Durran tells Yolanda that he never believed she loved him, and called the police while he was away. She and Mal manage to escape the building, reach the shuttle and set course for the rendezvous point in Isis Canyon.

Along the way, Mal tries to comfort Yolanda/Bridget/Saffron, knowing that she really cared for Durran despite being the kind of person who’ll take any advantage she can…which she does…when she pulls Mal’s gun on him. She gets him to strip, and leaves him naked in Isis Canyon, not far from the drop-off.

Serenity arrives, and Mal learns that everything went according to plan. He told his crew about Yolanda/Bridget/Saffron and her score before ever opening the crate. They expected her to double-cross them and had Inara pick up the Lassiter first and contain Yolanda/Bridget/Saffron for the authorities.

Pleased as pie on a job well done, Mal walks onto Serentiy…naked…and tells his crew to prepare to leave orbit.

Notes of Interest:

1) Mal cares about what Inara thinks of him.

2) He also knows how to fly a shuttle.

3) Mal bites his nails.

4) Modesty is not an issue for him – not only in terms of his nakedness in front of others, but his willingness to do any smuggling job he can get. Bobble-headed Geisha Dolls anyone?

5) He’s obviously impressed by Kaylee once more when she figures out how to get the gun out of the complex.

6) Mal has a tattoo on his right hip, but I can't tell what it is.

WTF? Moment: This episode was eventually shown on the Sci-Fi channel on June 28, 2003. While I like this episode a lot, the timing of seeing this after Ocean’s Eleven may have given some viewers a case of the “I’ve already seen it”’s.

WTF? Moment #2: Mal showed real fortitude by constantly turning Yolanda/Bridget/Saffron down at the beginning of the episode, so why does he feel sorry for her later on? It’s clear that Mal isn’t a James T. Kirk sort of “space-whore”, but doesn’t Mal turn into sort of a softy around women?

WTF?

The first Patriots play of the Super Bowl

I’ve said before that the better team won the game, and I stand by that. My issue today is with the first play the Patriots Offense had.

Thanks to a well placed punt by the Giants, Tom Brady first got his hands on the ball inside his own 10-yard line. Getting in shotgun formation, Tom was standing in his end-zone when the ball was snapped. The offensive line disintegrated, and Giants defenders were closing in. Tom threw the ball before he was taken down, but the ball landed well beyond the reach of any Patriots receivers.

Then a flag was thrown for intentional grounding, which was the right call. In addition to the flag, the Giants bet two points for a safety, and the Giants then had the lead 2 – 0.

The commentators, both during the game and since, have stated that the rule is written that when a quarterback is called for intentional grounding while in the end-zone, it’s an automatic safety.

My question isn’t with the call, it’s with the rule.

I’m no expert, but if a quarterback is called for intentional grounding anywhere else on the field, the threatening defensive players do not get credit for the sack. This makes sense, because a sack is defined by tackling the quarterback while he has the ball. Therefore, either the quarterback has the ball and is tackled – a sack or the ball is thrown prior to the tackle – a possible intentional grounding.

One or the other.

Calling intentional grounding negates a safety because the ball can’t both be thrown away and tackled with the quarterback in the end-zone in the same play.

Think what you will, but if Eli did the same thing I’d be making the same argument.

My hope is that someone comes to their senses and changes the rulebook accordingly before next season.

WTF?

The Avengers Movie

It’s been bugging me for a while that Marvel Studios only has the rights to make Avengers-based movies. My dream was for the other three pillars of the Marvel Universe - The X-Men, Spidey and the FF - to return to their rightful owners so Marvel movies would be made through Marvel Studios until the end of time. But thanks to Fox’s success with X-Men: First Class and Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man coming out this summer, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

Then I started thinking…Wolverine’s been an Avenger. So has Beast. Reed and Sue have been members too. Spider-Man as well.

Maybe sticking with The Avengers isn’t such a bad idea.

Could this have been Marvel’s plan all along?

I mean if you think about it, anyone can be an Avenger…even Ghost Rider.

Malcolm Reynolds Part 10: “War Stories” – Firefly, Episode 1:10 (December 6, 2002)

We (finally) get to meet the real Malcolm Reynolds.

I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.

Mal’s having a discussion with Inara about a client that prefers to visit her shuttle while still docked to Serenity. Mal isn’t against the idea, he just insists on meeting everyone that boards his ship. She relents, but reminds him that her client is a high standing member of the planet’s government and expects privacy while aboard.

He grabs an apple from the basket that Jayne was nice enough to buy for everyone and tells Wash that his idea of delivering the last of the medical supplies they stole in “Ariel” directly to the local MD’s would cause more problems than solve. He wants to play nice with the local fences, even if it means the crew’s cut is a little smaller.

Mal waits patiently enough for Inara’s guest to arrive, and introduces himself when he does…only the man entering Serenity isn’t the client, it’s the client’s security guard who gives the all clear for the client to come aboard. Mal’s struck speechless as Inara sweeps the woman away before he can wrap his head around it.

He and Zoe then prep the other shuttle to take the remaining supplies to the rendezvous when she tells him that the controls are all switched around. Wash comes in and admits to the task, saying he’d rather go with the captain on this run. Mal senses something’s up but doesn’t have the time or patience to deal with it, so he leaves Zoe in charge of Serenity while he and Wash make the drop. Along the way, he tells Wash that while this is a quick and easy exchange, Mal’s taking Zoe on every job is standard procedure.As payback, Wash is made to carry the goods to the site.

The deal goes south (as usual) and their contacts are killed. Armed men pop up out of nowhere and take Mal and Wash off-planet.

They’re blindfolded and taken to a room where Mal tries to get their bearings. Wash is freaking out and even accuses him of endangering Zoe. They get into an argument, but are interrupted when someone enters the room. Mal’s blindfold is removed and he finds himself facing Niska, who’s after revenge since Mal reneged on “The Train Job”.

Mal and Wash are electrocuted…repeatedly…and all the while Mal keeps arguing with Wash. Most of the discussion is about Zoe, and Wash tells him that the sexual tension between his wife and his captain should be resolved so everyone can get on with their lives. Mal tells him that he’ll take Zoe to his bed when they get out of their current situation.

The door opens and Zoe comes in, with all the money the crew had so she could buy both men back. Niska tells her that there’s only enough money for one man, and she immediately chooses Wash. Mal stays behind as Zoe makes her way out with her husband but Niska stops them, and offers to make change…with Mal’s left ear.

The torture continues until Mal makes them stop - by dying. Niska and his man resuscitate Mal’s heart and continue their fun until alarms go off. Making the most of the distraction, Mal uses one of the devices on Niska’s man and hunts Niska through his office. But before he can get his hands on the cause of his distress, Niska’s man grabs him from behind. They struggle until Jayne, Wash and Zoe enter an adjacent room. Mal tells Zoe this ain’t the time for him to finish this alone, so all three of them shoot his opponent dead.

Back on board Serenity, Mal thanks Simon for reattaching his ear and asks the doctor how he felt about taking up arms for his rescue. Simon tells him he’s never shot anyone before, and Book comments that he still holds that record. Mal gets to the mess hall and finds both Wash and Zoe there. He tells his second-in-command that her husband requested that they sleep together to get rid of the sexual tension between them. Obviously uncomfortable as they try to kiss, Mal and Zoe are interrupted by Wash, who takes his wife to their room. Mal is left with the bowl of soup Wash left behind when Jayne enters and digs in.

Notes of Interest:

1) Mal doesn’t have a problem with Kaylee and River running around his ship…unless they fall and hurt themselves.

2) Nice sword-fighting reference to “Shindig” by the way.

3) His time growing up on Shadow must have influenced his concern for the “blue-collar working man” since he’s willing to share his fortune with the local middlemen.

4) Mal admits to ordering Zoe not to marry Wash.

5) It seems that Mal has issues with members of his crew having relations. He isn’t against love, but sees it as a potential problem should it conflict with the chain of command.

6) Mal deals through the torture with humor, which tells me he’s been tortured before.

7) It’s established here that while Mal and Zoe have a long-standing relationship – to the point of trusting each other with their lives – they’ve never had, nor will they ever have, sexual relations.

8) Mal cuts his apples before he eats them.

WTF? Moment: He does everything he can to keep Wash awake while they’re tortured. Could something have happened during the war that compels Mal to do that? Or is it simply that he cares about his crew (and Zoe especially) to keep Wash with it until help arrives?

WTF? Moment #2: The gesture Mal has with Kaylee as he walks past her on the stairs shows his casual comfort with her once again. It’s obvious that Mal is supposed to end up with Inara, but he seems more affectionate with his mechanic. What was his opinion about crew members having relationships?

Malcolm Reynolds Part 9: “Ariel” – Firefly, Episode 1:9 (November 15, 2002)

Mal gets a highly lucrative job from the last person he’d expect to work for, and almost loses a crew member over it.

I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.

Inara has to go to Ariel, a core Alliance planet, for her annual physical as part of being a Companion. Mal instructs everyone else to stay on the ship, but River – for no reason whatsoever – attacks Jayne, cutting him deep enough to require stitching. Mal oversees Simon stitching him up, then tells the doctor that his sister is confined to quarters to the extent that any trips to the mess hall or infirmary need to be approved beforehand.

Mal listens to Wash and Jayne complain that they’ve been without work for the last three places they’ve visited when Simon comes to them with a job offer while they’re waiting on Ariel: Sneak both River and himself into St. Lucy’s Hospital so he can get some medical scans done to better understand what’s wrong with her. The payment would be highly lucrative medicines that they could steal while they’re there.

Mal, Zoe and Jayne pose as paramedics and get Simon and River into the hospital. Jayne stays with the siblings, while Mal and Zoe go after the medicine. They’re stopped by a doctor on the way, but manage to get to the pharmacy and make it back to Wash free and clear. Unfortunately, Jayne and the others are missing. Worried that they’ve been caught by the Alliance, Mal and Zoe head back to rescue them. They meet up, and make it back to Serenity. Inara’s already back on board, so Mal has Wash prepare to take off while he and Jayne unload the cargo. When they’re alone in the cargo bay, Mal takes a wrench and knocks Jayne out.

Mal puts him outside the airlock with a walkie-talkie, and once Jayne wakes up they have a little chat. Mal knows Jayne called the feds on Simon and River, and threatens to leave him where he is until they break atom, at which time Jayne’s body gets squeezed through the open door out into space. He tells Jayne that anytime he decides to turn on one of his crew, Mal takes it personal. Mal shuts the outer door in time, but leaves Jayne trapped in the airlock and walks away.

Notes of Interest:

1) Mal’s commitment to his crew continues.

2) Despite confining River to her quarters, Mal shows some genuine concern for her welfare.

3) Apparently, Mal knows how to play horseshoes.

4) Mal’s first thought after learning about the medicine is how useful it would be for people living on the outer rim.

5) In order to get into the hospital, Mal has to learn some high-falootin’ medical speak…and it ain’t easy.

6) He complains yet again about how the job never goes smooth.

WTF? Moment: Why does Mal hug Kaylee? Until this episode, I thought they had an “older brother/younger sister” type relationship, which worked just fine. But that move seemed more like a Nathan Fillion gesture than Malcolm Reynolds.

WTF? Moment #2: Why would Mal let Jayne back in? Because he wasn’t sure how to tell the others what happened? Was he worried about how they’d react?

WTF?

Superman - Grounded

A while back, before the DCU became the DCnU (arguably called the DCfU), Superman spent some time “walking the Earth” in the ‘Grounded’ storyline. I understand the thoughts behind this; he went around meeting people in an attempt to get back in touch with his humanity, as DC attempted to get their flagship character back up in sales, but the execution fell far short of expectations.

What they should have done was give Clark control over the family farm.

Jonathan and Martha Kent are old. They’ve been running that farm for a long time, and even with the hiring of hands during the busy seasons the two of them just can’t do as much as they used to.

So why not have them visit Clark in Metropolis and ask him to take over?

This would have given Clark the opportunity to be “grounded” and get back in touch with the common man by doing his part to feed the country if not the world. He would have been working the Earth instead of walking it, and brought much needed attention to the struggles farmers face today.

But no, DC thought Kal-el was better off being Caine from Kung-Fu.

Marvel already did that storyline in the eighties when Steve Rogers gave up being Captain America and drove across America in his van before becoming The Captain – a guise that eventually went to John Walker and he became USAgent.

Stupid DC…

Malcolm Reynolds Part 8: “Out of Gas” – Firefly, Episode 1:8 (October 25, 2002)

Mal’s dying, and (some of) his life pass before his eyes.

I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.

Mal collapses on the floor of Serenity and his mind wanders back to when he first showed her to Zoe. It is clearly some time after the war, and he tells her that with this ship they can be free to live life on their own terms, without Alliance interference. Back in the present, we see why Mal’s mind wandered – he’s bleeding.

His mind goes back again, but not as far, as he remembers Simon’s birthday party. Everyone’s there having fun, and Wash tells him that the course they’re on will keep them out of Alliance’s sensors…and anyone elses, since they’re traveling through the middle of nowhere. There’s a small explosion, followed by a fireball that enters the mess hall and knocks out Zoe. Mal acts quickly, telling Jayne to seal off most of the doors while he runs to the bridge and opens the outer hatch so the air pushes the fire out into space.

Back in the Now, Mal works his way to the infirmary, where Zoe was taken Then - and Mal tells Kaylee to get to the engine room and find out what happened, and orders Wash to leave his wife’s side and get to the bridge to find out where they are, and to keep him out of Simon’s way.

Back in the Way Then, Mal remembers interviewing Wash for the piloting job. Zoe tells him that the stranger makes her feel uneasy. Mal explains that the guy is in demand, and with a pilot like him and the genius mechanic they have, they’ll be up and running in no time. The mechanic, overhearing this, is flattered; saying nobody ever called him a genius before.

Then - Mal remembers giving Simon a syringe full of adrenalin, which saves Zoe’s life.

Now - Mal dresses his gunshot wound and gives himself a shot of adrenalin to keep from passing out from blood loss.

Then – Has a discussion with Kaylee about the engine. She explains what happened, but he doesn’t understand and makes her put it into simple words: they’re dead in the water. What’s more, auxiliary life support has failed. Between the fire and what was needed to put it out, all the air they’re got is all the air they’re breathing. Hours at most.

Mal checks in with Wash on the bridge, who tells him that an SOS has been sent, but nobody will get the signal on account of their flight plan. He tells Wash that there are things can be done to boost the signal, and after arguing for a minute Wash agrees and gets to work.

Now – Mal works his way towards the engine room with a piece of equipment in his hands.

Way Then – Mal enters the engine room to find his mechanic Bester having intimate relations with a local woman. He tells Bester to finish fixing what’s broke so they can get to their next job, but Bester says they don’t have the part they need. The young woman disagrees, and shows both men what’s wrong, how to fix it, and does so right in front of them. Mal is so impressed, he offers her a job. Kaylee accepts.

Then – Mal finds Kaylee in the engine room. She tells him the part that broke can’t be fixed, it needs to be replaced. She shows him where the piece belongs, and he understands that without it, Serenity won’t fly.

Now – Mal makes it to the engine room, the part in his hands. He struggles to put it where it belongs, and drops it.

Then – Mal gathers everyone together and tells them his plan: Split up. Book, Kaylee and Jayne go with Inara on her shuttle, while Zoe, Wash Simon and River take the other. Mal will stay with Serenity in case someone gets their signal.

Inara tries to talk him into going with them, but he ignores her and warns her not to let Jayne take over. He also reminds her that she’s paid up through the end of the month, so the shuttle is hers…but he may have to owe her the security deposit.

Way Then - Mal’s looking to rent out the second shuttle, and is giving the latest applicant a tour. Inara explains the conditions of their arrangement – and that he’ll rent her the vessel for less than he’s asking because of her reputation as a Companion.

Then – Mal still gives her orders while Inara still tries to bring him with her. Wash meets him on the bridge and shows him the button to press that’ll let both shuttles know the signal’s been answered. As everyone loads up, Jayne tells him that (among other things) a space suit’s been prepped in case Mal needs it. The shuttles depart, and Mal makes his way back to the bridge, closing rooms off as he goes. He settles in by the monitor and dozes off…to be awoken by a vessel that’s responding to the signal. Mal reaches an agreement with the other captain, and heads to the docking bay to let them in. He opens the hatch to get a gun in his face.

Way Then – Mal and Zoe are facing several armed men on some planet looking to find out where they hid some loot. After some smooth talking involving a fair share of the money, free access to the mess hall and a private bunk, Mal persuades Jayne, the biggest and meanest of the bunch, to join his side.

Then – The unwelcome guests confirm the severity of Mal’s situation, and he offers them anything they find they think is fair trade. The visiting captain shoots him, and tells him they’ll take Serenity. Mal gets up and pulls a gun on the captain. He tells them to leave the part and get off his ship. They do, and as soon as the hatch closes, Mal collapses on the floor.

Now – Mal picks up the part he dropped, reattaches it to where it belongs and gets the engine started. He makes his way back to the bridge to call the others back, but passes out before he can reach the button. He wakes up in the infirmary to find everyone around him. Zoe’s awake, Wash is hooked up to give Mal some of his blood, and Simon is watching over all of them. At first, Mal thinks he called them back, but learns that when Zoe came to in their shuttle, she made Wash turn around and call Inara back too. Happy that everyone’s together, he passes out again.

Way Then – Mal is at a shipyard, looking for a vessel. The salesman pitches about the one in front of them, but Mal looks in the distance and finds Serenity…just waiting for him.

Notes of Interest:

1) Mal names the vessel himself, but it’s not explained why.

2) Zoe doesn’t like Serenity at first but Mal convinces her; which is good considering he already bought the ship.

3) Mal wants to hire Wash on the spot, which tells us he doesn’t give a damn about dress codes or facial hair.

4) Kaylee impresses the hell out of Mal, since she’s always willing to do whatever she can to keep Serenity flying.

5) It’s obvious he likes Inara right away, and knows there’s more to her than she’s telling.

6) Mal’s ability to read people pretty quickly comes in handy again when he sees Jayne as the most manipulative member of the gang.

7) If ever a connection can be made between man and machine, it exists between Mal and Serenity, and nobody takes her away from him.

WTF? Moment: Why doesn’t Mal press the “call back” button once he’s done talking to the other captain? Maybe he thought the other ship would notice the signal and call off the deal?

WTF? Moment #2: We learned how Mal meets Simon, River and Book in “Serenity” and this episode – easily my favorite – shows us how he met the rest of the crew...except for Zoe. I really want to know how that happened.

WTF? Moment #3: This is a side note. Serenity has always been considered by us fans as the tenth member of the cast and crew, and I gotta wonder: how did the ship wind up in that lot in the first place?

I Got Nuthin'...

My apologies, but work's been hectic lately and I just haven't had time to write anything lately.

I hope to get some rest this morning so the creative juices start flowing again this afternoon.

Thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you Saturday.

Malcolm Reynolds Part 7: “Jaynestown” – Firefly, Episode 1:7 (October 18, 2002)

Mal meets the Hero of Canton, and uses his help to get a job done.

I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.

Mal, Jayne, Wash and Kaylee are on their way to the Canton mud factory settlement on Higgins’ Moon in order to pick up some goods they’ve been hired to deliver. Not wanting to cause any trouble with the local law, Mal talks Jayne into going in unarmed. He also agrees to bring Simon along to pose as a mud buyer and justify their arrival while Mal waits for his contact.

To everyone’s surprise, there’s a statue in the middle of the workers’ town square…of Jayne. Mal asks for an explanation, but Jayne has no idea.

They head to the local bar and meet someone who tells Mal that the original middleman was dead. The goods, however, are still safe and are waiting to be transported off-world. The problem now is that they have to be moved out of town without causing suspicion.

Mal lets this news sink in, but is distracted when the tavern musician starts singing a song about Jayne, The Hero of Canton. The locals cheer and join in. Finding the whole thing a little unsettling, Mal has everyone work their way out of the bar, but Jayne is recognized, and everyone celebrates the hero’s return. Mal’s new contact pulls him aside and questions how this chain of events could help their situation at all. Mal assures him that this is part of the plan. Jayne starts celebrating on his own with the local working girls, so Mal has Kaylee and Simon stay at the bar and keep an eye on him. Meanwhile, he and Wash return to Serenity and let Zoe know what’s going on.

The next morning is “Jayne Day”. Mal gathers up his crew and they use the distraction to get the goods to the ship. Mal and Jayne return to the rally, but it’s interrupted by someone who tells another version of Jayne’s heroic deeds. Mal watches as Jayne kills the stranger and admits to being a thief unworthy of the town’s love and admiration.

Back on Serenity, Jayne asks Mal why the townsfolk acted the way they did. Mal replies that they needed someone to look up to, and despite all that’s happened they probably still will.

Notes of Interest:

1) Mal seems comfortable teasing Simon, calling him rich and lily-white.

2) He’s well aware of Kaylee’s feelings for Simon, but keeps his thoughts about it to himself.

3) As surprised as he is by Jayne’s popularity, he doesn’t find it as hilarious or mystifying as some of others do.

WTF? Moment: Mal tells Jayne that he understands the townsfolk’s behavior. How? Did Mal do some sort of hero-worship in his youth back on Shadow? That might explain his motivation to join the Browncoats as well as why he’s still fighting the Alliance.

Malcolm Reynolds Part 6: “Our Mrs. Reynolds” – Firefly, Episode 1:6 (October 4, 2002)

Mal celebrates freeing a town from bandits only to wake up the next morning with more than a hangover.

I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.

The crew of Serenity helps out a town in need by taking care of (read: disposing of) a local gang of thugs and the people are so grateful that they throw a party. Mal does more than his share of celebrating, and after taking to the air the following morning finds a woman stowaway named Saffron onboard claiming to be his wife.

Unable to return her to the Triumph settlers they just left - thanks to one of the bandits being a prefect’s nephew – Mal decides to bring her with them to their next destination which is six days away. He spends much of that time hiding from her advances and dodging the crew’s jibes, until he finds Saffron in his bed.

He struggles to keep away, but finally gives in and kisses her…and then passes out on the floor.

He wakes up to find Simon and Zoe leaning over him, Wash covering a head wound, Book looking judgmental, Inara lying on his bed, Saffron gone, Serenity heading somewhere unintentional and Jayne and Kaylee trying to get back onto the bridge – which is sealed off.

They manage to get enough systems back online to see that they’re heading towards a net used by scrappers to catch any vessels that come near. If that wasn’t bad enough, the net is also capable of killing anyone inside said vessels before the ships get taken apart.

Mal tells Wash and Kaylee to keep working on getting control back while he and Jayne suit up for open space and shoot out one of the net’s conduits. Serenity makes it through the net safely, and navigation is restored.

Mal catches up with Saffron in a winter cabin somewhere. They fight, Mal gets the upper hand and asks her what her real name is…but knocks her out before she answers, saying that she’d only lie anyway.

Notes of Interest:

1) First of all, sharp-eyed readers will notice that this episode aired before “Shindig”. I may have mentioned this before, but I’m old and forgetful so I’ll say it again. There were two things Fox had absolute control over during the production of this series: which episodes aired at all, and in what order. Given the choice between following this series as the network presented episodes to us, and following this series as the creators of the show intended the episodes to be aired, I’ll stick with the creators thank you very much. Besides, this is the order in which the episodes are presented on the DVDs.

2) Mal’s room, last seen in Serenity (the series pilot episode) is shown again here.

3) It’s revealed that he’s from a planet called Shadow, and was raised on a ranch run by his mother and about 40 hands. This explains his comfort level with cattle, his work ethic and his desire to live life on his own terms. It also explains why he would fight for independence and against the Alliance.

4) Mal has a tremendous respect for women. He doesn’t like having one at his beck-and-call and spends a lot of time trying to convince her to fend for herself.

WTF? Moment: When Mal catches up with Saffron at the cabin, I expect them to fight - but his speech about having people who trust and care for one another sounds forced and out of place.

WTF? Moment #2: Watching Mal’s behavior around Saffron and the others is hilarious. This has to be the funniest episode so far, and it’s all because of Mal being out of his comfort zone.

WTF? Moment #3: Going back to the scene in the cabin with Saffron, it seemed to me that she and Mal could have a very interesting relationship. Almost Catwoman/Batman-ish in nature. In fact, I started wondering why they couldn’t be good together until I saw the final scene between Mal and Inara. It felt like that last scene was needed to remind us that “Oh yeah, these two are supposed to wind up together.” Had the series continued, that’s how it would have played out. However, I think Nathan and Christina showed a chemistry here that wouldn’t have been denied by the powers that be…had the series continued.

WTF? Moment #4: Don’t Mal look just hi-larious in a bonnet?

Malcolm Reynolds Part 5: “Safe” – Firefly, Episode 1:5 (November 8, 2002)

Mal arrives in the nick of time to be a Big Damn Hero.

I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.

Mal enters the waiting area outside Serenity’s infirmary as medicine is thrown at his feet and River swears at him in Chinese. The reason he’s there is to let Simon know that River’s shouting could scare the cattle (which Mal agreed to transport at the end of “Shindig”) causing a stampede which - when there’s nowhere for cattle to run turns into a meat grinder – could kill half the herd. The good news is that they’re about to land at their destination and deliver the goods, after which time she could holler as loudly as she wanted…but Mal would take it as a kindness if she didn’t.

The deal goes badly (as usual) and Book gets shot in the ensuing gunfight. Mal helps get him back to Serenity, and tends to the wound as best he can, then sends Wash into town to look for Simon. Turns out that people have a history of disappearing into the hills surrounding the town, as villagers grab whomever they need. Mal deduces that they’ve got Simon, but given the choice between searching the woods for him and getting Book to a medical facility, he tells Wash to take off.

He looks over some charts with Wash and discusses where they should go when Inara mentions an Alliance vessel less than two hours away. Mal reluctantly agrees, and isn’t surprised when the boarding Alliance troops start to turn them away. But he is surprised when the Alliance officer scans Book’s ident card…and immediately takes him to their infirmary.

Mal waits outside the operating room and wonders what kind of ident card gets such treatment. Book survives the operation, and the Alliance allows everyone to return to Serenity and sends them on their way. Mal confronts Book about his connection to the Alliance, but the preacher refuses to discuss it. He then learns that Badger is looking for his cut from the cattle deal, and Jayne comments that things would be a lot simpler without going back for Simon and River. Zoe agrees…and so does Mal.

Simon and River are about to be burned at a stake when Mal, Zoe and Jayne arrive and convince the townsfolk to free the siblings.

Later, Mal checks the infirmary to look in on Book and finds it empty. Simon tells him that Book’s been moved to his room and is faring well. He then asks Mal why he had everyone go back and save him and his sister, and Mal replies that they’re on his crew, and leaves it at that.

Notes of Interest:

1) Mal seems right at home working with cattle…at least until he has to deal with the mess they leave behind.

2) While this episode focuses primarily on Book, Simon and River, we learn how much Mal’s crew means to him. He’s willing to leave River and Simon behind in order to save Book’s life, but goes back to save them. He’s also willing to face capture by Alliance if it means getting Book proper medical attention. He’s even willing to put up with River’s crazy and Simon’s…Simon-ness…because they’re part of his crew. This speaks a lot of Mal’s loyalty - which could explain why Zoe has stayed with him since the war.

3) The brief conversation Mal has with Jayne as they get the cattle unloaded tells us that Mal prefers to lead others to do what he wants or needs them to do rather than smack them into submission. This is proven when he talks Simon into taking River for a walk to get them out of the way. He could have just as easily drawn his gun and forced them both back onto Serenity.

4) Let’s talk about the bag of money for a minute. Mal risks getting shot as he reaches for it, but once he gets Book to the infirmary he tosses it aside to focus on his injured crewman. And the look he gives Jayne when asked if he got the money? Priceless.

5) Watching Mal and Zoe work on Book reminds us that both of them have seen their share of wounds in the war, and that Mal knows enough field medicine to work his way around sick-bay.

6) It seems Mal has some respect for Simon, acknowledging that the doctor doesn’t strike him as a coward.

WTF? Moment: I understand that Mal would have some fake papers drawn up in case they ran into Alliance. I also understand why Mal would use an alias in such cases, but Captain Harbatkin? That seems too interesting a name for Mal to pull out of thin air. Did Mal buy Serenity from Harbatkin? Was Harbatkin Mal’s superior during the war? Maybe he was another soldier from Mal’s outfit, or the one responsible for introducing Mal to Zoe? I’m just saying that there’s be a great story in there somewhere.

WTF? Moment #2: Mal’s comment about men of God making everyone feel guilty and judged. Where does that come from? Those feelings seem pretty strong, but Mal went to great lengths to save Book’s life. My guess is that there’s another facet of Mal’s past that involves religion on some level, and not in a good way.