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.