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?