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?