Malcolm Reynolds Part 18: Serenity: Better Days #3 (May, 2008)

Looks like Mal’s better days are ahead of him…

I have this issue in the Serenity Better Days Trade Paperback.

Mal is taken prisoner by Ephraim Sanda from Alliance Special Ops who believes Mal is a dust devil – a group of browncoats who continued to fight the Alliance after the war ended. After taking a beating just this side of Niska, he sees a transmission of Zoe saying they’ve got the wrong man. She offers herself in exchange for the captain and calls Sanda out for the trade.

Mal is brought with Sanda and his troops to the location, and just as they start the exchange Sanda’s ship explodes. An incoming ship is to blame, and after laying down some strafing fire it shoots several missiles into the middle of the battlefield. Instead of exploding, the missiles open up to reveal robots that continue to attack everyone. Mal witnesses Book decapitate one of them and is saved from another by Sanda, who realizes that survival is more important than dust devils.

Sanda gives cover fire while Mal runs to a hook and winch. He throws the hook into the air and catches the vessel, which is pulled to the ground and destroyed. In return for saving Sanda’s life, he lets Mal and Zoe go.

They return to the ship to find it’s been looted…all their hard earned stolen money is gone.

Later on, Mal talks with Inara about Simon. She dodges the issue by telling him she knows that it was Mal who told the thieves where the money was hidden. She also knows that while the others were talking about what they’d do with their money, he’s already doing it. By losing the money, Mal’s plan to keep everyone together works.

Notes of Interest:

1) Mal never learns that the man who attacked them here was the same man they stole the big mean machine from in issue #1.

2) Mal doesn’t deny Inara’s accusations.

WTF? Moment: Who the heck did Mal tell about the money? Sanda? That would look too much like bargaining for his life, and I don’t see Mal doing that. Ever. The thieves from the restaurant in issue #2? Some random thieves he met on his way to Inara’s shuttle? Gotta call B.S. on that one.

WTF? Moment #2: While it’s never said outright, I’m sure Mal knows of Zoe’s dust devil days. I also think they stopped around the time he bought Serenity.

Malcolm Reynolds Part 17: Serenity: Better Days #2 (April, 2008)

Mal discovers a relationship brewing between Inara and another member of his crew.

I have this issue in the Serenity Better Days Trade Paperback.

Mal listens as Jayne tells everyone his plans for spending his share of the money they took in Better Days #1. Wash tells them his plan, and then Zoe gives Mal his turn. He declines to answer and tells Wash it’s time to land as they’ve arrived at their vacation location. He makes his way to Inara’s shuttle to let her know they’re landing and asks her what her spending plans consist of but she changes the subject by asking what a “dust devil” is. He tells her that they’re strong minded people who continued to fight the Alliance after the war ended.

After checking in, Mal gives the hotel room a once over. At a thousand credits a night it looks it, but Mal makes it clear that fancy things tend to make people forget themselves. Later on, Mal’s having a meal with Zoe, Wash and Jayne at a fancy restaurant when the festivities get interrupted by thievery. The captain and his crew disrupt the event and are cheered by their fellow diners.

Afterwards, Mal mentions to Zoe that he saw an Alliance ship land just far enough away to cause concern. She tells him Wash checked it and it belongs to Ephraim Sanda, most likely a member of Alliance Special Ops, and was seen headed towards Inara’s shuttle. Mal tells her Sanda’s presence could be about dust devils and decides to stakeout the shuttle.

Hoping he doesn’t find Sanda leaving her shuttle, Mal instead sees Simon coming out. But before he can react, Mal gets knocked unconscious from behind.

Notes of Interest:

1) Mal knows a thing or two about dust devils, and doesn’t seem to mind them.

2) He’s obviously uncomfortable with Inara “working” during their R-n-R.

3) He also knows a thing or two about weapons…beyond his own gun, Vera and that cannon he fired in “Serenity”.

4) Living the good life doesn’t seem to sit too well with him…

5) …in fact, Mal looks happiest before they even land; when he’s watching his crew at the table in the mess hall.

WTF? Moment: I can understand his issues with luxury, being raised on a farm and fighting in trenches for independence and all, but you gotta wonder what Mal does to unwind. There’s got to be more to him than just playing horseshoes and sticking it to the Alliance, right?

Malcolm Reynolds Part 16: Serenity: Better Days #1 (March, 2008)

Mal finally gets paid…a lot.

I have this issue in the Serenity Better Days Trade Paperback.

Mal’s in a museum with Zoe, Jayne and Simon as they use the doctor’s knowledge of all things fancy to pick the most expensive items to take. The job goes smoothly…until they leave the building, when some very big and very mean piece of machinery chases after them. Mal leaves the mule and heads in a different direction to lead it away from the others, and just as it prepares to open fire on him, Kaylee comes out of nowhere and slaps something onto it that shuts it down.

The museum robbery was just a side job necessary to lure out the big mean machine, which was the real target all along. They load it onto Serenity and make the delivery, and Mal makes sure to hold onto the memory core (which runs the thing) until they get paid. Their contact confesses that he doesn’t have the money, but tells Mal where they could get it – inside a Buddhist temple not too far away. The agreement being that once they have the money, Mal would send him the core. Mal debates the plan with Simon, who’s against the idea, and Book suggests Mal make a donation to the temple after the fact in order to calm the doctor down, which Mal agrees to do.

Mal, Zoe and Jayne head inside the temple and take the money, but are interrupted by a monk who enters the room. Mal puts his gun away and apologizes for the disturbance as he leaves. Back aboard Serenity, he starts counting the money and finds a lot more than he thought they had. In fact, it’s millions. They're finally rich.

Notes of Interest:

1) If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time we see Mal driving something…with wheels.

2) His lack of knowledge regarding valuable museum pieces is reminiscent of his trouble learning medical speak in “Ariel”.

3) Just look at Mal’s face when he’s holding the money. Isn’t he ever happy when he’s not bugging the Alliance?

WTF? Moment: I understand why Mal would leave the mule during the getaway, but how did he know the machine would go after him and not the vehicle carrying the valuable museum trinkets? Weren’t they the reason the machine was chasing them in the first place?