This week's Firefly was an improvement on last week's episode. We got to know the characters a little better and there was a lot more action in the show than there was in the premiere. Fox rejected Joss's original pilot because it didn't have enough action. I would suggest that this second episode ("Bushwhacked") would have made a better pilot than last week's second pilot, "The Train Job."
We open with the same voiceover and premise summary as last week and watch as the Serenity crew plays some white Harlem Globetrotter style basketball in the cargo bay. Inara chats with the doctor about his sister's troubles at the "Academy" where she was subjected to creepy, weird stuff and we get another summary of their story. I'm almost beginning to think that this episode was yet another pilot that was also rejected.
"Oh my god! What can it be? Who's flying this thing? Oh right, that would be me." -- Wash
Something sets off the ship's proximity alarm and Wash, the pilot, utters more lines in three seconds than he did in the entire 42 minute pilot episode. A corpse bounces off the window of Serenity's cockpit. They see a derelict ship in space and the episode is underway.
There was a sense of deja vu here as Joss reaches back to Buffy for this week's MotW. Mal decides to check out the derelict in case there is anyone alive in there and in case there is anything of value they can steal/salvage. But all is not well. There's something alive, lurking inside that ship -- oooooh, spooky.
After a rather cruel practical joke by Jayne on Simon, we see the bodies. The ship's crew and passengers have been slaughtered by Reavers -- humans which have gone mad from the loneliness of space and who survive by slaughtering and robbing others.
"Oh yes. He's a real beast. It's a wonder you're alive." "[He] looked bigger when I couldn't see him." -- Simon and Jayne
There is one survivor, a young boy, but he doesn't seem to be more than a few slices short of a full loaf. Mal locks him up, says it would be more merciful to kill him, and claims that the ship was attacked by Reavers and that the boy is now one of them.
Book insists on having a memorial service for the victims and Mal reluctantly agrees. This gives Mal time to remove some valuable cargo from the abandoned ship and distracts the rest of the crew while Kaylee has to free Serenity from a booby trap which the reavers set.
It also give time for an Imperial Star Destroyer/Alliance Mothership to arrive on the scene and detain Serenity and her crew and passengers. They're looking for Simon and his sister and believe that Mal and his crew were responsible for the slaughter on the abandoned ship. Mal tries to be as honest and as cooperative as possible but Kaylee takes exception to the Alliance captain's characterization of the Serenity as a "junker."
The interrogation of the Serenity's crew is reminiscent of the interview scene from "Family," only done more seriously. But not too seriously, Kaylee, Wash, and Jayne all have fun lines (or in the case of Jayne silence).
Meanwhile, Simon and River hide from the Alliance troops on the outer hull of Serenity. This is a very nicely shot scene. The reaver boy on the other hand, is taken on board the Alliance ship where he promptly attacks his doctors and returns to Serenity to wreak more havoc.
When the Alliance captain finds out about the incident he allows Mal -- still in handcuffs -- to lead them into the ship. The reaver attacks the captain, killing one of his men. Mal uses his handcuffs to choke the reaver and break his neck.
In his gratitude, the Alliance captain lets Mal and Serenity go --after confiscating his cargo. Mal explains that, "he had to. [I would] come out of his profit, it wouldn't be civilized."
The Reavers that attacked the abandoned ship are essentially Firefly's version of vampires. They even "turned" one of their victims. Mal says that they forced him watch as they murdered the ship's crew and passengers until he went insane and began acting like the reavers. They also shows some cleverness in setting a booby trap for Serenity.
Most of what is known about them appears to be stories and conjecture. The usually unflappable Jayne is afraid to evens touch the bodies of their victims. The captain of the Alliance ship regards the reavers as more of an urban legend on which criminals blame their crimes.
There were some new insights into our intrepid crew. Wash doesn't just love his wife, he *lusts* after her. He's also a bit of a smart ass --very Xandery. There were few new details about Zoe except for the fact that she seems to prefer things that way -- she is a very private and serious person in contrast to her husband.
Book had a little more to do this week. Mostly they were the sort of things you would expect from a preacher. Simon seems to have definite early Wesley type tendencies with his claustrophobia. And Jayne really needs to have every square inch of his ass kicked.
River is still stuck in crazy Fred mode but we are getting some clues as to her abilities. She appeared to be able to sense the Reaver and was drawn to the vault on the ship where the bodies of the Reavers' victims were stored. She may also be able to sense future events. Once people realize this, River will at least be useful as a living early warning system while we wait for more details of her past to emerge.
Also we are seeing more Chinese words being used by the characters, mostly as substitutes for the "F" word. This was shown in the pilot but it was more evident here.
"Is that why you attacked that transport? You're still fighting the same battle sargent. Only those weren't soldiers you murdered. They were civilians, families, citizens loyal to the Alliance and you just can't stand that." -- Alliance Captain
There was also more information about the civil war that Mal fought in. There are still bitter feelings on both sides. The Alliance commander is ready to believe that he murdered the people on board the transport ship and hints that similar tortures were employed during the war (presumably by the rebels).
Mal's comment at the end was also interesting. He seems to imply that individual Alliance ships operate as privateers.
All site contents Copyright L. Goodwin 1990 - 2002