Maybe it's a good sign that Firefly has added a "previously on" section to its opening -- a sign that they expect to be around for a while. In any case, it was welcome addition as this episode is heavily dependent on the show's previous episodes. Interestingly enough, the previously section appears to have footage from the as yet unaired Firefly pilot. Perhaps a dig at the Fox network suits?
We open with a flashback. Elevens years ago a young Simon Tam is growing up in a pretty swanky estate complete with a force field fence. His little sister River is quite sane, quite small (maybe seven to ten years old), and quite brilliant. She pulls him away from his homework, insisting that his textbook is wrong -- "This whole conclusion is fallacious." She prefers to play war -- apparently the evil independents (you know the guys that Mal fought for) used dinosaurs to attack them and cut off their escape. Their prim and proper father walks in and completes the picture of domestic bliss and great expectations.
An interesting scifi bit in this scene is the talk about the "source box." Simon sends his father a "wave" but the text "shorted" and the whole message dropped in on him during a meeting. Simon tells him that if he had a dedicated source box this wouldn't have happened. But his father is concerned that it would give him "access to any tyen-shiao duh that filtered in from the cortex." Apparently some form of the Internet still exists 500 years in the future and it's still full of pr0n.
"Morbid and creepifying, I got no problem with, long as she does it quiet-like." -- Malcolm Reynolds
Back in the "present," River is throwing one of her trademark fits. This is spooking the herd of cattle that Mal is smuggling. This bothers Mal who is afraid that the cattle will stampede and turn the cargo bay into a meat grinder. Mal wants her to stop.
Serenity lands while some bad guys observe from a distance. You can tell they're guys because they want to take their cargo -- and they do bad things to bunny rabbits. Unaware of the danger that surrounds them the Serenity crew lets their herd of cattle out of the ship and go about their business. Simon steps in manure and Jayne confesses that he like smacking the cows. Zoe and Wash suggest that they should smuggle something smaller -- like "those black market beagles." River finds herself entranced with the cows -- she claims that they forgot t they were cows while they were on Serenity and remember what they are now that they see sky. Mal wonders if it's bad that what she says makes perfect sense to him. He also wants Simon and River to get lost while they are dealing with the buyers. Simon apologizes if River "tipped off anyone about your cunningly concealed herd of cows."
"If that's what you think of this life then you can't think much of them that choose it, can you?" -- Kaylee
Simon and River go into town where Inara and Kaylee are checking out some of the local wares. Simon isn't impressed by the local wares at all. Simon is not a happy camper at all and begins ranting about his life on the "ass end of the galaxy." Kaylee is especially hurt by his comment about Serenity -- she has a lot of the love for her ship that Scotty had on Star Trek. A very hurt Kaylee walks out with Inara as River disappears.
Back at the landing site, Mal haggles with the buyers. But the buyers seem pretty jumpy. We soon discover the reason for this jumpiness when the town marshalls arrive and try to arrest them for murder. A shoot out ensues. Book is shot.
Simon finally finds River at a nearby pavilion. She just stares at the dancers at first, looking at their feet, seemingly dumbfounded. Then her face brightens and she begins to dance. Did she read the dancers minds? That's what the scene seems to imply. The scene cuts away several times between the dancing and the gun fight. The effect is rather striking -- especially when Mal goes for the buyers' bag of money during the shooting.
When Book is shot, River stops dancing and seems lost. Meanwhile the aforementioned bad guys kidnap Simon. They get Book back to Serenity. Mal tosses a bloody bag of money on the counter and reaches for bandages. Kaylee looks terrified.
"Some of these words, they're misspelled. She started correcting my spelling when she was three." -- Simon Tam
Simon flashes back to the time when he realized that River was in trouble. He was convinced that River's letters home were coded cries for help. His parents thought he was just being paranoid and fear that talk like this could jeopardize his career. Back in the present, Simon's kidnappers now have River as well.
Wash can't find the doctor and hears that settlers in the hills sometimes kidnap people -- usually tradesmen. With Book near death and Simon and River kidnapped, Mal is faced with a difficult choice. But he wastes no time in taking off. Looking over their options for finding medical help, Mal and Wash find few viable ones. Inara is upset. Mal assumes it's because he left Simon behind. But her real intention becomes clear soon enough and now it's Mal's turn to be upset -- their only hope is hailing a local Alliance Cruiser in hopes of finding medical help there.
Reaching their town, Simon's kidnappers parade their prize around, proud of having nabbed a doctor. A surprising number of people shout "thank the lord" upon hearing the news. Meanwhile, Jayne goes through the "help yourself to your fallen crew mate's stuff and make fun of them" ritual of mourning. Zoe and Kaylee choose the more traditional feel "guilty about leaving them behind" version.
Mal and Wash prepare to dock with the local Imperial Star Des^H^H^H, Alliance Cruiser. The Alliance officers are less than helpful even though captain "Harbatkin" has his papers with him. The officer tells Mal that they're not an emergency facility. Book insists that the officer see his ID card and suddenly they are anxious to get him to the infirmary.
Simon's kidnappers introduce him to Doralee, the town teacher/nurse. Seeing a few rows of sick people, Simon rolls up his sleeves and decides to practice a little medicine. River makes friends with a little mute girl named Ruby and you just know she'll be talking up a storm before the episode is over.
A few hours later, River and Simon are rebonding over hodgeberries. It's a sweet, sometimes funny, scene until she brings up their father. And sure enough, River knows Ruby's life story -- about her crazy mother that tried to kill her children. The child has been mute ever since that traumatic event. It's a miracle that she can speak again. Praise the Lord! Except that Ruby still doesn't talk, River just read her mind. Doralee immediately panics and assumes that River is a witch. And since this devout little community of kidnappers doesn't approve of witchcraft...
"I had to walk through that door which goes on my permanent profile" -- Simon's father
But first another flashback, Simon's father is bailing him out. He was caught hanging out in a "blackout zone" talking to people who might know be able to help River. It's a very interesting scene because of what it reveals about the Alliance. It seems to be a somewhat totalitarian society at first glance. There appears to be some sort of permanent record that follows people around their whole lives. Simon's parents are so afraid of losing their status, that they are unwilling to even consider that their daughter might be in trouble. Another more innocuous analogy could be to the United States of the 1950s which had a period of relative prosperity but also had a great deal of conformity, the McCarthy hearings, and racial segregation despite the fact that it is one of the most idealized periods in American history.
Back in the present, the town Patron is ready to believe that River is not a witch but River queers it when she reads his mind and implies that may have murdered his predecessor. The townspeople prepare to burn her at the stake.
"I am a Shepherd. Folks like men of God." "No they don't. Men of God make everyone feel guilty and judged. That's not what I saw." -- Book and Mal
The mystery that is Book deepens as he is unwilling to tell Mal what his deal is that makes the Alliance so eager to patch him up and send his ship its way no questions asked. But he suggests that he might tell him someday. Jayne cleans the blood from the coins that are his share of the pay for a job moderately well done and suggests that things will be much easier now that they don't have two fugitives on board. This is Mal's cue to turn the ship around.
And not a moment too soon -- the townspeople are still insisting on burning River at the stake. Simon manages to punch out a few of the townies, putting up a much better fight to save his sister than he did to protect himself against Hessian in "Jaynestown." But he is greatly out numbered and throws himself on the stake with River. The townspeople make it clear that they are willing to burn him along with his sister and he tells them to light it.
"Well, look at this! It appears we got here just in the nick of time. what does that make us?" "Big damn heroes sir!" -- Mal and Zoe
Serenity emerges overhead with Jayne and his gun ready to pick off people at random. The townspeople are left with little choice. Jayne returns Simon's stuff to his quarters.
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