Firefly - Episode 5: 'Safe'
Recap: Completing the cattle run results in some damage - the Shepherd takes a bullet, while locals kidnap Simon (and by extension, River). Mal skips town with the bleeding Shepherd but without the Tams, and he manages to find medical care on an Alliance ship using the Shepherd's's mysterious credentials. He returns and rescues River the much-desired doctor, who's about to go down for witchcraft. Flashbacks show Simon leaving home.
The first shot of the episode promises excitement. Instead of the desolate, Wild West that we're used to seeing, we find lush greens. Simon's family is well off and unconcerned with the Alliance - and incidentally, it appears that they never wind up feeling like they've lost everything in the War.
Unfortunately, the episode itself feels... bad. Simon's flashback is almost entirely wasted. We learn virtually nothing that Simon doesn't directly tell us. I guess it's cool that Pop was a good dude when Simon was a kid? But basically, parents don't believe him, warn him, disown him when he goes after River. The fact that she's half-Asian with seemingly entirely white parents and entirely white sibling also doesn't seem to be explained. They have an Asian last name to boot. 'Okay then.'
The seeming A-plot - Simon's being kidnapped - gives us a look at the poverty experienced by the smallfolk of Firefly's universe. It's solid world-building. They're in desperate need of a doctor, and they're superstitious and (it seems) easily led astray by a charismatic, religious figure. (Well, I assume the lynch-mob leader is intended to be charismatic, since there's no other explanation for everyone's following him - but his primary leadership qualities appear to be height and whiteness.) Alongside this, the contraband of the episode is cattle.
Unfortunately, Simon is incredibly unlikable here. I got over his desperate gazes at River like three episodes ago, and he's obviously a real jerk to Kaylee. (Kaylee is adorable, and it's a delight when she discusses her crush on Simon with Inara - far more enjoyable than the Mal/Inara stuff; unlike Inara, she sucks Simon the fuck up when he crosses the line unintentionally.) Then he's kidnapped, and you feel bad for him. But we're shown how desperately the village needs a doctor... and Simon's response is to be a jerk to them. Like, he has every right to be upset about the situation, but it's intensely unenjoyable to watch. Toss in your typical loopy River stuff and bleh.
We keep catching glimpses of a River who could be a great character. Loopy, loopy, she talks, but then there's a flash of joy as she dances (Whedon 'discovered' her when he cast her in a ballet role, if my Buffyverse knowledge is right - and she was playing 'damaged' then as well). And it's kinda neat when we find out she can communicate with a mute girl. But until we find out what's really going on there, she's not really compelling on screen.
As for the storyline about the Shepherd getting shot... I'm really disappointed he didn't die. We're with his obvious importance among the Alliance, and that's about it. An unfortunate way to inject drama (especially when in 'Serenity,' they so brilliantly subvert that method of drama with Mal's prank on Simon).
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* Best moment #1 of the episode is Kaylee's gushing to Inara about Simon. The collective best moments #2 are Jayne ransacking Simon's stuff and then being super-disappointed when he comes back. The probable #3 moment is Zoe proclaiming her and Mal 'big damn heroes' in a completely random rescue scene that didn't tie in with the A-plot at all.
The first shot of the episode promises excitement. Instead of the desolate, Wild West that we're used to seeing, we find lush greens. Simon's family is well off and unconcerned with the Alliance - and incidentally, it appears that they never wind up feeling like they've lost everything in the War.
Unfortunately, the episode itself feels... bad. Simon's flashback is almost entirely wasted. We learn virtually nothing that Simon doesn't directly tell us. I guess it's cool that Pop was a good dude when Simon was a kid? But basically, parents don't believe him, warn him, disown him when he goes after River. The fact that she's half-Asian with seemingly entirely white parents and entirely white sibling also doesn't seem to be explained. They have an Asian last name to boot. 'Okay then.'
The seeming A-plot - Simon's being kidnapped - gives us a look at the poverty experienced by the smallfolk of Firefly's universe. It's solid world-building. They're in desperate need of a doctor, and they're superstitious and (it seems) easily led astray by a charismatic, religious figure. (Well, I assume the lynch-mob leader is intended to be charismatic, since there's no other explanation for everyone's following him - but his primary leadership qualities appear to be height and whiteness.) Alongside this, the contraband of the episode is cattle.
Unfortunately, Simon is incredibly unlikable here. I got over his desperate gazes at River like three episodes ago, and he's obviously a real jerk to Kaylee. (Kaylee is adorable, and it's a delight when she discusses her crush on Simon with Inara - far more enjoyable than the Mal/Inara stuff; unlike Inara, she sucks Simon the fuck up when he crosses the line unintentionally.) Then he's kidnapped, and you feel bad for him. But we're shown how desperately the village needs a doctor... and Simon's response is to be a jerk to them. Like, he has every right to be upset about the situation, but it's intensely unenjoyable to watch. Toss in your typical loopy River stuff and bleh.
We keep catching glimpses of a River who could be a great character. Loopy, loopy, she talks, but then there's a flash of joy as she dances (Whedon 'discovered' her when he cast her in a ballet role, if my Buffyverse knowledge is right - and she was playing 'damaged' then as well). And it's kinda neat when we find out she can communicate with a mute girl. But until we find out what's really going on there, she's not really compelling on screen.
As for the storyline about the Shepherd getting shot... I'm really disappointed he didn't die. We're with his obvious importance among the Alliance, and that's about it. An unfortunate way to inject drama (especially when in 'Serenity,' they so brilliantly subvert that method of drama with Mal's prank on Simon).
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* Best moment #1 of the episode is Kaylee's gushing to Inara about Simon. The collective best moments #2 are Jayne ransacking Simon's stuff and then being super-disappointed when he comes back. The probable #3 moment is Zoe proclaiming her and Mal 'big damn heroes' in a completely random rescue scene that didn't tie in with the A-plot at all.
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