FIrefly - Episode 3: 'Bushwacked'
Recap: Serenity hits a dead body in space, and the crew boards a seemingly deserted space vessel. It turns out that the ship was hit by reavers, and they left one survivor, who Mal takes in. An Alliance ship catches Serenity and its captain boards the Firefly, but before they discover Simon and River, they're beset by the survivor - who has gone insane. Mal saves the captain of the Alliance ship and is let go, though stripped of his non-human contraband. Two distinct halves to this episode. The first half is great - a horror movie for the small screen, menace in every shot as the crew of Serenity explores the dead ship, trying to figure out what happened. The dread is palpable the whole time. Excellent atmosphere here. The second half of the episode is less scary and a little more procedural - a story about the scruffy outlaw saving the life of, and thus winning over, an authority figure in over his head. The Alliance officer voices his suspicions about Mal and proceeds to menti...