Firefly: Shindig and Safe

We watched two episodes of Firefly yesterday: Shindig and Safe. One of the things I love about this show is the juxtaposition of sci fi and western elements, old-fashioned dancing with spaceflight.

The Shindig in question is a fancy ball that Inara attends with one of her clients. Mal and Kaylee also attend the ball in search of a smuggling lead.

First, I have issues with the way Mal treats Inara. He is condescending and considers his smuggling as superior to her profession, even as he uses it to his advantage to get into areas Serenity couldn't get into on its own. Full disclosure: I didn't mean when Mal's relative morality led him to steal money from slavers. But, the whore calling gets old.

Despite his whore calling, Mal defends Inara by punching out her client when he is about to say something insulting. This leads to a swordfight--the main action of the episode.

For me, the highlight of this episode was Kaylee. Despite being a ship's mechanic, she loves a pink frilly dress that she sees in a window. Mal later gets it so they can attend the ball. She is delighted by the buffet table, especially the fresh strawberries. She attempts to talk to a few people who snub or insult her until Dash Riprock from the Beverly Hillbillies (actor Larry Pennell) comes up to her. Suddenly she is charming a group of older men with her talk of engines and machinery. Kaylee is adorable.

Here is Rhiannon's post on this episode.

In Safe, the crew is taking cattle--the cargo from Shindig--to another planet for sale. Things go wrong; Shepard Book is shot; Simon is kidnapped and River follows. Serenity heads to an Alliance ship for medical assistance. The Alliance personnel originally don't want to help Book. That is, until they see his ident card. What's up with that?

My favorite parts of this episode involve River. We see a flashback of young River and Simon at home. A later flashback shows Simon's realization that River is in danger at the Alliance facility. When Simon's first attempt to save River fails, their father refuses to help in the future. Back in the present, there is a beautiful scene when River encounters a group of musicians and dancers and starts dancing with them. She is so joyful and innocent. I think this is the episode in which I really began to like River.