Firefly – 1.05 – Safe – A to Z Challenge – Day 06

“There is always safety in valor.”

‘The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

― John Stuart Mill

Prologue

This episode falls firmly in the category of “Favorites”. I loved Firefly during its original run. After many marathons of the show however, things fall apart and as I’ve become older (I was only 16 when the show came out and not quite the avid Sci-Fi & Fantasy aficionado I am now) I’ve become a little jaded, cynical and very critical of the show. But this episode still manages to put a smile on my face.

About the Show
Seasons: 1| No. of Episodes: 14 |Premiere Date: 09/20/2002 | End Date: 12/11/2002 |Status: Off-Air

Genre(s): Space Opera, Space Western

Story in a nutshell: Firefly is an American space western drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The series is set in the year 2517, after the arrival of humans in a new star system, and follows the adventures of the renegade crew of Serenity, a "Firefly-class" spaceship. The ensemble cast portrays the nine characters that live on Serenity. Whedon pitched the show as "nine people looking into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things"

The show explores the lives of a group of people who fought on the losing side of a civil war and others who now make a living on the outskirts of society, as part of the pioneer culture that exists on the fringes of their star system. In this future, the only two surviving superpowers, the United States and China, fused to form the central federal government, called the Alliance, resulting in the fusion of the two cultures. To parapharase Whedon's vision, "nothing will change in the future: technology will advance, but we will still have the same political, moral, and ethical problems as today".

Best Reason to Watch the Show: This isn’t the first time that I’ve said it and it won’t be the last, it’s the Whedonverse, so of course the best reason to watch is the cast.

Best Thing about This Episode: We spent time getting to know Simon and River. Also, the Shepherd adds even more mystique to his persona.
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Title: Safe | Writer: Drew Z. Greenberg| Director: Michael Grossman
Episode Summary: Mal must choose which crew members to save when one is gravely wounded and two others are kidnapped. Simon finds an uneasy haven in a remote village, but River's uncanny perceptions jeopardize the Tams' temporary safety.
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Awards

Character of the Night
• Simon

Best Character Interactions
• Simon & River

Best Line
• Inarra: Does it seem every supply store, on every planet has the same five ragdolls and the same five wood cravings of… what is this a duck?

Best Scene
• The closing chow time scene where everyone is safe and happy.

That Awkward Moment Award
•That awkward moment when Firefly turns into The Crucible.

The ‘Was That Really Necessary?’ Award
•The bad guys skin a rabbit at the beginning of the episode.

Highlights

Memorable Moments
1. Zoe stepping around all the cow pies
2. Kaylee and Inarra looking around a supply store.
3. Kaylee calls Simon out on his pretentiousness as well as his meanness.

Notable & Quotable
1. Malcolm: Why can’t it ever go smooth?
2. Malcolm: Is it bad that I completely understand what she just said (referring to River)?
3. Cobb: Did you get the money?

Superb Scenes
1. All the Simon & River childhood flashbacks
2. Simon rebuffs the townsfolk for their ignorance and climbs onto the mount to be burned alive with River.
3. River dances, smiles and has fun at festival that the town is having.
4. The cargo negotiation that goes horribly wrong (as usual).

Lowlights

• Criminal underuse of Alan Tudyk (poor guy seems to have that problem in the Whedonverse, like a lot).
• The use of simple yet overly religious people. How can you justify kidnapping and believe in witchcraft to boot? It was just odd and came out of nowhere.

Miscellaneous

My Favorite Main Character
• Kaylee Frye

My Favorite Side Character
• Badger (played by Mark Sheppard) – He’s only referred to in this episode and shown in the previously.

Least Favorite Main Character
• Jayne Cobb

Least Favorite Side Character
• Saffron (not seen or referred to in this episode)

Biggest Surprise of the Episode
• The Shepherd didn’t die.
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Grade: B+
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Comparable Shows
If you like Sci-Fi shows about space exploration then I highly recommend you watch one, some or all of the following shows: Battlestar Galactica , Farscape and/or Star Trek: TNG.
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Up Next: If you are on the fence about deciding whether or not to get into NBC’s Grimm be sure to check out my blog tomorrow because I’m writing about the pilot of said show.