Shindig

Written by: Jane Espenson
Directed by: Vern Gillum

Original Airdate: 11.01.02
On the planet Persephone the crew contact their old “friend” Badger the ruthless crimelord to transport some goods on behalf of a local lord. While at a ball to arrange a transport job with the lord, Mal defends Inara’s honor when her current customer insults her. By local custom he unintentionally challenges her date, Atherton Wing, to a duel. Inara must teach Mal how to use a sword, while Badger takes the rest of the Serenity crew hostage so they don’t interfere and mess up Badger’s reputation. Thanks to a distraction by Inara, Mal manages to win, spares Atherton, and earns the job - hauling cows.

Review

Warning: If you’re all dressed up for a big party and don’t want the dishonor of seeing SPOILERS for the latest episode of Firefly, “Shindig” you may want to turn back now. There are major SPOILERS just ahead!

In short: A solid episode with some good moments…

: While it’s not as strong as last week’s “Out of Gas,” I have to admit that I found myself really enjoying the latest installment in the Firefly universe. : With such a strong cast, it must be a struggle to have an episode that balances nine regular series members, giving each his or her own moment to shine without it feeling forced. And yet, week in and week out, Firefly is finding ways to balance the cast well. Yes, we know a lot more about Mal, Jayne and Inara than we do the rest of the crew, but the important thing is that they’re finding ways to keep each member of the cast interesting and offering his or her own perspective on the universe that Joss has created. : The latest writer to do this is Jane Espenson, a writer who, quite honestly, can be hit or miss when it comes to her work on Buffy. Yes, she can offer some pleasantly amusing scripts and concepts, but there are times that she does so by making the main characters a bit too one dimensional for my liking. And I have to admit I was a bit worried that she’d do that here. : But I’ve been wrong before and I was here. Espenson found ways to not only give us some nice moments with each character but also to find a way for the humor to flow from each character and feel natural based on what we know about them. : The biggest example of this would have to be the scenes with the crew gambling back on board Serenity. First of all, the very idea of gambling with having to do chores as the stake was nicely done. Seeing Simon, Jayne and the Preacher all trying to con one another was nicely done, as was River’s interruption of events and Jayne’s line about whether or not they’re going to play cards or not. The more I watch Firefly, the more I become convinced that Jayne is oddly similar to Rygel on Farscape–in that he’s motivated out of a sense of self interest. We saw that last week and we see that here. Yes, River’s having her issues, but Jayne just wants to continue the game. I liked that a great deal and I found the line to work well. Also, Adam Baldwin is just getting really good at bringing Jayne to life and I must admit that while at first I didn’t like him, I look forward to seeing this character on screen as the weeks go by. : Another aspect of the plotline I enjoyed was seeing the crew try to come together to form a plan to rescue Mal. Again, Jayne’s line about River providing exactly the type of distraction they needed–and might not get again–was one of the show’s better one liners. I liked seeing how the crew was willing to work together to save Mal from the fate he had brought up himself. How much of this was selfishness and how much of it was loyalty to Mal, I’m not really sure at this point. I get the feeling that Mal doesn’t trust Jayne any farther than he can throw him–and based on what we found out about how he came aboard Serenity, I can’t really blame Mal for that. : The scenes with the crew all playing off each other were just a joy to behold and really elevated the episode. : But the main plot wasn’t really too shabby either. : The whole idea of what is and is not socially acceptable and by whose standards you are judged was an interesting question and one I feel Jane Espenson did a very good job of addressing. : Basically, in the Firefly universe it’s OK to publicly be a prostitute, but it’s not always smiled upon to be a smuggler. That’s an interesting dichotomy, especially since you’ve got one of each–a prostitute and a smuggler–living on the same ship and trying to co-exist. The scene between Mal and Inara at the ball as they debate the ethics of their chosen professions was very well done and I found in intriguing that, once again, we see how skewed Mal’s moral code is. Mal has a very defined sense of right and wrong–and woe be to the person who crosses that. : We certainly saw that here. We know that Mal wants Inara on board because it brings a bit of respectability to his shady dealings. I wonder if part of Mal’s motivation here is to use Inara as a smokescreen to get in and out without being detected. We’ve seen that work twice in his favor–both in Jaynestown and now here. Mal wants what Inara brings and I think he needs Inara more than she needs him. She owns her own shuttle and could easily book passage with another captain, if she so pleased. But this would make it harder for Mal to work, plus he’s have to deal with the shame of losing someone whose very profession brings him a certain stigma of respectability. : And for all his protestations, Mal fits into the societies we’ve seen. It’s interesting that he doesn’t ask Kaylee to dance, but does ask Inara. After all, he has brought Kaylee there to the ball–but Kaylee is just content and happy to be there and in her fancy dress. Kaylee wants to enjoy the fine food and the chance to soak up the atmosphere as it were, while Mal is a bit more adaptable in his fitting in. He knows the elaborate dance that he and Inara do–not just verbally but on the dance floor. He knows enough of the customs to get by and he knows how he feels a gentleman should act. Of course, it might have helped if he’d known that punching Asherton would lead to a duel and actually how to use a sword, but then you ruin some of the fun of the final two acts and seeing Mal between a rock and a hard place. Again, we’ve got some great glimpses into who Mal is and what makes him tick. But I want to see more. I want to learn what his background is and what brought him to this point in his life. In short, I want about seven seasons of Firefly because I think there’s enough potential in the characters to go for seven years. : But then again, the show could be “Joss Whedon’s The U.S. Tax Code” and I’d want seven sevens. : The other side of the coin is Inara. She is the hooker with the heart of gold. But I think we’re seeing more to her than that. We know from previous stories she cares for Mal and I think we see more of that here. She sneaks off from Asherton to train Mal and even offers to stay with Asherton is he won’t kill Mal. Her entire line of work is socially more acceptable and she does have to know a lot of different rules and regulations to fit into different societies. But one thing that strikes me about her–I wonder if she likes being on board Serenity so much because she can let her hair down and not be constrained by the rules and expectations of all the different men she has as clients. Mal expects nothing more of her than for her to be a whore–and he tells her that. But yet, Mal still treats her more like a human being than does Asherton–who sees her as a prize to be won and a step up for his own social status. : Of course, all these expectations all come crashing down when Mal unwittingly challenges Asherton to a duel–with swords, something Mal has no idea how to do. Watching Mal train and then fight Asherton reminded me a lot of Crichton on Farscape. Crichton is always getting himself into a difficult situation and then having to do whatever it takes to get out of it. Mal survives on his wits and he continues to do so here–all he has to do is take advantage of the unexpected opening Inara creates by distracting Asherton. Yes, Mal wins, but only after he’s been just about beaten and killed for sport by Asherton. And we do see the sense of morality Mal has–he won’t kill Asherton because humiliating him is far more satisfying. I can’t say Mal is entirely the most moral guy out there–this is the same man who shoved a mercenary into an engine to prove a point. So we know Mal will kill if he has to in order to prove his point. : And that’s what makes Mal so intriguing to watched. He’s our hero, but he’s very much a flawed hero and one that it will be interesting to see how he continues to develop. : So, I guess that’s about it for now, except a few small things… : –Kaylee’s reaction to the party and her obvious enthusiasm for getting to get all dressed up and go to the big party was nicely done. Seeing her face fall as the women insulted her only to be perked up when she finds a group of guys to discuss engines with was a nice touch. Kaylee has such a boundless and reckless enthusiasm. : –The only plotline that didn’t really knock my socks off was the Zoe and Wash one. The others were just so good that this one seemed a bit dull by comparison. It almost makes you think they’re so happy that Joss can’t let anyone be this happy for so long… : –So, did Inara still collect on her fee from Asherton? : –Larry Drake…good heavens it’s been a long time since I’ve seen him, but he did a nice job as Mal’s business contact. : –One thing I love about Farscape is they’ve created their own language so they can swear and slip it by the censors. Same thing on Firefly. It’s the little touches that make a universe believable. : So, that’s it for now. Overall, I liked Shindig–more than I thought I would. It wasn’t quite up there with Out of Gas, but it was still very well done.

My rating: 8.0 (out of 10.0)

Next up: Book is hurt and needs Simon…only problem is Simon and River have been kidnapped.

Quotes

(sign over holographic pool table)
Management Not Responsible for Ball Failure

Zoe: Planet’s coming up too fast.
Wash: That’s just cause I’m going down so quick. Likely I’d crash and kill us all.
Mal: If that happens, let me know.

Wash: What am I looking at - the girls or the clothes?
Jayne: The girls.
Zoe: The clothes, please.

Zoe: If I’m going to wear a dress, I want one with some slink.
Wash: You want a slinky dress, I can buy you a slinky dress. Captain, can I have money for a slinky dress?
Jayne: I’ll chip in.

Jayne: (drinking tea) This ain’t bad.
Badger: There’s a trick to it. Wood alcohol.
Mal: So now we’re favored guests, treated to beverages that make you blind.

Kaylee: Is that him?
Mal: That’s the buffet table.
Kaylee: How will we know unless we question it?
Mal: Just don’t make yourself sick.

Harrow: I know (Badger). And I think he’s a psychotic lowlife.
Mal: And I think calling him that is an insult to the psychotic lowlife community.

Mal: I may be a smuggler, but it’s a honest job.
Inara: What?!?

Atherton: I accept.
Mal: That’s great! What?!?

Kaylee: Up until the punching it was a real nice party.

Mal: I never back down from a fight.
Inara: Yes you do. You do all the time.
Mal: Well…yeah, but not this one.

Jayne: What we need is a diversion. I say Zoe gets naked.
Wash: No!
Jayne: I could get naked…?
Wash and Zoe: No!

Mal: Mercy is the mark of a great man. (spares Atherton) I guess I’m just a good man. (pokes Atherton with his sword) Well, I’m alright.

Inara: (to Atherton) That’s not how it works. You see, you’ve earned yourself a black mark in the Client Registry. No Companion is ever going to contract with you ever again.
Harrow: You’ll have to rely on your winning personality to get woman. God help you.

Jayne: We was just about to spring into action, Captain. Complicated escape and rescue op.
Wash: Very exciting. I was going to watch.

Inara: I am grateful, you know, for the ill-conceived and high-handed attempt to defend my honor although I didn’t want you to.
Mal: Gracious as that is…

Inara: As with other situations, the key seems to be giving Jayne a heavy stick and standing back.

Wash: Here lies my beloved Zoe, my autumn flower. Somewhat less attractive now that she’s all corpsified and gross.

Gentleman: What a lovely dress. It must have taken a dozen slaves a dozen days to get you into it. Of course, your daddy tells me it takes the space of a schoolboy’s wink to get you out of it again.

Please credit Hellmouth Central with these quotes when using them for any publication.