Firefly: Bushwhacked

September 16th, 2008

Episode 2

Synopsis

The crew play a ball game when a proximity alert goes off. From the cockpit, Wash sees a dead body hit the windshield, and a drifting space ship. River says it’s a ghost.

The crew decides it’s a short range settler transport. Mal and Zoe decide to don space suits and board the other ship. Simon mentions space suits make him nervous. Aboard the dark craft, Mal and Zoe find abandoned meals but no survivors. Back aboard Serenity, River screams.

The whole crew is invited to the abandoned ship ship. Simon nervously puts on his space suit, but realizes he has put one on for no reason — much to Jayne’s amusement.

Deciding to salvage whatever cargo they can, Wash finds a likely location for valuables, and Jayne begins shoving goods into a bag. Behind a locked door, Mal and Zoe find a fortune of setter’s equipment — and several dead crew members hanging from the ceiling above. Mal says he knows what causes this.

Meanwhile, Jayne is attacked by someone or something in the ship’s kitchen. Mal follows a trail of blood to find an emotionally distraught boy.

Simon takes care of the boy in Serenity’s sick bay and sedates him. Mal tells the crew the ghost ship was hit by Reavers. Mal decides to hold a funeral for the dead before they steal the cargo. Inara and Kaylee are impressed with Mal’s desire to honor the dead — but it turns out he is merely distracting some of the crew to deal with a more significant problem — a booby trap left by the Reavers, that has attached the Serenity to the abandoned ship — when they leave, it will explode.

The sick boy awakes and grabs a medical tool. Simultaneously, River awakes from a nap and starts freaking out. Kaylee cuts a wire and releases the booby trap as Jayne comes returns with the stolen cargo.

The Serenity detaches from the ship safely — but an Alliance ship arrives. They ask to board Serenity and are also looking for two fugitives.

Simon wants to run, but Mal decides to put everything out in the open — including Simon and River. Alliance troops board and search the ship. The crew are taken aboard the Alliance craft for questioning, which gets a bid personal and odd. Meanwhile, both Simon and River hide in space suits, holding onto the outside of the ship.

The alliance doctors try to save the sick boy, but he escapes. The officer questioning Mal is told the sick patient has fled back to Serenity. Mal tells the officer he can help find the sick boy because of his familiarity with his own ship. River, back from the deep space excursion, tells Simon to not enter the cabin.

Mal takes the lead and just when the Alliance officer is about to see River and Simon, the boy attacks the captain. Mal disables him, and earns the officer’s gratitude.

The Serenity detaches from the alliance ship — they’re free to go.

Thoughts

• Seems River has some psychic abilities that allow her to pick up past events.
• Amusing banter back and forth between Jayne and Simon. Jayne thinks Simon is a wuss, and he largely proves this opinion correct.
• We learn a bit more about the workings of the Alliance. It’s a modern technologically advanced bureaucracy that contrasts greatly with the “Wild West”-inspired environment Mal and the Serenity crew hail from.
• The last scene is notable for its economy: nothing more needs to be said after Mal saves the officer’s life — we know they’ll be free to go on their way.

Next Episode: Shindig
Previous Episode: The Train Job