Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

'Firefly' Rewind - Episode 6: 'Our Mrs. Reynolds'

Christina Hendricks steals the show - and maybe the ship.

By Alan Sepinwall Tuesday, Jul 13, 2010 7:00 AM

Christina Hendricks as Saffron on "Firefly."

Credit: FOX

Once again, we’re spending Tuesdays this summer revisiting Joss Whedon’s space Western “Firefly,” and this week brings with it a very familiar face from another show that’s about to become a staple of the blog this summer. A review of “Our Mrs. Reynolds” coming up just as soon as I kill you with my pinkie...

“But she was naked! And... articulate!” -Mal

When Christina Hendricks strutted her way across the halls of Sterling Cooper in the “Mad Men” pilot, she was a revelation to most viewers. Who was this confident, sexy, hyper-competent redhead, and where had she been hiding all these years?

Anyone who came to “Mad Men” after “Firefly” was much less surprised.

Hendricks is, in a word, fantastic as Saffron, the not-so-innocent bride who’s fixing to steal every inch of Serenity out from under its flustered captain and his amused crew. She’s completely believable both in Saffron’s pose as the shy farm girl and then her true face as a slick super-villain who’s every bit as talented and versatile as Joan Holloway, and her presence allows Joss Whedon and director Vondie Curtis-Hall to push the show into its most overtly comic direction yet.

“Our Mrs. Reynolds” is just a hilarious episode, from start (a cross-dressing Mal bickering with Jayne) to finish (the priceless look on Inara’s face when she realizes how completely Mal misunderstood how she got the poison on her lips), and all the way in between (Book’s repeated warnings about “the very special Hell” remain my favorite). Nathan Fillion gets ample opportunity to play flustered - dig his reaction to hearing this woman say “I swell to think of you in me” - and once Hendricks gets to play the switch from Saffron’s acting job to her real personality (or as close as she lets anyone get), she has a number of wonderful comic moments, like her frustration at realizing that Wash, like Mal, isn’t going to try to have sex with her and she’ll have to resort to Plan B.

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I had wondered if the episode wouldn’t play as well going in knowing about the short con Saffron’s running, but in some ways, it’s even more fun to see how she twists Mal, Wash and Jayne into knots, knowing that it’s deliberate. And her presence exposes sides of several major characters we hadn’t quite seen before. Mal discloses details of his past he wouldn’t have told anyone else, and in his reluctance to accept this beautiful gift he’s been given, we see another of those lines that this unapologetic thief won’t cross. Though we knew Zoe was the dominant partner in her marriage to Wash, her frustration with his reaction to Saffron gives us a better sense of their dynamics (and another impeccably-phrased line for Gina Torres to deliver in “You know that sex we were planning to have, ever again?”). Book takes on more of a paternal role among the crew, and Inara’s love for Mal becomes even more overt (and funnier) as she becomes jealous of Saffron, and then(*) grateful when Mal turns out not to be dead.

(*) And in between, she pretends to be falling for Saffron’s seduction attempt in a fine piece of fan service.

On the other hand, Jayne? Jayne just wants the pretty redhead, and will trade his best gun Vera for her. And Vera comes into play for one of the show’s cooler action beats, as he has to take out the control hub of the web-ship while shooting through a space suit so Vera will have the necessary oxygen to fire. I don’t know if that’s scientifically-accurate (paging “MythBusters”...), but the visual is great - like a deadly ventriliquist’s dummy.

After Serenity is saved, Mal tracks down Saffron to retrieve the stolen shuttle, and in the process gets her to reveal something of herself. She doesn’t give up her real name, but when he asks why she would go to such convoluted lengths to make cash, she replies, “You’re assuming the payoff is the point.” Most people who wind up in a frontier, be it the Old West, or the outer planets and moons of the post-Earth ‘verse, are there because they have no better options available to them. But there are some there for the adventure and freedom the frontier provides. Saffron had companion training, but instead wound up as a con woman and thief (a kind of blurring of the lines between Mal and Inara), and whether she was forced into that life initially or not, she clearly relishes the game more than the prize, and that makes her very dangerous, and very memorable.

Saffron returns in a later episode (and that’s as much as we’ll say on that score for the sake of any newcomers), and it’s easy to imagine a different timeline where “Firefly” ran longer and she appeared more and more frequently as a hindrance to the Serenity crew. Alas, we never got that timeline, but Hendricks eventually did find another role that fit her as well as this one.

Some other thoughts:

Interesting to see Mal and Jayne enjoying each other’s company at the post-mission shindig. It helps that booze was involved, but generally these are two who barely tolerate each other.
In going back over my notes, I didn’t make a single mention of River, though she does appear in a priceless deleted scene where she demands that Book marry her and Simon. Is Summer Glau in the final cut at all, even in the background?
As one of Saffron’s partners with the net, Benito Martinez doesn’t fare much better than Glau, getting a couple of lines of dialogue before he and his partner are blown out into the vacuum of space by Jayne and Vera.
With Book’s knowledge of how the space-net works, we get another hint about his mysterious past.

Up next: “Jaynestown,” a spotlight episode for everyone’s favorite crude, hair gun-namer, known to some as “the hero of Canton.”

What did everybody else think?

Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

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Next 47 Comments

OldDarth

Just an all out hilariously fun and FUNNY episode.
July 13, 2010 at 8:02AM EST Reply to Comment
velocityknown

I'm glad you chose that quote at the beginning, one of my favorite Firefly quotes.

Christina Hendricks would have indeed been one of the great recurring villains on TV had Firefly continued, but as sad as I am that Firefly has been gone for many years now, I'm happy they've found a place for her on another great TV show.

Very much looking forward to the Jayne centric episode next week.

PS: Did anyone else ever notice the error in the episode, right after Jayne shoots the net and the people get sucked out the window they cut to a scene where they've just passed through, and Wash says, "We did it" to Mal and Zoe walking into the bridge. I just always thought that was weird because Mal and Zoe were downstairs with Jayne in their spacesuits like 2 seconds before that and the way it's put together they make it seem like no time has lapsed between the two scenes.
July 13, 2010 at 8:28AM EST Reply to Comment
astrolad

This is the episode where Firefly grabbed hold of me and never let go.

Tons of great quotes in this one. But Jayne's "That's why I never kiss them on the mouth." never fails to make me laugh out loud.
July 13, 2010 at 8:54AM EST Reply to Comment
- Hobart I agree and I think its because this is the first episode where we've completely moved on from pilot-ville.
  July 13, 2010 at 9:30AM EST
- Fake the Funk I love that line, but I can't remember if the delivery of it emphasises the double entendre or not.
  July 13, 2010 at 1:26PM EST
fred

This is definitely one of my favorite episode of the show, and Saffron (both the character and Christina Hendricks performance) are certainly a big part of why.
Whedon can write some truly hilarious episodes, and this is certainly one of them. There are so many scenes/moments to love in this episode, listing them all would pretty much end up re-telling the entire episode.

Okay, just one not yet mentioned. I love Mal's face/reaction after Saffron offered to wash his feet. He stares, turns his head a couple of times, and walks out. Kills me every time.

And the deleted scene is indeed excellent as well. It was the only part River said anything, so we don't hear her at all in this episode, but she's seen a few times in the background, yes.

About Vera, IIRC they were misinformed and the gun wouldn't actually have required oxygen to fire, but the visual is so good it doesn't matter. Plus, who's to say they knew it for sure, better safe than sorry.

"Well, isn't that.., special?"
July 13, 2010 at 9:00AM EST Reply to Comment
klg19

Glass's delivery of the Special Hell lines were the first that really called up the memories of Det. Harris on "Barney Miller." Brilliant delivery.

I didn't realize for, like, two years after "Mad Men" started that Joan was Our Mrs Reynolds. And when I did I was so happy. Because Saffron is the best non-Serenity crewmember character that Firefly ever gave us. Hands down. And this episode is pure joy from start to finish.
July 13, 2010 at 10:03AM EST Reply to Comment
- belinda And I absolutely love how Book quickly pops his head back out of sight right after he delivers the "special hell" line.
  
  July 13, 2010 at 12:04PM EST
- THall Jubal Early takes issue with that remark. YoSaffBridge is pretty great though.
  July 13, 2010 at 3:09PM EST
JonDee

Write a comment...
July 13, 2010 at 10:27AM EST Reply to Comment
Tausif Khan

Hendricks had a minor role in the first season of Angel as a bar maid Showing Whedon's peoplew know talent when they see it.

Did Hendricks get the role of Holloway because of Marti Noxon's role with Mad Men?
July 13, 2010 at 10:28AM EST Reply to Comment
- sepinwall Noxon dind't start working on Mad Men until the second season.
  
  I think Hendricks got the Mad Men part because A)she's a very good actress, and B)she's one of the few working actresses in Hollywood who actually has a period-appropriate figure.
  July 13, 2010 at 10:35AM EST
JonDee

Certainly the funniest episode of the entire run. And it includes my absolute, #1, favourite line from all of television delivered by Mal to Jayne: "Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle."

Inara's clumsy attempts to cover the kiss she gave Mal worked very well for me, including her uncharacteristic slurred gracelessness while propped up like a rag doll after waking up from her own "goodnight kiss".

It's also great to see the crew celebrating for at least a short while at the beginning of the show.

I had a chance to read the original script on a fan site, and it included a line indicating that Saffron had been inflicted on Serenity's crew intentinally by the elder of the town they helped at the beginning (presumably in return for a cut of the take at Serenity's demise). I'm not surprised they cut that in the end, as it's a bit too cynical and ruins the brief joy of the nighttime celebration.

Thanks for you rewind of this series, by the way... it's been an excuse for me to watch the whole thing again (about a year since the last time) and I still love it, and once again mourn its needless demise.
July 13, 2010 at 10:36AM EST Reply to Comment
Heather

I agree with everyone so far, lots of great lines and line deliveries in this one. Jayne's "this is my very favorite gun" gets me every time.

I'd like to think if the show had gone on for a few seasons, Saffron would definitely have shown up more and more. I can even imagine scenarios where she would end up traveling on Serenity with everyone else. And it would have been AWESOME.
July 13, 2010 at 11:22AM EST Reply to Comment
KansasDan

I love the fact that we get to see the Serenity crew taking a job that wasn't just stealing. This episode kinda sets them up as a 26th century A-Team if you think about it. We see them called on to help someone a couple of times, and I like that a lot better than just scavenging.
Saffron and Niska were the best villians to come along on TV in a long time, and I had high hopes for them reoccurring throughout the series. But, alas, that was not to be.

Favorite quotes are aplenty in this episode, but nobody has mentioned one of my faves yet: "..but if your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet, I will end you!"
July 13, 2010 at 11:39AM EST Reply to Comment
ferris

The episode commentary answers questions. River isn't around much, because her powers could have forced a reveal. Also, a technical consultant told them the gun-suit thing was necessary -- but they later learned he was wrong. Also, how old/not old is Ron Glass? Should he look, like, at least twice as aged as he does?

At the end, I'm afraid I'd have given in to Saffron, even if I knew she planned to kill me.

July 13, 2010 at 11:59AM EST Reply to Comment
christy

Good timing, as I'm at my height of Mad Men anticipation right now and therefore have Joan on the brain big time. I can barely wait for ProjectRungay's next Mad Style post, let alone the premiere.

This was as perfect a role for her as Joan is, which is saying something. Space Joan. Awesome episode.

Also: Christina Hendricks, greatest actor to ever appear on MTV's Undressed? (Other than Dante Basco, of course--RUFIO! RUFIO!)
July 13, 2010 at 12:56PM EST Reply to Comment
- Andrew Katee Sackhoff might put up an argument.
  July 13, 2010 at 11:31PM EST
jenfullmoon

One of my very favorite episodes. So funny. Also, Inara...just Inara. I also like the line, "You don't play a player."
July 13, 2010 at 1:23PM EST Reply to Comment
Graeleight

You would have known who Ms. Hendricks was prior to Firefly if you were one of the dozens of people who watched Beggars and Choosers on Showtime.
July 13, 2010 at 2:09PM EST Reply to Comment
Jackie D

I came to Firefly after the first season of mad men so I had that great moment of "HEY it's Joan!!"
Just the entire scene where Jayne is trying to trade Vera for Saffron makes me laugh out loud every time.
July 13, 2010 at 3:12PM EST Reply to Comment
Hatfield

Speaking of Hendricks' figure, that shot from behind when she's standing there naked in front of Mal, with a little fold of skin appearing on her left side, not because she's fat but because she has some actual meat on her and that amazing hourglass figure...I could die happy. Hearing she was on Undressed almost makes me wanna go back and watch that again.

Anyway, on to the episode, I was suprised at how much it still makes me laugh. So many great lines, most of which have been mentioned here already, but I'll add Jayne's "I married myself a powerful ugly woman." Always kills me.

Watching this show is always a double-edged sword. It's so great, and yet I can't help but get depressed over its premature demise. At least next week will bring is Waingro from Heat.
July 13, 2010 at 3:51PM EST Reply to Comment
cc

Did she really make fresh bao?
July 13, 2010 at 4:47PM EST Reply to Comment
Jacob

This is one of the funniest episodes of "Firefly," which makes up for it not making a lick of sense.

I've never quite understood how the basic plot was supposed to work. Saffron hides out in a religious community on a backwater world, just waiting for someone with a ship to come by so she can con them? And what does the community get out of it? She's obviously done this before based on the comments from the web ship

I just can't wrap my brain around the plot of this episdoe not matter how hard I try. Fortunately, naked Saffron and funny, funny dialog make up for that. (Hmm, but I suppose JonDee's revelation could explain it.)
July 13, 2010 at 4:51PM EST Reply to Comment
- You're not wrong... I was wondering that, and, as Georg mentions below, why they couldn't take Inara's shuttle around Serenity as Plan C, but... it doesn't really matter when the episode is this much fun.
  July 14, 2010 at 1:50AM EST
- Mark M She is an opportunist. Either she happened to be there for some other reason, or more likely, she heard about the trouble and followed them there. You realise all that stuff about living in the maiden house was made up, right?
  July 14, 2010 at 5:03AM EST
This is the start of the really good series of episodes of firefly, this one and the next four are the best in my opinion. To answer you're questions, River is in the background in two scenes and according to this you can fire most guns in space http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/602538 i have another questions relating to physics though: wouldn't the faraday cage principle mean that the whole electrical net thing is sort of pointless? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv006jJjo6w and also one thing i newer understood is why they couldn't taken Inaras shuttle to safety? but thats nitpicking over plot holes and physics and shouldn't be allowed to slow down good TV.
July 13, 2010 at 5:37PM EST Reply to Comment
- DeezyG Didn't Saffron disable the shuttles, or something?
  July 13, 2010 at 6:11PM EST
- No, there is no such comment that I could find and it's sort of annoying since it's such an easy fix. One line would explain it. But as stated, minor plot-holes shouldn't get in the way of TV this good.
  July 14, 2010 at 6:00AM EST
Brian

This is where I fell in love with the show the first time. Of course, I've fallen in love with it over and over again since then, but that's not really the point, is it? You always remember the first time. :)

I picked up the show on SciFi (as it was known then) during the summer of 2005, after it was highly praised on a Tivo forum that I frequent. It was shown in order, so at least I didn't get confused with the mixup. And while I really liked the pilot, and liked the other episodes well enough, the show didn't set the hook in me for good until I saw this ep, at which time I immediately went out and bought the DVDs, because I could not bear to wait a week for the next episode.

The moment where I fell in love with the show for good is after the crew first finds out about the "marriage", and are just having the grandest time at Mal's expense, when Wash says "We'd always hoped you two'd get together... Who is she again?"

I get the biggest grin from that scene through the rest of the ep. Maybe the capper is Mal-Jayne on the catwalk, where Jayne wants to trade his very favorite gun for her and Mal utters the epic "My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle".

Just a great ep. And Saffron is uber-sexy as well, so that doesn't hurt.
July 13, 2010 at 5:39PM EST Reply to Comment
Liz

This is one of those times when having a show on DVD comes in handy, because I could pause and rewind every time I started laughing so hard that I missed things. Just a fun, fun episode from beginning to end, and Christina Hendricks was awesome.
July 13, 2010 at 7:15PM EST Reply to Comment
ecgordon

Some people juggle geese!
July 13, 2010 at 8:00PM EST Reply to Comment
BullCityFats

Miscellaneous:

I very much liked Mal's exit line "Way I see it, me and
her got a thing in common. We're the only ones who don't
think this is funny" with the camera coming to rest on Inara,
who clearly shares that feeling.

July 13, 2010 at 10:42PM EST Reply to Comment
BullCityFats

I very much liked Mal's exit line "Way I see it, me and
her got a thing in common. We're the only ones who don't
think this is funny" with the camera coming to rest on Inara,
who clearly shares that feeling.

This episode provides us with a literal example of Chekhov's maxim being followed, as a gun is introduced in Act I and fired in Act III.

This is the sceond episode of Firefly which is a caper story, that is, that primarily revolves around a plan to pull off some crime (as opposed to those where the crime is in the background, as in the pilot or in Safe) (the first such episode was The Train Job). Caper stories are generally of two types: in one, the people pulling off the caper are the protagonists. "Our Mrs. Reynolds" is of the second type, where the protagonists are trying to foil the caper ("Die Hard" is another example of this type). I'm a big fan of caper stories, so it's no wonder that this, "Ariel" and "Trash" are among my favorite episodes.

I'm of the belief that the most interesting character arc in "Firefly" belongs to Jayne, but unfortunately not a lot of it occurs here. The 'Vera' exchange is hilarious and revealing, but not particularly meaningful.

July 13, 2010 at 10:50PM EST Reply to Comment
KansasDan

"Oh, I'm gonna go to the special hell."

-Mal

I'd be right there with ya buddy!
July 13, 2010 at 11:09PM EST Reply to Comment
Greg

My favorite ep. of Firefly, and one of my favorite Whedons ever--up there with "Smile Time" and "Once More, with Feeling." And let's hear it for Vondie Curtis Hall, whose direction is stellar.
July 13, 2010 at 11:27PM EST Reply to Comment
bonneykate

While several of you have mentioned or referred to the "Special Hell" line, no one has brought up my favorite part of it. The Special Hell is reserved for child molesters and "people who talk in the theater".

My favorite line of the whole series and makes me guffaw embarrassingly loud every time.
July 14, 2010 at 12:10PM EST Reply to Comment
Joseph

Alan - wondering if you are planning on doing a little review of the movie "Serenity" once you have gone through all Firefly episodes. It could have just as easily been three episodes of the show, after all, and I'm curious about your take on it.
July 14, 2010 at 2:08PM EST Reply to Comment
- sepinwall I said at the start of the project that I'd like to. It just becomes a question of whether I have enough time. By the time we get through "Objects in Space," it'll be pretty late in the summer and I may be swamped with fall debuts and such.
  July 14, 2010 at 3:19PM EST
- shara says Alan, it would be totally awesome if you find time to review Serenity after you get through Season Only of Firefly - especially in terms of making a final evaluation of character arcs and storylines. If you don't have time, maybe you would consider at least setting up a comment thread?
  
  Anyway, I am really enjoying the re-visiting of the show, so thanks so much!!!
  July 15, 2010 at 3:32PM EST
LesIsMore

Probably my favorite non-pilot episode of the show (though it's usually tied with "Jaynestown" for that honor). Christina Hendricks nailed the role, as you said, and seeing her on "Mad Men" was a wonderful joy for those who appreciated this guest role. Also definitely the funniest one of the series, as the mixed reactions of the crew to the marriage announcement - Kaylee's enthusiasm, Inara's shock, Wash and Simon's confusion - are just priceless and it keeps rolling from there.

And what a comic show for Adam Baldwin this time around - the scene with Vera is probably his best in the series, as well as responsible for the "very favorite gun" quote that is in my top five for the show. My personal favorite here is the difference between his tearful "I will treasure this" to the next morning's "You got a wife? All I got was that dumbass stick that sounds like it's raining, how come you get a wife?" It forms an interesting contrast to the mercenary side of his character, and might explain why Mal keeps him around despite his untrustworthy side - he's a big kid in a lot of ways.

But yes, the lack of River is very noticeable - we do get one shot of her in the cargo bay scene when Saffron's introduced, but she's completely absent after that. Probably considering how much of a role she played in the last episode and how much of a role Christina Hendricks was playing in this one, Whedon decided to have her take a backseat.
July 16, 2010 at 2:40PM EST Reply to Comment
- LesIsMore Addendum: And it's also worth noting that this is the first episode where Whedon has sole writing credit since the pilot.
  July 16, 2010 at 2:45PM EST
- LesIsMore Addendum: And it's also worth noting that this is the first episode where Whedon has sole writing credit since the pilot.
  July 16, 2010 at 2:45PM EST
greg

Just watched them all on BluRay for the first time.. and this episode was just a gem.. I weep that there aren't 100 episodes of this wonderful series.. thanks FOX!
August 2, 2010 at 11:05PM EST Reply to Comment

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'Firefly' Rewind - Episode 6: 'Our Mrs. Reynolds'

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Comments

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Option 3

OldDarth Just an all out hilariously fun and FUNNY episode.

astrolad This is the episode where Firefly grabbed hold of me and never let go. Tons of great quotes in this one. But Jayne's "That's why I never kiss them on the mouth." never fails to make me laugh out loud.

Hobart I agree and I think its because this is the first episode where we've completely moved on from pilot-ville.

Fake the Funk I love that line, but I can't remember if the delivery of it emphasises the double entendre or not.

belinda And I absolutely love how Book quickly pops his head back out of sight right after he delivers the "special hell" line.

THall Jubal Early takes issue with that remark. YoSaffBridge is pretty great though.

JonDee Write a comment...

Tausif Khan Hendricks had a minor role in the first season of Angel as a bar maid Showing Whedon's peoplew know talent when they see it. Did Hendricks get the role of Holloway because of Marti Noxon's role with Mad Men?

sepinwall Noxon dind't start working on Mad Men until the second season. I think Hendricks got the Mad Men part because A)she's a very good actress, and B)she's one of the few working actresses in Hollywood who actually has a period-appropriate figure.

Andrew Katee Sackhoff might put up an argument.

jenfullmoon One of my very favorite episodes. So funny. Also, Inara...just Inara. I also like the line, "You don't play a player."

Graeleight You would have known who Ms. Hendricks was prior to Firefly if you were one of the dozens of people who watched Beggars and Choosers on Showtime.

Jackie D I came to Firefly after the first season of mad men so I had that great moment of "HEY it's Joan!!"Just the entire scene where Jayne is trying to trade Vera for Saffron makes me laugh out loud every time.

cc Did she really make fresh bao?

You're not wrong... I was wondering that, and, as Georg mentions below, why they couldn't take Inara's shuttle around Serenity as Plan C, but... it doesn't really matter when the episode is this much fun.

Mark M She is an opportunist. Either she happened to be there for some other reason, or more likely, she heard about the trouble and followed them there. You realise all that stuff about living in the maiden house was made up, right?

DeezyG Didn't Saffron disable the shuttles, or something?

No, there is no such comment that I could find and it's sort of annoying since it's such an easy fix. One line would explain it. But as stated, minor plot-holes shouldn't get in the way of TV this good.

Liz This is one of those times when having a show on DVD comes in handy, because I could pause and rewind every time I started laughing so hard that I missed things. Just a fun, fun episode from beginning to end, and Christina Hendricks was awesome.

ecgordon Some people juggle geese!

BullCityFats Miscellaneous: I very much liked Mal's exit line "Way I see it, me andher got a thing in common. We're the only ones who don'tthink this is funny" with the camera coming to rest on Inara,who clearly shares that feeling.

KansasDan "Oh, I'm gonna go to the special hell." -Mal I'd be right there with ya buddy!

Greg My favorite ep. of Firefly, and one of my favorite Whedons ever--up there with "Smile Time" and "Once More, with Feeling." And let's hear it for Vondie Curtis Hall, whose direction is stellar.

Joseph Alan - wondering if you are planning on doing a little review of the movie "Serenity" once you have gone through all Firefly episodes. It could have just as easily been three episodes of the show, after all, and I'm curious about your take on it.

sepinwall I said at the start of the project that I'd like to. It just becomes a question of whether I have enough time. By the time we get through "Objects in Space," it'll be pretty late in the summer and I may be swamped with fall debuts and such.

LesIsMore Addendum: And it's also worth noting that this is the first episode where Whedon has sole writing credit since the pilot.

LesIsMore Addendum: And it's also worth noting that this is the first episode where Whedon has sole writing credit since the pilot.

greg Just watched them all on BluRay for the first time.. and this episode was just a gem.. I weep that there aren't 100 episodes of this wonderful series.. thanks FOX!

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OldDarth

Just an all out hilariously fun and FUNNY episode.

astrolad

This is the episode where Firefly grabbed hold of me and never let go.

Tons of great quotes in this one. But Jayne's "That's why I never kiss them on the mouth." never fails to make me laugh out loud.

JonDee

Write a comment...

Tausif Khan

Hendricks had a minor role in the first season of Angel as a bar maid Showing Whedon's peoplew know talent when they see it.

Did Hendricks get the role of Holloway because of Marti Noxon's role with Mad Men?

sepinwall Noxon dind't start working on Mad Men until the second season.

I think Hendricks got the Mad Men part because A)she's a very good actress, and B)she's one of the few working actresses in Hollywood who actually has a period-appropriate figure.

jenfullmoon

One of my very favorite episodes. So funny. Also, Inara...just Inara. I also like the line, "You don't play a player."

Graeleight

You would have known who Ms. Hendricks was prior to Firefly if you were one of the dozens of people who watched Beggars and Choosers on Showtime.

Jackie D

I came to Firefly after the first season of mad men so I had that great moment of "HEY it's Joan!!"
Just the entire scene where Jayne is trying to trade Vera for Saffron makes me laugh out loud every time.

cc

Did she really make fresh bao?

Liz

This is one of those times when having a show on DVD comes in handy, because I could pause and rewind every time I started laughing so hard that I missed things. Just a fun, fun episode from beginning to end, and Christina Hendricks was awesome.

ecgordon

Some people juggle geese!

BullCityFats

Miscellaneous:

I very much liked Mal's exit line "Way I see it, me and
her got a thing in common. We're the only ones who don't
think this is funny" with the camera coming to rest on Inara,
who clearly shares that feeling.

KansasDan

"Oh, I'm gonna go to the special hell."

-Mal

I'd be right there with ya buddy!

Greg

My favorite ep. of Firefly, and one of my favorite Whedons ever--up there with "Smile Time" and "Once More, with Feeling." And let's hear it for Vondie Curtis Hall, whose direction is stellar.

Joseph

Alan - wondering if you are planning on doing a little review of the movie "Serenity" once you have gone through all Firefly episodes. It could have just as easily been three episodes of the show, after all, and I'm curious about your take on it.

greg

Just watched them all on BluRay for the first time.. and this episode was just a gem.. I weep that there aren't 100 episodes of this wonderful series.. thanks FOX!

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