Serial Serenity: Safe
Serial Serenity: A recap with a bit a trivia thrown in for good measure
Episode: Safe
Original Air Date: 11-8-02
Written by: Joss Whedon & Drew Z. Greenberg
Directed by: Michael Grossman
Synopsis:
Brotherly Love
Our story begins 11 years ago in the childhood home of Young Simon (Zac Efron? Yes, THAT Zac Efron) and Young River (Skylar Roberge). Ah, the stable, blissfulness of childhood in an upper-class family. They are comfortable, their parents love them, and the future is bright. Too bad we have to cut to their current life aboard Serenity: River is crazy, Simon doesn’t know what to do with her, and Mal is on his last nerve.
Cattle Rustlers
On the planet Jiangyin, the crew of Serenity unloads the cargo from the last episode: cows. Mal, wanting River out of his hair, sends her and Simon off to town while he does business.
Shopping
In the general store, Simon with all his tact manages to insult Kaylee (who has developed a little crush on the doctor) within a minute by insulting Serenity. Also within that minute, River disappears. Nice.
As a point of trivia, Inara and Kaylee have a conversation about a carved swan which refers to the Chinese proverb, “A badly painted tiger looks like a dog; a badly carved swan looks like a duck.” meaning it is better not to do certain things than to do them poorly.
Back at Serenity, the deal is not going down as planned. The disreputable men Mal has to deal with seem to be wanted by the law for another crime. Pity they show up right when the money is exchanging hands.
[nms:Whedon Firefly,4,0]
River dance
Simon finds River in an extremely green field at what can only be described as a Renaissance Fair. After watching the steps of a dance for a moment, River joins right in. Some more trivia: Summer Glau (River) is a trained dancer. She first worked with Joss as the ghost of a prima ballerina in the Angel episode “Waiting in the Wings.”
Cross-cut with her feverish dancing is some fun gun-fighting back at Serenity. River suddenly stops: Shepherd Book has been shot. To make matters worse, Simon gets kidnapped by and entirely different group of bad guys. Now, right when the crew needs one the most, they are out one doctor.
Left Behind
Simon is led through the woods, sure that the crew will come looking for him. Simon slips into a flashback, like you do, about when he first felt that River was in trouble at her “special school.” He is determined to help her, his parents are less sure. Back to the present, River shows up and the other bad guys grab her, too.
Back on Serenity, they figure out what has happened: The hill-folk have kidnapped themselves a doctor. Mal decides that they can’t find Simon in time to help Book, so he takes off to get help elsewhere. River and Simon see the ship fly away.
Medical Emergency
Book wakes up but he is in bad shape. Inara suggests they go to the Alliance for help, which is all kinds of crazy, while Jayne pilfers all of Simon and River’s stuff. Great guy, that Jayne.
Proof of Identity
In a highly religious mountain village on planet, Simon is brought to the “hospital” and realizes that he could be of real use to these people. The local teacher, Doralee (Erica N. Tazel), shows them around and Simon gets to work.
Serenity docks with an Alliance Cruiser looking for medical help for Book. After some red tape and a refusal to help, Book speaks up. Seems if the Alliance is shown his ID card, all will be well. Surprisingly enough, as soon as the officer sees it, he orders Book get help immediately. This is one of those things I really wish we knew more about. Book has many tricks up his sleeve (and skeletons in his closet), but we never get the full story. Stupid Fox.
Mind Reader
Simon works into the night, River befriends a young girl, Ruby (Morina Pierce), who has not spoken for over two years, and Doralee tries to justify his kidnapping. In a moment of clarity, River confides in Simon the guilt she has of them being on the run. She apologizes for taking him away from his home and life through one of the most heart-breaking lines of the series: “You gave up everything you had to find me? You found me broken.”
River then goes into the story of Ruby. Doralee is surprised that she spoke, since it has been two years, until she finds out that River just read her mind. This was not a good thing for Doralee to find out, what with the believing such things are related to witchcraft and all.
Witchcraft
In another flashback, Simon’s dad (William Converse-Roberts) bails Simon out of jail for trying to rescue River. To say Mr. Tam is upset is an understatement. He makes it clear to Simon that he will not be bailed out again and if he tries to rescue River, he will be disowned.
Back in the present, Doralee raises the alarm: there is a witch in their midst. River does not help the situation by reading some more minds and airing some of the town elder’s dirty laundry for all to hear.
Book is all fixed up and the crew decides to go back for River and Simon. Good decision.
Heroes
Meanwhile, at the burning stake, Simon tries to save River. But, as we all know, he is not the best fighter. So he decides to stand on the pyre and die with her.
Just in time, Serenity flies up and rescues the two. This moment is the birth of the term “Big Damn Heroes.” Ain’t they just.
Sources
Firefly – The Complete Series
Fireflyfans.net
Internet Movie Database
Serenity Official Visual Companion
You Can’t Take the Sky: A Firefly Site
Whedonesque
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Rachel, originally from Oregon and currently living in Arizona, is a grant writer and consultant for non-profit arts organizations. She hopes to one day renovate an old theatre somewhere and turn it into an art house cinema joint. Rachel has a BA in Theatre and Media Arts and an MFA in Arts Administration. She enjoys movies, writing, using her label-maker, guacamole, and the Oxford Comma. She has been married for almost seven years to a self-proclaimed Zombie Cinema expert who enjoys the occasional Lego, and has been the mother to a self-proclaimed 2-year-old for, you guessed it, 2 years. She is also currently incubating a little girly-girl that will join the family in January of ‘08. She hopes it turns out better for her than it did for Ripley.
