Serial Serenity: Our Mrs. Reynolds

Serial Serenity: A recap with a bit a trivia thrown in for good measure
Episode: Our Mrs. Reynolds
Original Air Date: 10-4-02
Written by: Joss Whedon
Directed by: Vondie Curtis Hall

This episode introduces a character that I absolutely hate. Maybe it’s because she reminds me of one of my rivals from college, maybe it’s because she’s all boobs, maybe it’s because she’s moving in on my man Mal, I don’t know. She must be a well-written character for me to hate her so much… either that or really bad casting. I’d like to give Joss the benefit of the doubt and hope it is the former. What I do know is that the men in my life love her… Maybe it IS all about the boobs.

Synopsis:

Hospitality

To thank them for getting rid of some good-for-nothing outlaws that had been bird-doggin’ the town, the crew of Serenity is thrown a bit of a party. There is dancing, some mighty strong drink, a bonfire, you get the picture. The town Elder, to show his thanks, pays the crew with what he has: food supplies, moonshine, oh, and a wife for Mal. I’m sorry, what? Too bad Serenity takes off before they realize she is on board.

[nms:Whedon Firefly,4,0]

Mrs. Reynolds

With all hands on deck, they try to figure out what the hell is going on. Everyone has a different reaction to the appearance of Saffron (Christina Hendricks), from Zoë and Wash finding it absolutely hilarious, to Jayne being jealous, to Inara being indignant (and a bit jealous herself). Unfortunately for Mal, the marriage is legally binding (remember all the dancing and drinking the night before… that, my friends, was a marriage ceremony) and Serenity can’t take Saffron back to her planet what with the whole Alliance-on-their-tails-at-all-times thing. Now what?

A Good Wife

Having thoroughly offended her by his unkind words (big surprise) Mal tries to comfort Saffron. She tells of her hard life on the planet and how she would make a good wife. Not really wanting a good wife, Mal comes up with a plan to drop her off on the planet Beaumont in five days and find her a job. Seems like a great idea, right? Right.

Book corners Mal and lets him know that, in no uncertain terms, if he takes advantage of Saffron in a sexual way, he will burn in a very special level of Hell. “A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theatre.” Amen!

Quite a Match

Saffron decides that since she and Mal are technically married, she might as well cook him dinner. Zoë is very NOT impresses by the subservient nature of Saffron. Zoë can tell (because she is a super awesome lady) that something is amiss. Uncomfortable, Mal slips out and tries to hide from Saffron in Inara’s shuttle, a tricky feat because Inara is in full hatred of him at the moment. Oh, the sexual tension! After a bit of a fight, Mal now has to avoid two women on the ship.

Trouble

Mal runs into Jayne. Jayne with a gun. Jayne looking for a fight. Or is he? Actually, no. He is looking to trade his very favorite gun, Vera, for Saffron. What? You read me. Mal, somewhat politely, refuses. Oh, and by the way, there is another ship watching Serenity. Yeah, they’re gonna steal her.

Wedding Night

Mal retires to his bunk to find Saffron all kinds of naked in his bed. Trying to be a good man, he struggles to get her to leave. After quoting some sexy Bible verses I have never read (but would like to!), and telling how all she wants is to have her wedding night with no ties or strings attached, Mal is going to that special level of Hell. But with one good kiss (what do you know?), Saffron drugs Mal and he passes out on the floor. Zoë knew she was shifty!

Sabotage

After using her feminine wiles on Wash and totally freaking him out, she knocks him out, flips some switches, and pulls some plugs, locking the bridge door behind her. Seems to know what she is doing, doesn’t she? Just as she is about to make her escape, she runs into Inara. A brilliant thought occurs to her: maybe Inara can be dispatched in the same way that Mal was. They talk the talk and do the dance, but Inara sees right through it, after all, it seems they have BOTH had training at the Companion Academy. Saffron escapes on the second shuttle as Inara runs to Mal’s aid.

Good Night Kiss
Mal is knocked out so Inara thinks it is the perfect time to kiss him. Too bad the narcotic compound is still on his lips. So Mal, Inara, and Wash are incapacitated as Kaylee tries to figure out exactly what Saffron did to the ship.

The Net

Seems Saffron locked Serenity into a course that will lead them straight to that other group of bad guys I mentioned before. Problem is, once they are caught in the bad guy’s “net,” a pulse will go through the ship killing them all and leaving Serenity ripe for salvage.

As Kaylee works frantically to regain control of Serenity, Mal sends Jayne out into space (with a space suit, of course) to shoot out one of the net’s breakers with Vera. For good measure, he also takes out a window and kills all the baddies on board. They regain control and all is well.

Quite a Man

Some time later, Mal breaks into a cabin in the snow where Saffron is hiding out. Mal, in the form of a well-placed punch, has his revenge. I only wish I could have been the one to do it. Man, I hate Saffron.

Sources
Firefly – The Complete Series
Fireflyfans.net
Internet Movie Database
Serenity Official Visual Companion
You Can’t Take the Sky: A Firefly Site
Whedonesque

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.

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