S01.E05: Safe

[Lisin]

On a planet, Simon is kidnapped by locals who need a doctor, while River is threatened with burning as a witch.

Big Damn Heroes! Woo! I don't actually love ALL of this episode but it has great parts. Especially the end. I'm a softy and I enjoy when Mal softens up a teeny bit. 

 

[decembar13]

The cows! And bunch of quotable "cow" moments!!! What's not to like?!  :)))

And there's Jayne and his dramatization of Simon's diary: "Dear Diary, today I was pompous and my sister was crazy... Today we were kidnapped by hill folk never to be seen again. It was the best day ever." I crack up Every.Single.Time.

I don't actually love ALL of this episode

 

I know what you mean. Though, it's good that we got some back story for Simon and River, some of it was quite boring.

[Lisin]

I know what you mean. Though, it's good that we got some back story for Simon and River, some of it was quite boring.

Yeah, that's mostly the part I don't like. I generally get a bit bored by back stories that aren't SUPER vital to the current plot. I feel the same way about most of Spike and Angel's flashbacks on Buffy etc. The Jane stuff is perfect though. I can't believe I forgot to mention that!

[Wilowy]

It reminded me of an old Star Trek episode. Superstitious locals put our heroes in peril.

Still, must love the Riverdance.

[mstaken]

Some of my favorite lines happen to come from this episode:

 

Mal: "See, morbid and creepifying, I got no problem with, long as she does it quiet-like."

and

Zoe: "Captain will come up with a plan.

Kaylee: "Well, that's good."

Zoe: "Possible you're not recalling some of his previous plans."

 

and

River: "Little soul, big world."

and 

River: :They weren't cows inside. They were waiting to be, but they forgot. Now they see sky, and they remember what they are."
Mal: "Is it bad that what she said made perfect sense to me?"

Simon: "I'm sorry, dad. You know I would never have tried to save River's life if I had known there was a dinner party at risk." (Aside from maybe Mal and Jayne, I think Simon gets the best snark of the series!) 

Still, I agree that this is a somewhat uneven episode with some absolutely amazing parts and some decidedly less than amazing parts. I love it overall, but I find myself tempted to hit the fast forward button more often than I do with most other episodes. 

[decembar13]

Aside from maybe Mal and Jayne, I think Simon gets the best snark of the series!

 

I don't know about that, but I sure did like his "I'm very sorry if she tipped off anyone about your cunningly concealed herd of cows". And props to Sean for delivering those lines meticulously.

Also, one of the "cow moments" I really loved was exchange between Mal and Jayne 

Jayne: About time you broke in them fancy shoes. (he just had to ridicule poor Simon) Hyah! Get along! 

Mal: You know, they walk just as easy if you lead 'em.

Jayne: I like smackin' 'em.

And just so you know how much of a "quotist" I'm, I actually used Mal's "gotta say, doctor, your talent for alienatin' folks is near miraculous" line when I met really idiotic doctor in ER.

[jhlipton]

So where was Inara (ya know, the person who can travel pretty much anywhere without hassle) when they needed to get Book to an Alliance hospital?  Stuck in PLOTville would be my guess.

Otherwise, a good episode.  I hope they have a high-pressure hose available to the loading dock.

[EC Amber]

I actually found this episode to be one of the more boring ones. It was an "establish the characters" kind of episode and less of a "move a plot forward" kind of episode. We did get to see some nice sibling bonding with Simon and River and I always enjoy that. We also got our first clue that River's specialness expands well beyond what most normal humans are capable of. 

I do find the "hyper-religious backwoods" trope annoying. Yes, there is a lot of art imitating life here and a lot of truth to it, but it's gotten really old given the trend in the US. It just seems to lack creativity to me and is a cheap and easy way out. 

And I never noticed that Inara disappeared... that is a little annoying given her station and supposed influence and power. She brow beats Mal (a bit) into seeking out the Alliance, but doesn't assist in facilitating getting Book treatment. Weird and more than a little lazy.

Not the strongest of episodes. 

[halgia]

Yep, not the best episode, but some great moments. ("It's a swan!")

The River/Simon stuff seems necessary but not necessarily that fun. Other than being ambushed by dinosaurs, which of course is just begging for a treatment here.

Agree that the mega-religious backwoodsers feel a little lazy (though obviously the rescue by the Big Damn Heroes makes up for it), in particular the African-Spacemerican nice nurse who's all "burn the witch" given the recent-history witchcraft stuff in Africa. (Erica Tazel is great on Justified, but this role isn't doing her any favors.)

So does the "oh, Book is someone special" reveal. Jayne comments on it in the episode, but really: they just happen to pick up Simon/River, mysterious preacher Book, and what's-his-face hunting Simon/River on Persephone that one day? You could argue that they're being sought out by special people, but still. Also, they don't pick up any passengers for their month-long cowherding trip, or ever again?

But, yeah, a bunch of great quotes, Simon gets to finally feel like he's part of the team, River gets to dance, and Jayne gets to hit cows, so all's well.

[Danny Franks]

I am an absolute sucker for Mal/River moments (not romantic, but the quasi-parental connection that seemed to form), and so I really enjoy this episode for that, before even looking at anything else.

Mal being surprisingly agreeable to River's weirdness, as long as it's not going to endanger his plans was nice to see, and him actually listening to her talk about how the cows were remembering what they are. Then Simon overreacts to Mal gently (for him) trying to get River out of the way before the buyers arrived. I always felt the two of them had a strong connection, that would have been fun to explore over multiple seasons.

So I really loved it when the Big Damn Heroes turned up to rescue Simon and River, because they clearly had no ulterior motives for doing it. For Mal, it was just the right thing to do, so he did it. One of the things I always loved about his character. And the fact that Jayne, despite not wanting the Tams back on board, was content to go along with the others, was one of the things I liked most about him. This ship and this crew were important to Jayne, no matter how reluctant he was to admit it.

Summer Glau has always played vulnerable so well, but I feel like she really hit it out of the park with this episode. Not only physically vulnerable, but emotionally and mentally as well, as she's unable to understand what she should and shouldn't say, unable to understand the danger of Simon's kidnappers or the village elder until it's too late. There's something so touching about the way she played River, that always engendered a strong protective instinct in me. Little did we know, back then, that she really didn't need anyone's protection.

[JayKay]

Argh, I am so behind on my rewatching. I mostly remembered this episode as the "Pietro and Wanda" incident from when I first watched it, because the witch burning plot twist reminds me of those two siblings from Marvel Comics. I'm with the others who were disappointed by the fake-out subversion of the backwoods religious fanatics trope. I guess it was resolved the way it was so that Simon wouldn't look like a d-bag for abandoning a village full of people who needed him? Burning your sister alive is kind of a dealbreaker.

I also found River's comment about the cows poignant and painful considering that River can hardly remember what she is anymore either. The more I stew on it the more my feelings get hurt. Ouch.

Jayne becomes more amusing the more I watch this series. I still can't believe he's also John Casey from Chuck sometimes.

[supposebly]

I liked how it showcased under how much pressure Simon was. He didn't quite trust Mal not to leave them behind, worried about River touching sharp things. And I love snarky Simon.

Best scene of that episode for me: Between Mal and Simon at the end: You're part of my crew. Why are we still talking about this?
And Simon allows himself a little smile that shows that he realizes he can relax a bit.

What didn't work for me was that they didn't look for them in the first place. They weren't that far.

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎10‎/‎04‎/‎2014 at 4:24 PM, Wilowy said:

It reminded me of an old Star Trek episode. Superstitious locals put our heroes in peril.

Still, must love the Riverdance.

This is a western show and that is a common trope.

On ‎18‎/‎04‎/‎2014 at 1:16 PM, Danny Franks said:

I am an absolute sucker for Mal/River moments (not romantic, but the quasi-parental connection that seemed to form), and so I really enjoy this episode for that, before even looking at anything else.

Mal being surprisingly agreeable to River's weirdness, as long as it's not going to endanger his plans was nice to see, and him actually listening to her talk about how the cows were remembering what they are. Then Simon overreacts to Mal gently (for him) trying to get River out of the way before the buyers arrived. I always felt the two of them had a strong connection, that would have been fun to explore over multiple seasons.

So I really loved it when the Big Damn Heroes turned up to rescue Simon and River, because they clearly had no ulterior motives for doing it. For Mal, it was just the right thing to do, so he did it. One of the things I always loved about his character. And the fact that Jayne, despite not wanting the Tams back on board, was content to go along with the others, was one of the things I liked most about him. This ship and this crew were important to Jayne, no matter how reluctant he was to admit it.

Summer Glau has always played vulnerable so well, but I feel like she really hit it out of the park with this episode. Not only physically vulnerable, but emotionally and mentally as well, as she's unable to understand what she should and shouldn't say, unable to understand the danger of Simon's kidnappers or the village elder until it's too late. There's something so touching about the way she played River, that always engendered a strong protective instinct in me. Little did we know, back then, that she really didn't need anyone's protection.

I always thought that's what made her so good in TSCC, she could turn on a dime, sweet and innocent to badass and evil.

 The good; River dancing is just wonderful as is Simon's happiness at it. The scene where the rest of the crew rescue them is terrific as is Jayne looting their stuff.

The bad; Can someone please explain to me exactly when the hillbillies work out that Simon is a doctor? Also what sort of supplies do they have for him to work with?

Best line; Jayne; (pretending to read Simon's diary) "Dear diary, today I was pompous and my sister acted crazy"

Packing heat; Everyone's guns sound very different in this ep, more zingy and less like conventional firearms. The villains/cops 6-shooters also seem to hold an inordinate number of rounds. The lead cop packs a 44. Magnum. Mal and Jayne use Mossberg shotguns and Zoe utilises a full size Winchester rifle rather than her normal cutdown version.

Kinky dinky; Kaylee wants to bite Simon all over? Jayne seems to derive pleasure from having watched the cows being fed by beautiful women (presumably Kaylee and Zoe rather than Inara and River?)

Capt subtext; Is Kaylee the duck and Inara the swan? How'd they get away with that? Skinning the hare is nasty but makes it's point. Burning witches at the stake.

Total Serenity crew; 9 Simon and River's status onboard confirmed Mal, Zoe, Jayne, Wash, Kaylee, Inarra, Book, Simon, River(?).

Subverting the Hollywood cliché; Clever mislead, we think the hillbillies are savages but actually they're just desperate people who need a doctor.

Bondage; River tied to a stake Mal; 1 River; 1 Knocked out; Book goes unconscious after being shot Book; 2 Simon; 1 Kaylee; 1 Jayne;1

Know the face? High School Musical star Zac Efron as young Simon, he'll later star in '17 Again' with Whedon alumni Michelle Tractenberg.

Alliance good or bad?; Mal runs to the Alliance in order to save Book, how that must choke him! They seem reluctant to provide but don't say no outright. Then our Shepherd slips them an ID card? Hmmmmm.

Missing scenes; Reputedly scenes where the Alliance question the Tam's parents after Simon rescues River, River reading Ruby's mind and seeing her tragic story plus paying Badger his share, his hoodlums unable to believe that Mal doesn't try to rip them off, much to Badger's chagrin at Mal's moral superiority again.

Western clichés; Hillbillies kidnapping folk. Zoe actually shoots the gun out of one of the bad guy's hand.

Shot; .Book shot during a the gunfight with the cattle Mal; 1- Kayleigh;1- Jayne;1- Book;1-

Crew injured; Simon knocked around yet again, he seems to be everyone's punching bag.

Reminds me off; River on the pyre reminds of Buffy, Willow and Amy tied to the stake and almost burnt as witches by M.O.O

Questions and observations; So, what is Book's past and why do the Alliance treat him like a VIP once he identifies himself? Is he a former Alliance General guilt-ridden by his role during the war? A former spy who sold out the Independents? A scientist who carried out experiments like those conducted on River? Mal finally makes a deal and actually earns some more or less honest money from it. Presumably this pays for the slap up meal the crew enjoy at the end of the ep. Mal asks why things never go smooth for them, once again we see that he's not really suited to a life of crime. As we suspected River and Simon were pro-Alliance before River's ordeal, casting the Browncoats as the enemy in their games. The locals describe the Serenity as a fancy vessel, would do Kaylee's heart good to hear that but it really underlines how remote and backward they are if they think that. This ep is set 3 weeks after the last so a planet 3 weeks travel from Persephone must be remote indeed. Jayne enjoys smacking the cows around? Once again father's get a hard time in the Whedonverse although the Tam's parents seem nice enough folks.

Marks out of 10; 7/10, nothing very startling here, nice to have River and Simon confirmed as part of the crew and I like the dance scene