450 – Firefly – Trash

It’s time some things got cleaned up.  You might say it’s time to take out the Trash. Simon and Eugene discuss. Episode Synopsis:  Things are looking bad for Mal, he’s naked, stranded in the desert.  Oh wait, the storytellers can’t create appropriate tension without a flashback. [expand title=”More…” swaptitle=”Less” tag=”strong”] Let’s start this story again, knowing, as we do, that it’s not going to end well. Mal is on an uninhabited planetoid where he meets an old way pal and fellow Firefly smuggler, Monty.  The good friends are happy to see one another until Monty introduces his wife who happens to be Our Mrs Reynolds (Whom we know as Saffron from a few episodes ago but Monty knows as Bridget).  Mal and Saffron/Bridget fight.  Monty intercedes and, perceiving that Mal is telling the truth, abandons Saffron/Bridget on the planetoid, with Mal. Mal aims to leave her behind to die, even though she tries to pitch a 1,000,000 credit robbery. Back on the Firefly, Inara wants words with Mal.  He’s hiding on petty jobs and staying away from places where she can get work, they argue when Inara denigrates Mal’s criminal mastermind status. This prompts Mal to let Saffron/Bridget out of the box that he was hiding her in and pitch her robbery plan. The plan goes something like this.  They go to the planet Bellerphon, break into the house of a rich dude, steal one of the only two remaining first laser pistols, chuck it in the trash, reprogram the trash truck to deliver the trash to a remote desert location, then fence the pistol for a cool million.  Inara, upset that Mal and the crew are stupid enough to go along with Saffron/Bridget’s plan, leaves to do business. The plan goes well except Jayne gets hurt trying to reprogram the trash shuttle and the owner walks in on Mal and Saffron/Bridget during their break in attempt. But it’s ok, it’s turns out that Saffron/Bridget is actually his long-lost wife, Yolanda, and the touching reunion gives Mal enough time to get the laser into the trash.  The victim hasn’t been completely fooled and he’s called the authorities on Mal and Saffron/Bridget/Yolanda, but they escape and head to the rendezvous with trash. On the way, Mal engages in a little psychoanalysis of Saffron/Bridget/Yolanda.  She’s genuinely upset, her tears are honest, and Mal has finally seen the naked women inside the brilliant, beautiful, evil, double-crossing snake. On the Serenity, River has intuited that Jayne sold them out on Ariel.  With Jayne now injured, Simon has him, unconscious, and under his knife.  When Jayne comes to, he is paralyzed.  No worries, just a medical precaution, says Simon.  He confronts Jayne about his betrayal and explains that Jayne is safe because he is a medic and he would never hurt him and they are on the same crew.  River; however, lets Jayne know she can kill him with her mind. Mal is an idiot and when he gets a bit empathetic, it’s revealed that Saffron/Bridget/Yolanda was, once again, playing him.  She gets his gun, drops him, naked, in the desert, and heads off to recover the loot, where Inara has already recovered the laser, gets the drop on her and leaves her for the authorities. Mal, is naked, stranded in the desert, but he’s won. [/expand]