Out of Gas

(Recorded on August 11, 2024) This week we’re digging into episode eight of Firefly, “Out of Gas.” This is the episode that we have been waiting for—the episode that makes us go, “okay, we can see why people would like this show.” The title is misleading, because it’s not gas they’re running out of, it’s oxygen. And the clock is ticking! The catalyzer on Serenity is blown out causing the engine to offline and life support functions to fail. Mal makes the decision to stay behind on the ship to wait for a response to their distress beacon, while sending the crew away on two separate shuttles. The episode goes back and forth between the past, almost present, and actual present. In the past, we get flashbacks of Mal showing Zoe the newly purchased Serenity (she’s not impressed), Mal and Zoe meeting Wash (also not impressed), the ships old mechanic Bester (wtf), how Kaylee ended up on the ship (HATED IT), and Zoe and Mal meeting Jayne for the first time (it’s about how you would imagine). In the not-so-present, there’s a birthday dinner, an explosion, Zoe saving Kaylee from a fireball, River terrorizing Shepherd, Mal almost fighting Wash, and Mal being ambushed by an early aughts steampunk band. In the present-present it’s just Mal fighting for his life on an empty Serenity. There are six more episodes and movie so of course Mal lives, but it’s about the journey (to use George’s favorite word). Of course not every episode is perfect—even one we both enjoyed. So if you tune in just to hear us find something to tear into, we will definitely be doing that with Kaylee’s flashback! It’s just a lot! We have some big winners and just one big loser (if you’ve watched, can you guess?). Also, George and Meaghan discuss Olympic events (sort of topical!); Meaghan might have hit a record for most pop culture references in a synopsis; and we think about how if they had cast Michael Biehn in this episode, it would have been off the charts. (Original network air date October 25, 2002) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.