Episode 10 of Firefly is one of its more violent, but also full of great character moments. Caroline takes a look back at War Stories…
In War Stories, we finally get to resolve the underlining rivalry between Mal and Wash, ‘meeting the men’ and watching them work out their issues once and for all. We also see the return of Niska, the crime boss our crew disappointed back in The Train Job, and he causes some trouble for Mal and his new second-in-command, Wash, during a mission.
After a disagreement between Zoe and Wash over her past allegiances to Mal, Wash insists on accompanying the captain on his next mission, only for the duo to be captured and tortured by Niska and his cronies. Zoe manages to buy back her husband, but the crew must save Mal before it’s too late.
In a rare example of continuity, the return of such a ruthless villain lets the episode leap into action, rather than having to establish who they’re up against in the opening moments. Niska’s a deliciously twisted character, and his presence injects a sense of real danger in the episode that’s been missing from some of the past threats. Even when the episode threatens to degenerate into one giant pissing contest, the menace remains real and present.
It’s nice that Zoe and Wash finally get their moment in the spotlight, too, as they’re one of the most interesting pairings on the show. Here, the issues feel a little forced and out of nowhere, but it has the desired effect anyway. The heroics are saved for Wash this time, bringing the crew together in order to save Mal.
It’s also an important episode for River’s arc, although it’s more of an undercurrent to the action than a story thread in its own right. As she plays around with Kaylee in the opening moments, we just know the normalcy can’t last long. Sure enough, during a battle at the station, River manages to shoot three soldiers without looking, thus royally freaking Kaylee out and foreshadowing future episodes.
What doesn’t work so well, as usual, is Inara’s pointless contributions to the running time. It’s hard to decipher any meaning behind her lesbian encounter further than pure titillation, even if it produces some hilarious lines from Adam Baldwin. Jayne’s amusingly pitched fascination with the whole thing saves it from being completely worthless, but it is unnecessary to the plot or themes on the whole.
The crew’s call to arms is enormous fun, and produces a sequence almost identical (though on a much smaller budget) to a later one in Serenity. As a result, the second half of the episode is filled with the small character moments and understated humour that punctuates Firefly at its best. Jayne’s “What are you gonna do, clone him?” line, Book insisting the bible is fuzzy about kneecaps, and Kaylee’s reaction to River are highlights, and all stop the episode from becoming too bogged down with the graphic torture scenes.
You can read our review of episode nine, Ariel, here.
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