Firefly S1-04: The Short Review

'Jaynestown'

Written by Ben Edlund

Directed by Marita Grabiak

If Firefly's first three episodes were about anything, it was unrealised potential. Right from the start, it was obvious that the show's setting was rich and varied enough to tell stories that really matter. It was also obvious, from interviews Whedon gave before and around the show's launch, that he was aware of this. Yet nothing seemed to come of it; Firefly was a western in space, it wasn't really about anything. 'Our Mrs Reynolds' was fun, but ultimately inconsequential, to the point where I was wondering if I would bother writing any more reviews. This may have been the fault of Fox's requested retooling of the show, but the fact remains that there just didn't seem to be anything to talk about.

'Jaynestown' changes that, and I freely admit that I didn't expect it to. Whilst I enjoy Jayne, I haven't thought of him as a particularly fascinating character, and I didn't really see where the writers were going to go with the episode's premise. As it turns out, where they went was an exploration of faith, of belief, and of symbols. At last, Firefly is about something - and it turns out, I like this version of the show quite a bit. Maybe it was a little heavy-handed in places (I could have done without the final Mal/Jayne chat, and with a bit more on the reaction of the mudders instead), but on the whole it was solid stuff.

There were some nice contrasts. Jayne's reaction is mostly one of confusion; he doesn't understand how or why people would believe that about him, and it almost seems as though he'd like to be able to believe it. Inara (apart from still being dull) knows and understands the power of symbols, and uses them to help someone. For River, symbols must make sense - her belief is in order and coherence. Similarly, Simon clings to his manners and bearing to make sense of the world he's been thrust into. Book explains that faith is for the benefit of the believer. And Mal - well, Mal is oddly opaque in all of this. It's as though he doesn't really believe in anything, or anyone; all he looks for in Jayne's folk hero status is a way to make the deal go through. I hope they follow this up; it makes sense for Mal to be disillusioned, after all.

I do wonder how the character continuity is going to work out, since the episodes are being shuffled around somewhat, presumably in an attempt to get viewers hooked. 'Jaynestown' was meant to be episode eight, and next week's Tim Minear episode has been pulled forward as well. This is all well and good, but it has the danger of meaning that (for example) the important developments for Jayne and Simon in this episode may get a bit muddled.

And you know what else about this episode made me happy? It was almost science fiction. Previous episodes were westerns, straight up. There was nothing in them that couldn't have been done in an earth-based period show. 'Jaynestown' is a slight move away from that; the presented society is one that would be hard to swallow in a conventional western. You could manage it, but it would be awkward, and there would be rough edges. As SF, there are no such problems, and the episode works as a traditional 'what-if' thought experiment.

So, there we are. Solid character development, solid themes. If 'Jaynestown' is a mission statement for the sort of show Firefly is really going to be, then I'm all for it.