Episode discussion – Our Mrs. Reynolds S01E06

[Robb Stark]

Directed by: Vondie Curtis-Hall
Written by: Joss Whedon
Original air date: October 4, 2002

Storyline:
A woman claiming to be Mal's wife appears aboard Serenity. Everyone is shocked by Mal's new wife, Saffron, and reacts differently for Jayne is jealous, Inara is outraged, Kaylee is happy for Mal, while Zoe, Wash, Book, Simon and River don't know what to think. But the good-natured, young Saffron is soon revealed to be not all as she appears.

Trivia:
This is the only episode in which River does not speak. She had lines in the original shooting script, but they were cut before the episode made it to air.

The supposedly biblical quote Saffron uses in her seduction of Mal does not appear in the Bible. She may have fabricated it assuming Mal would not know the difference.

Jayne's favorite gun, Vera, is actually a highly modified Saiga-12 shotgun. The prop gun was custom built by gunsmiths Larry Zanoff and Jim Boland for the film Showtime before being used on "Firefly". Jayne also carries Vera in "War Stories", but notably does not fire it on camera.

--All details come from IMDB.com

My take:
-Awesome opening. Mal and Jayne must have Phd's in clever finagling of unscrupulous characters
-"Mr. Reynolds sir, I'm your wife." I think we just rediscovered the classic term FUBAR.
-Zoe calls everyone. Love it. It's awesome how much Zoe and Wash are enjoying this
-"He makes everyone cry. He's like a monster." Gotta love Kaylee
-"Someone ever tries to kill you, you try and kill em' right back." Sage Mal, very sage.
-I love the very special hell speech by Preacher.
-Man, Mal and Inara have great chemistry. You can just tell Inara is so jealous, and is just taking it out on Mal, who has done absolutely nothing wrong.
-"My very favorite gun." I love the trade effort by Jayne. I think I love Jayne so much because I have a friend who is EXACTLY like him. Like, to a "t".
-Just this whole concept of Mal's wife is just hilarious. I'm laughing almost every scene.
-Did anyone else think that the moon with camera station on it looked like the Deathstar?
-Juggling geese. Thank you Wash.
-The scene with Saffron earns Mal a new title: Captain Awkward.
-Okay, remember a few episodes ago when I said never mess with crazies, especially religious crazies. See that for Saffron. Like, ASAP
-Oh boy, the very special hell is ready and waiting.
-Okay"¦the knockout kiss. Didn't see that one coming. I'm channelling my inner Batman here, but I think there might be more to Saffron than meets the eye.
-Inara kissing Mal was so nice, and her finding out that Mal kissed Saffron by kissing Mal was great
-This is kind of minor, but I thought Wash saying "Ai yah" was perfect. I used to work at a casino and every time Chinese players would lose they would say that. Great throw-away line.
-Preacher explaining about the scrappers was another cool insight into him and how there is clearly more than meets the eye.
-Jayne is a hell of a shot. Blasting open the enemy windows and sucking those guys out was cool
-Barely any River in this episode. I'm into her mystery, so it was a bit of a drawback not having her.
-Another great Mal/Inara scene to close out the episode. Mal just not getting it was great.

-I liked this episode. It wasn't outstanding or anything, and I enjoyed âœSafe" more, but I liked it. It was a pretty hilarious concept.

 

[brinkster130]

How many planets are they inhabiting? Mal sure seems out of the loop when it comes to different social customs, this is the second time he has gotten himself into something without realizing it.

I liked how Zoe and the crew find Mal's situation funny, but poor girl!

Mal and Jayne need someone to watch after them when they are drinking. They always manage to find trouble.

I loved Zoe's reaction to Saffron suggestion she cook Wash a meal!

Ohh Meow! Inara seems jealous that Mal got hitched. 🙂

Not so innocent wifey isn't who she says! Did not see that twist coming!

I liked the interaction between Saffron and Inara. "You're good".

I'm surprised River didn't pick up on Saffron not being who she said she was.

Leaving most of the crew alive and together makes no sense. This didn't seem like Saffrons first gig, would she really be that sloppy?

Really Mal?! You think she kissed Saffron? Come on! -.-

Favorite lines:

Mal - "Don't you stand for that...if someone ever tries to kill you, you try and kill them right back!"

Mal - " Preacher you got a smutty mind"

Inara - "great, I wish you hundreds of fat children"

Jayne - "that's why I never kiss them on the lips" 😱

 

[PassionBecoming]

-I am always pondering on the fact that the future is like the wild west way back when.
-"If I could make you prettier, I would." HAHAHAHA. Nice to see where some of the quotes I see on BB come in to play. So, they were on a mission to take those guys out and protect that town, then?
-Inara can't find her target clientele in the hick towns. Haha.
-Jayne's pretty excited about that rain stick. Is he drunk?? Mal looks good in flowers.
-WIFE?!?!?! Oooh, boy, there's a pickle for you Mal. "Zoe, how come I have a wife?" Awesome.
-"Don't feel bad, he makes everybody cry. He's a monster." I love Kaylee! And that poor wife, she's all confused, too.
-Wash going on about Mal being a fellow married man and for him to enjoy his honeymoon. So wonderful.
-Inara doesn't think that's so funny, either. Oi, Mal, you need to work on your people skills.
-Aw, Mal trying to make her feel better and reassure her. I think it's great that she wants to please her husband, but it's sad that she doesn't think she has any purpose or worth beyond that.
-I can't quit laughing!!!!!
-Inara and Mal bickering. Quite humorous.
-Jayne is...insane. What the heck?! He names his gun. How very serial killer of him.
-"Oh, hey, flesh!" Mal and Saffron are kind of cute together. Though what kind of Bible has she been reading?? "Because of blubber?" Oh, my goodness!!
-WHAT?! Evil vixen...
-Run away, Wash, run away!!!
-Oh, I hope Zoe kicks this chick's butt into next Tuesday.
-Ugh, glad Inara wasn't duped. Well, until that kiss. Oi.
-Jayne with a torch. And "That's why I never kiss them on the mouth."
-Mal imagining Inara and Saffron. Hahahaha.
-So glad Jayne is a good shot. Go Vera!!
-Kind of liked seeing Mal punch her out. What a little bitca.
-"I knew you let her kiss you." Heehee. Good end scene!!

Quite loved this ep, too!! Inara was hilarious. I'm even starting to like Jayne a little bit.

---------- Post added at 01:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:25 PM ----------

I'm surprised River didn't pick up on Saffron not being who she said she was.

This here is a very good point. She seems to be able to "read" people.

I'm also very curious about Shepherd's story. Has an "in" with the Alliance. Seems to know a lot of things about unseemly people. Hmmmm.

 

[white avenger]

-I am always pondering on the fact that the future is like the wild west way back when.

It's not really that unbelievable. What we think of as the Old West was basically a time when people were struggling to gain a foothold in and tame a basically hostile, primitive environment. The central government was far away, poorly represented, and quite often mistrusted, especially by veterans of and sympathizes in a failed rebel cause. What amounted to private armies, controlled by local war lords and crime bosses more or less ran the show everywhere, and the closest thing to any sort of ultimate justice resided in the individual and his or her ability to face their enemies. That's every frontier community since the beginning of time. The technology might change somewhat, but the principal remains constant.

The "Wild West" isn't really a location or even a time period. It's more a condition of enforced self reliance in the face of adversity and the absence of officially recognized authority, and I think that Joss was amazingly perceptive to realize that and portray it in that way.

 

[Washburne]

This was the episode that started to make me really interested in the show. Mind, I was watching in the wrong order so this was my third episode.

Jayne insulting his wife aka Mal. 😛

If they don't get paid much why are they helping these people out? Because it's the right thing to do?

Drunken marriage or not knowing what you're doing. Feels like Vegas to me.

Hello wifey. 😀

Some different reactions here. Love how they're making fun of Mal. Zoà« can't hold it together in the background.

“He makes eveybody cry. He's like a monster.” He might not be a monster but he definitely can be rude.

“How drunk was I last night?
I don't know. I passed out.” Yup. Vegas.

“You got the right, same as anyone, to live and try to kill people.” That's one way to sum it up.

The special level of hell speech. You got to love it. A very kind of special hell. Not that it should matter to Mal. Or does he believe in heaven and hell despite all his dislike of God.

“Remember that sex we were planning to have? Ever again.” You better watch your tounge Wash.

“I wasn't looking for a fight” *Turns around to se Jayne with his gun*

Vera!

“Well my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle.”

Saffron's good. I'm starting to like her. Zoà« isn't fooled though. Neither is Inara as it later turns out.

“Oh. Good bible.” Easy there Mal. Special hell is awaiting.

*Speaks mandarin* Oh Saffron, you go from saying the right things to sounding incredibly naive and “stupid”. Maybe that's part of the plan.

Time for some Dollhouse reference (Yes I know Dollhouse came later.): Porn! Or there had been if it hadn't been a trap.

“Do I wish I was somebody else right now. Somebody not married... Not madly in love with a beautiful woman who can kill me with her pinky.” 😀

Inara showing her feelings known by kissing Mal. Not that he notices.

“Is it christmas?”

“Well isn't that... special.” Subtle Book, subtle.

Inara telling everyone she fell.

“Maybe she likes shuttles?” *Get strange looks* “Some people juggle geese.” Wash seems very fond of these people juggling geese. Although it must be a sight so I guess I shouldn't blame him.

Mal you idiot! So close to getting somewhere with Inara and jumping to the wrong conclusion. Can they never catch a break.

The next episode is the one that got me hooked on the show. Hope all you newbies will enjoy it. Two days to go.

 

[Jules]

I felt sorry for Inara at the end when Mal thought she had kissed Saffron and not him. I actually loved the play off between Saffron and Inara and I was hoping that Inara wouldnt fall for it. I also loved that Wash didnt cheat on Zoe by kissing Saffron, even though I think he loves Zoe more than she loves him.

I didnt like Saffron from the start, her meak personality was getting on my nerves. I did like everyones reaction to finding out Mal was married though, it was hillarious, except for Inara's.

I missed not having much of Simon and River in the episode though.

 

[VisionGirl]

I love this episode so much. The writing is so great. Seriously funny stuff, and Saffron is such a great character.

[MENTION=11975]Always Bangel[/MENTION]:

The supposedly biblical quote Saffron uses in her seduction of Mal does not appear in the Bible. She may have fabricated it assuming Mal would not know the difference.

I always kind of think that the Bible they're reading in 2517 might be different from what it is today. After all, it has evolved over time.

---------- Post added at 08:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:08 PM ----------

Mandarin TranslationEdit(Special Thanks to BrownCoats.com.)

■"Have you got an encyclopedia?" "Dangran. [Of course.]" - Simon responds to Book's request.
■"Ni bu gouge, ni hunqiu. [You don't deserve her, you fink.]" - Kaylee to Mal after he insults Saffron.
■"Guan ni ziji de shi. [Mind your own business.]" - Mal's immediate response to Kaylee.
■"I would appreciate it if someone on this boat would not assume that I'm an evil lecherous hundan [bastard]." - Mal.
■"Did she really make fresh bao [steamed buns]? Wash about the dinner Saffron made for Mal
■"Is that cider?" "By the stove." "Yum. I'll get you a refill, hundan [bastard]." - Wash curses Mal behind his back.
■"Daxiang baozhashi de laduzi! [The explosive diarrhea of an elephant!]" - Mal, when Jayne proposes a trade: Vera for Saffron.
■"Just 'cause you got handed to me by some hundan [bastard] couldn't pay off his debts don't make you beholden to me." - Mal to Saffron.
■"Wo de ma he ta de fengkuang de waisheng dou! [My mother and all her wacky nephews!]" - Wash curses as Saffron tries to seduce him.
■"Renci de Fozu... [Merciful Buddha...]" - Inara, when she realizes Mal is still alive.
■"My man would never fall for that jianhuo [cheap floozy]." - Zoà«.
■"Jingcai. [Brilliant.]" - Wash, when he finds Serenity has been sabotaged.
■"Did she signal anybody?" "Uh... Deng yi miao. [Hold on a second.] She did." - Mal, then Wash.

http://firefly.wikia.com/wiki/Our_Mrs._Reynolds