History Recap / FireflyE04Shindig

%%zce* BreakingLecture: River delivers an unsettling one to Badger, in his own Cockney accent, no less.

* InnocentlyInsensitive. Mal's comment to Kaylee around the dress can come off like this. It hurts her feelings and angers everybody else. One of the rare occasions Mal isn't deliberately insulting someone.

* InnocentlyInsensitive. While Mal does have a point about a frilly dress being impractical for a ship mechanic to wear He says in a very blunt and insulting manner. He insinuates that Kaylee would never need such a dress because there would never be an occasion for Kaylee to wear it. The plot contrives to prove him wrong.

* Innocentlyinsensitive. While Mal does have a point about a frilly dress being impractical for a ship mechanic to wear He says in a really mean way.

* HelpingAnotherSaveFace: "Shindig", when a wealthy RichBitch demeans Kaylee, one of the older gentleman there turns it back on her.
--> ''What a vision you are in your fine dress ? it must have taken a dozen slaves a dozen days to get you into that getup. 'Course, your daddy tells me it takes the space of a schoolboy's wink to get you out of it again.''

* ModelingPoses: The crew are in the shopping district in a town. Kaylee admires the frilly dresses in the windows, which are worn by [[FashionModel live mannequins]] who move between different poses every few seconds.

* FeeFiFauxPas: All over the place at the shindig. Kaylee chats to nobles who expect to have new people formally introduced (and not with a handshake) and is shunned until an older gentleman brings her to a group of young men to hold court on engineering. Mal doesn't know that colored sashes signify noble rank, and then he accidentally starts an honor duel.

** Also, Sir Warrick Harrow:

'''Original airdate:''' November 1, 2002

* BreakingLecture: River delivers an unsettling one to Badger, in his own Cockney accent, no less.

* CombatPragmatist: Mal's victory over Atherton involves [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks a thrown sword blade]] and a punch to the gut, in an ''honor duel''.

* FeeFiFauxPas: All over the place at the shindig. Kaylee chats to nobles who expect to have new people formally introduced (and not with a handshake) and is shunned until an older gentleman brings her to a group of young men to hold court on engineering, Mal doesn't know that colored sashes signify noble rank, and then he accidentally starts an honor duel.
* FisticuffProvokingComment: Mal goes straight from trying to be polite to Atherton to straight-out punching him in the face the moment the latter disrespects Inara.

* SlutShaming: Murphy gallantly comes to Kaylee's defense when the latter is being snarked at by some rich women... by insulting the ring-leader for her "easiness" (see GentlemanSnarker above).
** The underlying argument that Mal gives for confronting Atherton; while Mal doesn't respect Inara's work, Atherton doesn't respect ''her''.

* UnderdressedForTheOccasion: The local ladies treat Kaylee's store-bought dress like this, though it seems to be more a matter of latching onto an excuse to act bitchy than any fault in the garment.
** The issue is that the dress is store-bought rather than handmade by a dedicated seamstress, indicating that she’s not wealthy enough to have servants.

''Serenity'' arrives at Persephone. Inara chooses from among a number of offers for her Companion services, eventually settling on repeat customer Atherton Wing, who wants her to escort him to a formal ball. While she prepares, Mal and the others go out shopping, but are accosted by the smuggler Badger (who worked with the crew previously, during [[Recap/FireflyE01Serenity the pilot]]). Badger knows of a client, a rich man named Warrick Harrow, who has cargo that needs to be moved offworld but refuses to associate with Badger. Badger's {{plan}} is to have Mal drop in on a dance Harrow will be attending--the same one Inara and Atherton are at.

* ModelingPoses: The crew are in the shopping district in a town. Kayle admires the frilly dresses in the windows, which are worn by [[FashionModel live mannequins]] who move between different poses every few seconds.

* SlutShaming: Murphy gallantly comes to Kaylee's defense when the latter is being snarked at by some rich women... by insulting the ring-leader for her "easiness" (See GentlemanSnarker above).

* DanceOfRomance: Mal borrows Inara from Atherton for a dance. Cue the [[BelligerentSexualTension bickering]].

** Mal only wins (and lives) because Inara interferes as Atherton is about to finish him off. Mal, in a true CombatPragmatist fashion, proves that [[TalkingIsAFreeAction Talking Is ''Not'' A Free Action]] by turning the tables on Atherton, while he's busy.

* SimpleYetOpulent: Kaylee's dress is so frilly, that it stands out next to the relatively restrained dresses of the other ladies attending (or outright restrained with Inara's dress).

* SlutShaming: Murphy gallantly comes to Kaylee's defense when the latter is being snarked at by some rich women... by insulting the ring-leader for her "easiness":

-->'''Murphy''': Why, Banning Miller! What a vision you are in your fine dress. It must have taken a dozen slaves a dozen days to get you into that getup. 'Course, your daddy tells me it takes the space of a schoolboy's wink to get you out of it again.

* SlutShaming: The CoolOldGuy defends Kaylee from the ritch bitch by alluding to the latter's easiness.