History Recap / FireflyE14ObjectsInSpace

'''Original date:''' December 13, 2002

* CantSpitItOut: what River "reads" when she gets into Mal and Inara's argument.

* HypocriticalHumor: River.
-->'''River:''' [Simon] takes so much looking after...\\\

%%* WarriorPoet: Jubal.

-->'''Mal:''' C'mon, you can yell at your brother for ruining your perfect plan.\\

%%* BadassAdorable: River.
%%* BadassBookworm: Simon.
* BatmanGambit: Luring Jubal into Mal's ambush.

* CatchPhrase: Jubal: "Does that seem right to you?"

* CallBack: Kaylee slowly backing away from a gun-wielding River, referencing the scene in "[[[[Recap/FireflyE10WarStories War Stories]]" when River shot Niska's men. She tells the crew the story later.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: River is barefoot the entire episode.

%%* ScaryBlackMan: Jubal.

** Though her serenity shatters completely once [[BerserkButton Early shoots Simon.]]

The episode opens with River wandering in a daze through the ship after awakening. She passes the members of the crew, but perceives what appear to be their inner thoughts and glimpses of their past (such as Simon wishing he was back home, Jayne saying that the money to betray the Tams was "too good", and Book gleefully threatening someone) and stumbles into the cargo bay. She appears to see the cargo bay full of leaves and picks up a stick, but tells herself "It's just an object. It doesn't mean what you think." She suddenly returns to lucidity and finds the terrified crew surrounding her, as she holds one of Jayne's pistols that he left lying around. Mal takes the gun from her, and River panics and flees.

After this the crew holds a council. Kaylee reveals that [[Recap/FireflyE10WarStories River had handled a gun at the assault on Niska's stronghold]] with disturbing effectiveness. Mal speculates that she may have psychic powers from her knowledge of things that she could never know, and they wonder how much of a threat she is (unknowingly with River eavesdropping). The group is unable to come to any consensus on what to do with River and they break to go to sleep. Simon and Kaylee talk about how much River loves the ship and are about to kiss, only for Book to interrupt them.

In the meantime the bounty hunter Jubal Early, who had apparently been following them, slips aboard. He knocks out Mal and Book with ease, locks all of the bunks, and sneaks up on Kaylee in the engine room. With disturbing calmness, he ties her up and threatens to rape and kill her if she ruins his plans to capture River. He then locates Simon and forces him to help him capture River, on the threat of raping Kaylee if he refuses.

During the search Simon and Jubal verbally spar with each other. It becomes immediately apparent that Jubal is insane, with odd quirks and philosophies that Simon effortlessly responds to. They search Inara's shuttle, but no trace of River comes up and Jubal very calmly hits her for suggesting that he'll walk away from the bounty.

Jubal and Simon reach the bridge and Jubal prepares to shoot Simon if they can't find River. She suddenly begins speaking over the intercom, telling Jubal that she's "melted into the ship" and is now ''Serenity'' herself. She taunts him with knowledge of his past and intentions, revealing Jubal to be a psychopath who took up bounty hunting to give him a way to act out his violent and abusive impulses. In between forcing the bounty hunter into a breakdown, she contacts the other members of the crew and controls the ship to set her plan for a breakout in motion. Jubal suddenly realizes that River took a spacesuit and snuck aboard his ship, which is how he's communicating with them. Finally, River states that she plans on leaving with Jubal (sensing great similarity between them as mentally disturbed outcasts) and saving the ''Serenity'' crew the trouble of dealing with her. Simon attempts to stop Jubal, only to take a bullet to the leg.

Jubal fights his way back through the ship and outside, and he stands on the outer hull of ''Serenity''. Before he can float over, however, Mal appears behind him and kicks him off into deep space. River exits Jubal's spaceship (sending it off on autopilot) and asks Mal for permission to come aboard, revealing that her supposed attempt to abandon the crew with the bounty hunter was all part of her plan to stop him and Simon took a bullet for nothing. Back aboard the ship, Simon guides Zoe in patching him up before he passes out. Kaylee and River play jacks on the floor of the cargo bay, revealing their friendship is rekindled.

The episode ends with a shot of Jubal Early floating through space, air running out. He simply says "Well....here I am."

* AuthorTract: Everything philosophical out of Early's mouth is pretty much Whedon's Existentialist views.
** Might count as a TakeThatMe since Early is presented as severely messed-up and decidedly wrong.
** Early's Existentialism is basically the ShallowParody version. He comes up with random and pointless analyses of basic ideas and doesn't consider any of them in any further depth than "huh, that's weird". It's the philosophical version of AttentionDeficitOohShiny.

%%* BountyHunter: Jubal.

* BreakTheCutie: What Early threatens to do to Kaylee and is trying to do to River; as it happens Kaylee escaped and Early was broken by the other cutie.
* CallBack: Kaylee slowly backing away from a gun-wielding River, referencing the scene in "War Stories" where River shot Niska's men. She tells the crew the story later.

* CreepyChild: River. A "good" variant on CreepyChild but certainly creepy.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Kind of; they knew River was this, they just didn't realize how much of one she was.
* DamselInDistress: Kaylee.

** [[{{Pun}} Heh.]] River as "Serenity" is rather even-keeled for having a dangerous man holding her brother at gunpoint. It's all part of her plan to screw with Early.

** He somehow fails to notice Mal right behind him when he heard Simon move half a step behind him earlier. Possibly justified by lack of sound outside in space.

* GentlemanSnarker: Simon. "Come on out River, the nice man wants to kidnap you."

* HeroicSacrifice: Subverted; River is only pretending. However the communications breakdown pushes Simon's BerserkButton.

-->'''River:''' [Simon] takes so much looking after...\\

* InsaneEqualsViolent: Early's definitely violent but his [[BuffySpeak not-quite-right-ness]] manifests in other weird behaviors like randomly licking surfaces.

** It's never made clear how that gun got there.

* TheSpartanWay: Early's "suggestion" to Simon about possible "innovative improvements" in medical training.

%%* {{Telepathy}}: Implied.
%%* TookALevelInBadass: River.

* WorthyOpponent: A little. Early seems to respect Simon. Simon only regards Early as a threat to Kaylee and River. River states clearly she does ''not'' respect Early.

The episode opens with River wandering in a daze through the ship. She perceives the crew in their various activities. Zoe and Wash making out, Book and Jayne talking. Simon telling amusing frat party anecdotes to Kaylee. She also perceives for a moment Simon wishing he was back home as well as Book and Jayne talking about clerical rules; and Wash and Zoe exchanging affections. Then she imagines herself strolling through some leaves. She stoops to pick up what she thinks is a twig. It turns out to be a gun. Mal disarms her and finds out the gun is loaded. Then River runs away in tears.

After this the crew holds a council. Kaylee reveals that it is not the first time but that [[Recap/FireflyE10WarStories River had handled a gun at the assault on Niska's stronghold]]. With disturbing effectiveness. It is speculated also that she had mind-reading powers. The combination of all that power in someone unable to control herself disturbs the crew even though Simon tries to defend her, doting big brother that he is. No conclusion is reached and the council breaks up. Simon and Kaylee walk off by themselves, Kaylee pleading with Simon not to be angry. Simon also starts to feel homesick. Simon catches a glimpse of River and struggles to remind himself that it was not River's fault he was in exile, but the fault of her tormentors.

In the meantime the bounty hunter Jubal Early, who had apparently been following them, slips aboard. He knocks out Mal and Book separately. He also goes to Kaylee and threatens to rape her if she does not reveal where River's room is. When he heads toward it River is not there but Simon is having heard a noise. When they meet, Jubal threatens to rape Kaylee, so Simon agrees to temporarily cooperate or pretend to do so.

During the search Simon and Jubal verbally spar with each other, Jubal spouting off impressive sounding but irrelevant bits of personal philosophy, and Simon returning with ironic witticisms. They search Inara's shuttle but Inara is the only one there. When she tries to plead with Jubal he strikes her. Then they go off to search elsewhere. They arrive on the bridge whereupon Jubal threatens to kill Simon if River does not show herself. River talks back over the intercom and tells Jubal in an eerie fashion that as she was no longer wanted she had simply melted into the ship.

While Simon still continues his witticisms, River starts to manipulate Jubal's emotions with an extensive knowledge of his past. At the same time she calls to the other crew members asking Kaylee to unlock the other rooms, telling Zoe to hold off resisting and telling Mal of her own plan. River continues to manipulate Jubal until Jubal realizes that she is acting. Then River compares her loneliness with his, and offers to save the crew trouble by going with him. This of course hits Simon's BerserkButton as he is unaware of River's plan and he tries to tackle Jubal(who is twice his size and wearing body armor) actually knocking him down but getting shot in the process. He tries again even with a bullet in his leg. Despite Simon's HeroicSpirit, Jubal manages to subdue Simon. Then he walks out to the ship thinking to secure River. Mal however is waiting in ambush and grabs Jubal and hurls him into space. Then the crew settles down to pleasant displays of normalcy while Jubal floats off to die and saying, "Well, here I am."

This episode is [[ADayInTheLimelight River's episode]] and it shows just how powerful she really is.

After this the crew holds a council. Kaylee reveals that it is not the first time but that [[Recap/FireflyE10WarStories River had handled a gun at the assault on Niska's stronghold.]] With disturbing effectiveness. It is speculated also that she had mind-reading powers. The combination of all that power in someone unable to control herself disturbs the crew even though Simon tries to defend her, doting big brother that he is. No conclusion is reached and the council breaks up. Simon and Kaylee walk off by themselves, Kaylee pleading with Simon not to be angry. Simon also starts to feel homesick. Simon catches a glimpse of River and struggles to remind himself that it was not River's fault he was in exile, but the fault of her tormentors.

** [[IncrediblyLamePun Heh.]] River as "Serenity" is rather even-keeled for having a dangerous man holding her brother at gunpoint. It's all part of her plan to screw with Early.

* DistressedDamsel: Kaylee

* YourMom: River begins screwing with Early with this. He claims he's not fazed but of course she knows better.

* [[BitchInSheepsClothing Bastard in Shepherd's Clothing]]: Possibly. Most of the thoughts River perceives from the crew, while not the kind of things they might say out loud, still don't seem too out-of-character for them; Jayne's even suggest that his guilt over what he did in "Ariel" is genuine. Book's thoughts, though, are rather harsh, even cruel, implying that he's really not the nice, gentle guy he has outwardly appeared to be.

* ShoutOut: Jubal Early is [[{{Irony}} named after a]] [[AmericanCivilWar Confederate general]] who [[ActorAllusion may just be related to]] Creator/NathanFillion.

* BadassAdorable: River.
* BadassBookworm: Simon.

* BountyHunter: Jubal.

* CantSpitItOut: what River "reads" when she gets into [[spoiler:Mal and Inara's argument.]]

* DissonantSerenity: [[IncrediblyLamePun Heh.]] River as "Serenity" is rather even-keeled for having a dangerous man holding her brother at gunpoint. It's all part of her plan to screw with Early.

* FailedASpotCheck: Audio version. Early manages to misunderstand several clearly-stated sentences in bizarre and non-sequitury ways.

-->'''Simon:''' I'd rather die standing.
-->'''Early:''' The intention is not for you to die, Doctor.

-->''"[Simon] takes so much looking after..."''
-->''"You're not right, Early. You're not righteous. You got issues."''

* LetsGetDangerous: Simon's attack on Jubal.

* MamaBear: River.

* NoodleIncident: Early makes a vague reference to one of his previous bounties: a midget arsonist.
-->'''Early:''' You know, with the exception of one deadly and unpredictable midget, this girl is the smallest cargo I've ever had to transport, yet by far the most troublesome. [[CatchPhrase Does that seem right to you?]]\\

** During River's mind-reading of the crew, she comes across [[spoiler:Book having a very un-preacher-like moment.]]

* SadisticChoice: Simon. Help Early find his sister or get shot ''and'' let unspeakable things happen to Kaylee. He chooses the former to stall for time.

* ScaryBlackMan: Jubal.

* TheStrategist: River.
* {{Telepathy}}: Implied.
* TookALevelInBadass: River.

* WarriorPoet: Jubal.

* CreepyChild: River. A good variant on CreepyChild but certainly creepy.

* CantSpitItOut: what River "reads" when she gets into [[spoiler:Mal and Irana's argument.]]

* CreepyChild: River. A good CreepyChild but certainly creepy.