History Recap / FireflyE01Serenity

** The episode also pulls a fake example with Simon: [[spoiler: the first shot of him is all sinister, including ScaryShinyGlasses, setting him up as the number one suspect to be [[TheMole the Alliance agent aboard ship]]. Needless to say, he isn't, though the cold, "almost reptilian" behavior would indicate his drive to protect his sister.]]
*** His ''real'' ECM comes later, [[spoiler:along with his sister's.]]

* YouRebelScum: The Alliance captain is contemptuous of ''Serenity'' 's illegal salvage ops. To be fair, technically speaking they are [[{{EvenEvilHasStandards}} stealing from the dead..]]

* Macguffin: The highly valuable cargo the ''Serenity'' crew steals from the derelict in the opening. It's not until the end of the episode we find out it's not gold, drugs or weapons but high-density ration bars.

* EyeScream: Mal shoots Dobson through the eye.

* ShoutOut: An [[Franchise/StarWars Imperial]] ''[[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi Lambda]]''-class shuttle can be seen taking off over the spaceport.

** In a follow-up comic, he turns out to be alive but blinded in the eye where the bullet hit. He concocts a plan to capture and kill the crew of the ''Serenity''. This time, Mal finishes the job.

->'''Mal''': We're still flying.\\
'''Simon''': That's not much.\\
'''Mal''': It's enough.

Six years after a bloody and protracted war forced Alliance rule on all colonized planets, veteran Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds is still devastated over the defeat of his cause. Too embittered and strong-minded to be a compliant Alliance citizen, he buys a spaceship--a Firefly-class transport he names ''Serenity'', after the last important battle of the war--and carves out a life on the fringes of civilization: a difficult and often complicated existence, but a free one. With him is Zoe, the only surviving member of his original platoon, now his first mate; her husband, Wash, who pilots the ship; cheerful mechanic Kaylee; and rough-hewn mercenary Jayne.

After illegally salvaging cargo from a derelict spaceship, ''Serenity'' 's crew heads for the planet Persephone. There they pick up a courtesan, Companion Inara Serra, who rents one of ''Serenity'' 's shuttles; and, in a last-ditch effort to make some money, take on passengers. On board for the trip to Whitefall, a remote frontier moon: gentle Shepherd (Reverend) Book, cool and aloof Dr. Simon Tam, and bumbling smiler Lawrence Dobson.

!Tropes

* {{Adorkable}}: Wash. What else would you call an AcePilot who plays with toy dinosaurs.
-->'''Wash:''' We will rule over all this land, and we will call it...[[ShapedLikeItself this land]]. (''as T-rex'') "I think we should call it your grave!" (''as stegosaurus'') "Oh, [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!]]" (''as T-Rex'') "Ha ha ha! Mine is an EvilLaugh!"

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter:
-->'''Simon:''' I am very smart...gifted is the term. So when I tell you that my little sister makes me look like an idiot child, I want you to understand my full meaning.
* BadassBoast: "We have done the impossible and that makes us mighty!"

* BaitAndSwitch: The episode's first half does all it can to play up the idea that Simon is the mole (which actually works even better if you've seen the actor as Don John in Whedon's ''MuchAdoAboutNothing'' first). Of course, it's all for naught if you were paying close enough attention to the credits.
* BlatantLies: Jayne makes a crude remark about Kaylee, which Mal calls him on. Jayne protests that Mal "doesn't pay him to talk pretty". After Mal sends him away from the table:
-->'''Simon''': What ''do'' you pay him for?
-->'''Mal''': What?
-->'''Simon''': I was just wondering what his job is. On the ship.
-->'''Mal''': ''[[[{{Beat}} beat]]]'' Public relations.

* DeathGlare: Between Simon and Mal a couple of times.

* DirtyBusiness: Simon threatens to let Kaylee bleed to death; it was probably a bluff but it indicates that he has a trace of KnightTemplarBigBrother that he seldom shows elsewhere, or at least that he values his sister over Kaylee.

* DumbMuscle: Jayne, starting off as he means to go on. It nearly gets him, Zoe and Mal killed by Badger's goons.
* EasilyForgiven: "He wasn't going to let me die..."

** Simon and Mal who begin as rivals and learn to respect each other.

* FlatWhat: Mal's reaction when Dobson tells Simon's under arrest.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When discussing Mal's phony claim that ''Serenity'' is delivering medicines for the Alliance, Simon is notably startled.

* HolierThanThou: Badger accuses Mal of thinking he is this. But then it is not hard to be holier than Badger.

* HostageSituation: Subverted; when Dobson grabs River, Mal [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim just shoots him]]. ''Without breaking stride''.
* IOweYouMyLife: "I didn't think you'd come for me."

* NiceHat: Badger. And one of Patience's men; Mal even compliments him on it by saying the trope name...right before Jayne shoots the guy in the head, knocking it off.

-->'''Wash''': Didn't she shoot you one time?\\
'''Mal''': Everyone's makin' a fuss.
* PapaWolf: Mal and Simon

* PutDownYourGunAndStepAway: Dobson tries this. Mal puts a bullet in his eye[[note]]From 30 feet away with River as a hostage and Book behind him[[/note]] without breaking stride.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney / ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: River's rescue is because Simon was willing to do this.

* TeamChef: Book prepares dinner for everyone, and it's apparently pretty fabulous. (Though considering the crew's usual fare, fresh-grown produce probably ''was''.)

%%* WalkingTheEarth: Book.

* YouRebelScum: The Alliance captain is contemptuous of ''Serenity'' 's illegal salvage ops.
** To be fair, technically speaking they are [[{{EvenEvilHasStandards}} stealing from the dead..]]

* DeathGlare: between Simon and Mal a couple of times.

-->'''Wash''': Didn't she shoot you?\\
'''Mal''': Everyone's gotta make a fuss.

* BlatantLies: After Jayne makes a crude remark about Kaylee, Mal calls him on it. Jayne protests that Mal "doesn't pay him to talk pretty". After Mal sends him away from the table:

-->'''Mal''': ''[[{{Beat}} beat]]'' Public relations.

* AcePilot: Wash

%%* BazaarOfTheBizarre: Persephone
* BadCopIncompetentCop: Dobson; a lot of bad and a lot of incompetence

* DareToBeBadass: Simon had already done this when he first arrives
* DeathGlare: between Simon and Mal a couple of times

* DirtyBusiness: Simon threatens to let Kaylee bleed to death; it was probably a bluff but it indicates that he has a trace of KnightTemplarBigBrother that he seldom shows elsewhere.
** Knight Templar is pushing it. It's far simpler - River is Simon's first and foremost responsibility, Kaylee isn't. Thus, River comes before Kaylee.

** Simon and Mal who begin as rivals and learn to respect each other

* TheHorde: The Reavers get their first mention early on, having killed someone Mal's worked for. And then there's Jayne's nervous reaction to their mere mention.

* IronicEchoCut: After Mal tells Simon that Kaylee's dead, he rushes to the infirmary...where he finds Kaylee very much alive. His response? "The man's psychotic." Cut to the bridge, where we see the rest of the crew laughing their asses off after Mal told them what he just did, with Wash saying, "You are psychotic!"

* NiceHat: Badger. And one of Patience's men; Mal even compliments him on it by saying the trope name...right before Jayne shoots it off the guy's head.

%%* WalkingTheEarth: Book

%%* WastelandElder: Patience

%%* WrenchWench: Kaylee

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Mal was willing to help Dobson arrest Simon, until Dobson tells him he's under arrest as well for smuggling. That changes Mal's disposition quickly.