"War Stories"

Written by Cheryl Cain
Directed by James Contner


In which Mal and Wash are captured and tortured by Niska, leading to one of the most unlikely rescue attempts ever conceived...

Synopsis - Analysis - Memorable Quotes - Observations


<----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->






Synopsis

As the episode begins, Book asks Simon if he ever read the works of the psychotic dictator Shan Yu. The premise that Book refers to is the revelation of a man’s true self through means of extreme duress. He wonders if the people who experimented on River held to such beliefs. Simon, however, notes that there is a pattern in the experimentation.

At the same time, on a space station nearby, Adelei Niska (from “The Train Job”) tortures one of his own men for stealing from his protection fund. He receives word that Serenity is coming into orbit of the planet below. After sending a team to retrieve Mal, he turns to his victim and asks him if he’s familiar with the work of Shan Yu.

Shortly, Mal and Inara discuss the arrangements for her next encounter. Her client wishes to visit her on Serenity (or more properly, with Inara’s shuttle still docked on Serenity). Mal promises to stay in line and keep the crew in line as well. Kaylee and River run by, with Kaylee trying to get an apple back from River. (Jayne apparently bought a crate for the crew after last episode!)

Kaylee manages to get the apple back by the time she tracks River down in the mess. After hearing Zoe remarking how unnerving it is for Jayne to be so nice, Kaylee asks her why she cuts her apples. Zoe replies with a war story. Some Alliance troops had fooled Independents into killing themselves by sending them apples with grenades inside.

Mal walks in, and likewise cuts his apple as he eats. Their last drop of drug supplies from last episode is coming up. When Wash softly comments that they could have made more money with his plan to sell directly to the doctors, Mal reminds him that eliminating middle men is never that simple. Wash is shocked…not because of what he’s told, but because he only mentioned his plan to Zoe.

Soon, as Wash sets Serenity down on the planet, Wash calls Zoe out for lying to him. Apparently Zoe took Wash’s idea to Mal, and when it was rejected, lied to Wash and said that she never had the chance to bring it up. Wash asks Zoe directly what she thought of the plan, and she dodges by telling him what Mal thought. That’s the wrong answer, because Wash is beginning to get tired of Zoe “hiding” behind Mal. He’s not even sure Zoe bothers to have her own opinion.

Meanwhile, Simon comes across River, who is having some kind of attack in his room. Whatever treatments he was able to come up with have some side effects, and they don’t work. River is lucid enough to tell him how she hates the clear moments, because she knows they’ll go away.

Down in the cargo bay, Jayne and Kaylee peek around a doorway to see if they can catch a glimpse of Inara’s latest client. Book reminds them of Inara’s desire for privacy, but ends up looking as well. When a large man steps into the ship, Mal steps forward to greet him…but it turns out to be a security guard. Inara’s true client, the planet’s female councilor, steps in. The crew, of course, is shocked…and maybe a little intrigued.

Sometime later, Zoe begins preparing the other shuttle for the drop, but she notes to Mal that the ignition sequence is completely changed. Zoe can’t figure it out, but Wash comes in saying he can…but only if he gets to go on the drop with Mal instead of Zoe. Wash can’t take Mal and Zoe having another wonderful war story to tell, and Zoe’s not in the mood to fight over it. Mal is pretty damned unhappy with the situation, but he agrees to let Wash come instead.

On Inara’s shuttle, the councilor is getting what looks to be a heavenly back massage. When Inara slips into her usual routine, the councilor asks her to just be herself so they can relax outside the demanding company of men. It’s apparent that they know each other from previous experience.

Meanwhile, Mal and Wash bring the last of the stolen drugs to the drop point, where they meet up with an old associate named Bolles. Bolles is impressed, and tosses Mal his payment. Before the two parties can be on their way, Bolles and his people are taken down by snipers. Then Mal and Wash are surrounded.

Back on Serenity, Inara says farewell to the councilor, which gets Jayne’s not-so-subtle attention again. But the entertainment is over when Zoe orders him to get his weapon. Mal and Wash are late, so they need to check on the situation. Book offers to go with them, much to Zoe’s surprise.

At the drop site, they find the bodies of Bolles and his people. Book immediately identifies the type of sniper rifle that was used, which shocks Jayne a little. They note that the drugs weren’t taken, only Mal and Wash. Then they see the burn residue from a transport on the sand, and realize that it could have only come from a shuttle used by space stations. Zoe immediately realizes who has Mal and Wash.

Inside Niska’s torture chamber, Mal and Wash fumble around, hands bound and blindfolded. As Mal tries to figure out the room by walking around and touching things, Wash does his best not to panic. It doesn’t work. Wash starts railing on Mal for potentially getting Zoe into similar situations, and accuses Mal of controlling Zoe. Mal points out that he doesn’t control Zoe, case in point being her marriage to Wash. At that very moment, Niska walks in, and Mal realizes just how bad a day he’s having.

Back on Serenity, Zoe collects all of their earnings from the medicine runs so she can use it to bargain for Mal and Wash. On the station, the two men are being electrocuted for Niska’s amusement. Mal uses Wash’s resentment to keep them both awake and aware, but it’s clear that Wash is fading. Wash thinks Mal ought to just sleep with Zoe and get it over with. But even when Mal tells him that he’s going to sleep with Zoe, just to keep him angry, Wash’s responses are weak.

Zoe comes to the station with the cash, and she’s brought to Niska. Niska, however, tells her that it’s only enough to buy one life back. Before he can even ask, she picks Wash. As they leave, Niska gives Zoe a little refund: one of Mal’s ears. Zoe takes Wash back to the shuttle, and Wash remarks how insane Mal must be to remained focused during the torture. When Zoe confirms that Niska will slowly kill Mal over a period of days, Wash reacts with an unexpected resolve. When they get back to Serenity, Zoe quickly informs the crew about the situation, and then follows after Wash to prepare for their response.

Back on the station, Niska goes through his Shan Yu routine, and then introduces Mal to the torture chamber version of a roto-rooter. On Serenity, Jayne tries to argue Zoe and Wash out of storming the station to rescue Mal. Kaylee also informs them that Inara’s attempt to get the councilor to act went nowhere. Seeing that Zoe and Wash are going in one way or another, the others decide to go as well.

Back on the station, Mal dies from the torture, but is quickly revived for more. Wash aims Serenity at the station docking clamp, coasting towards the station to get the best chance of surprise. They all gather into the cargo bay, preparing the attack as Serenity docks. As alarms go off all over the station, the cargo bay doors open, and bright lights blind the guards waiting there. Then one of the ATVs, rigged to explode, barrels down the ramp into the guards.

Zoe, Wash, and Jayne come running right behind it. Zoe orders Book, Simon, and Kaylee to hold position at the ship. The first team methodically shoots their way through the adjoining corridors. In the confusion, Mal manages to slip to his feet and attach the roto-rooter to his torturer.

In the corridors, Jayne takes a shot to the shoulder. He calls for Book to provide more cover, leaving Simon and Kaylee to defend the ship. As more guards advance on the ship, Kaylee bugs out, and runs back into Serenity. She drops the gun, and when River walks in and sees three guards approaching, she picks up the gun. Not looking, she fires three rounds…all kill shots.

Before Mal can completely bludgeon Niska, the torturer recovers and they fall onto a small catwalk circling the inner industrial shaft of the station. Zoe, Wash, and Jayne arrive just in time to stop the torturer from killing Mal again.

Back on Serenity, Mal recovers, even getting his ear back thanks to Simon’s skill. Thanks to Inara, the councilor was able to give them fresh equipment to replace what was lost. Mal is silently thankful for the rescue. Kaylee, on the other hand, now regards River with a great deal of anxiety.

In the mess, Wash enjoys some fresh soup, cooked especially for him by Zoe. She’s obviously proud of him. Mal gingerly walks in and informs Zoe that Wash demanded that they sleep together. Wash begins to object, but Mal and Zoe jokingly act as though they intend to follow through…though very reluctantly. Wash settles the matter by grabbing Zoe and dragging her towards their bunk.

That done, Mal painfully takes a seat…while Jayne capitalizes on the free soup!


Analysis

As with previous episodes, there is a focus on a few key relationships, thankfully ones that have been largely ignored to this point. Wash is probably the least developed character on the series, and so giving him some actual weight and depth was appreciated. Addressing the difficulties of Zoe’s conflict between her husband and her commanding officer was also a necessary step.

The best writers always approach a tale knowing who the characters are, at least in terms of who they are at the beginning of the journey. It’s even better when the characters come into sharp focus through the process of change, since that usually means that both states of being were conceived by the writer at inception. All of the characters take a step in a new direction here, and those changes reveal something of who and what they were before.

Wash is no longer simply the comic relief. His experience with Mal has taught him something about the bond between soldiers that he never would have understood otherwise. Even more, any questions about Zoe’s loyalty ought to have been adequately answered. Zoe chose to save Wash’s life, and then worry about her loyalty to Mal.

Even though Mal, Wash, and Zoe take center stage, few of the other characters are left without some kind of transformation, even if it’s just in the audience’s eyes. Book’s knowledge and ability with firearms gives credence to the theory that he was fighting for the Alliance before joining his order. Simon must now deal with the fact that he was willing to kill another human being, even if he didn’t actually do it.

Kaylee, bless her heart, retains that certain sense of innocence. Even though she understands on an intellectual level what is always happening around her, she hides that reality behind her illusions of the ideal version of those activities. In a way, she’s a foil to Mal in that respect. Mal is a man whose illusions have long since been shattered, and he’s trying to live as though that ideal world existed.

River shows her true potential in a rather effective manner, and adds evidence to the idea that she was being made into some kind of super agent or assassin. Not only was she picking up on what others were saying and doing, but she seemed able to “feel” her targets and eliminate them without remorse. Kaylee is right to be wary of her now.

Inara and Jayne show sides of their characters that reinforce what we know. The fact that Inara entertains female clients shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. And Jayne’s haphazard response to getting caught last episode doesn’t take away from the fact that in the end, he’s a coward. It’s likely that he joined the others to rescue Mal so he wouldn’t look bad in the captain’s eyes.

Much of which, oddly enough, proves out what the mad dictator claimed. You learn more about a person when they face adversity than when their lives are bountiful. It’s not just true in terms of Mal, Wash, and Zoe. The other characters reveal themselves just as clearly when they find their lives on the line.

There are some who criticize elements of this episode. As usual, the complaints fall within the two most popular categories: sex and violence. Or rather, the inability of some people to accept that these things exist outside of their narrow interpretations of what they should be.

Yes, in a way, the torture scenes were brutal and excessive. That’s exactly what they ought to have been. Leaving out some of the details robs the situation of much of its gravity. By seeing what Mal and Wash are going through, the audience can understand their decisions later and invest themselves in the ensuing action to stop it from continuing. In writing, violence within context is rarely excessive, while violence without meaning or purpose is certainly so.

Of course, for every complaint about the violent content, there are about twenty for the scenes between Inara and the councilor. Even the suggestion that two women might have a sexual encounter without judgment is too much for some people. The fact that so few of those narrow-minded individuals had anything to say about the violence is even more telling.

And perhaps this proves out Shan Yu’s theories as well.

Controversies aside, this episode highlighted the characters in the time-honored Joss Whedon fashion. The characters continue to grow, something that in the post-“Star Trek” era has become an essential part of genre storytelling. Nothing happens in this episode that isn’t driven by the characters themselves, and that level of consistency is the heart of the series.


Memorable Quotes

BOOK: “Yes, I’d forgotten you’re moonlighting as a criminal mastermind. Got your next heist planned?”
SIMON: “No. But I’m thinking about growing a big black mustache. I’m a traditional.”

MAL: “Ah, the pitter-patter of tiny feet in huge combat boots. Shut up!”

MAL: “One of you is gonna fall and die, and I’m not cleaning it up!”

ZOE: “Is there any way I’m gonna get out of this with honor and dignity?”
WASH: “You’re pretty much down to ritual suicide, lambie-toes.”

ZOE: “Right. Because what this marriage needs is one more shouting match.”
WASH: “No, what this marriage needs is one less husband!”

RIVER: “What am I?”
SIMON: “You are my beautiful sister.”
RIVER: “I threw up on your bed.”
SIMON: “Yep…definitely my sister…”

JAYNE: “I’ll be in my bunk…”

MAL: “OK, um, I’m lost…I’m angry…and I’m armed. So if you two have something that you need to work out…”

WASH: “Hey, I’ve been in a firefight before! Well, I was in a fire…actually, I was fired from a fry-cook opportunity. I can handle myself!”

WASH: “Mal, she’s my wife!”
MAL: “Huh?”
WASH: “What gives you the right to put her in a dangerous situation like this?”
MAL: “I didn’t.”
WASH: “You did!”
MAL: “She ain’t here, Wash…”
WASH: “No, but she would have been!”
MAL: “OK…”
WASH: “I mean, I’m the one she swore to love, honor, and obey!”
MAL: “Listen…she swore to obey?”
WASH: “Well, no, not…”

NISKA: “A moment, please. This money…it is too much. You should have some small refund…”

NISKA: “Do you know the writing of Shan Yu?”
MAL: “We’re starting a book club? What, are you trying to torture me?”

ZOE: “Preacher, don’t the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killing?”
BOOK: “Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps…”

NISKA: “Mr. Reynolds? You died, Mr. Reynolds.”
MAL: “Seemed like the thing to do…”

ZOE: “OK, people…if it moves, kill it!”
KAYLEE: “Unless it’s the captain!”

MAL: “You want to meet the real me now?”

RIVER: “No power in the ‘verse can stop me…”

ZOE: “Jayne…this is something the captain has to do for himself.”
MAL: “No! No, it’s not!”

MAL: “I know it’s a difficult mission…but you and I…have to get it on.”
ZOE: “I understand. We have no choice. Take me, sir. Take me hard.”
JAYNE: “Now somethin’ about that is just downright unsettling…”

JAYNE: “Oh, hey…free soup!”


Observations

- Cheryl Cain, the writer for this episode, also worked her wonders on the series “Roswell”…

- One has to wonder where Book picked up the writings of Shan Yu, hmm?

- Would have been nice to hear a little more about the patterns in the experiments conducted on River…

- Nice bit of continuity in this episode…just about every previous episode gets some kind of reference!

- And here I thought a Grizwald only destroyed vacation plans…

- I’ll say it now and get it over with…the councilor was one very attractive woman!

- That’s one interesting torture device that Niska has. Maybe that’s what the FOX executives need to have applied to them next time they think of canceling the show!

- Anyone else laugh hysterically when Jayne checked his zipper when everyone looked at him?

- Well, people might be blubbering about two women making love, but at least they’re not complaining about the interracial couple…

Overall, this episode worked on many levels: the writing, the characterization, the acting, even the direction. Just about every character had his or her moment to shine. One can only wonder how long this series might maintain this level of quality, should it survive.

I give it a 9/10.

< -------------------------------------------------------------------------->

Next Episode

Back to Season 1

Back to Serenity

Email: entil2001@yahoo.com