"The Train Job"

Written by Joss Whedon and Tim Minear
Directed by Joss Whedon


In which Mal and the crew of Serenity accept a train job from a sadistic criminal named Adelei Niska, but find that the situation is a bit more complicated when the true situation comes to light...

Status Report - Memorable Quotes - Final Analysis







Status Report

When the series originally aired, this was the first episode seen by the audience. FOX, in their usual brand of wisdom, decided that the actual pilot wasn’t good enough to start, so they asked for a shorter, more direct introduction to the series concept. This episode served that purpose about as well as one could ask, but it doesn’t cover all the bases.

Taken in the correct context, of course, it’s a good if somewhat generic follow-up to “Serenity”. The characters are all new to the audience, and this episode manages to avoid repeating the same information as given in the pilot, giving out more details while naturally extending what should have already aired. As the second episode of the series on DVD, this is a pleasant expansion of the “Firefly” universe.

The teaser is obviously intended to give the audience a quick primer of the information covered in “Serenity”. It’s exactly six years since Unification Day, and this is presumably something that happened very shortly after the Battle of Serenity Valley. As such, it stands as the most blatant reminder of the moment when Malcolm Reynolds lost everything that mattered to him, sending him on his current path of self-isolation.

Of course, the interpersonal aspects are reinforced: Zoe as Mal’s fiercely loyal right-hand-woman, going back to the war, and Jayne’s mercenary interests. Serenity’s rise from behind the cliff is a nice glamour shot, and good enough as an introduction, even if it’s hard to believe that the ship could have appeared that quickly without a sound! The audience is reminded/informed that Zoe and Wash are married and that Wash has a quirky sense of humor.

Simon and River have a good scene in the infirmary, even if it’s a bit too expositional. River’s recent history is covered in the most general fashion, and as compared to the powerful scenes in “Serenity”, this is rather disappointing. But this is a function of the “second pilot” problem, since in this case, it’s just a recap for the informed audience.

Mal’s conversation with Book is a bit more complicated. Dialogue that didn’t make sense the first time around fits perfectly following the events of “Serenity”. Book shows a certain resolve by confronting Mal so directly, perhaps seeing some shred of nobility in the man. Book wants to understand Mal’s state of mind, and so he pressures him about Simon and River. Mal’s evasive replies speak volumes, and this gives the writers a chance to remind the audience that Mal has little patience for religion.

Inara’s sisterly relationship with Kaylee is quickly reinforced, followed by some oddly strained exposition between Mal and Inara. All the right information is communicated, and it works within the context of what was established in “Serenity”. But because of the demands of serving as a “second pilot”, the conversation is less natural than it could be. The sexual tension is there, but not nearly so much as it was in “Serenity”. And Mal’s joke about the hair seems out of place.

Enter Adelei Niska, a truly memorable villain. If anything helps to communicate the concept that living in the frontier world is filled with corruption and danger, this character does the trick. His casual brutality and straightforward sense of business allows the audience to gauge Mal and his morality; if Mal has certain reservations about working with Niska, it demonstrates that some decency remains, all criminal tendencies aside.

What the audience learns is that Mal has a reputation for getting the job done and done right. Gaining that reputation can’t be easy, especially since Mal is running on the thin line between outright criminality and legitimate enterprise. Mal’s choices speak to what he tries to pretend not to be: a decent man, scarred by a loss of faith in humanity.

The caper is simple enough, and as usual for Joss Whedon material, it’s all about how the situation reveals something about the characters. Mal and Zoe demonstrate their working relationship, something that comes across naturally. There’s no question, when watching them together, that Mal and Zoe have been a team for years. Knowing that Zoe is there to keep him grounded, Mal lets himself approach situations with a bit more recklessness than one would expect.

Just as revealing is the scene between Book and Inara. Book continues to probe for information, trying to understand the psychology behind certain choices. He could just as easily fall prey to certain assumptions, and the fact that he doesn’t bother with such assumptions reveals something about his background. Book is sincere enough about his calling, but he definitely has some kind of experience in the intelligence community.

Kaylee continues to shine with her combination of wonder and earthy charm. She’s clearly excited by new experiences, and not necessarily afraid to go with her instincts. She accepts the life she lives on Serenity, and even takes glory in it; it’s enough to confound Simon into accepting his current situation more quickly than he realizes. Beyond that, the attraction between them continues, enough that new viewers could understand it.

Jayne, of course, comes along with his own bit of exposition. Without the context of the pilot, the nuances of the whole Simon/River/Mal/Jayne situation are hard to properly interpret, but Jayne makes his point of view clear enough. Jayne’s eventual choice to betray Simon and River, against Mal’s wishes, come through loud and clear in “Serenity”. Without that context, Jayne’s comments in this episode make it sound like Mal could actually have an ulterior motive for keeping Simon and River on board.

Things, of course, go badly, and that’s when the episode is forced to play out the drama for the sake of being an easy introduction. The moral dilemma is posed: what will Mal do, when he discovers that sealing the deal will cause terrible suffering? The writers quickly scale back the potential problems by letting the audience know that the Alliance doesn’t care enough about such a theft on the frontier worlds. So Mal only has to deal with the local law enforcement, making it easier to wrap things up nicely.

The issue of rescuing Mal and Zoe provides some insight into the rest of the crew. Jayne, of course, wants to put the job ahead of everything else; it’s all about getting paid. Wash insists on making sure Mal and Zoe are safe before worrying about the consequences of not completion the deal to the letter. River gets to freak everyone out, while also drawing the parallel between the minor theft of Alliance goods and the larger issue of her presence on Serenity.

The most interesting aspect of the discussion is Book’s quick and concise analysis of their situation. The very fact that Book is aware of Adelei Niska comes as a shock. Combined with his physical skills as shown in “Serenity” and his apparent psychological evaluation tactics, it seems clear that Book used to be involved in covert intelligence operations under the Alliance.

As much as Mal’s conversation with the sheriff at Paradiso moves the plot along, it also provides some important background information on the “Firefly” universe. As already mentioned, humans have terraformed dozens of worlds to Earth-like conditions, often depositing settlers with little to no modern technology. This episode adds another interesting layer of information: the process is far from perfect, and unforeseen “quirks” lead to medical problems and unforeseen disease.

This makes the lack of attention on the part of the Alliance even more sinister, and it works on the level of the post-American Civil War metaphor. The Alliance is depicted as a federalized corporate government, concerned mostly with the bottom line of the profit margin and making sure everyone dances to the same tune. It’s not clear what’s mined at Paradiso, but so long as the output is good enough, the Alliance minimally maintains basic health and lets the local law enforcement handle the rest.

Inara’s timely arrival presents an opportunity to show where a registered Companion fits within the social structure of the Alliance. Companions serve as courtesans, generating intense interest and exclusivity, as well as a measure of respect. But even so, there are those that look down on Companions as simple whores, something that Mal uses when he wants to lash out against his own feelings for Inara.

Faced with a moral dilemma, Mal quickly decides to do the right thing, no matter how inconvenient. In this case, it’s very inconvenient, especially when Niska’s men show up and don’t get the concept of the deal being off. This is not unlike the situation that rapidly develops regarding River. Mal has the choice between handing her over to the Alliance and helping Simon keep her safe.

As if to make sure the audience doesn’t get the wrong idea about Mal, the writers follow his highly moral choice with a somewhat violent yet fitting resolution to the problem of Niska’s thug. Mal’s more than happy to give back Niska’s money, but he has no intention of letting yet another enemy hang around.

The final scene reminds the audience that Mal still has to deal with the question of River’s apparent fugitive status. It also introduces the agents of the Alliance, with their blue-gloved hands and apparent authority. It’s a chilling glimpse of the future, just enough to communicate what kind of people might be after River as well as the extent of their reach.

Throughout the first two episodes, the underlying “geography” of the series is hinted, though it’s not entirely clear. Just about everything is referred to as a “planet”, yet distances are rendered in interplanetary terms, not interstellar. There are also references to “the system” and the “central planets”. All of this suggests a very simple scenario: in the wake of Earth’s desolation, humanity found a new planetary system to inhabit.

To be successful, this migration would have required one or two planets with an existing state of habitability, possibly due to terraforming endeavors prior to the migration itself. From that point, the nearby moons would have been terraformed using advanced techniques. The suggestion is that this process was repeated among the planets and moons of a rather large planetary system. The logistics are hard to imagine; how would the outer planets, far from the central sun, manage to maintain an Earth-like atmosphere and ecology?

With little information to go on, it’s hard to know if this was ever taken into account. The implication, of course, is that there are enough planets to suggest distance and a frontier: imagine each planet to be each of the 50 United States in the late 1800s, and the metaphor is plain as day. The central planets are the Northeastern states, while the outer planets are like the Western states, with varying levels of sophistication and civilization.

Joss intentionally keeps this metaphor loose, and that is the reason for much of the confusion. One would think that knowing the exact cartography of the planetary system in question would help to define the areas where the Alliance has control. Yet, it works just as well, if not better, to simply suggest that the Alliance is spreading across the entire system, slowly but surely wiping out every chance at escaping the bounds of the federal corporation. In a world where multinational corporations seem to be growing in power, this is a metaphor that is easily understood.

This is not a perfect episode, because the complexity is stifled by the need to present a “second pilot”. The writers clearly chose a way to add to what was revealed in “Serenity” so that the episode could still work as part of the greater whole, but time is definitely spent introducing or reinforcing concepts that have already been covered. This is not uncommon for the first episode of a series after a pilot, but in this case, it takes a little away from an otherwise solid and entertaining effort.


Memorable Quotes

MAL: “Wash, we’ve got some local color happening…”

MAL: “This is why we lost, you know. Superior numbers.”
ZOE: “Thanks for the re-enactment, sir.”

LUND: “I’m thinking somebody needs to put you down, dog. What do you think?”
MAL: “I’m thinking we’ll rise again.”

MAL: “See, this is another sign of your tragic space dementia, all paranoid and crotchety. Makes it hard…”

MAL: “Well, they tell ya, never hit a man with a closed fist, but it is on occasion hilarious!”

BOOK: “That young man’s very brave.”
MAL: “Yeah…he’s my hero!”

MAL: “Well, what about you, Shepherd? How come you’re flying about with us brigands? I mean, shouldn’t you be off bringing religiosity to the fuzzy-wuzzies or some such?”
BOOK: “Oh, I’ve got heathens aplenty right here…”

INARA: “What did I say to you about barging into my shuttle?”
MAL: “That it was manly and impulsive?”
INARA: “Yes, precisely. Only the exact phrase I used was ‘Don’t’!”
MAL: “Well, you’re holding my mechanic in thrall. And Kaylee, what the hell’s going on in the engine room? Were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?”

INARA: “Mal, if you’re being a gentleman, I may die of shock.”
MAL: ‘Have you got time to do my hair?”
INARA: “Out!”

ZOE: “He’s a psycho you know. Niska.”
MAL: “He’s not the first psycho to hire us, or the last. You think that’s a commentary on us?”

INARA: “You could always pray that they make it back safely.”
BOOK: “I don’t think the captain would much like me praying for him.”
INARA: “Don’t tell him. I never do…”

ZOE: “You don’t think that changes the situation a bit?”
MAL: “I surely do. Makes it more fun.”
ZOE: “Sir? I think you have a problem with your brain being missing…”

SIMON: “So, what are we doing?”
KAYLEE: “Oh, crime!”
SIMON: “Crime? Good, OK…crime…”

JAYNE: “Time for some thrilling heroics!”

JAYNE: “How’s about you shut that crazy mouth? Is that a fun game?”

MAL: “Whatever happens, remember I love you.”
ZOE: “Sir?”
MAL: “Because you’re my wife.”
ZOE: “Right…sir…honey…”

MAL: “That sounds like the Alliance. Unite all the planets under one rule so that everybody can be interfered with or ignored equally.”

JAYNE: “You know what the chain of command is? It’s the chain I go get and beat you with until you understand who’s in ruttin’ command here!”

WASH: “Did he just go crazy and fall asleep?”

MAL: “Nice shot.”
JAYNE: “I was aiming for his head!”


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is strong enough on its own merits, but it’s obviously caught between two very different needs: to serve as an introductory episode, and to build on what was revealed in the pilot. As a result, it sometimes manages to fail in one regard while excelling in the other. Even so, there are some important plot threads introduced along the way.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Original Rating: 7/10
Final DVD Rating: 8/10




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