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Ariel (Firefly episode)
Encyclopedia
"Ariel" is the ninth episode of the science fiction
television series
Firefly
created by Joss Whedon
.
Hard up for cash, Serenity takes on a job from Simon: break into an Alliance hospital on central world Ariel so that he can get a thorough diagnostic of River and the crew can loot the valuable stores of medicine. But River's pursuers are hot on their trail, and they receive some unexpected inside help.
heads to Ariel, a central world of the Union of Allied Planets
as Inara is due for her annual Companion physical exam and license renewal. Following an incident in which River attacks Jayne he demands that she and Simon be left on Ariel. Mal
quashes any talk of leaving people behind but privately warns Simon that River has to be kept under control. Simon acknowledges that his sister is getting worse.
Simon approaches the crew with a plan: he would drug himself and River so they appear dead, allowing the crew to enter Ariel city's hospital using a scrapped medical shuttle they refurbished and fake EMT
IDs. The group would then split up, with Jayne guarding Simon as he analyses River's condition whilst Mal and Zoe steal drugs from the hospital.
The scheme starts off as planned and the team are admitted and Mal and Zoe head off to steal the drugs. Whilst waiting for Simon and River to wake up, Jayne makes a call to an Alliance officer who agrees to pay a reward for Simon and River. Once awakened, Simon dresses as a doctor and takes River to the diagnostic ward with Jayne. There, Simon discovers that River's brain has been surgically operated on many times, disabling her ability to suppress emotions.
With the analysis complete, Jayne leads them to a rear entrance where they are stopped by Federal marshals who arrest them. Jayne learns that the Alliance officer plans to arrest him for aiding and abetting
the fugitive siblings, keeping the reward money for himself. Meanwhile Mal and Zoe return to the medical shuttle with the loot, but realize that Jayne and the Tams are late so head back into the hospital to find them.
The three prisoners are moved to a holding area where Jayne and Simon overpower their escorts and escape. Shortly afterwards two blue-gloved men arrive to take custody of the Tams, using a mysterious sonic device
to kill all the marshals. Meanwhile, a terrified River leads Jayne and Simon a locked door which is opened from the other side by Mal and Zoe and the group escapes.
Inara returns to Serenity just as the medical shuttle arrives. Once everyone else has left the cargo area, Mal knocks Jayne out. Jayne awakens to find himself in an open airlock as the ship begins to leave the atmosphere. Jayne eventually confesses that he betrayed Simon and River and Mal tells him that doing so was the same as betraying him. As Mal turns to leave, Jayne asks him not to tell his shipmates about the betrayal. Sensing repentance, Mal closes the outer door, sparing Jayne's life.
The medical shuttle that appears in the episode and is used to ferry the main characters back and forth from St. Lucy's is built from a 2/3 scale model of a Soviet Mil Mi-24 Hind D helicopter. A group of fans have bought the scrapped medical shuttle (from a scrapyard in Mojave, California
), and are in the process of restoring it, hoping to show it on the Firefly convention circuit.
When the crew returns to Serenity after their successful raid of the Alliance hospital, Malcolm grabs Kaylee from behind and pulls her into a friendly hug. This was improvised by Nathan Fillion
, and was left in the shot because Joss Whedon
felt it was such a natural movement for Malcolm to make.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
created by Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
.
Hard up for cash, Serenity takes on a job from Simon: break into an Alliance hospital on central world Ariel so that he can get a thorough diagnostic of River and the crew can loot the valuable stores of medicine. But River's pursuers are hot on their trail, and they receive some unexpected inside help.
Plot summary
The episode opens as SerenitySerenity (Firefly vessel)
Serenity is a fictional Firefly class spaceship appearing in Joss Whedon's Firefly television series and related works. Set in the 26th century, the series revolves around nine characters, which form the crew of the small transport ship, as they try to make a living through various legal and...
heads to Ariel, a central world of the Union of Allied Planets
Alliance (Firefly)
The Alliance is a fictional supra-governmental entity in the Serenity franchise, a powerful authoritarian government and law-enforcement organization that controls the majority of territory within the known universe...
as Inara is due for her annual Companion physical exam and license renewal. Following an incident in which River attacks Jayne he demands that she and Simon be left on Ariel. Mal
Malcolm Reynolds
Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds is a fictional character and main protagonist in the Firefly franchise. Reynolds is played by actor Nathan Fillion in the 2002 TV series Firefly and the 2005 film Serenity. In the series, Reynolds is the captain of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity...
quashes any talk of leaving people behind but privately warns Simon that River has to be kept under control. Simon acknowledges that his sister is getting worse.
Simon approaches the crew with a plan: he would drug himself and River so they appear dead, allowing the crew to enter Ariel city's hospital using a scrapped medical shuttle they refurbished and fake EMT
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
IDs. The group would then split up, with Jayne guarding Simon as he analyses River's condition whilst Mal and Zoe steal drugs from the hospital.
The scheme starts off as planned and the team are admitted and Mal and Zoe head off to steal the drugs. Whilst waiting for Simon and River to wake up, Jayne makes a call to an Alliance officer who agrees to pay a reward for Simon and River. Once awakened, Simon dresses as a doctor and takes River to the diagnostic ward with Jayne. There, Simon discovers that River's brain has been surgically operated on many times, disabling her ability to suppress emotions.
With the analysis complete, Jayne leads them to a rear entrance where they are stopped by Federal marshals who arrest them. Jayne learns that the Alliance officer plans to arrest him for aiding and abetting
Abettor
Abettor , is a legal term implying one who instigates, encourages or assists another to commit an offence.An abettor differs from an accessory in that he must be present at the commission of the crime; all abettors Abettor (from to abet, Old French abeter, á and beter, to bait, urge dogs upon any...
the fugitive siblings, keeping the reward money for himself. Meanwhile Mal and Zoe return to the medical shuttle with the loot, but realize that Jayne and the Tams are late so head back into the hospital to find them.
The three prisoners are moved to a holding area where Jayne and Simon overpower their escorts and escape. Shortly afterwards two blue-gloved men arrive to take custody of the Tams, using a mysterious sonic device
Sonic weaponry
Sonic and ultrasonic weapons are weapons of various types that use sound to injure, incapacitate, or kill an opponent. Some sonic weapons are currently in limited use or in research and development by military and police forces. Others exist only in the realm of science fiction...
to kill all the marshals. Meanwhile, a terrified River leads Jayne and Simon a locked door which is opened from the other side by Mal and Zoe and the group escapes.
Inara returns to Serenity just as the medical shuttle arrives. Once everyone else has left the cargo area, Mal knocks Jayne out. Jayne awakens to find himself in an open airlock as the ship begins to leave the atmosphere. Jayne eventually confesses that he betrayed Simon and River and Mal tells him that doing so was the same as betraying him. As Mal turns to leave, Jayne asks him not to tell his shipmates about the betrayal. Sensing repentance, Mal closes the outer door, sparing Jayne's life.
Continuity
- The two blue-gloved men and River's litany of "Two by two... hands of blue... two by two... hands of blue..." first appeared in "The Train JobThe Train Job"The Train Job" is the second episode of the American science-fiction western television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon, although it was the first to be shown...
".
- Jayne is tempted by money and betrays Mal. In the pilot episode "SerenitySerenity (Firefly episode)"Serenity" is the two-hour series pilot for the American science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. However, Fox executives were not satisfied with this as a pilot, and so instead, "The Train Job" was created as a second pilot and was the first episode of the series aired....
" Jayne commented that it would be an "interesting day" when the money is good enough to betray Mal.
- While captured in the airlock, Jayne pleads with Mal to "be reasonable." This is a callback to Mal and Zoe's first meeting with Jayne and his former crew, where Mal asks the crew to be reasonable while Jayne points a gun at him, as shown in the "Out of GasOut of Gas"Out of Gas" is the eighth episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. It differs stylistically from the rest of the series, in that it tells its story alternately in three timeframes: events in the present, events in the near-past that led to the present, and...
" flashback sequences.
Production details
Mojave, California
Mojave is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. Mojave is located east of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 2762 feet...
), and are in the process of restoring it, hoping to show it on the Firefly convention circuit.
When the crew returns to Serenity after their successful raid of the Alliance hospital, Malcolm grabs Kaylee from behind and pulls her into a friendly hug. This was improvised by Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion is a Canadian actor, currently starring as Richard Castle on the ABC series Castle. He is also known for his portrayal of the lead role of Captain Malcolm Reynolds in the television series Firefly and its feature film continuation, Serenity.He has acted in traditionally distributed...
, and was left in the shot because Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
felt it was such a natural movement for Malcolm to make.
Guest actors
- Blake Robbins as Agent McGuinness, a Fed that snatches Simon, River and Jayne.
- Jeff Ricketts and Dennis Cockrum as Blue Glove Men, the mysterious agents pursuing the Tams.
- Tom VirtueTom VirtueThomas E. "Tom" Virtue is an American actor. He is best known for his co-starring role as Steve Stevens in the Disney Channel sitcom Even Stevens.-Life and career:...
as Pompous Doctor, who Mal and Zoe run into during the heist.
External links
- "Ariel" at Firefly Wiki