Firefly # 2: Ariel

Episode 9
First Aired November 15th, 2002

"Ariel" is probably the episode that is the heaviest on the science fiction aspects of the series. It is the only time we ever see a central planet (the titular Ariel) and we see some of the most technologically advanced equipment ever shown in the 'verse. Serenity is in port on Ariel so that Inara can have a routine check-up to keep her companion's license, and Mal forbids anyone from leaving the ship. However, the group is strapped for cash, and Simon proposes a lucrative job: if the crew can River and him into a hospital containing an advanced brain scanner (kind of an advanced MRI machine), he will instruct them on how to steal extremely valuable medicine from the hospital's store room.

As is usually the case with Firefly, things don't go according to plan. This time around, Jayne causes trouble by alerting the police that he will have the fugitive Tam siblings. Believing he will get a huge payday, the officer making the arrest double crosses Jayne and plans to claim the reward himself. Before the fearsome Hands of Blue agents arrived to claim the Tams, Simon showed that he can remain calm in tough situations as he tried to stall for time to allow Jayne to subdue their captors. Jayne and Simon were able to work together to escape their captors, and when the Hands of Blue finally arrived, they were upset to find the prisoners gone. But what they found even worse was that the officer spoke to River; for this, they used a strange device that caused his blood vessels to burst, leaking blood out of his eyes, mouth, and fingertips.

Jayne, Simon, and River were eventually able to rendez-vous with the ship. Thinking that they were in the clear, Jayne let his guard down, only to get knocked out by Mal. Mal figured out what happened and nearly killed Jayne in response. The scene between the two of them, with Jayne in the airlock with the hatch door open as they were about to leave the planet's atmosphere and Mal safely on the other side of the door was fantastic. We learned just how much Mal cared about his crew, including Simon and River, and how far he would go to protect them.

Up next: Firefly #1...