Firefly

War Stories

Season 1, Episode 10, Aired 12/6/02

Episode Summary

Jealous of Zoe's relationship with Mal, Wash insists that he go with Mal to try to sell some of the medical supplies the crew stole from the Alliance. In the middle of the deal, Mal and Wash are kidnapped by men working for Niska the crime lord, who wants revenge against Mal for the botched train heist. Meanwhile, Inara extends her services to a council member. To the crew's surprise, it's a woman. And Simon continues to treat River with some of the medicine he stole, but she suffers the occasional relapse.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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Nathan Fillion

Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds
Sean Maher

Dr. Simon Tam
Ron Glass

The Shepherd Book

Fan Episode Reviews (22)

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War Story

8.0

"Great"

By joxerlives, Jan 06, 2012 Report Abuse

War Stories

The good;
So lovely to see Kaylee and River playing together at the start like excited children with Mal and Inara looking on like a pair of devoted parents. Exciting ambush and final rescue and some nice comedy with Inara and her client and the crew's reaction to her. Also hints that River may be a lot more dangerous than we ever thought she might be and some nice character stuff between her and Simon.
The bad;
How exactly does Niska find out where Mal and co are doing the deal? Aside from that not much.

Best line;
Wash; "I am a large, semi-muscular man"
also like;
Jayne; (aroused by the sight of Inara kissing her female client goodbye); "I'll be in my bunk"
Zoe; "Jayne grab your weapon!"
portending of things to come;
'No power in the verse can stop me' said by River and Kaylee in 2 VERY different ways.

Packing heat;
Nikka's thugs use Blazer R93's in their ambush and Uzis, Steyr AUG's and Baretta submachineguns in the station. Wash packs a huge Colt Cobra 44. Magnum in addition to his Mossberg shotgun, Simon a Glock and Kaylee has a Bren 10 pistol, Sonny Crockett's gun from Miami Vice. Anyone tell me what Book's gun is?

Kinky dinky;
The henchman is reading some truly ancient porn when the Serenity arrives, did the Alliance ban Playboy or something? Zoe tells Mal to 'Take me sir, take me hard', naughty schoolgirl style prompting Wash to give his wife a hearty spank on the ass as foreplay for their 'bunk time'..
Notches on the Serenity bedpost; Inara's first female customer. Mal confirms that he and Zoe never had sex.

Inarra;3+1 possible, Atherton.
Wash; 1-the missus
Zoe; 1-the hubby
Kaylee;1-Bester

Capt subtext;
So the whole idea of the River/Simon incest vibe was actually given to people by Alan Tudyk's in his commentary for this ep? Doesn't give a jot of evidence for it though. Inara's first female client, as Kaylee observes "They look so glamorous". Love her 'God!" expression as Jayne leers over them.
The latent jealousy between Mal, Zoe and Wash comes to a head, noticeably Zoe never promised to obey Wash but does Mal. Of course she picks Wash to save over Mal which must reassure him. The central message seems to be that Zoe loves them both equally but Wash in a sexual romantic way and Zoe as a friend/war buddy.
How'd they get away with that?
Mal and Wash horribly (yet somehow quite amusingly) tortured by Niska. Stops being funny when he cuts Mal's ear off!
.
Total Serenity crew; 9-Book back. The whole gang don't hesitate to cowboy up and go Saving Private Mal.
Mal, Zoe, Jayne, Wash, Kaylee, Inarra, Simon, River, Book

Subverting the Hollywood cliche;
Amazingly Niska escapes. Mal actually wants the guys to shoot the torturer rather than deal with him himself. Wash does his 'Leave no man behind' schtick whilst cocking about the smallest pistol you've ever seen.

Knocked out; Mal knocked out/dead but then revived
Book; 2
Simon; 2
Kaylee; 1
Jayne;2
Mal; 2
Wash; 1
Inara; 1
Zoe; 1
River; 1

Kills; Inara takes no part in the combat and Kaylee never even fires her gun. Hard to tell amongst all the confusion but I'll give Zoe and Jayne 4 kills each and Wash 2. 3 kills for River. Despite both participating in the gunfight neither Book nor Simon kill anyone.
Mal; 11-
Zoe; 10-
Jayne; 11-
Wash; 2
River; 3

Happy high-class hookers in Space;
Everyone seems to be insatiably curious of whom the Companions are hired by, even Book, they're the futuristic equivalent of Heat magazine. She seems to specialise not so much in the sexual aspect of her job but in making everyone feel special.

Firefly speak;
Gorram=goddam.
Weak tea=not good
Back birth=idiot
Companion=high class courtesan
Gengish=competent
Doh-ma=understand/understood?
Rutting=bloody (or perhaps 'fraking'?)
Chin-cha-da=hell
Purple belly=officious bureaucrat
Ta-gow=Oh god!
Won-gwa-pee= to urinate or defecate
Gosa=excrement
Tien-sha-duh=rubbish
Los-soh-ret=crap
Dien-dyododo-chowen=bastard
Wah=what the hell?
Mah song=quickly
Jin-seen-yung=idiot
Nu-shu-quong=nice going
Mai-hong=hello
Sheinou-niou=no good
Mei, mei=actually been informed that it means 'little sister'
Niou-se=lame
Shot; Jayne get's clipped during the rescue
Mal; 2-
Kaylee;1-
Jayne;3-
Book;1-

Crew injured;
Mal and Wash tortured half to death with Mal's ear cut off. Thankfully Simon reattaches it.

Reminds me off;
The desert hill where they get ambushed is the same one Buffy fights the First Slayer on in Restless.

Questions and observations;
Niska returns as a recurring villain, I've often thought that Dollhouse and Firefly fall short of Buffy and Angel's success partly because they didn't have the interesting and exciting returning villains those series specialised in. Apples again, I'm beginning to formulate a theory that the entire series is actually about fruit. Alan Tudyk states that he believed Wash flew a couple of missions for the Browncoats during the war then was interned by the Alliance before seeing any action. Jayne and Book are workout buddies. Note that Jayne still takes the time to loot the bodies at the ambush site (and presumably recover the drugs from there and the money later from Niska's space station). Note it's Book who rigs the bomb on the mule.
So what is River who can effortlessly shoot three gunmen without even looking? Did the Alliance's experiments turn her into some sort of supersoldier and is that why they're so desperate to retrieve her? Or is she some form of X-men style evolving super being and the Alliance's experiments were designed to prevent her becoming dangerous? Or some secret weapon one of the sides developed during the Unification war and are now trying to cover up? Is that what scares Kaylee at the end?
Zoe cooks for Wash at the end which takes in greater significance if you've watched 'Our Mrs Reynolds'.

Marks out of 10; 8/10 and again bordering on 9, continuing the high standards of Ariel.
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A fantastic, action-packed and, at times, gruesome episode, War Stories is another outstanding installment of the show we love.

9.5

"Superb"

By la_survive, Apr 09, 2011 Report Abuse

War Stories is, in all respects, an outstanding episode of Firefly. It is action packed, but in between the gunslinging we are subject to some really exceptional character-driven moments which tug at your heartstrings and remind you why we all love this show so much.

I will be the first to admit that I can go either way with Wash as a character. He has his moments, but he doesn't always hit the mark for me. I personally think one of the only flaws of the series is the lack of chemistry and believable romantic connection between Wash and Zoe. I keep trying to imagine them together in some romantic respect, and it just doesn't work for me. Early on I thought it was Zoe I was not as drawn to, but I have now realized that it Wash that is the problem. The more I watch Zoe, the more I like and respect her as a strong, independent, loyal and capable woman. Wash, on the other hand, is yet to really prove himself to me.

Having said that, Wash does very well in this episode. He plays an interesting role here, torn between the jealous husband, the man wanting to be tough and and capable, and the genuine and compassionate man he actually is. I completely understand where he is coming from - if I was Wash, I would definitely be jealous about Zoe spending so much time with Mal! This episode is, without a doubt, a bloody and quite traumatic episode. Torture is not a nice concept, whether real or imagined or on TV. It is just unpleasant, especially when people (or characters) you care about are the ones undergoing the torture. But it does ensure that you as a viewer become emotionally involved. The torture scenes are horrible, but you watch because you want to see them survive.

Seeing Mal using every ounce of strength, will and nerve, while being tortured, to save Wash is one of the most touching moments to have occurred so far. Mal is such a remarkable, brave person, and although he works so hard to hide it, he cares so deeply about his crew that he would do anything for them. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Mal during the torture scenes because I was so proud of the way he endured - still managing to be himself while a genuinely evil person tries to systematically destroy him. I'm not even going to go there with the ear thing.

Which leads us to Niske - one of the few recurring foes in the series. The key with Firefly is that it is not about the guest stars or the enemies - it is about the crew. Niske is evil, but he is nothing to remember. It is the situation that Niske creates which is important, and the way our characters endure.

I loved the crew attack on Niske's ship. Book continues to impress me, as does River. Simon did just what I expected. I enjoy seeing the crew in action in the fight scenes, it is a form of poetry watching them make their moves, and watch each other's backs.

Finally, we have to make a comment about Inara's female client. This show is very open in its acceptance of sexuality in general. It would be very easy in a show that is primarily sci-fi (with a touch of Western) to not head down that road at all. Instead, Firefly takes it all in its stride, as we saw in the episode "Our Mrs Reynolds", not to mention the fact that Inara's character is a futuristic prostitute. The show is not trying to make a statement, and it is not overdone. Sex sells, hence its inclusion, but it is always just touched on without becoming clichd or cheesy. I appreciate this aspect of the show.

So, this was a great episode, with a lot happening and a return to the great dialog. Close to one of the best for me.moreless

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What bothers Wash...

8.5

"Great"

By Parricida, Jan 14, 2009 Report Abuse

Wash feels he is always left out in all the important things and his wife has a lot of doing with captain and is jealous.. So he decided to go instead Zoe to a mission and it all goes wrong - they are captured and now it is the left behinds job to get captain and Wash back.

Most of the episode is about the story and the tension between three - Zoe, Wash and captain.. Ofcourse Inara manage to bring one shock in too and Cobb is portrayed like quite an idiot in this episode.. mm.. maybe not only this - last episode proved that too quite.

I liked the apple story and the development on River storyline - she and that gun.. that was really freaking.. but she managed to save the moment.moreless

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This, in my opinion, is the best Firefly episode of the series.

10

"Perfect"

By Jason5550123, Aug 11, 2008 Report Abuse

War Stories to me is the best Firefly episode there is. It has plenty of Action, Character Development, Plot Development; just everything that makes this show great is in this episode. Nathan Fillion's acting in this episode is darn near perfect as is everyone else's. Mal goes through torture pretty much the whole episode, but I love how he gets out and tries to get his revenge on Niska and the torturer. This is also one of the funniest episodes of the series even during one of the torture scenes where Mal and Wash are arguing. All in all, this is definitely my favorite Firefly episode.moreless

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Mal and Wash are kidnapped.

9.5

"Superb"

By expatriot, Oct 26, 2007 Report Abuse

Fabulous episode, probably my favourite out of the ones I've seen so far (following the proper DVD order).

There are so many issues in this episode worth mentioning.

Wash's jealousy of Zoe and Mal's relationship. His understanding of Mal's courage after the torture. The Shepherd's extensive knowledge of guns and not just theoretical either. Simon's willingness to fire guns in defence of the ship during the rescue mission. River's excellent marksmanship during the rescue. Kaylee's wariness of River afterwards.

I loved Wash's changed attitude afterwards, he's gotten a completely new understanding of what soldiers go through and has a much better understanding now of what binds Zoe and Mal...moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
ADD TRIVIA
- In the scene where Zoe and the rest show up after the medical supplies deal has gone bad, you can clearly see cars driving back and forth on a road off in the distance. Edit
- Wash must be a terrible pilot in a shuttle, as the shuttle seems to be zigzagging all across a perfectly flat valley - the sunlight sways back and forth from the window across Mal and him as they're going to the drop zone. Either that, or the sun is changing position on the horizon every five seconds. Edit
- As the crew are storming the station, one "dead" guard can be seen lying perfectly alongside one of the walls. But when the opposite wall gets shot, you can see the whole body jump in shock. Edit
Notes
ADD NOTES
- During the torture scene on Niska's Skyplex, there was so much fake blood on Alan Tudyk's face that it stained his contact lens. Edit
- The opening narration (Mal's) was broadcast in New Zealand. Edit
- The British showing on the Sci Fi channel had the opening narration. Edit
Quotes
ADD QUOTES
- Wash: This whole "Captain" thing isn't Zoe's trouble. It's the guy she never slept with! Oh, Mal, I wish you had slept with her! Then at least she'd be over it. Mal: Oh, you want me to sleep with her? Would that make you feel better?! Wash: It might! Mal: I imagine it'd do wonders for her, too! Edit
- (Wash and Mal are blindfolded in Niska's torture chamber)
  Wash: Mal, she's my wife!
  Mal: Huh?
  Wash: What right do you have to put her in a dangerous situation like this?
  Mal: I didn't!
  Wash: You did!
  Mal: She ain't here, Wash!
  Wash: Yeah, but she would have been! Edit
- Wash: But these are good, wholesome apples. Jayne: Yeah, grenades cost extra. Edit
Allusions
- Help by adding allusions to this episode. Add allusions