After the comedy of episode seven comes a more tragic, yet utterly brilliant, episode of Firefly. Here’s Caroline’s look back at Out Of Gas…
Out Of Gas is about the tenth character of Firefly, the ship itself. Like many a show with this devout a following, the places and sets take on their own meaning, but none so much as Serenity.
The characters themselves each have a special relationship with their ship, and each one is systematically explored in this episode. When the engine malfunctions and Zoe is badly injured, the rest of the crew realise that life support has failed and they must evacuate as soon as possible. Mal decides to stay with his ship, and he continues the search for rescue alone.
We begin with the captain already the sole resident on Serenity, and a voiceover takes us back to the moment he first bought it, much to Zoe's chagrin. Over the course of the episode, we continue to jump between three different time frames in search of the full story from start to finish, and this gives the visual department a challenge in making it clear where we are at what point in time. Firefly has never looked so beautiful or so tragic, and the saturated colour inversion juxtaposes with the dark hues of the present day footage for some stunning effects. The show’s visual identity has never been so clear.
The tragedy takes place during Simon's birthday dinner, a scene of unity and comradeship that demonstrates how each member of the crew had finally found their place in each other’s company. Of course, in true Joss Whedon style, this moment of happiness is quickly shattered by the course of events that follow.
Although much of the episode relies on the solo performance of Nathan Fillion, it's a study of his relationship with the ship and its crew, so these group moments are important. Much fun is to be had in some of the flashbacks, as we get to see how each character managed to arrive in the same place.
The episode has a scale and intimacy running side by side that hadn't really been achieved since the pilot, and arguably won't be again until the finale. It's kind of sad that Out Of Gas wasn't saved for the last slot, as it serves as a mission statement for the show while giving each character a moment to shine, all the while demonstrating relationships that aren't often given a spotlight.
As always, the best moments come courtesy of Mal and Kaylee, as their co-dependence and protectiveness over each other underlines the perilous situation they find themselves in.
So, what is essentially a bottle episode emerges as the series' finest moment. When re-watching the season as a whole (and in the intended order), it is Out Of Gas that really encapsulates everything that came before and would follow after. As Serenity starts to fail, it has never seemed more alive and truly does become an additional character to the show.
Vitally, you can care about her as much as the other nine who occupy her. The moment Mal wakes up to see his returned crew, worried he's hallucinating, is the point where we finally understand his character. The episode, and arguably the show, is about the love between a man and his ship, his freedom, and his crew, and this episode highlights what we all appreciate about those ideas.
You can read our look back at episode seven, Jaynestown, here.
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