Episode Summaries

1.1“The Train Job”
Writers: Joss Whedon & Tim Minear
Director: Joss Whedon
Airdate: 9/20/02
Summary: The crew is hired to steal something from a heavily guarded boxcar, but when Mal discovers it is medicine, he wrestles with his conscious.  The last scene is a must see.

1.2“Bushwhacked”
Writer: Tim Minear
Director: Tim Minear
Airdate: 9/27/02
Summary:  they find a defunct ship that has been the victim of the Reavers.   They find a survivor, but he is not all well, it seems to survive he has become one of the enemy.  to top things off, they are "pulled over"  and boarded by an alliance ship that suspects they are harbouring fugatives.  After Mal saves the Alliance captain's life they are stripped of their cargo and let go.

1.3“Our Mrs. Reynolds”
Writer: Joss Whedon
Director: Vondie Curtis Hall
Airdate: 10/4/02
Summary: A celebration on a planet that hired the crew to rid them of outlaws gets out of hand when Mal is given a wife for a present.  Or is he.  It turns out that the back water wife is a trained companion, set aboard to hijack Serenity.

1.4"Jaynestown”
Writer: Ben Edlund
Director: Marita Grabiak
Airdate: 10/18/02
Summary: A job leads them to a moon that that Jayne had once pulled a heist on.  He is nervous about the job until he realizes that he is a folk hero for these 'Mudders'.   His partner who he pulled the heist with four years ago is set upon Jayne, once the magistrate, (the one whose money they stole) found out he was back.  When a child died protecting Jayne from a gunshot, Jayne knocks down the statue and tries to explain that he was just a regular man.

1.5“Out of Gas”
Writer: Tim Minear
Director: David Solomon
Airdate: 10/25/02

1.6“Shindig”
Writer: Jane Espenson
Director: Vern Gillum
Airdate: 11/1/02

1.7“Safe”
Writer: Drew Z. Greenberg
Director: Michael Grossman
Airdate: 11/8/02

1.8"Ariel"
Writer: Jose Molina
Director: Alan Kroaker
Airdate: 11/15/02

1.9"War Stories"
Writer: Cheryl Cain
Director: Jim Contner
Airdate: 11/22/02