Firefly Special: Downtime

_**

Stranded on an icy planet after a job, the crew bides their time trying to enjoy themselves, unaware that a group of bandits is slowly closing in on them. River takes matters into her own hands while keeping the rest of the crew completely clueless to the situation, dispatching her own style of justice.

Previous: The Other Half

It's not often that Serenity's crew has a chance for a little downtime, and while this certainly isn't what they would have chosen to be doing during their respite, it remains an opportunity for them to catch their breath.

River states that it's as easy for Book to kill as it is for her, and while she doesn't elaborate to the point that he knows what she's talking about, it's a fairly interesting comment given the lack of information the audience has on him up to this point. Book has remained largely a mystery throughout his time in the series, choosing to keep certain details about his past to himself in order to protect both his own privacy and the safety of the crew aboard Serenity. He has always had an interesting presence to him, as he's incredibly careful about what he reveals to those he trusts, let alone those he doesn't, and for River to be the only person that truly knows who he is and what he's capable of could prove an interesting dynamic between the two of them.

The interaction between Wash and Zoë here is quite fun, giving Zoë the chance to voice her own opinion, one that mirrors that of Mal, while also facetiously changing said opinion at the behest of her husband. The two of them have always maintained a fairly stable relationship, and it's clear, even in their arguments, that they truly and deeply care for one another.

As he sits down at the dinner table with the rest of the crew Simon reveals that Jayne has contracted a venereal disease. It's not only a weird inclusion in the story, but it's completely out of character for Simon, and though he likely would love to humiliate Jayne in the same manner that Jayne constantly humiliates Simon and his sister, this just seems in poor taste. Were there some kind of alcohol involved, or had he been questioned on the subject by Kaylee, it would have played far more genuinely, but as it is it seems only included in order to raise Simon above Jayne without taking into consideration his previous characterization.

There's absolutely no build up to River killing the bandits, as they appear only for two panels and the action quickly cuts away to the inside of Serenity. When the action is turned back to River, she's surrounded by a slew of bloodied bodies, and though it is a display of what she can do, and how little the rest of the crew, and even Simon, know about her, it's just a sloppy way to handle the reveal of her secret.

Chris Samnee's art here isn't necessarily bad, on it's own it's actually fairly nice, but it's nothing too special, either. There's just nothing to really draw the attention to the page, and given the reader's likely familiarity with the characters, the likenesses are simply not up to par.

Editor Scott Allie presents here what is simply a moment in time for Serenity, nothing overly dramatic, but exactly the kind of thing that likely happened off-screen during the television run.

Zack Whedon's script here goes largely nowhere, as though its stalling for time despite the fact that it has no direction. It's far too short to feel complete in any way, and the set up has been sacrificed in order to rush the reveal, which cheapens the entirety of the plot. This story would benefit from a larger focus on River, perhaps focusing solely on her, but as it is it's just the ghost of an idea.

As always it appears that River knows more than she lets on, but her confusion about things often muddies things up for her, so what understanding she's actually gained from the information she's gleaned from people's minds still remains a mystery.

Next: Those Left Behind