Firefly Special: The R.Tam Sessions

_****½

Kept prisoner at the Academy, River Tam becomes the subject of Alliance experimentation, falling deeper and deeper into psychosis and losing sight of who she is. Though never directly stated, River's given mission grows steadily clearer the longer she's held hostage, and she's forever changed by the experience.

The Impertence of Communicationizing

_****½

A typo made in an office memo leads the employees of Veridian Dynamics to believe they can insult one another without repercussion; meanwhile, Veronica starts feeling guilty about her most recent promotion, despite her best efforts to feel otherwise.

What's My Line (Part 2)

_***

Spike kidnaps Angel for use in a ritual to restore Drusilla's sanity, while Buffy contends with the fact that there's a new Slayer in town in the form of Kendra, the girl called after Buffy died at the hands of the Master.

What's My Line (Part 1)

_***½

Buffy tries to work out what the future has in store for her as Sunnydale High's career fair heats up; meanwhile, Spike hires a group of assassins to take care of the town's Slayer threat, potentially risking Angel's life in the process.

Firefly Special: Those Left Behind

_***½

Figures from both Mal and River's pasts come back to take their revenge while Inara and Book both consider their upcoming departures from Serenity.

Life on Mars Special: La Chica de Ayer

_****½

Samuel finds himself in 1977 after being involved in a traffic accident and is made to work alongside a man with much different values in order to make his way back to 2009 Madrid.

The Dark Age

_***

Ethan Rayne returns, this time with a demon from Giles' past in tow, revealing a darker side to Giles' history that could put the lives of everyone he loves in jeopardy.

The New Kid

_**

Daria bonds with Ted, a previously home schooled student, when she's forced into contributing to the yearbook. Their relationship is later complicated, however, when Daria inadvertently rejects him, and the nature of their friendship is called into question.

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.

Beating a Dead Workforce

_****½

When an employee drops dead from being overworked, Veronica tries to parlay the tragedy into a method of motivation to convince the rest of her staff to meet an important deadline.

Life on Mars Special: Life on Mars

_***½

NYPD Detective Sam Tyler is struck down during an investigation and is soon shocked to find himself in 1973 New York. Convinced that solving a similar case in the past is his ticket home, Sam works to solve the case assuming that he will be returned to 2008 as soon as the criminal is behind bars.

Lie to Me

_****

One of Buffy's old classmates from Los Angeles transfers to Sunnydale High, proving to know far more about Buffy's destiny than he ever previously let on. Unfortunately his interest in her nocturnal activities proves dangerous when he gets himself involved with Spike and Drusilla.

Firefly Special: The Other Half

_***

Charged with protecting a hover-stage coach, the crew of the Serenity is made to deal with the incoming threat of the Reavers as well as a group of Alliance agents determined to take River into custody.

The Great Repression

_***½

Ted and Linda are sent to counseling when they're accused of sexually harassing a fellow employee; meanwhile, Phil and Lem attempt to save the job of a robot when it is replaced by a far less efficient human employee.

Life on Mars Special: Ashes to Ashes

_****½

Police psychologist Alex Drake has spent a great deal of time reviewing the case of Sam Tyler, wondering whether there was anything that could have been done to prevent his leap off the roof. Her investigation is sidelined, however, when she's shot and meets up with Gene Hunt in 1981.

Halloween

_****

Halloween is, as Buffy explains, an opportunity to "come as you aren't" and show the world what you could be under different circumstances. Unfortunately, the costumes provided to Buffy and her friends are enchanted, changing their identities based on their masks and robbing Sunnydale of its Slayer.

Playing Into Fantasy

_***½

Hannah's life is made all the more complicated when her sister Jackie comes to stay, proceeds to snoop about Hannah's flat, and falls into bed with Ben. As though that weren't enough, Belle is confronted by an angry Stephanie looking to discuss her depiction in Belle's book.

Firefly Special: Better Days

_***

When a job leaves Mal and his crew wealthy beyond their wildest dreams they take it as an opportunity to live out their fantasies, but the crew's bounty seems far less important when they learn that Mal's life is suddenly in danger.

Reptile Boy

_**

Cordelia convinces Buffy to shirk her responsibilities for one night to go to a frat party with her, only to find that they've been invited not as guests, but as offerings to a demon. While Xander does what he can to help the girls, he instead is made the target of college humor when he's discovered as a party crasher.

The End of the Tunnel

_*****

Sam is given the promise of returning home provided he's strong enough to get through one final operation: the complete destruction of Gene Hunt. Working with Frank Morgan, Sam must gather evidence to remove Gene from his position, in effect risking the lives of everyone he's come to know.