Blog 2-The Train Job

I used to watch Firefly a long time ago, and so I barely remembered the second episode. Watching it again today made me remember just how enjoyable the series was.

The episode shows that it is possible, even in trying circumstances, to maintain a sense of morality. When the captain Mal and his crew take up the train job, they have no idea what to expect, what they are stealing. They take the job simply because they need work to keep flying, no matter the kind. The times they live in have driven them to these extremes.

After Mal and his crew steal the loot and Mal realizes just what they have done, he tries his best to solve the problem he has created. The show throws up a contrast between the captain Mal and one of his crew, Jane. Jane seems to be the run of the mill mercenary, a person who only cares about completing the job at hand and getting paid for it. Like the idea he represents, he is quickly quieted by the rest of the crew.

This episode also shows the importance of friendship. The crew of the ship, mostly newly formed, band together to try and come up with a way of getting their captain and his first mate out of the trouble they had gotten into. Most of the people on board the ship barely know them, but they care enough to try and rescue them.

The episode in general shows the strength of humanity: the caring nature we all have, the sense of morality that is imbibed in us all. And that is what makes it interesting.