Firefly: Ranking Episodes From Worst To Best

5. Episode 8: Out Of Gas

Inara: "Mal - you don't have to die alone."

Mal: "Everybody dies alone."

"Out of Gas" is told in three time frames: the present, where Mal is alone and dying on the abandoned Serenity; the near-present, showing the events leading up to Mal being left to die and Serenity floating in dead space; and the past, which is Mal's memories of how everyone in the crew came to be on Serenity.

Normally I would say flashbacks are a technique that's over-used, but this is an incredibly well done sequence that perfectly balances the comedic tones of Mal's first encounters with Wash, Kaylee, Jayne, and Inara and the drama that arises when Serenity begins running out of air. The sense of imminent doom and claustrophobia is so intense that, when the salvage ship captain opens the doors of his ship onto Serenity, we feel as much relief as Mal when air rushes in.

Never have I seen an origins episode done half so well; combine that with the tension created by the "death" of Serenity and the looming demise of Mal and the crew, and you have one haunting, near-perfect episode.