Firefly: Ranking Episodes From Worst To Best

3. Episode 13: Heart Of Gold

Nandi: "It's who I am. And it's my home. I'm not going anywhere."

Mal: "Well, lady, I must say, you're my kind of stupid."

Mal and Inara's romantic relationship (or lack thereof) is brought to the forefront when the crew is called upon to defend a brothel from the abuse and attacks of a local rancher. When Mal takes an interest in Nandi, the madam of the brothel and Inara's friend, and sleeps with her, this shatters any illusion of Mal and Inara's as a "strictly professional" relationship. Mal is embarrassed when Inara catches him leaving Nandi's room, and Inara, who has always been calm and collected no matter what the situation, reacts as calmly as ever, but breaks down sobbing when alone in her room. To see a character as serene as Inara express such violent emotion is shocking and heartbreaking. The fact that all this drama takes place alongside the birth of a child of one of the prostitutes, and a skirmish with Serenity's crew and the prostitutes versus the rancher and the townsfolk for custody of said child makes for an unforgettable episode.

Another interesting story line that arises before all the violence and bloodshed is the discussion Zoe and Wash have about having a baby. Wash thinks it's unwise because of the danger they're always in, but Zoe wants a child, damn the circumstances. Given the horrible events of the end of Serenity, we will never get to see that child, but the fact that a child was even a possibility just makes Wash and Zoe's relationship all the more loving and wonderful.

What really makes this episode is seeing strong women show their strength, whether it's Zoe, Kaylee, Petaline (the mother of the baby), Nandi, or Inara. Inara's decision to leave - the shocker of the episode, especially since we're misled in believing that she's finally going to tell Mal she loves him - while perhaps not done for the best reason, shows that she is strong enough to walk away from someone she loves when she knows they will both end up getting hurt.

Contributor
Contributor

She is a student at the Ohio State University with a major in English and a minor in Film Studies. She loves watching 'Sherlock' and 'Doctor Who' and is an aspiring author currently working on her first novel about the Paris catacombs. Follow her on Twitter @sherlocked1058 or email her via coane.1@osu.edu. View more of her musings on Sherlock and Doctor Who at 221bbc.blogspot.com.