Getting fed up with Mal and Zoe going on all the missions and returning with exciting stories, Wash insists on accompanying Mal on a delivery. Sadly, things go south and the pair are captured by the man they screwed over a few months earlier, causing them to be tortured and Zoe to set up a rescue mission.

The nastiest episode of the series to date, the torture sequence here is horrific, including Mal having an ear cut off, electric shocking, and some nasty moments with sharp pointy tools, including some that whirr and grind. It doesn't forget the humour, though, as shown at the end when Mal is fighting against the main villain and Zoe, in traditional sense, says it's something he has to take care of personally, only for Mal to shout out, 'A bit of help would be good!'

It works as a good example of what a dangerous world Mal inhabits, while also showing the bonding of the crew and the relationships between them. Given the choice,Zoe picks to save her husband and not Mal, but it's more because Mal can protect himself and Wash simply doesn't have the ability to deal with it. He is, however, the first person to suit up and set out on a revenge visit. He's so adamant, in fact, that even Jayne falls in with the group for once and stands up for his crew.

The other aspect of this is River, whose actions are becoming increasingly odd. But it's in this episode that she manages to pick off three enemies in three shots without even looking at them, and it manages to be slightly more scary than most of the torture sessions. It also manages a double whammy through demonstrating that Kaylee simply snaps under pressure, something she's managed to hide until now but is unlikely to mean anything positive for her future. As nasty, gritty dramas go, this is way ahead of the game, with some nice little tricks, cool camera angles and a strong script. It's a shame this show simply doesn't seem to be picking up the viewers.

****

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