part 4: shindig

contains no malsimon scenes (PAIN) but there is one thing to report on:

“the captains a good fighter, he must know how to handle a sword”

this man is just making shit up and assigning skills to mal that he absolutely does not have 😭 this is what the kids call glazing. simon is also the first person to suggest they go rescue him so there’s that and it could mean nothing

also simon saying “you’re hurt” the moment mal walks back into serenity…just something to think about.

part 5: safe

okay well we are starting off this crazy episode with a bang with MALSIMON SHOULDER TOUCHING! is it condescending and mean spirited? YES. is it still physical contact? YES!

“right…i’m sorry if she tipped anyone off about your cunningly concealed heard of cows” - simon drinks haterade every day and it’s the best thing about him. this causes mal to put his arm around him, which is definitely the reaction anyone would have in that situation…surely…

home and belonging is a huge theme in this episode, and it’s something simon struggles with immensely. we see flashbacks to his family’s gaslighting and eventual total shunning. simon had a great life set up for himself, a place where he belonged and could make a difference, and he gave it up for his sister. now both of them are unwanted by everyone but the law.

mal tells simon that serenity won’t leave without him and river, something that simon repeats later in the episode — right before he sees serenity take flight. simon believes that the crew has abandoned them, that MAL has abandoned them. this gives more weight to his honestly suicidal actions towards the end of the episode.

“the doctor could be called a lot of things, coward wouldn’t be one of them” - mal has so much respect for simon it actually irritates him

when inara tells mal he knows where he can find a doctor, he immediately jumps to ranting about simon. seems like he’s occupying quite a bit of brain space???

big damn heroes is a great scene for many reasons, but my favourite part is mal cocking his gun to “yeah, but she’s our witch.” not only is he claiming river as one of their own, but he’s fighting for her as she is, fucked up, disruptive, magical. that both of the tams are liabilities, but ones mal is willing to deal with, because they’re family.

“yeah, but you don’t even like me.” (sounding lowkey disappointed)

“you’re on my crew. why are we still talking about this?” — mal is spelling out to simon that he belongs here, that serenity is home. mal was always going to come back for the tams, both out of moral obligation and, by my reading, because of something he doesn’t even have words for between him and simon.