We get into the particulars of two A+ episodes of Joss Whedon's Firefly this week, which bring us questions such as: just how dim is Mal, exactly, when it comes to Inara's feelings for him? If the mudders are all slaves, how come they have great dental care? How deep is Shepard Book's commitment to being a Debbie Downer? Should Mary get a perm? That has less to do with Firefly, but it is a big question. 

This week we grab a martini and a beer to talk a couple of great Firefly episodes: Shindig and Safe. Inara gets the focus in the first episode, which brings up some issues with the concept of companions in the show: if they are so respected, why are customers always treating Inara like property? Then, in Safe, Simon and River are kidnapped by a town in need of a doctor which actually seems to work out ok until River outs herself as a weirdo and is nearly burned at the stake. So close!

This week Alli and Mary discuss Firefly's sad lack of robots, whether The Train Job works better as an opening episode and how much of a through line there is between the concept of browncoats and the confederacy. Both the Train Job and Bushwhacked explore Mal's character in depth: a guy who will break the law, but has a strict moral code; a captain who will do his own dirty work; a dude who knows how to get shit done. We also learn a bit more about reavers and the big bad alliance. Cheers!

Welcome to the new season of Must Be Tuesday! We're starting off Joss Whedon's Firefly with the exposition heavy pilot. We learn almost everything there is to know about the 'verse, the crew and the bad-guy alliance central government. If that wasn't enough, we're introduced to enough catchphrases and linguistic quirks to fill far more than the mere 14 episodes and one movie that make up Firefly's canon. Grab a beer and join us--cheers!