Episode Review: “Shindig”

Mal and Inara end up at the same society gathering while working, and Mal’s run-in with Inara’s client ends with his being challenged to a duel. There are only two problems: Atherton, Inara’s client, is a renowned swordsman, while Mal’s knowledge of a sword is pretty much limited to knowing which end is supposed to go in the other guy.

“Shindig” is the episode that I tend to use to introduce people to Firefly; because there’s some focus on Kaylee, it is one of my favorite episodes. In addition, it’s one of the more amusing episodes. (I love Mal’s “Mercy is the mark of a great man…” scene).