Firefly - "Bushwhacked" (TV Episode Review #11)

After the fun sci-fi action-adventure of “Serenity” and “The Train Job”, “Bushwhacked” veers straight into sci-fi horror.  It’s quite a jarring shift in genre and tone for Firefly, and to fit the standards of American broadcast television in 2002 it had to be toned down and appropriated for a TV-14 rating.  Nevertheless, this is still a surprisingly terrifying episode.

The story of “Bushwhacked” plays out like a sidequest in a Western role-playing game.  The party (Serenity) comes across a new location (an abandoned ship in the middle of space) and decides to explore it.  They search around, and in doing so they open a can of worms in ways they did not expect.  In this case, they encounter the aftermath of a settlement that got destroyed by a familiar enemy.  Hint: it’s the not the Alliance, but the other enemy—much, much worse than the Alliance.  This particular “sidequest” has a strong survival horror feel.  The episode’s tension is driven by suspense and terror of what could happen next based on what has already happened on the abandoned ship.  For most of the episode, you don’t see the enemy, but the aftermath of what they left behind is enough to send a message regarding exactly how threatening they are.

The design of the ship, a savaged wreck in the cold depths of space, tells its own story visually.  Remnants of civilian life scatter the ship, now a mess; tools, supplies, food, children’s toys, and other items litter the floors and tables of various rooms.  The lighting evokes a dark atmosphere with a sense of emptiness and bleakness, making heavy usage of blacks and side lighting at adjusted angles.  The cinematography’s choice of handheld cam, with just the right amount of wobbliness and unusual camera angles, makes the vibe disorienting.  It is a perfect reflection of the old storytelling adage, “show, don’t tell”, and this art direction establishes a dark and unsettling mood on the ship.

This entire situation has a serious emotional effect on River, whose mental sensitivity plays a central role to the story.  Thanks to her psychic mental state, she is the first person to sense danger before everyone else does.  Whenever she starts acting like something is wrong, you know something is wrong.  It provides some foreshadowing for when you know something bad is about to happen before the other characters do.  You’ll be begging her brother, Simon, and the rest of Serenity to listen to her whenever she freaks out in both halves of the episode.

The second half of this episode is a change in gears from the first half’s direction, but is no less tense.  In fact, the monstrous looming threat is still following Serenity all the way to the end.  Couple that with a secondary conflict they run into and have to put up with, and the stakes are raised right up to a climax that will keep you on your toes because this whole episode maintains the same dark survival horror tone throughout.

In several ways, this episode proves Firefly’s versatility.  “Bushwhacked” introduces a new element to the Firefly mythology that enriches its universe and helps it feel more alive.  From a thematic standpoint, it also tells the audience that the Alliance is not the only enemy that Serenity has to face.  It opens many new doors for various new possibilities for future episodes of the show.