The original televised run of Firefly ended December 20th 2002, ironically enough with the pilot episode. Three of the then-filmed production order didn't make it to the air until the summer, with one episode each airing in June, July and August. "Trash" was the first of the three to air and it tends to be a fan favorite. I can think of two reasons why. One, it's the second episode to feature Saffron, the con woman played by Christina Hendricks, and two, Nathan Fillion's backside gets a cameo. Still, I can understand why "Trash" didn't get to be part of the front ten schedule. It's a one-off heist episode that really shows what a limited budget Firefly was working with and it relies heavily on a guest star rather than giving a whole lot to the central cast. The biggest shame of losing "Trash" from the original run is that it has a few good moments for Inara, a character who never really got to be involved in the heists and battle scenes that make up so much of the series. In fact, Inara's biggest episode, "Heart of Gold", also got knocked back to the summer. Maybe that's why Morena Baccarin now works for ABC.

"Trash" opens with what would end up being a somewhat iconic image for Browncoats: Mal sitting alone in the desert sans clothing. His sentiment? "Well, that went well." Three days earlier, a much more thoroughly clad Mal meets up with an old war buddy on what's supposed to be a routine job, only to find out said buddy is the latest unwitting victim of slippery seductress Saffron. After a brief fist fight, Mal and Saffron start talking business. She's got a lucrative theft lined up and needs a crew to pull it off. Though they've got their reservations, especially Inara, the folks on Serenity decide to give it a shot.

Though I'm a real sucker for a heist plot (seriously, shows like Hustle and White Collar are among my most prized guilty pleasures), I have to admit that the gig in "Trash" is fairly disappointing. This has more to do with the budgetary limitations of Firefly than it does with a lack of good ideas. Scenes like Kaylee reprogramming the garbage drone while balancing on top of the ship had every right to be thrilling but it played as a series of cuts between Alan Tudyk making a strained face and Jewel Staite with Adam Baldwin on what is quite obviously a small set piece on a sound stage. That really knocks the wind out of what was probably intended to be the most exciting, tense moment in the episode.

I guess that gets to the heart of what makes "Trash" feel so out of balance. It wants to be one of Firefly's adventure episodes but it doesn't have the means to pull that off so its greatest triumphs are its quiet character moments. It takes place in a city floating above a vast ocean and centers around the theft of a priceless antique, but "Trash" comes off as more than a little airless. Sure, it has its stimulating moments, they just aren't enough to compensate for all that's missing. I much prefer Mal's conversations with Saffron and especially Simon confronting a temporarily paralyzed Jayne at the end of the episode.

Best Moment: Simon's monologue. Seriously, why haven't we seen more of Sean Maher? Also, it ends with one of River's most memorable lines-- "Also, I can kill you with my brain."

Notes: I sense a bit of a trilogy thing in this episode. I can imagine a revelatory third Saffron episode, one that ends either with her death or possibly her addition to the crew. Ah, the many Firefly stories that never will be. Get on it, fanfic authors!

Episode Rating: 3.8/5- It's really hard to get past how limited this episode feels. All the actors do a good job and it has some strong moments, but it's definitely among the lesser episodes of the series.