Blog 3

Blog 3, Episode 13: Hearts of Gold

Episode 13 of Firefly is an action-packed one. This episode really outlines an interesting part of this show; while Firefly is about the future, many of its aspects are taken from the past. The shows' old western, cowboy style is present in many ways in Hearts of Gold. The town, the brothel, the townsfolk and the weapons are all reminiscent of the wild west of American History. The lack of order and apparent government control is also similar to the wild west. I also really like the mixture of future and past that creates a very unique result. The future is usually thought of as completely different than the wild west of American History.

There are also aspects of the show that represent social issues that I wouldn't think of for the future. The misogynist antagonist of this episode represents a huge problem of the wild west of American History, and he presents a major enemy to the captain Mal and his crew. This villain is vicious, reckless, and very sexist. The other social issue in this episode is the concept brothels. One would think of the future as void of prostitutes, because as the human civilization has progressed, brothels have become less and less accepted. This aspect of the show really illustrates the lawlessness and disarray of Firefly's representation of the future.

This episode was also big in the development of the character of Mal. Mal led the crew to victory as well as strengthening his relationship with Anara.