Blog 1: "The Train Job" -AG

Throughout the episode multiple characters mention Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds' hate for the Alliance, what effect does this have on his leadership?

Mal's hate for the Alliance definitely gets the his crew in some bad situation. He was a good, trusted leader, but when it came to the Alliance he was reckless. This recklessness can be seen in the opening scene when they were looking for a job in the bar, but instead they got into a brawl. This incident almost got the captain and his crew killed. Later in the episode Zoë Washburne mentions how it is funny that he is always looking for a quiet drink in Alliance friendly bars.I think Mal was a good person and captain, but from the things I observed in this episode his hate for the Alliance mades him reckless and endangered his crew.

One scene in the episode Jayne Cobb mentions that he thinks Captain Malcolm will sell the mysterious girl instead of keep her, but later in the episode he returns the medication to the sick people. How does this reflect on his character?

This is good evidence that Mal is a good person that wouldn’t think of selling the girl. When confronted by Nishka’s goons he could have easily handed over the medication and taken the money, but instead he did the right thing and decided to return it to the people that needed it. I don’t see any way he could benefit from returning the stolen cargo except a clean conscience, which a thief probably doesn’t need, but he still does it. In one of the last scenes the sheriff tells him he made the right choice, but Mal responds that he didn’t really have a choice. I think this shows that he is actually a good person and not the guy Jayne Cobb made him out to be or even the person Captain Malcolm makes himself to be at times.