Episode Ratings Grid

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Excellent
Great

Episode Power Rankings

The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.

#1
S1E5 9.3
Out of Gas

After Serenity suffers a catastrophe that leaves her crew with only hours of oxygen, flashbacks show how Mal and Zoë acquired Serenity and assembled their motley band.

#2
S1E10 9.2
Objects in Space

Serenity encounters a ruthlessly professional bounty hunter, Jubal Early, who will stop at nothing to retrieve River. But River, feeling unwelcome on the ship, takes a novel approach to escaping from the long arm of the Alliance.

#3
S1E3 9.0
Our Mrs. Reynolds

As an unexpected reward for an unpaid job, Mal finds himself married to a naïve, subservient young woman named Saffron. The crew are amused at his discomfort and Book lectures him on propriety, but things aren't as smoothly straightforward as they thought them to be.

#4 Ariel S1E8 9.0
#5 War Stories S1E9 8.8
#6 Serenity S1E11 8.8
#7 Trash S1E13 8.8
#8 Jaynestown S1E4 8.7
#9 Bushwhacked S1E2 8.4
#10 The Message S1E14 8.4

Lowlights

#14 S1E7 Safe 8.1

Mal must choose which crew members to save when one is gravely wounded and two others are kidnapped. Simon finds an uneasy haven in a remote village, but River's uncanny perceptions jeopardize the Tams' temporary safety.

#13 Heart of Gold S1E12 8.3
#12 Shindig S1E6 8.3
#11 The Train Job S1E1 8.3
#10 The Message S1E14 8.4

The Quality Arc

Each point is an episode, plotted in order. Colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for the rise, the plateau, or the decline.

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Episode Engagement

High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.

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