![(source: firefly.fandom.com)](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/firefly/images/6/66/Ep_ariel_sc297.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070301213337)

**Ariel (S1X09)**

Airdate: November 15th 2002

Written by: José Molina
Directed by: Allan Kroeker

Running time: 43 min.

**Previous**: *[Out of Gas](https://peakd.com/hive-166847/@drax/television-review-out-of-gas-firefly-s1x08-2002)*
**Next**: *[War Stories](https://peakd.com/hive-167922/@drax/television-review-war-stories-firefly-s1x10-2002--dgm)*
(Complete list [here](https://draxreview.wordpress.com/2025/05/23/firefly-episode-review-list))


The ninth episode of *Firefly* continues to build upon Joss Whedon's fictional universe with remarkable efficiency, delivering an entertaining narrative that showcases variety in style and atmosphere. Set on Ariel, one of the Central planets representing the heart of the Alliance and the entire human-inhabited universe, the episode follows Serenity as it travels to Ariel for Inara's mandatory health checkup, a requirement for all registered Companions. During the travel, River's erratic behaviour escalates with vicious attack on Jayne. Convinced that his sister’s condition is deteriorating, Simon devises a daring plan to infiltrate the planet's main hospital and use its advanced equipment to diagnose her condition. He convinces Mal to join the mission by promising to help them retrieve valuable medicine from hospital’s vaults, but the plan does not go as smoothly as expected. 

The visuals in *Ariel* are very good for early 21st Century standards, with brief CGI scenes depicting the heavily urbanised landscape of Ariel’s main city with skyscrapers and flying cars, reminiscent of Coruscant from the Star Wars universe. The hospital interiors, a cold and sterile environment run as a bureaucracy, provide a stark contrast to the grimy, rough frontier where most of the series has taken place. This juxtaposition highlights the vast differences between the Alliance's controlled society and the lawless outer rim. 

Director Allan Kroeker, known for having honour of directing final episodes of three Star Trek shows (*Deep Space Nine*, *Voyager*, *Enterprise*), expertly guides the plot, unfolding it quickly and efficiently.

However, the script by José Molina falls short of expectations. The more experienced audience can predict how the raid and the episode will ultimately end, making the only question "how." Molina adds some uninspired red herrings, such as Simon temporarily halting his mission to save a hospital patient's life, and a plot twist that showcases Jayne as the weakest link in the Serenity crew once again. The resolution of Jayne's subplot is both too melodramatic and too convenient, but Adam Baldwin's talent as Jayne helps to improve the impression.

When it is all said and done, *Ariel? is a solid episode that fans of the show would have reasons to be satisfied with. While it doesn't reach the heights of some of the earlier episodes, it still offers an entertaining and engaging story that further builds on Joss Whedon's fictional universe. 

RATING: 6/10 (++)


Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com 
Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/
InLeo blog https://inleo.io/@drax.leo 

Hiveonboard: https://hiveonboard.com?ref=drax 
Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax 
1Inch: https://1inch.exchange/#/r/0x83823d8CCB74F828148258BB4457642124b1328e


BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG
ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7
BCH donations: qpvxw0jax79lhmvlgcldkzpqanf03r9cjv8y6gtmk9




Posted Using [InLeo Alpha](https://inleo.io/@drax/television-review-ariel-firefly-s1x09-2002-2b4)