and finish the job, but Wash refuses to leave without Mal and Zoe. Shepherd Book urges caution, and Jayne tries to take the ship by force, but Simon sedates him. Meanwhile, Mal learns that the stolen cargo is desperately needed medicine. The nearby mining town is afflicted with "Bowden's Malady", a degenerative disease caused by mining activity. The local sheriff is suspicious of Mal's cover story that he and Zoe are a married couple looking for work. Inara appears and uses her considerable status as a Companion, falsely claiming that Mal is her runaway "indentured man" who persuaded Zoe to leave her husband. The impressed sheriff lets her take the "runaways" back into her own custody. Mal decides they will deliver the medicine to the townspeople and return Niska's money. Niska's henchmen find them first, and a fight ensues. The Serenity crew wins, and secures the villains. Mal and Zoe drive the cargo to the town, intending to drop off the crates discreetly. The are surprised by the sheriff and his deputies, who realize what they have done. They are grateful for the return of the medicine and allow them to go free. Mal tries to negotiate with Crow but he says Niska will refuse, and promises to hunt down and kill him. Mal casually kills Crow and next henchman agrees to cooperate. Elsewhere, on an Alliance cruiser, two mysterious men in suits and wearing blue gloves inquire about a girl and show the captain a photo of River Tam. Production On May 3, 2002, Fox rejected the original two-part pilot episode "Serenity". Within two weeks, series writers Joss Whedon and Tim Minear had create a new pilot to introduce the show's characters, themes, and story elements to new audiences. The duo completed the script on May 16. Production on "The Train Job" began on July 8, 2002. The ominous "Hands of Blue", two men who are pursuing River, first appear in this episode. As noted by Tim Minear in the DVD commentary, Book's knowledge of underworld dealings (particularly his theory of Niska's reaction to an incarcerated Mal and Zoe) alludes to his cryptic past. Guest cast Tom Towles as Lund, a thug at the bar Mal, Zoe, and Jayne drink at, who takes a disliking to Mal Andrew Bryniarski as Crow Michael Fairman as Adelai Niska Gregg Henry as Sheriff Bourne Jeff Ricketts as Blue Glove Man #1 Dennis