Episode 6 - Our Mrs. Reynolds

Summary from Wikipedia:
As an unexpected reward for an unpaid job, Mal finds himself married to a naïve, subservient young woman named Saffron. Saffron is all too willing to play the role of housewife, which leads to argument between Wash and Zoe and lectures from Shepherd Book. But the young woman is not what she appears to be.

A Quote from the end of the episode when Mal finds Saffron who took the shuttle after setting Firefly up to be caught in an electromagnetic net:

Saffron: How'd you find me?

Mal: Only a couple places that shuttle would make it to from where you left… happy to find it intact.

Saffron: You're quite a man, Malcolm Reynolds. [Seductively] I've been waiting a long time for someone good enough to take me down.

Mal: Saffron, you even think about playing me again I will riddle you with holes.

Saffron: Everybody plays each other. That's all anybody ever does. We play parts.

Authenticity in a relationship is what all the books and surveys I read say our post-modern generation is looking for. My church throws around words like "be Real" be Relative" like juggling geese. Yet what does it mean to institutionalize authenticity? In the end is the church just "playing its part" like everybody does (according to Saffron)? You know I don't talk to many folks who become part of a faith community because of the "relative and real preaching" or "contemporary music". Yes those things may be attractions, but they don't keep people coming or build a relationship. It's the people who are authentic about being there and being with each other. The person who lights candles to welcome the presence of God in this space and shares a story about how this weeks been tough and their just thankful to be here. It's letting our guard down enough to stop playing "holy" and admit that a saint is just a sinner who falls down and gets back up. No parts to play, no recipe of worship to follow, just livin' and lovin'. There will always be a Saffron who doesn't get that or believe that. But there's always a Mal who knows a different tale. Who do you believe?