Shindig

Series: Firefly

Episode: Shindig

Scene: Captain Mal Reynolds vs Atherton Wing.  

Actors: Nathan Fillion, Edward Atterton (funny how he plays Atherton), Morena Baccarin (despite being there really only for talking purposes)

Stuntmen:  I don't believe there are any stuntmen in this scene.

Scenario: Captain Mal thinks he's standing up for Inara's honour by punching Atherton in the face when he calls her a whore, but instead finds himself faced with high-society rules. A punch to the face is a challenge to a duel. This duel is to be fought with swords, and is a fight to the death, as one who is beaten is a coward without honour, and death is a more noble fate than facing defeat.

Style: Sword fight - Fencing

Genre:  Realistic and Dramatic

       This fight is between Captain Mal Reynolds and local aristocrat Atherton Wing.  Atherton is a skilled swordsman of high society, and Mal definitely isn't.  Atherton has the advantage, and has control over the entire fight until he's distracted by Inara.
       There's definite realism in the way Mal conducts himself during the fight, as well as how Atherton plays with him.  Mal fights with wide, open swings, and Atherton takes advantage of it.  We see the fatigue in Mal, and think him to be defeated, or that Inara will be lost. There's deep concern with the vast gap in skill levels between the two gentlemen, giving us the thought there's something incredible to be lost.  We wince when Mal's wounded, and Mr. Fillion acts through all of it.  The lightheartedness returns at the end of the fight with the somewhat swashbuckly finish, and Mal's acerbic wit. 

Three Rules

Objective: Mal's goal is to protect Inara's honour, and to not die. 

Tactics: Mal uses his one night of training with Inara (as a companion to high society members, one must apparently be well versed in everything awesome ever), his persistence, and his fists. 

Obstacles: Atherton is an incredibly skilled swordsman, and Mal has never used a sword.  Mal's temper also clouds his judgement, and Atherton uses Mal's hot-headedness and overcompensation to easily wound him. 

 

Background Info: Mal works as a smuggler in a tumultuous time.  He's a skilled gunman, and overall incredibly cunning, but his lack of knowledge of the sword and higher society lands him in trouble. Mal looks out for "me and mine," and will go to any and all extremes to protect those he loves.  We don't know much about Atherton Wing, other than he's arrogant and rather douchey, has contracted with Inara before, and he wants her as his personal companion.

Why I Chose It: It was between Shindig and the sword fight between Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones, but I sort of love Firefly, and this scene from Firefly has rapiers, as opposed to the broadswords in Game of Thrones.

Link! Start at minute 6.  http://www.scifixtreme.com/media_center/component/hwdvideoshare/viewvideo/621/firefly/firefly-14-shindig-33.html