Meanwhile, Mal heads up to the bridge to find out from Wash that there's a ship approaching. Mal worries that the Alliance has caught up with them, but it's not an Alliance ship. It's a much older vessel that isn't used much anymore. Mal demands more information. Wash can't see the ship yet, but scans tell him that there's a lot of radiation coming from the ship because it's operating without core containment. Wash points out that doing so is tantamount to suicide. Mal looks out the window and declares, "Reavers." We see a shot of the ship floating outside, even though Wash just said it was too far away for a visual. The tense Percussion Of Ridiculously Improbable Space Cannibals plays as Wash and Mal look horrified.

Commercials. What I want to know is how these Bod people can afford this huge media blitz every Christmas and Valentine's Day. It's not like anybody actually buys that stuff.

When we return, we see shots of various crewmembers doing various things as Mal explains to them through the intercom that they're approaching a Reaver ship. Book is praying over Kaylee in the infirmary. Mal tells them that the ship may be heading somewhere in particular, or they may have already "hit somebody" already. Mal says that everybody needs to stay calm. If they try to run, the Reavers will chase them. They just have to stay the course and hope they don't respond. Mal concludes by ordering Zoe up to the bridge.

Simon chases Zoe down the corridor to ask what the hell the Reavers are. I should be retroactively annoyed that this means they've explained to Simon what Reavers are in two different episodes, but it's not like the writers had any choice in the matter. Zoe explains about them being space cannibal rapists. Simon heads to the infirmary to be with River, who is sleeping on the other table.

we cut outside for a brief shot of Serenity approaching the large, ungainly Reaver ship. Inside, Inara opens up a little case that contains a needle, one would assume in order to choose suicide over being raped to death. Or perhaps she's just diabetic. Jayne loads his guns in his quarters. There are blurry pictures on the wall behind Jayne. We can't make them out. They could be women. Or men. Or guns. Or possibly even food.