Malcom Reynolds

• His actions are revealing as he constantly reaches out almost unsteadily, to touch Serenity in some way, as if he needs to keep contact with his home
• The bars and grating of the ship now shadows over his face as if he is feeling trapped by the situation

At this point, they came back from discovering what happened on Miranda and how the Alliance’s attempt on making people obey has gone horribly wrong. One of River’s main theme comes to head and is resolved. Some time during this, it’s implied that Mal attained that belief in what’s right and that is the most crutial turning point in Mal’s character in this movie. However, it’s his rallying speech that follows that really illustrates this.