firefly recomendations

I would love to kick things off with the pilot (Serenity), but as Dr. H has already mentioned, its a two part episode. However, the episode is on hulu (and youtube) for free and is quite easy to access, allowing it (at least the first half) to keep its place as a viable contender for class viewing (people will just have to commit to finishing it in their own time. Not much of a commitment, considering Firefly's irresistible awesomeness). The pros of kicking off with the pilot is character introductions for Shepherd Book, River, and Simon (all important characters who feature prominently throughout the series). Other episodes that I think would be good for first time viewers would be "The Train Job" (good for some rousing action and interesting character insights without requiring too much back-story knowledge) and "Our Mrs. Reynolds" (a hilarious intrigue filled with deception, juiciness, and one of craziest female characters ever to appear on television).
In conclusion, I'm all for watching any one of these three episodes. All three work well for first-timers and exhibit large doses of Firefly goodness. If I absolutely had to pick one I would probably go with "Serenity," but like I've already said, any one of the three would work well.