In the second episode of “The Orville”, we find Ed and Kelly on an away mission that goes wrong and Alara dealing with being in command while Bortus is preoccupied.
Slight spoilers are ahead so this is your warning.
As The Orville encounters a ship in distress, there’s an awkward conversation between Ed and his parents who were aboard the Union ship. The whole diverticulitis conversation was a bit odd and didn’t quite land for me. Bortus is preoccupied with sitting on his egg until it hatches. It’s a funny and interesting idea that gets around how an all male species reproduces.
Ed and Kelly are taken captive once they shuttle out to the distressed ship, which is actually a hologram. They were sent a zoo, procured by a species that looks down on others who aren’t as technologically advanced as they are. The themes with this segment of the show have a lot to do with how we treat animals in zoos and parks as well as human behavior in general. We see how Ed and Kelly’s relationship went in a quick snippet as they are stuck together in an exhibit that looks like their old apartment. I think this helps show us that the infidelity wasn’t the main thing for their divorce, as was alluded to in the pilot. They are just not compatible in a romantic relationship, unlike on The Orville.
Alara is struggling through most of this episode with being in command. Her doubt causes her to make rash decisions like bring the holographic projector near the ship and following the admiral’s orders to return to Earth. Luckily, Carol was there to act as a guide for her. I really liked this interaction between them and hope it’s explored in other episodes By the end, she’s found the courage to stand up for herself and her crew. This leads to one of the funniest moments, trading her superiors for reality TV show clips.
The ending scene involving Bortus’s child makes me wonder how it’ll affect his storyline and the overall plot. One of the main plots I loved in “Star Trek The Next Generation” was the Klingon stuff with Worf. I think it would be a cool idea to invest an episode digging into Bortus’s backstory. I also feel that there would be a well of inappropriate jokes waiting for them.
I enjoyed this episode. I was a little worried about the Alara parts, but the fish out of water scenario worked itself out. Like the premiere, I could pick out some themes or situations that reminded me of Trek episodes. What I find interesting about this show is that I could easily see it as a spinoff from the Trek franchise. There are some modern updates like the pop culture references and the weed brownie, but it really does a good job of balancing the drama and comedy. I’d give this a 6/7, like the first episode.
A program note: It seems that episode 3 will be Thursday 9/21 at 9pm EST. That is the new time slot going forward. It looks like the high ratings of the premiere have caused Fox to rethink their lineup. Hope it doesn’t hurt them for the remaining 11 episodes.
JusTv Reviews 