The Orville - Season 2 (1 Viewer)

[Clinton McClure]

I didn’t have a problem with last night’s episode other than it was extremely dull.

 

[TJPC]

I actually did have a problem! It was not large enough to ruin the show for me, but I thought it was far too dirty for regular TV and family viewing. That has absolutely nothing to do with same sex relationships, at all. I found the flip comment made by the ships pilot particularly disgusting.

Watching this alone, or in a movie theatre would have been one thing, but it was shown here in prime time. I kept imagining families watching it.

 

[Todd H]

I thought the episode was hilarious and much better than the first one.

 

[Francois Caron]

Just remember that the second episode was actually the first season episode that wasn't aired. It doesn't necessarily fit into the context of the second season. We need to see a few more second season episodes to see where the show's going.

I do have to admit that the Moclan porn was cringe worthy at times, but I still liked the episode as a whole, especially the verbal smackdown Bortus gave to Isaac on the shuttle.

Do Moclans have any divorce lawyers on their planet?

 

[BobO'Link]

I watched the "premier" episode last night. It was OK, but rather lackluster. The best sub plot was with the Doctor and her kid's issues at school. The whole "take Bortus home to pee" plot was rather anticlimactic and uninteresting not to mention highly implausible.

 

[BobO'Link]

I actually did have a problem! It was not large enough to ruin the show for me, but I thought it was far too dirty for regular TV and family viewing. That has absolutely nothing to do with same sex relationships, at all. I found the flip comment made by the ships pilot particularly disgusting.

Watching this alone, or in a movie theatre would have been one thing, but it was shown here in prime time. I kept imagining families watching it.

I missed the "flip comment" or it just didn't register. I agree about it being too "dirty" for "regular" TV. It's certainly not one I'd watch with the kiddies - but then I pretty much feel that way about the entire series. It's much like Family Guy - a show that appears to be "Family Friendly" material but truly isn't. It *does* have a "TV-14" rating and, IMHO, much of the humor in the series feels like it's specifically targeting that age group.

That said - I liked the rescue mission part of the episode but had no use for the Bortus porn sub-plot. It didn't feel like it served any real purpose other than false drama and to get in the juvenile joke of the week. It truly feels like it belongs earlier in S1 before they dropped most of that approach to "humor."

 

[TJPC]

I missed the "flip comment" or it just didn't register. I agree about it being too "dirty" for "regular" TV. It's certainly not one I'd watch with the kiddies - but then I pretty much feel that way about the entire series. It's much like Family Guy - a show that appears to be "Family Friendly" material but truly isn't. It *does* have a "TV-14" rating and, IMHO, much of the humor in the series feels like it's specifically targeting that age group.

That said - I liked the rescue mission part of the episode but had no use for the Bortus porn sub-plot. It didn't feel like it served any real purpose other than false drama and to get in the juvenile joke of the week. It truly feels like it belongs earlier in S1 before they dropped most of that approach to "humor."

It referred to a solo action he engaged in that made him so relaxed today.

 

[BobO'Link]

Ahhh... yeah... that... I caught it and felt it was uncalled for but was more annoyed with the Bortus porn sub-plot as it felt a bit more over-the-top and contrived. A rather poor attempt to inject conflict where there was none. Without rewatching S1 (soon... it's on the way) my recollection is his and his mate's relationship wasn't in trouble/rocky - other than the whole sex change of the offspring disagreement. It's stuff like that that really makes me reconsider my overall opinion of the show. I'll be generally enjoying an episode and then they throw in juvenile humor for no reason other than that 14 year old group's amusement.

It just hit me that I'm watching this via streaming which makes me quite a bit more tolerant than if I were watching on broadcast TV. By watching that way it has more of an HBO feel so I don't necessarily pay much attention to some of more egregious comments. If I'd watched that on regular TV I'd be quite offended - both by the comment and the porn sub-plot.

And:

Spoiler

Divorce is done by killing your mate!?!?! That's just insanely stupid even for this show!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I for one enjoyed the episode from last Thursday, though I think it would have worked better if it had aired during season one as originally intended. It seems like this closed the story arc that began with Bortus laying the egg, and it felt a little out of place coming so long after we last saw anything on that conflict.

I thought the episode was well done and balanced the humor with the heartfelt. I think to view the so-called porn subplot as just being about porn is to kinda miss the point. Bortus and Klyden had a disagreement about how to raise their child, and that disagreement resulted in a permanent solution being taken which only one of the two of them were okay with. That decision caused Bortus to re-evaluate how he felt about Klyden and their relationship, and Bortus felt lost and disenfranchised. While the porn scenarios shown demonstrated a quirky sense of humor, the underlying problem, of not feeling connected to your partner and seeking comfort elsewhere, is a timeless trope. Porn addiction, in and of itself, is a recognized disorder today and a topical choice to write into the story. We live in an era where it's possible to type just about any fantasy or idea into a computer, and have the computer pull up some kind of depiction of that fantasy, and there are real instances where the availability of that material combined with addictive tendencies can lead to major intimacy issues that some couples have to face. So while it was the source of the episode's humor, it was also the source of the episode's pathos.

As for divorce being done by killing your partner; I don't see what that's outrageous when viewed in the context of show. The Orville is filled with a wide variety of species that have different cultural norms and expectations than those of early-21st century humans. One of the joys of the show for me is seeing the different speculations of how different cultures might have evolved and behaved. Incidentally, killing your mate was Henry VIII's preferred method of divorce, so it's not as if there isn't a historical precedent that can be drawn from.

But ultimately, I think the real point here was to show two people facing a conflict where nothing in the history of their relationship or the culture they came from had equipped them to deal with it. Klyden was oblivious to Bortus' pain; Bortus was unable to express his true feelings. Both obviously care deeply for each other, but because of their background and history, didn't have the tools to understand or address their problems. I thought the episode was a wonderful portrayal of two committed people learning how to overcome their difficulties to heal as a couple.

 

[Francois Caron]

I thought the episode was a wonderful portrayal of two committed people learning how to overcome their difficulties to heal as a couple.

At least after one of them healed well enough from having a knife plunged into their chest by their mate!

And, yeah, pretty much what you've said. Also, it's only after the next 2 or 3 episodes that we'll really know if the show has truly improved over its first season.

 

[Malcolm R]

The ratings cratered with the second episode, from 1.5 for the debut to 0.6 last week.

By comparison, Gotham scored a 0.7 in the 8pm time slot.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The ratings cratered with the second episode, from 1.5 for the debut to 0.6 last week.

The season premiere was boosted by football as a lead in and posted the third best ratings of the series so far. But the second episode definitely marked a new low for the series.

 

[Bryan^H]

The ratings cratered with the second episode, from 1.5 for the debut to 0.6 last week.

By comparison, Gotham scored a 0.7 in the 8pm time slot.

The season premiere was boosted by football as a lead in and posted the third best ratings of the series so far. But the second episode definitely marked a new low for the series.

Netflix to the rescue?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I don’t know why Fox thought keeping their #1 new show of 2017 off the air until 2019 would be a good way to boost its popularity.

 

[David Weicker]

I thought the porn subplot was fine. It was the execution I had troubles with. The depictions of what was happening in the simulation were too much.

 

[BobO'Link]

I thought the porn subplot was fine. It was the execution I had troubles with. The depictions of what was happening in the simulation were too much.

I'd agree. While I said "porn subplot" it was more the multiple, extended, trips to the simulator, the overall depiction, I felt was rather excessive. Once would have been enough and then just show him entering/leaving the simulator.

That John and Isaac had to actually visit the simulator *while* one of Bortus' routines was running to disable the virus was just a bit too over-the-top (and why couldn't they do that just about anywhere since it affected the entire ship?) - but it had some of the funniest moments of the entire episode. Yeah... quite contradictory, eh?

 

[Philip Verdieck]

To quote Nicolas Meyer, “art thrives on limitations.”

I think a lot of what I love about TV came from great writers, producers, directors and actors knowing that they had to produce 22 or more episodes per year, and what they came up with as a result of having the operate under those guidelines. I think a lot, not all, but a lot of TV was improved by the showrunners having to hit the ground running and adjusting on the fly.

And then I look, for comparison, to Star Trek Discovery, where the showrunners were allowed to delay and delay nearly two years before they went to air, where they got to write all the scripts before shooting any of them, and where the whole thing was basically in the can before it went out to the public. That show had a lot of issues that could have been resolved if it was being made as a conventional show, where the showrunners could have had the opportunity to see what was and wasn’t working, and adjust along the way. But because it was all done before anyone even saw the first episode, there was nothing to be done about it.

TNG, which is obviously the biggest inspiration for The Orville, succeeded because there was room for trial, error, adjustment and growth. With these short runs all filmed in advance before they even go to air, that opportunity just isn’t there. And to my mind, that makes new TV much more like feature films rather than an evolution of the TV art form. TV as it existed since its creation is being replaced by longer movies doled out in installments, rather than evolving as its own separate format. And I think that’s a shame.

So it follows that a lot of you don't like British TV?
It can't develop in the fashion you like with only 6 episodes/season?

Edit: Point brought up by Bob...

 

[Philip Verdieck]

I agree that pacing on this was a bit odd in that respect at first and I keyed into it (seeing if they would explain further) and during the episode, Kelly does tell Ed that she has been seeing someone for about a month when he asked. So some time has gone by, not a lot mind you, but some.

Outside of that, there was quite a bit I liked about the episode, despite the pee jokes.....

As a whole, new shows can experience some glitches. Case in point, the Original Star Trek and the first two seasons of ST: Generations both had some 'rocky' showings prior to the take-off-season 3. That being said, my expectation is that there are going to be things that might not ring 'perfect' from time to time for some viewers.

One thing to keep in mind though is that Seth and Co are just getting their 'legs' and he IS a Big Fan of the Trek genre, adding to that he has surrounded himself with many people from that franchise...

Personally, I am looking forward to the season.

Sci
​

I don't think you are in the majority if you consider ST TOS to have season 3 as its take off. That was season 2, and season 3 was the worst season (with occasional gems).

 

[Philip Verdieck]

I am on delay watching the rest of S2 since the premiere.

The GF moved in a couple months ago. She hadn't seen The Orville. We saw S2 premiere. I then said, oops, and we have started watching S1. The last episode was the Dr. and her kids crashing (or the Return of Rob Lowe as Blue Guy).

I particularly enjoyed rewatching the Bortus child sex change episode and the adrift Colony Ship episode. I love the concept of showing them/putting them through Nightfall. It would have been twisted to resolve that story along Asimov's lines...

 

[Francois Caron]

No spoiler yet. Just wanted to say that was a fantastic episode!