The Orville - Season 2 (1 Viewer)

[Francois Caron]

All of you! Stop overthinking the show so much! You're judging the scientific accuracy of a sci-fi TV show created by a guy who also produces very rude cartoons full of bathroom jokes!

 

[Greg.K]

All of you! Stop overthinking the show so much! You're judging the scientific accuracy of a sci-fi TV show created by a guy who also produces very rude cartoons full of bathroom jokes!

 

[Jason_V]

Yes, I liked this one the most of the three we've seen this season. But I had no idea we were losing a series regular!

Agree, but from where I sit, that's not saying a whole lot. "Ja'loja" was the worst way to start a season and reminded me of TNG season openers like "The Child" or "Evolution" where nothing or real consequence happened. It was also a silly premise that aped "Amok Time." "Primal Urges" made me uncomfortable and that's saying a lot. I know what they were trying to do, but I don't think anyone in the cast has the acting chops to pull off that kind of story.

"Home" is the best of the three, though I couldn't work up any emotion at the end of the episode.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I think "Ja'loja" was a bad start to the season for a multitude of reasons.

Not least is that "Primal Urges" came next. I thought "Primal Urges" was a fantastic episode, a great blend of serious storytelling with some really fun humor that actually ties into the story being told. But the problem with "Primal Urges" is that the primary factor driving the story is the emotional fallout that resulted from choices that characters made in an early season one episode. So in order for the audience to really understand that episode, they need to be familiar with an episode that aired in the Fall of 2017 - almost a year and a half earlier. Additionally, it lands awkwardly because "Ja'loja" was a Bortus-themed episode which demonstrated that Bortus and Klyden were happy together. So, on a Sunday night, we watched Bortus and Klyden living happily together and celebrating a momentous occasion in Bortus's life. And then, on a Thursday night that same week, we watch Bortus and Klyden fight and are told they haven't been getting along for an extended period.

A hardcore fan will understand that this is the result of episodes being aired out of order.

Most viewers of anything aren't hardcore fans. Most viewers will probably just notice that the characterizations aren't consistent from episode to episode, and would be missing the context needed for the episode to work. They might come away thinking that either the people running the show didn't know what they were doing, or more likely, simply conclude that it was a show they didn't like.

I liked "Home" a lot but it didn't provoke an emotional response in me. The storytelling choices made sense within the self-contained episode, but made less sense for the second week of a returning series. It's surprising to me that they'd launch a second season with a character that was going to be written off in the second week. With the show being off the air for over a year and all characters needing to be re-introduced to the audience, I don't understand what the point was in re-introducing Alara (even giving her character development in the previous week's episode by dedicating a subplot to her dating life) only to immediately remove her. That kind of whiplash can be disorienting for an audience trying to get their bearings with a new or recently returning show. It also sort of wasted an episode. "Home" is the episode you need if you have a character that's been around forever and you need to do a proper send-off to preserve the structural integrity of the show's universe. But this is still a new show, still being established, coming back after a break that lasted more than a year. A better approach might have been to start the season with a clean slate, and to simply use a line of dialogue to establish that Alara transferred to another job posting elsewhere.

There also remains the possibility that this could be some kind of stunt to bring the character back in a heroic or dramatic fashion several episodes from now. I tend to doubt it, but that kind of thing happens so much in typical TV writing that, absent any sort of serious press about her departure, it would be very easy for me to accept that it wasn't as final as the episode may have suggested.

 

[Malcolm R]

There's no emotional response because the show has only had a handful of episodes. We barely know these people.

 

[NeilO]

There's no emotional response because the show has only had a handful of episodes. We barely know these people.

Though I did like the jar of pickles she gave the commander at the end. This episode would have worked a lot better at the end of the first season. I guess it will work better if people are streaming the show from the top and not pausing between seasons.

 

[TJPC]

I watched the show live as each show premiered. I absolutely never noticed the “open this jar of pickles” comments at all.

My wife and I binge watched the show again when we purchased the (ugh!) DVDs. This time we noticed it over and over and wondered why he kept saying that stupid sentence every time. Is it possible that from the beginning it was a set up for her parting gift?

 

[Malcolm R]

I was also perplexed by the jar of pickles at the end of the last episode. I guess I never paid much attention to the line previously.

 

[Philip Verdieck]

I didn't notice the jar of pickles last year, the first time around. When me and the GF were watching it the last couple weeks I did pick up on it. It was used at least 3 times, it was his way of requesting her to open anything.

Now, when I saw the gift, I got the reference immediately, but I had to explain it to the GF. But hey, that always happens the second time around, when you know the plot you can concentrate on the details.

I can't believe it was set up that far in advance, I think it was just McFarlane choosing a humorous way to ask here to open things. Which begs the question are they still putting things in jars that far in the future - then again our expressions last centuries.

 

[Matt Hough]

I really enjoyed tonight's episode: great adventure, some good life lessons, and Yul Brynner.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Tonight’s episode mixed two of my favorite things: sci-fi and Billy Joel. Never thought I could be so happy

 

[Matt Hough]

Tonight’s episode mixed two of my favorite things: sci-fi and Billy Joel. Never thought I could be so happy

I especially laughed out loud when we found out her favorite "lead" character in Raiders of the Lost Ark. So very funny.

 

[Francois Caron]

One little detail I liked is when Mercer realised what the plasma discharges were for, but didn't try to explain it for the benefit of the audience. Then there's how they were being tracked in the first place. Again, no explanation, but you could figure it out pretty easily later in the show.

I like it when a TV show doesn't treat its audience like a bunch of complete morons and gives them the benefit of being smart enough to work out the finer details of the plot without the need for a long winded explanation.

I liked the episode, especially the choice of music. I really didn't expect it to fit in as well as it did.

 

[Carabimero]

This show continues to be very good. For the third straight week I was impressed, not just by the writing, but how varied the teleplays were in theme. The show can change gears from making me roll in stitches to making me feel sad to making me stop and think about life, all within about five minutes of screen time. I wish it aired at a different time so I could watch it live to help the ratings. I try to watch it the same day it airs, but it's so late already on the West Coast. I always make a point to watch it at least the next day. My understanding is, if you watch it after 48 hours of airing, it's not counted in the ratings.

And I sure want this show to get a third season.

It annoys me when they claim it will be presented with "limited commercial interruptions." I've counted. There's actually more interruptions when they make this claim. The difference is, the interruptions are shorter in duration. But that's not what they boast about. "Limited commercial interruptions," in my book, means fewer commercial breaks, not more. I'd rather have fewer, longer breaks so I can have fewer scanning sessions.

 

[Matt Hough]

Yes, I noticed that, too, about the "limited commercial interruptions." The narrative arcs are so brief that it takes some effort to get invested with all the interruptions.

 

[BobO'Link]

"Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes" was another excellent episode. This series just keeps getting better.

I *really* need to rewatch S1 so as to get more of the back references better.

 

[DavidJ]

Thought this was the best episode of the season so far. I really enjoyed it.

 

[Francois Caron]

If my information is correct, tomorrow night's episode will be the "First Contact" episode. I'm really interested in seeing how they'll deal with this rather delicate subject which has already been approached by both ST:TNG and Stargate:SG-1.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Just caught up with last week's episode. 'Fishes'. I mentioned in the Season 1 thread how much The Orville feeds into my nostalgia for ST: TNG and this episode, which I thought was terrific, really delivered the goods. The main storyline (minus some of the comedic aspects) would have felt very much at home on an episode of ST:TNG. Mercer was really channeling his Picard in this episode, in terms of his approach to relations between the Union and the Krill.

Some nice storytelling going on this year. For me, each episode has gotten better as the season has progressed, or perhaps I am just getting attuned to the new season (?). I make a lot of comparisons to TNG with this show and that is strictly complimentary.

Nice tip of the cap to the ST:TOS episode The Corbomite Maneuver by Gordon in the simulator. I enjoyed that a lot.

- Walter.

 

[Matt Hough]

This week's show was a most unusual episode that deals with a civilization's beliefs and rituals. It might not have gone into the depth that such a theme requires, but it was still a fun sci-fi adventure.