The Orville - Season Two -- SPOILERS

[RJDiogenes]

Yes, this was a serious episode. It was great seeing Marina Sirtis as the schoolteacher, too

I thought it was kind of weird that she had such a small part, rather than one of the admirals or an ambassador. I wonder if she's going to be a recurring character and maybe play a bigger part in the finale or something.

[scottydog]

I wonder if she's going to be a recurring character and maybe play a bigger part in the finale or something.

Hmmm. Kelly had a relationship with the last teacher. Kelly should have a romance with this new one, too

[RJDiogenes]

Hmmm. Kelly had a relationship with the last teacher. Kelly should have a romance with this new one, too

I think Marina is too old for her. There's about a thirty year age difference.

[RJDiogenes]

New episode tonight!

[Orpheus]

I haven't been around since [Note to self! page 3!] and there's too much to read/comment on, but I just saw S02E07 [Moclan heterophobia]. It was really interesting. The extended [if slightly hackneyed] staring off into space did as good a job of conveying the emotional misgivings/regret of the variaous characters as I could have expected from a show with Orville's underpinnings. I'd call it "almost touching".

I was more surprised to hear Ed question the compatibility of Moclan values with Union membership, however much the Moclans are respected/valued. That was more profound than many human politicians manage on contemporary Earth -- though, as on Earth, they just kicked that can down the road.

[scottydog]

Very good and interesting episode. I love the way The Orville puts a new spin on an issue that Star Trek has explored in the past, in this case the appearance of a duplicant of a crew member. In this case, it's a second Kelly appearing on the ship but she's a Kelly who's seven years younger. This opens up a whole new and different can of worms.

And WOW, what a surprise-ending! The timeline has been disrupted. This could and should change everything!

I was more surprised to hear Ed question the compatibility of Moclan values with Union membership, however much the Moclans are respected/valued. That was more profound than many human politicians manage on contemporary Earth

Sounds like you're one episode behind us. I agree that it's a tightrope -- how do you respect cultural differences while not condoning the uncondonable?

[Lupine]

Computer troubles this morning, so I'll catch it later.

[RJDiogenes]

I haven't had a chance to watch yet, except for the first few minutes.

The extended [if slightly hackneyed] staring off into space did as good a job of conveying the emotional misgivings/regret of the variaous characters as I could have expected from a show with Orville's underpinnings. I'd call it "almost touching".

In their defense, space is about all they have to stare into.

I was more surprised to hear Ed question the compatibility of Moclan values with Union membership, however much the Moclans are respected/valued. That was more profound than many human politicians manage on contemporary Earth -- though, as on Earth, they just kicked that can down the road.

Lots more to come on that score.

[Lupine]

A good character study piece, but I kept wondering if the Kaylon ships would play any role in the conclusion. Why were they showing up like that? But that ending was a wham moment and I do hope they follow that up.

[RJDiogenes]

Well, this episode had a couple of interesting twists. I was expecting Future Kelly to show up with a dire warning or something, but instead we got Past Kelly, pulled from the morning after her first date with Ed, because that's what she happened to be thinking about when the gravity wave hit. I liked how they justified that bit of convenience with the whole quantum-uncertainty-observer-effect phenomena that "even the Kaylons" don't understand.

I have to say that the actress did a great job of differentiating Past Kelly from Present Kelly in her face and body language. She has changed quite a bit in seven years, but those seven years involved marriage, divorce, and promotion from lieutenant to commander, and a first officer posting, so it's not too unbelievable. Ed's flirtation with continuing his relationship with Past Kelly was well handled-- the temptation to go back to the beginning and start over with the advantage of experience was, understandably, too much to resist, and yet that seven years of experience ultimately compelled him to back off. Generally speaking, the relationship between Kelly and Ed is one of the most mature I've seen on a TV show, which is funny on a show that did, and still does, have its share of lowbrow humor. But then, all of these clowns have a tendency to step up when the heat is on.

The dance club scene was painful, but amusing. I got a kick out of Ed and Gordon showing their age by sitting in the corner and complaining about the noise-- although that would have been me even when I was twenty. Talla being a fan of raucous music didn't surprise me, and Yaphet's spiky dance moves cracked me up. But Bortus and Klyden win the prize for bad dance moves. And when I say bad, I don't mean bad, I mean bad.

The sequence with the two Kaylon ships was interesting. The trick with the ice in the ring system was clever, but I really think this was foreshadowing-- I think the season finale will involve a changed timeline in which the Kaylons rule the galaxy, hunting down the last remaining biological life forms because Kelly and Ed's marriage and divorce led to the entire sequence of events that defeated them.

[Lupine]

The sequence with the two Kaylon ships was interesting. The trick with the ice in the ring system was clever, but I really think this was foreshadowing-- I think the season finale will involve a changed timeline in which the Kaylons rule the galaxy, hunting down the last remaining biological life forms because Kelly and Ed's marriage and divorce led to the entire sequence of events that defeated them.

I was thinking something along those lines myself.

"You have to date me or aliens will destroy the galaxy!"
"Um, OK."

[scottydog]

^ Interesting theory about what may happen.

So do you think the memory-wipe just didn't work on Kelly? If it didn't work, then how come present-day Kelly doesn't remember the time-jump?

[RJDiogenes]

Well, we don't know that the memory wipe didn't work completely. Remember how she said she almost didn't agree to a second date? She may have just been left with an uncomfortable feeling that tipped her the other way. And we haven't seen what Kelly remembers yet, because we haven't seen the changed timeline. Recovering her memories may be the key to undoing whatever disaster befalls them.

Also, and more ominously, Claire's commented on the possibility of brain damage-- that may have been some kind of foreshadowing.

[scottydog]

Ed said that his temporal dynamics class at Union Academy always gave him headaches. I agree that there are so many complexities and paradoxes with time-travel.

So now I'm wondering about this season finale in light of the fact that we don't even know if there's going to be a season 3. What if the finale this week ends on a cliffhanger, and there's no renewal?

[RJDiogenes]

There are rumors that it was already renewed and they're just waiting for a specific event in May to announce it, but that's just a rumor. I wonder if Seth will take any measures to continue it if FOX doesn't renew it, since it's obviously a labor of love. It's got a lot of great buzz, so maybe Netflix or Hulu would be interested.