The Orville - Season Two -- SPOILERS

[scottydog]

New episode coming up. Season 1 was very good I thought. I'm curious how they'll try to replicate and extend this success.

[Lupine]

And I think tonight is the night.

[RJDiogenes]

Indeed it is. It's been almost thirteen months, but Orville is back! I wish I had had time to watch a couple of my DVDs to bring myself up to speed.

[Jim Gamma]

Drops here on 10 January. Hopefully I'll see it on NowTV like last year.

[scottydog]

Drops here on 10 January. Hopefully I'll see it on NowTV like last year.

Don't forget the spoiler alert, Jim.

[scottydog]

That was an "okay" first episode. There were a bunch of plotlines going on at once, some better than others.

First, the 'A' plotline involved Bortus's annual urination ceremony. This is a hilarious idea but the actual urination was very anti-climactic. I was hoping for more. But the impending ceremony did drive all the other subplots in the episode.

The main subplot involved Ed and Kelly's "relationship", which sensibly is put on hold while she dates Cassius. I loved Ed's creepy "drive by".

Alara's dating woes continue. She's a great character but her subplot in this episode was not terribly interesting.

Malloy's crush on the newcomer and his anxiety around her were mildly amusing.

Claire's struggle to deal with Marcus was interesting. Could she possibly have a romance with Isaac?

So overall, just a so-so start to the season. Still, it was great seeing all the characters again. And it looks like they upped the budget with those crazy-amazing production value shots of the ship's exterior.

[Lupine]

Yeah, this one was a bit more sit-comish than previous outings. I do think this was the episode that was held over from last season and I can see why now as it would have been a rather lethargic way to end a good season. There were good moments and a few funny ones but the assessment of "OK" is accurate.

[scottydog]

I didn't realize this episode had been held over from last season. Does that mean they taped it last season and it sat on the shelf for a year?

By the way, after drinking a lot of diet coke and then champagne last night, I had my own "Great Release".

[RJDiogenes]

Yeah, that was definitely a low-key season premiere. No invasions, supernovae, space battles, ray gun blasts, or space fu fights. I loved it, but I hope it doesn't hurt the ratings.

The main plot of Bortus needing to return to his home planet to urinate (talk about a shy bladder) was obviously an homage to Spock's mating impulse. Sort of a mock time. But there were no complications and Bortus was apparently able to relieve himself without incident. Of course, it's hard to imagine how ritual urination could lead to Bortus and Mercer getting into a fight to the death over a woman, but it sort of emphasizes how this was sort of a week-in-the-life episode for the crew, with no overall conflict or antagonist.

Secondary to that plot was the ongoing saga of Mercer and Grayson's relationship status. Mercer is now openly gung ho about getting back together, while Grayson appears to be moving on. Mercer does the lonely ex drive-by thing-- in spaaaace-- and gets caught. I'm sure this will trigger the same conservative backlash that the Rob Lowe episode did last season, which should be fun to watch. But Grayson's too-good-to-be-true boyfriend is very understanding, which makes me think he is indeed too good to be true. And therefore doomed.

Alara, meanwhile, is still having guy problems, which is probably the most far-fetched plot device on this over-the-top sci-fi show. But in a hilarious interaction with Bortus, she allows herself to be set up on a blind date with a guy-- who turns out to be Dan. Who almost immediately bonds with her, and starts writing poetry and text nagging her. No wonder she's going to leave the show.

Dr. Finn's plot involves her boring kids again, but the interesting part was her developing relationship with Isaac. I wonder if there is an inter-species romance in the making here. Last year, Finn got it on with an alien made of jelly and this year she's hanging out with a robot-- she seems to have exotic tastes.

Lamarr doesn't have much to do in this episode except help Gordon try to make time with the new female crewmember, which doesn't work out too well ("Can't do it-- thanks for the help."). But the interesting thing here was that this actress is the same one who played the Krill who vowed vengeance on Mercer last season. I've seen speculation that this is a counter infiltration, which is definitely possible, especially given how the new character sought out Mercer at the bar.

All in all, it was a nice reintroduction to the ship and the crew, highlighting their unique personalities and lifestyles. I just hope that the lack of explosions doesn't turn off an audience that suffers from a negative attention span.

[RJDiogenes]

I do think this was the episode that was held over from last season and I can see why now as it would have been a rather lethargic way to end a good season.

I didn't realize this episode had been held over from last season. Does that mean they taped it last season and it sat on the shelf for a year?

Yeah, there is an episode that's been sitting around for a year, but it's unclear which episode it actually is. I don't think it's this one because it introduces the new character, who will be around for a little while. Some sources say that the old episode has been highly modified with new footage, though, or that it has been split up and spread around to several new episodes. Supposedly you can tell the origin of the footage by the type of insignia they wear, but I haven't noticed.

[Lupine]

^I was thinking it was this episode due to some of the FX shots. I could be wrong.

Sort of a mock time.

But the interesting thing here was that this actress is the same one who played the Krill who vowed vengeance on Mercer last season. I've seen speculation that this is a counter infiltration, which is definitely possible, especially given how the new character sought out Mercer at the bar.

I hadn't noticed that. It does make you wonder.

[Lupine]

I just looked it up. Turns out this episode had a production code of 2LAB01, while next weeks has 1LAB12.

[RJDiogenes]

So the next one is the holdover. And the next one is actually tomorrow. No, the day after tomorrow. Whenever Thursday falls this week.

[scottydog]

But the interesting thing here was that this actress is the same one who played the Krill who vowed vengeance on Mercer last season. I've seen speculation that this is a counter infiltration, which is definitely possible, especially given how the new character sought out Mercer at the bar.

A fascinating possibility. You'd think they'd recognize her, though, right?

Sort of a mock time.

RJ gets awarded the Pun of the Week

[RJDiogenes]

My favorite award.