The Orville - Season Two -- SPOILERS

[RJDiogenes]

I have to confess to being baffled. That looks like a multi-tamborine pile up.

[scottydog]

That looks like a multi-tamborine pile up.

I was thinking drumset cymbals myself

[RJDiogenes]

Or those little bells that jesters wear.

[Lupine]

I think it might be back tonight!

[RJDiogenes]

Indeed, The Orville returns tonight!

[scottydog]

Good episode. Who knew Dolly Parton could be put to such good use in the 25th century?

[Lupine]

^
It was a little predictable but good. However even with a bit of a predictable setup the ending was rather unexpected. An imperfect solution but one that was believable and plausible. Two steps forward, one step back. And a surprise to see Marina Sirtis! That's another Trek alum to appear in this show.

[RJDiogenes]

Dolly Parton?

[RJDiogenes]

Well, this was not exactly the best episode of Orville, although many of the pieces of it were good. But the Moclans are beginning to remind me more of Odo than Worf in that they obviously didn't think through the concept before going forward. From an SF standpoint, the interesting concept of a single-sex species has been pretty much lost-- if so many females are born, they are not a single-sex species and if they have females why do the males lay eggs? Do females also lay eggs, or are they capable of reproducing like humans? Are males who lay eggs capable of impregnating females? Do males lay eggs and females have live births? How do the concepts of male and female even apply to this species? Ow, my head. And from a storytelling standpoint, with this episode in particular, rather than promoting a more subversive perspective as they usually do, they're not only feeding on pre-60s gender stereotypes, but validating them. In retrospect, if they weren't going to accept or explore the concept, it might have been better to either turn the concept on its head and go with a female-dominant species (which also would have made the egg-laying more sensible) or just go with an arbitrary SF division, like the half-moon people in "Let This Be Your Last Battlefield."

But the discovery of the Underground and sanctuary colony, followed by the rapid deterioration of relations between the Union and the Moclans, then the debate and ultimate compromise, were done really well. The previous episodes with the Kaylons made it all the more imperative that the Union find a way to keep the Moclans on board-- although, after this, they better be smart and start finding a backup source of weaponry. The Moclans are clearly not on board with Union values and act more like enemies than allies in debate-- although Bortus and the others represent the potential for change-- and there's only so far moral compromise can go. I loved the team of Admirals and the struggle between principle and practicality, and the acknowledgment of other points of view. While it seems like a pretty cut-and-dried situation, the show didn't make it easy with the Moclans painting the situation as child abduction and trafficking.

And the team of Admirals was pretty amazing. I love Victor Garber and Kelly Hu, and I'm surprised at the gravitas that Ted Danson has attained with age. F Murray Abraham as the president, or whatever, was cool, too. The entire Union Council sequence was both cinematic and stunning with its wide array of alien species-- classic SF on a Golden Age level there. I want to know more about all those alien people.

In terms of our own people, most everybody got to shine in this one. Ed, despite starting the series as a broken man, is now hobnobbing with the Admiralty and addressing the Union Council. Kelly got to take command and put her career on the line for a matter of principle-- as did Bortus, followed by Talla, who also took command and took the ship into battle with a superior enemy. Gordon got to save the day with his superior piloting skills, which haven't been mentioned in a while. Claire didn't get to do much, but Isaac got to speak, which he hasn't done since the Kaylon skirmish. But where was poor John? I don't think he even showed his face.

And then there's Dolly Parton. Not exactly my favorite artist, but the bit in the shuttle was cute, as was the dramatic reading in council. But playing "9 to 5" over the space battle was just wrong. I suppose it was better than all those contemporary action trailers that give us slo-mo hyper-violence overlaid with reedy Millennial vocals, but not much.

And just so we remember that it's The Orville, we had-- what? Ed's moment of misunderstanding Halsey's hint. Dolly Parton. I think that was it. This may have been the most serious episode of Orville to date.

But, seriously, Dolly Parton? They couldn't have gotten Melissa Etheridege or someone?

[scottydog]

if so many females are born, they are not a single-sex species and if they have females why do the males lay eggs? Do females also lay eggs, or are they capable of reproducing like humans? Are males who lay eggs capable of impregnating females? Do males lay eggs and females have live births? How do the concepts of male and female even apply to this species?

I agree, Moclan reproductive biology is confusing and needs explaining. My theory is that half of all Moclans are born female, that most of those females undergo the corrective procedure, and that these "corrected" Moclans still retain the ability to reproduce. Or something like that

And just so we remember that it's The Orville, we had-- what? Ed's moment of misunderstanding Halsey's hint. Dolly Parton. I think that was it. This may have been the most serious episode of Orville to date.

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

[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.