The Orville - Season Two -- SPOILERS

[scottydog]

Can't wait for this Finale. And they had better announce a renewal and Season 3 VERY SOON.

[scottydog]

A pretty good finale episode.

One thought comes to mind. We never see whether Kelly's act of accepting a second date with Ed truly re-establishes the original timeline. Could there be subtle differences in Season 3 -- assuming there's a Season 3?

[Lupine]

It was nice to see Alara again if only for a couple of minutes. Due to the built-in reset button it was a little predictable, though we were spared the final epic battle where everyone was killed off one by one. I'm happy they avoided that cliche. I noticed the tone and esthetics were a bit more like Star Wars rather than Star Trek in this one, complete with some borderline hackneyed dialog during the hideout scene. Not a bad episode but probably one of the weaker ones of the season.

[RJDiogenes]

Once again, Orville somehow manages to squeeze a two-hour movie into less than an hour. Man, a lot happened here, and everyone had something to do, even Isaac's head and alternate Alara. In a way, it's a shame that the final episode of the season, and maybe the series, took place in an alternate Star Wars-ish reality, but on the other hand, if it is the end, that final scene makes for some nice closure. Maybe there would be some subtle differences in the restored timeline, but I'd rather just assume that everything went back to the perfection that we know-- and if they do get renewed, I hope they just move on and leave it alone.

But as an alternate timeline-- Orville's version of "Yesterday's Enterprise"-- there were many intriguing elements. Of all the characters, it seems only John, Alara, Bortus, and Isaac served on the Orville-- which, in this version, the Kaylons successfully used to attack Earth. Ed and Kelly and the rest just went about their average careers, not really failing, but not really standing out. And the Orville ended up at the bottom of the Mariana Trench (on a dead world, without even fish in the oceans). And yet somehow events conspired, with the catalyst of Kelly's brief glimpse of a better future, to bring them all together to set right what once went wrong.

And it's fitting that everything-- literally the fate of the galaxy-- hinged on Ed and Kelly's love for each other. The original comedic premise of the series seemed to be that of a second-rate captain stuck with his ex-wife as his first officer. But upon reflection that premise was really that Ed and Kelly are meant to be together in some capacity, in any timeline or universe, and that they bring harmony to the world. A nice message to end on, if this is indeed the end.

[scottydog]

You're right that it's really cool any time the take-message of a story is that love can save the universe.

We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3, We want Season 3!!!

[RJDiogenes]

What I've heard now is that they have internally renewed Orville, but are holding off on any announcements because MacFarlane's contract is up in June and nothing has been settled yet.

[scottydog]

What I've heard now is that they have internally renewed Orville, but are holding off on any announcements because MacFarlane's contract is up in June and nothing has been settled yet.

So what does that mean exactly? Does it mean they have to agree on his salary, residuals, etc, and the show can't continue if for some reason the two sides can't reach an agreement?

[RJDiogenes]

Well, from what I hear, he's getting competing offers from other venues, like Hulu and Netflix, so, theoretically, he could be taking his properties somewhere else. Orville could be part of the negotiations. Maybe Hulu will offer to carry Orville, so FOX will counter with a two-season guarantee or something like that. Or maybe they'll offer more money for Family Guy if he forgets about Orville, which means he'll have to try to sell it elsewhere as a standalone property.

[scottydog]

Well, from what I hear, he's getting competing offers from other venues

Gosh, I hope these rumors are true!

[RJDiogenes]

While there has been no official announcement, Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Orville is renewed!

[Lupine]

^Awesome!

[RJDiogenes]

Fingers crossed for non-fake news.

[scottydog]

If true, this is great news indeed. I have no idea whether Entertainment Weekly is a credible news source.

[RJDiogenes]

It seems to be, and the news has now been confirmed by Variety, so it's official. We have Season Three!

[scottydog]