And thus The Orville begins a tradition of making the third episode of each season the most emotionally charged and meaningful.
Security Chief Alara leaving the Orville has been the most anticipated and feared rumor leading up to this season. It was such a point of contention that people were going back and forth proving that it was going to happen and debunking the idea completely. Now, it happened. I'm sad she's gone (at least as a regular) but this is now my second favorite episode of the series. And for so many reasons...
I heard a long ways back that Robert Picardo was returning to the show, and that there would be a Xelaya-centric episode. But I was totally taken by surprise that another Star Trek doctor would be joining him, none other than John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox from Enterprise)! Seeing two Trek doctors together on screen is something else. Making Billingsley a sadistic murderer hell bent on causing Picardo pain just took the cake. It's commentary on so many levels. Apart from the hostage situation, I loved how Alara's family and life on Xelaya felt very real and lived-in. The familial friction and camaraderie was completely believable. And the view of the planetary rings and how it's basically Singapore: The Planet just makes me jealous that it's not a real place I can go visit.
The humor was exceptionally light in this episode, even lighter than the season premier. But the sparseness of the jokey-jokes allowed the genuinely humorous moments to be more meaningful. Especially the jar of pickles, which gave me an uncontrollable ear-to-ear grin. Seth's ability to crack a cheap joke, then hold it in reserve and turn it into something with weight and meaning later on is astounding. This is The Orville at it's best, and I have a feeling it's just going to keep getting better.
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2019-01-11T11:24:21Z
And thus The Orville begins a tradition of making the third episode of each season the most emotionally charged and meaningful.
Security Chief Alara leaving the Orville has been the most anticipated and feared rumor leading up to this season. It was such a point of contention that people were going back and forth proving that it was going to happen and debunking the idea completely. Now, it happened. I'm sad she's gone (at least as a regular) but this is now my second favorite episode of the series. And for so many reasons...
I heard a long ways back that Robert Picardo was returning to the show, and that there would be a Xelaya-centric episode. But I was totally taken by surprise that another Star Trek doctor would be joining him, none other than John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox from Enterprise)! Seeing two Trek doctors together on screen is something else. Making Billingsley a sadistic murderer hell bent on causing Picardo pain just took the cake. It's commentary on so many levels. Apart from the hostage situation, I loved how Alara's family and life on Xelaya felt very real and lived-in. The familial friction and camaraderie was completely believable. And the view of the planetary rings and how it's basically Singapore: The Planet just makes me jealous that it's not a real place I can go visit.
The humor was exceptionally light in this episode, even lighter than the season premier. But the sparseness of the jokey-jokes allowed the genuinely humorous moments to be more meaningful. Especially the jar of pickles, which gave me an uncontrollable ear-to-ear grin. Seth's ability to crack a cheap joke, then hold it in reserve and turn it into something with weight and meaning later on is astounding. This is The Orville at it's best, and I have a feeling it's just going to keep getting better.