Hmm… Honestly? About the only enjoyable part of this was seeing Brian George. I really liked his work on The Expanse, though he didn't get much to work with here.
I can definitely see the Star Trek influence, which goes well beyond the superficial similarities in uniforms. The dramatic structure of the whole episode feels like an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation or something, albeit rushed. If anything, The Orville's debut proves why it was a good idea for typical Trek pilots to be double-length: There's so much work that has to be done establishing the world of a new show that it just won't fit in a normal-length episode that also tries to include a typical plot. (That said, in my opinion there was also considerable screen time wasted on unfunny jokes, like the "Permission to Pee" scene.)
The biggest issue with the overall plot, for me, was the fact that the Orville never really appears to be in danger. There's something in (good) Star Trek episodes of all eras that makes it seem like our protagonists might fail, even though we know they won't. That's absent here.
In case it's not obvious: No, I'm not a fan of Seth MacFarlane's humor. I would be hard pressed to find even one joke that I found funny in this show. I'll not drop it yet, in hopes that it will improve—the underwhelming pilot is another Star Trek staple, so this all might be intentional. The show deserves more than a single chance. But this won't be something I watch ASAP after the newest episode airs unless it gets drastically better.
Review by dgwVIP 9BlockedParent2017-10-11T02:20:16Z
Hmm… Honestly? About the only enjoyable part of this was seeing Brian George. I really liked his work on The Expanse, though he didn't get much to work with here.
I can definitely see the Star Trek influence, which goes well beyond the superficial similarities in uniforms. The dramatic structure of the whole episode feels like an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation or something, albeit rushed. If anything, The Orville's debut proves why it was a good idea for typical Trek pilots to be double-length: There's so much work that has to be done establishing the world of a new show that it just won't fit in a normal-length episode that also tries to include a typical plot. (That said, in my opinion there was also considerable screen time wasted on unfunny jokes, like the "Permission to Pee" scene.)
The biggest issue with the overall plot, for me, was the fact that the Orville never really appears to be in danger. There's something in (good) Star Trek episodes of all eras that makes it seem like our protagonists might fail, even though we know they won't. That's absent here.
In case it's not obvious: No, I'm not a fan of Seth MacFarlane's humor. I would be hard pressed to find even one joke that I found funny in this show. I'll not drop it yet, in hopes that it will improve—the underwhelming pilot is another Star Trek staple, so this all might be intentional. The show deserves more than a single chance. But this won't be something I watch ASAP after the newest episode airs unless it gets drastically better.