In 2017 Seth Macfarlane surprised everyone with his sci-fi comedy series, Orville. He is best known for his crude humor on shows such as Family man, MacfarlaneThe first live series turned out to be surprisingly thoughtful and intelligent, turning into something more than just Star Trek parody.
After an incredible first two seasons with an amazing finale, fans had to wait three years for the next subtitled chapter. New Horizons, after the show moved to Hulu. However, the wait was worth it as the show reached new heights in storytelling. So, out of the 36 episodes aired to date, which ones shine the brightest?
S1, Ep. 12: ‘Mad idolatry‘- She’s not the Messiah, she’s just a first officer
Here, the team explores a planet that enters our universe every eleven days, but centuries pass between each visit to the planet. During their first visit, Kelly uses advanced technology to cure a little girl, which the primitive population considers a miracle. This leads to Kelly being worshiped as a god, and an entire religion is founded around her by the team’s next visit.
It raises some interesting questions about the nature of religion and its place in society, like Monty PythonX Brian’s life(1979). Throw in some possible developments in Ed and Kelly’s relationship and you have a great end to the first season.
C3, Ep. 5: ‘Tale of two tops‘ - A heartbreaking exploration of personality and free will
First season About a girl saw Bortus’ newborn daughter, Topa, change sex to conform to the norms of their same-sex species, the Moklans. This plot thread runs through several episodes of the series, but comes to a head here when the teenage Topa learns the truth about her birth.
It’s hard to watch Topa struggle with depression, suicidal thoughts and dysphoria both before and after she learns the truth. However, this is one of the best examples of how the show isn’t afraid to broach uncomfortable topics, and one that Macfarlane proud of himself.
S2, Ep. eleven: ‘Indelible impressions‘Lost love never found from the start
This episode takes the agony of doomed love to a new painful level. When the team gains access to the 2015 time capsule, Molloy falls in love with a woman named Laura Huggins, whose iPhone was in the capsule. Using the information in the phone, he uses an environmental simulator to create a reproduction of Laura and her world, where he gets closer to her, causing great anxiety to his shipmates.
It’s hard to watch, as viewers know that Malloy’s ghost obsession is unhealthy, but in every way, Laura is a real person and he truly loves her. It’s powerful, painful, and more intimate than many would like to admit.
C3, Ep. four: ‘Softly falling rain‘ - An emotional revelation for the captain. Mercer
This episode has led to some dramatic changes in the status quo between the Planetary Union and the krill as the leader of the xenophobic races invites the Planetary Union to sign a peace treaty. Naturally, the crew of the Orville is invited to join the delegation, but this momentous event quickly goes awry when the leader of Creel is overthrown. Amid the ensuing chaos, Ed also discovers that he has a half-Krilla daughter with Telea, whom Ed was previously involved with.
This is an intense and dramatic episode on several levels, in which Macphalane beaming as Ed deals with the emotional crooked ball that was thrown at him. This is dramatic storytelling at its finest.
C3, Ep. ten: ‘The future is unknown‘A fitting end?
With the most metaphysical title the show has ever had, the final episode of the third season was clearly designed to serve as a satisfying conclusion should the show end here. It handles it admirably and also works as a story in its own right.
It’s filled to the brim with gripping themes and storytelling, great character moments, and more gags than most other episodes this season. Despite some ominous discussions about the obstacles all civilizations must overcome, the film ends on rather uplifting notes, teasing the team about what might happen next. Here’s what we hope to see.
S1, Ep. 7:’Majority principle‘ - When the only court is the court of public opinion
This is one of the standout episodes of the first season with very obvious yet poignant commentary. While visiting a planet whose legal system is based on public opinion, Lamarr is arrested and forced to go on an “apology tour”. Here, every action that a person takes will earn him a vote for or against from his fellow citizens, and if you vote for a million votes against, you must go to the specified tour. If your tour is unsuccessful, you will be sentenced to forced “social correction”.
This is Orwellian satire at its finest, coming at a time when social media gave people the power to ruin someone’s career or even life with a hashtag or a retweet.
C3, Ep. 6:’Twice in a lifetime‘ - The emotional cost of time travel
When Gordon is accidentally trapped in the distant past of 2015, the rest of the team does everything they can to bring him back. However, arriving ten years late, they are horrified to find that Gordon has broken temporary law by taking a job as a commercial pilot, married to Laura Huggins, with a son and another child en route.
This presents a difficult moral issue as Gordon and his teammates discuss the ethics of his situation. Yes, he changed the past, but only after many years of isolation, trying to follow the rules. The situation is heating up, and Gordon is desperate to save his new life. It’s an emotionally powerful episode and one of the greatest time travel stories you’ll ever see.
S2, Ep. fourteen: ‘Unchosen road‘ - When ripples turn into tidal waves
It’s a classic “what if” butterfly effect story exploring how one small decision can have devastating consequences. In the previous episode, a younger version of Kelly was brought in from the past and after learning about her and Ed’s future, returned to her own time, only to end things with him after their first date. Here we find that the result of this decision is that the Planetary Union is involved in a devastating war with Kylon.
This is a tense and dramatic space opera that is different from most episodes but serves as a thrilling finale. More importantly, it shows how important interpersonal relationships are on a ship, even in the grand scheme of things.
S2, Ep. 8 and 9: ‘Personality, parts 1 and 2‘ - Everything is changing here
This is where the show really takes a hard left turn, and it’s revealed that Isaac - the ship’s emotionless but lovable robot - has actually been a spy all along. It turns out that his species, Kaylon, was trying to determine whether or not to preserve biological life, and has now come to the conclusion that it is not, prompting an all-out war between Kaylon and the Planetary Union.
Not only does this cause a major shift towards more dramatic sci-fi, but it also has a huge impact on the level of the character, as Isaac’s actions shake up the status quo a lot. This is a groundbreaking episode and its importance cannot be underestimated.
C3, Ep. 9: ‘Dominoes‘ - An encouraging end to the Kylon War
In the penultimate episode of the third season, the Kylon War storyline comes to its emotional yet optimistic conclusion. Armed with weapons capable of destroying Kaylon’s ships, the Planetary Alliance has finally gained a much-needed advantage. But the episode doesn’t go quite the way you might think.
At its core, this episode raises questions about the ethics of genocide, even in times of war. At the same time, it manages to have a strong emotional impact and action-packed denouement not only in the overall plot, but also in some important threads of the characters. It’s as close to perfection as it gets.
Source: Collider