The Orville - 2.07: Deflectors

[Dave]

2.07 has to be the most serious episode yet. It felt just like a particularly preachy TNG episode. I also feel that the Orville needs a Ship's Counsellor far more than the Enterprise ever did. It is just one relationship problem after another. Also, we have probably focused on the Moclan society too much now.

A couple of not so spoilery things. Firstly, I do think that Kelly has been leading Cassius on. Cassius has done nothing wrong or changed in any way from the start of the relationship. Secondly, I can't see how the relationship between Klytus and Bortas can survive what happened this week on top of what already happened with the daughter.

Jokes were thin on the ground this week. Was the cupcakes scene even remotely funny? Or Isaac, asking the crew about pleasurable sexual positions for the benefit of Claire. What I did find funny was the scene when Talia tells Gordon and John it "must have been the most insane thing that had ever happened" on the Orville. They then tell her about when John almost died because he "humped a statue," how Isaac once cut off Gordon's leg, how the Captain and Commander got put in a zoo, and "Bortas almost crashed the ship because of porn."

Groogen, the Katrudian (talking plant) in Kelly's quarters, was voiced by Bruce Willis.

 

[REBerg]

2.07 has to be the most serious episode yet. It felt just like a particularly preachy TNG episode. I also feel that the Orville needs a Ship's Counsellor far more than the Enterprise ever did. It is just one relationship problem after another. Also, we have probably focused on the Moclan society too much now.

A couple of not so spoilery things. Firstly, I do think that Kelly has been leading Cassius on. Cassius has done nothing wrong or changed in any way from the start of the relationship. Secondly, I can't see how the relationship between Klytus and Bortas can survive what happened this week on top of what already happened with the daughter.

Jokes were thin on the ground this week. Was the cupcakes scene even remotely funny? Or Isaac, asking the crew about pleasurable sexual positions for the benefit of Claire. What I did find funny was the scene when Talia tells Gordon and John it "must have been the most insane thing that had ever happened" on the Orville. They then tell her about when John almost died because he "humped a statue," how Isaac once cut off Gordon's leg, how the Captain and Commander got put in a zoo, and "Bortas almost crashed the ship because of porn."

Groogen, the Katrudian (talking plant) in Kelly's quarters, was voiced by Bruce Willis.

I agree with everything in your astute analysis of this episode.
The summary of the Orville's insane exploits was especially funny because I flashed each incident as it was mentioned. Cultural gender taboos aside, Talla's attraction to Locar doesn't quite measure up to the Isaac-Claire affair.
Things could have gotten more insane for Talla. At least she will not have to eat Bortus' tooth.

 

[Jeffbert]

I never got past the 1st DVD in TNG, or whichever disc had The Last Outpost on it. So, to me the episodes involving crew members' personal problems were few & far-between. It seems to me, that The Orville, is essentially a soap opera in space. Personal problems / relationships are throughout it. TOS had the conflict between Spock & McCoy, but did not focus on their personal lives, but on very infrequent occasions. There is more about the Enterprise crew's personal lives on the Robot Chicken sketches, as much, at least, as the entire TOS series.

Enough about that. The last episode was about a non-conformist in a matter in a culture in which such is a very serious criminal offense.

Spoiler

We have the one deviant guy whose preference is contrary to the norm, and the norm also includes the need to rat on such a person. It is likely ingrained into their minds from their early years. To be angry with such a person, seems unfair to me. It is simply a natural response to a non-conformist, report him to the authorities. To praise one who is open-minded in a culture of close-minded people is fair, but to condemn one for being what he was taught to be, seems unfair.

 

[Quisizyx]

I originally enjoyed ST TOS altho it had its occasional problems. The ep that dinged me hard was "Blink of an Eye". The physics the plot is based on is complete fantasy with no congruence with reality. There is no chemical that can be consumed that will accelerate a person past the speed of light. There used to be a T shirt company that sold one with Einstein head shot wearing a policeman's hat pointing toward the viewer and caption below declaring;
"186,283 mps. Not just a good idea... it's the law". Current thinking intimates that if was possible faster than light would evict you from this universe. It also ignores that objects at the speed of light would have infinite mass and time would affectively stop. That ep was all sorts of wrong.
At least with Orville the quantum drive is possibly feasible according to current popular theories.

The light at the end of the tunnel is a bright sunny day with high wispy clouds floating in a blue sky and a gentle breeze blowing up a canyon that has...
a jumble of collapsed bridge in the bottom that used to connect the tunnel exit to the other side.

 

[Dave]

You have to consider that Star Trek TOS is over 50 years old. The Quantum Drive might seem probable now, but it too could be laughable in 50 years time, just as canals on Mars, Venusian people and a flat Earth is today. However, there were several elements in TOS that were just plain fantasy. TNG was a little more scientific. According to Seth MacFarlane, The Orville is not trying to be either of those, but a throwback to exciting spaceship-based scif-fi from even earlier, so I don't think he has any intention to make it scientifically valid, it is whatever makes the best joke.

 

[BAYLOR]

I originally enjoyed ST TOS altho it had its occasional problems. The ep that dinged me hard was "Blink of an Eye". The physics the plot is based on is complete fantasy with no congruence with reality. There is no chemical that can be consumed that will accelerate a person past the speed of light. There used to be a T shirt company that sold one with Einstein head shot wearing a policeman's hat pointing toward the viewer and caption below declaring;
"186,283 mps. Not just a good idea... it's the law". Current thinking intimates that if was possible faster than light would evict you from this universe. It also ignores that objects at the speed of light would have infinite mass and time would affectively stop. That ep was all sorts of wrong.
At least with Orville the quantum drive is possibly feasible according to current popular theories.

The light at the end of the tunnel is a bright sunny day with high wispy clouds floating in a blue sky and a gentle breeze blowing up a canyon that has...
a jumble of collapsed bridge in the bottom that used to connect the tunnel exit to the other side.

It' was also A 3rd season which haver us which such schlock episodes as Spock's Brain , And the Children Shall Lead.

 

[Quisizyx]

Actually, the ep was titled "Wink of an Eye", which could be an indication that this was, to mangle .Monty Python, the writer's aye,aye, snap snap, grin grin, wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more, say no more message to the audience that it wasn't to be taken seriously. I keep wanting to change it to the virtual cliche Blink of an Eye.

The light at the end of the tunnel is a dead end with a brightly lighted sign reading "Detour" pointing back the way you came.