S03.E10: Future Unknown

[paulvdb]

Quote

A celebration is underway aboard the ship.

Season finale. Premiere date: August 4, 2022.

[Chicago Redshirt]

This episode was more heartfelt and had more laughs than the rest of the season combined.

It was like they were like, "Well, we might not have another shot, so at least we can go out on our own terms."

Keeping fingers crossed for a season four.

Edited August 5, 2022 by Chicago Redshirt

[AnimeMania]

Everybody was so happy at the beginning I was wondering if it was because Charley was gone.

It was kind of a shame that Isaac wanted Gordon to be his Best Man after all of the terrible things Gordon said about Isaac throughout the Season.

I was hoping at the end, Gordon would invite Bortus to sing with him, since he kind of stole Bortus' thunder, which Bortus stole from him.

[phalange]

While I do enjoy the episodes that tackle serious issues, I really appreciate the funny, lighthearted slice of life episodes like this, too.

Nice to see Bortus and Klyden have recommitted. The awkward silence after followed by Gordon starting a slow clap had me rolling.

The sandwich has returned!

Of course Isaac would propose in the middle of the cafeteria and take terrible relationship advice from John. Love Claire threatening to eat John for breakfast if he ever gives Isaac advice again. The difference between the bachelor and bachelorette parties was hilarious. Bortus dressed up like Elvis and a simulated Kaylon stripper are two things I can safely say I never expected to see. 

I also didn't expect an update on Planet Reddit, but Lisella is an interesting character so it was good to see her again. I can understand why she'd want to do anything to help her planet, including sneaking tech off the ship, but it's a good thing Kelly helped her see why it was a bad idea. A lot of people have wondered how old the Union is, and based on what Kelly said, the Union was young in the early 23rd century and they learned the hard way why introducing tech to a planet that isn't ready to share it equally can be disastrous. 

Also love Isaac inviting 4,000 Kaylon ships to the wedding and the surprise wedding guest. Hey Alara! Poor Bortus cannot make a wedding toast to save his life, but at least Klyden finds him amusing. Nice speech by Gordon and one more song for the road. As someone who has shipped Ed and Kelly this entire time, the two of them holding hands made me smile. 

This was a perfect series finale if it has to be one, but I hope it's only the season finale and we get a renewal announcement soon.

Edited August 4, 2022 by phalange

[MSterling]

Oh my god, the tassels! I'm wavering between never needed to see that and falling over laughing. Yay Alara! The sandwich! No Charly! And if they want a new cast member if they come back, Lysella is properly set up and the actor is good!

Claire trying on dresses -- I like the one she wore to the ceremony best of the three. Standing on that lit platform reminds me of those fiber optic dresses, and that could have been fun. And the Kaylon looking and standing in unison at the ceremony was amusing. I loved that most of the Kaylon came for the wedding.

I like how supportive Klyden was of Bortus at the bachelor party and wedding. Klyden looked nice in the bowling shirt. On another note about them, why did their recommitment ceremony say they would be naked but they wore those weird thongs? I don't want to see Moclan genitalia but I'd have appreciated a well shot, kind of Clouseau and Gambrelli in the nudist colony in A Shot in the Dark approach. I know that would have been more difficult to shoot, though. That, or say almost naked for protection during the chase. How do Moclans decide who chases and who evades?

I like that this is a satisfying series finale in case this is the end. But, I hope it's just a nice season finale. They tied up a lot of threads but left a few they can pull but won't feel awful if they don't. Like Alien Nation. Or Firefly. Or Freaks and Geeks.

[shapeshifter]

How many of us are going to have an egg salad sandwich for lunch?

 

6 hours ago, phalange said:

love Isaac inviting 4,000 Kaylon ships to the wedding

Not sure "love" was my reaction to Isaac inviting 4,000 Kaylon ships to the wedding.
More of a cringe-laugh.
But it turned out to be a nice vision of peace between enemies to leave us with. 
And many bridezillas and mother-in-law-zillas could take some lessons from how the Kaylons were handled and handled themselves with no emotional drama.

 

I thought it was established that John was Isaac's best friend? So now John is just chopped liver to Isaac? And is that why the writers had John give Isaac Seth's bad advice?  
I would rather John was chosen as best man (the Bortus take-over could still happen) and then John takes it back, like Gordon did, and then John announces Gordon has a song for them.
I thought Gordon's comedy routine was not much better than Bortus's.

 

Was this an original song Gordon/Scott Grimes sang at the end? 

Quote

The secret of life
Is enjoying the passage of time
Any fool can do it
There ain't nothin' to it
Nobody knows how we got to
The top of the hill
Since we're on our way down
We might as well enjoy the ride
Now, the thing about time
Is that time
Isn't really real
It's just your point of view
How does it feel for you?
Einstein said he could
Never understand it all
Planets spinning through space
The smile upon your face
Welcome to the human race
Isn't it a lovely ride?
I'll be sliding down
Gliding down
Try not to try too hard
It's just a lovely ride
Isn't it a lovely ride?
I'll be sliding down
Gliding down
Try not to try too hard
It's just a lovely ride
The secret of life
Is enjoying the passage of time

I did like the song's lyrics a lot. 
And they almost did it right this time (IMO) by placing it at the end. 
I think maybe it would have worked/fit better if they'd faded out the scene, followed by just the song.

Having seen/heard James Taylor on Colbert this week, I just realized Scott Grimes' singing voice is almost identical, at least for this song.


 

6 hours ago, phalange said:

I also didn't expect an update on Planet Reddit, but Lisella

I needed a little more of a reminder of Planet Reddit, which they eventually, sort-of gave, but it should have been more upfront, IMO.
I'm not sure I believe Kelly's/the Union's belief of: "You get all this by becoming better people." 
And it pretty much contradicted what Kelly had just said:

• ". . . the invention of the matter synthesizer. It was the single most transformative moment in our history. When all your material needs are provided for at no cost, it changes the entire game."

--which makes more senses to me.
But I guess I shouldn't expect great sociological revelations from this show.

Edited August 4, 2022 by shapeshifter

[Chicago Redshirt]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I thought it was established that John was Isaac's best friend? So now John is just chopped liver to Isaac? And is that why the writers had John give Isaac Seth's bad advice?  
I would rather John was chosen as best man (the Bortus take-over could still happen) and then John takes it back, like Gordon did, and then John announces Gordon has a song for them.
I thought Gordon's comedy routine was not much better than Bortus's.
...

I needed a little more of a reminder of Planet Reddit, which they eventually, sort-of gave, but it should have been more upfront, IMO.

I'm not sure I believe Kelly's/the Union's belief of: "You get all this by becoming better people." 
And it pretty much contradicted what Kelly had just said:

• ". . . the invention of the matter synthesizer. It was the single most transformative moment in our history. When all your material needs are provided for at no cost, it changes the entire game."

--which makes more senses to me.
But I guess I shouldn't expect great sociological revelations from this show.

The show has said (but not really demonstrated IMO) that John and Isaac are best friends. My take is that John's punk-ass was still in the doghouse for suggesting to Isaac that he should be sowing his Kaylon oats before getting married and so was taken out of consideration for best man duties. And I know it was a setup for multiple jokes, but I have to say how it's a pretty obnoxious thing for John to have said, best friend or no.

Or it could simply be that in determining who should be best man, Isaac didn't understand friendship was supposed to play a bigger role than the ability to give a speech and draw laughs. Judged in the terms of "who would be the best emcee," Gordon is a way better choice for best man than John.

Bortus's comedy routine was hilarious to me because it was full of harsh truth. I also loved seeing Klyden being a supportive spouse rather than the nag or douchebag he's typically been for most of the series. HOORAY FOR YOU!

I actually was looking forward to seeing more of Planet Reddit. Oh wells. I wonder if the show is renewed if the woman from Planet Reddit will be a new crewmember, a recurring cast member or what.

It makes sense to me that the game can change in lots of ways once you have synthesizers. In some cases, the newfound equality of means of production will be liberating, and in some, it will result in the last gasps of people trying to hold on to privileges under the old system. And in still others, people will exploit the ability to produce unlimited amounts of stuff in heinous ways.

Edited August 4, 2022 by Chicago Redshirt

[shapeshifter]

4 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

My take is that John's punk-ass was still in the doghouse for suggesting to Isaac that he should be sowing his Kaylon oats before getting married and so was taken out of consideration for best man duties. And I know it was a setup for multiple jokes, but I have to say how it's a pretty obnoxious thing for John to have said, best friend or no.

For sure. My objection was to the writers having John suggest to Isaac the he should "be sowing his Kaylon oats before getting married." 
It seemed like a plot device to put Gordon into the Best Man role instead of John. 

But, admittedly, the few weddings I've been involved with have all had similar sh!t show decisions made, so, on second thought, I credit the writers for realism.  

[dwmarch]

This was definitely one of the funnier episodes and I laughed out loud several times. I especially loved Kelly's deadpan reaction to Isaac propositioning her. The drunk ladies trying to get Ed's opinion was also hilarious.

I'm glad they checked the guest star's luggage before letting her attempt to leave since she stole a comm scanner the last time. Interesting that the contraband scanner can detect that a Union device does not belong to a specific individual.

Again with the shuttle parking! Now both shuttles are in the bay side by side but the fighter is in between them and facing the wrong way. I would love to see a Lower Decks type of episode where the crew struggles with finding an appropriate parking spot for it.

I was kind of hoping the Kaylon would upgrade Isaac so he could have emotions again. I also thought that since the entire Kaylon fleet came to the wedding something terrible was going to happen to their home planet while they were gone (although they did mention a garrison so I guess they have it covered).

Here's hoping we get a season 4!

[ketose]

The last thing I saw on The Orville was a fast-forward through yet another Gordon song done to montage. I should be glad there wasn't an unanswered  cliffhanger, but there was a lot of callbacks. Weird Moclan ceremony, Isaac taking bad advice from John, Planet Reddit, finale with Alana, check. That being said, I didn't hate the episode. It was kind of their version of "Data's Day" spread out over a week.

If this is the end of The Orville, I think it ended on a good note.

[kay1864]

- Isaac has to go to his lab to replicate a banana? They don’t have replicators in sick bay?

- SO glad that Topa didn’t have to see her parents completely naked

- Felt sorry for those two actors having to run in full prosthetics, and on location 

- Great dress uniforms, have we seen these before?

- And how about those 25th century tuxes? Nice design!

- There’s a Krill on board? 

- ‘Man and wife’? Not ‘husband and wife’? How about joining the 21st-century, show?

- Gotta wonder if there was infighting among the Kaylon for who got to attend in person 😆

- I can just imagine Kaylon small talk at a reception. “We will attempt to converse at a level that your inferior minds can comprehend.”

- Bortus’ reluctance to leave the limelight when Gordon nudged him away 😆

[Zaffy]

Claire was REALLY scary when she went to "have a chat" with Lamarr! You do not mess with this woman!

Overall a very pleasant and quite funny episode.

I hope for season 4, but please NO MORE Gordon singing mellow songs. He is not that talented, why on earth we have had him 3 or was it 4 times singing in this season? Is the actor going to release an album or something?  

[Chaos Theory]

Although I will be incredibly disappointed if this is the last we get of The Orville the final episode "Future Unknown" was a charming and heartwarming end and if we don't get anymore I will accept it as such.    It hit alot more then it missed.  I even like that it called back to a season 1 episode that paralled where we are now with the twitterverse.     The nitpickers out there are probably going to have a ball.  They usually do but this episode was a good way to end the season if not the series for me.      

I thought the Bortus and Kylden's ceremony was fun and a good way to start the A plot of Isaac asking Claire to marry him.     The Kaylons bringing the entire planet to the ceremony was hilarious.     I guess the groom's wedding party needs to be cut a bit.   But I like the concept that just a year before the Kaylons and the Union were killing each other and now they were at a wedding.  

Once they mentioned John never wanting to go back to the planet I remembered what planet Lisella was from.   It was the one he was nearly lobotomized.  I liked the debate between Kelly and Lisella.   Should an advanced society maybe help another that is on the verge of falling apart?  What would happen if some advanced peaceful society came to us today in their spaceships and offered us more power then we had ever known?  Would we be able to handle it or would different leaders; political, economic, religious use it to control and destroy us?    It is an interesting debate that even with the best of intentions there is a reason you can't just hand over technology or weapons to someone else less advanced.

I would watch a season 4 without question but if this is the end.  I am ok with where it ended.   

Oh and "The only life considered poor is the one wasted on apathy"  Is probably something we all need to learn.

Edited August 4, 2022 by Chaos Theory

[kay1864]

14 minutes ago, Zaffy said:

please NO MORE Gordon singing mellow songs. He is not that talented, why on earth we have had him 3 or was it 4 times singing in this season? Is the actor going to release an album or something?  

Same! I’m guessing he had something in his season 3 contract. 

[RevBrett]

There was a lot of funny in this episode, which was good because Claire/Isaac is my least-favorite storyline in the show. Random notations:

— Moclan Elvis was very funny; suspect the idea came from a couple of cosplayers who I’ve seen perform as “K’Elvis, the Klingon Elvis Presley.” But well-executed. I kind of wish that they hadn’t gone for the obvious joke and actually had Bortus’ toast be good, in a Bortus sort of way.

— The return of first-season-style Gordon (“We should be allowed to listen to music up here.” “My sandwich! I knew that would make me feel better.”) was enjoyable. A mature Gordon removes the reason he’s there.

— Lysella is clearly set-up for a Season 4 role, if the show is renewed. After all, her name ends in a vowel sound and features at least one lateral. If she is, I hope the focus is more on her learning about the Union through observation than by expository lectures from other cast members.

It’s a good finale if the show isn’t renewed. Although it would probably mean even more Claire/Issac stuff, fast-forwarding was invented for a reason.

[thuganomics85]

Was not expecting the season finale to bring back up Planet Reddit and have Claire and Issac officially tie the knot!

Interesting seeing Lysella again and hearing that things on Planet Reddit are, if anything, getting worse instead of getting better.  Yeah, that was clearly referring to how, ahem, certain things in real life seem to be heading in that direction sadly.  Not surprised that she would have second thoughts though about asylum, and even try to steal a coms device again to take back.  I understand the dilemma, but I think Kelly and the Union are right about this.  Giving a civilization that is still this fractured that kind of technology before they are ready is just a recipe for disaster.  They have to change on their own and then be able to naturally advance to that level instead of it being handed to them on a silver platter.  I wonder if we'll ever see them get to that place.  I also wonder if Lysella is being set up to stick around long term on The Orville.

Happy that Claire and Isaac are now married and managed to avoid any real obstacles to the big day, aside from questionable advice from LaMarr and the decision to have Bortus of all people as the best man!  Bortus is good for a lot of things, but maybe not that.  At least Gordon was able to rectify that in the end.

I wonder if LaMarr knows how close he was to death when Claire confronted him about suggesting Isaac should try dating other people first?  Claire can be scary when the time calls for it!

Bortus and Klyden seem on much better terms now.  Kind of sweet how much Kylden was trying to support Bortus during all of the face-planting.  And the recommitment ceremony was something.  Although, I guess despite being on Hulu, they still want to keep things TV-14, because despite the claim that they would be naked, they ended wearing some modesty loincloths, I see.

Glad they got Alara back for a cameo!  And the egg sandwich returns!

Loved that Isaac invited the entire Kaylon fleet to the wedding and they actually accepted!  Enjoyed the wedding reception and seeing them scattered awkwardly all over the place.  Things certainly have changed compared to how it started out last season!

This episode works well enough as a potential series finale, but hopefully it comes back.  There are a few issues that I had; mainly how long some of these episodes were; that, ironically, might be due to the Hulu move despite being a positive thing in many other ways, but I still find this to be some enjoyable sci-fi and fun homage to Star Trek: The Next Generation.  Would be curious to see what Seth and company cook up next!

[ketose]

The matter synthesis thing is kind of an interesting thought experiment, but a machine that makes things might not solve the need for land or energy. Even travel would be an issue on Earth 2022. Even the idea of reputation as value is kind of wonky if you really think about it. Original Trek delved into the Prime Directive stuff a couple of times and came to the conclusion that the natural development of a culture is important, even if giving technology to a planet wouldn't lead to nuclear annihilation.

[Lugal]

If this is how the Orville goes out, it's a good way to go.  We had callbacks to previous seasons, and we got to see Alara again.  And the sandwich returned!  The Isaac/Claire wedding was a good thing to center the episode around.  But if we do get a season 4, I'm back.  And if for whatever season Seth doesn't return for season 4, Adrienne Palicki can carry the show.

1 hour ago, RevBrett said:

After all, her name ends in a vowel sound and features at least one lateral.

Kelly, Claire, Tala, Malloy, Lamarr (OK,his name doesn't end in a vowel) never noticed that before.  Anyway, I like Lysella, although I thought they were a little quick to let her go, especially when they told her she can never go back to her own world if she left with them.  I liked all her scenes with Kelly, but didn't she get any psychological counseling?  I'm glad she got over it and decided to stay, and I would welcome her as a regular crew member next season (And for all the fuss made over Charlie, I didn't really notice her absence in this one).

Lamarr, you really should have known better.  I thought Claire was restrained in her dealing with him.  Although ripping him in front of his subordinates was probably not to great.

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I'm not sure I believe Kelly's/the Union's belief of: "You get all this by becoming better people." 
And it pretty much contradicted what Kelly had just said:

• ". . . the invention of the matter synthesizer. It was the single most transformative moment in our history. When all your material needs are provided for at no cost, it changes the entire game."

I don't see a contradiction, not really.  A matter synthesizer capable of meeting everyone's needs would be a game changer, but in the here and now, there is still a lot we could do to make everyone's lives much better (basic food and shelter for everyone).  If we chose to be better people we could do it, but so far we haven't.

[greekmom]

OMG. Ill never see tassels again the same way.
I loved Claire's dress.
The Kaylons on the groom side was hilarious.
Klyden is still in his honeymoon stage with Bortus.
A very enjoyable episode. Didn't care much for the Reddit girl's storyline but it was only B storyline.  I enjoyed how Kelly explained how the Earth/Union function without money instead of Trek's excuse "we work to better ourselves".
Even though I knew Alara was coming back, I was hoping that they explain what happened with the Krill and Ed getting his daughter back.  Wish we would have seen Claire ask Primary for a dance.
Damn Disney - you better renew this quick.
 

[Jynnan tonnix]

Regarding Bortus and Klyden's ceremonial attire, I was thinking that one way out of that wardrobe conundrum would be to do away with the concept of genitalia located between the legs, and just give them the Ken doll treatment (a la Alan Rickman's Metatron in Dogma). They could then either  build alternate genitalia with a completely different look elsewhere on the body, or sidestep the matter completely by claiming that Moclans have internal genitalia or something. Heck, if they lay eggs, they might be built more like birds in that regard. 

Anyway...

Do we have any idea whether the Powers That Be have given any indication as to whether the show will be renewed? This episode just had an air of finality to it that made me wonder whether they know anything that they are not saying yet. It had so much of an air of season one about it, as though it didn't really matter whether they needed to please anyone else, they were going to go with the original model with the original heart of the show, tie up a bunch of loose ends, and include happy endings both galactic and intimate. 

Of course, the inclusion of Lysella hints that there may still be room for more stories to be told, so I'll take that, but it still feels very sadly final to me. 

Keeping fingers crossed for a surprise renewal, though!

[blueray]

First off what a weird episode. There wasn't a main story but a bunch of lose ends that were tied up but without any sort of reason. I guess the A story was Isaac and Claire getting married but it happened so quickly. Like you'd think that would be a few episodes as a B story. The random story at the be the Molcan mating ritual. Which I kept thinking okay something is going to happen but nope it went off without a problem. 

Then there was Lysella. Who I completely didn't know who she was for a few minutes then I remembered the episode but still not really her. I totally called she was steal a replicator, but I thought she would actually make it off the ship. I can see her joining the crew (next season) and it kind of like being a Jonas Quinn story where they are not able to go back to their planet because reasons but their planet is about to destroy each other. I'm assuming her planet got worse then when we last saw it. And meanwhile she is adapting to life on a union ship, maybe taking virtual classes, or working the ship cook or something.  Also it seemed weird that she was just signaling and the Orville happened to be there. What if it was another union ship?

Anyhow, clearly set up in case it is the series finale. I loved that we got to see Alara, even if it was just for the party. And I cheered when the egg salad sandwich appeared! And liked Gordon's speech. We never got the reason why Botus wanted to be best man, it came out of nowhere and the joke (no pun attended) got old really fast. 

[blueray]

4 hours ago, kay1864 said:

- SO glad that Topa didn’t have to see her parents completely naked

I had the same part but then decided maybe this was normal for Moclans lol. 

[AnimeMania]

When they were showing the back of Alara's head, I was thinking it might be Ed's daughter.

[madfortv]

This was a fun episode. I especially enjoyed Adrianne Palicki (Kelly). Early in the series she seemed more of a light weight with the "will they / won't they" stupidity. So glad I got to see her act this last season and to appreciate her acting skills.

The part where Claire yelled at John was good. Overall the cast is great IMO. There were many laughs this episode. I will watch next season if there is one.  Neither of my sons have seen the show. I'm encouraging them to watch the series. I think they will like it. 

If it comes back I would like to see a little more of John and Tala, not necessarily together. Together or not, I only want good stories. Lysella looks like she would be a welcome addition.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

Do we have any idea whether the Powers That Be have given any indication as to whether the show will be renewed? This episode just had an air of finality to it that made me wonder whether they know anything that they are not saying yet.

Well, the episode was aptly titled “Future Unknown.” 😉

[chaifan]

Yep, this was The Orville I'd been waiting for all season. 

I had no idea who Lysella was, and I re-watched Seasons 1 and 2 not long ago.  I just didn't recognize her out of place, and her name was meaningless.  I think the Lysella & Kelly interactions, and Kelly's explaining of the Union and it's inception, ethos, etc., would have been good to have in Season 1, not in what may be the last episode of the show.  They could have put the Planet Reddit Episode early in Season 1, followed in a few episodes by Lysella coming back, and using that as the opportunity to explain the Union background.  Seems a little weird this late in the game to finally get all that info.

The odd thing about both Star Trek's Federation and the Union's position is that there is no middle ground.  At least the Federation has a solid line of achieving warp drive as when it is ok to make first contact.  I don't know if the Union has an equivalent.  But it seems that the Union could make themselves known to a less developed world (like Planet Reddit) and say, "Hey, if you get your shit together this is what you can achieve.  But we're going away now, and we'll keep an eye on you, and hopefully our people will be back again someday to welcome you in the Union."  But in the meantime, not give anything away.  I mean, if the Union can find that planet, that means any one of the many other non-Union space faring species could, and those species may not have the same ethics. 

I still find Claire and Isaac a little squicky as a couple.  My AI-phobia must be showing.  Marcus seems to have aged 10 years since the series started.  Beautiful wedding, though, and great dress!  I can't believe the officiant's lines haven't changed at all in all the time that has passed.  As said above "husband and wife"...  ugh.  Isaac's vows made me think  he was going to leave Claire at the aisle. 

13 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Having seen/heard James Taylor on Colbert this week, I just realized Scott Grimes' singing voice is almost identical, at least for this song.

I thought the same thing.  (And I didn't even see JT on Colbert.)  And the song he sang had the same feel of You've Got a Friend.  If it were an actual JT song, I wouldn't be surprised. 

I'd like to see The Orville back for Season 4, but not if I have to wait another 18 months for it. 

[DoctorAtomic]

16 hours ago, MSterling said:

How do Moclans decide who chases and who evades?

I'm assuming it's obvious because clearly Bortus was chasing. 

6 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Should an advanced society maybe help another that is on the verge of falling apart?

That was Kelly's pov from Union history though from what I took. That planet may have spun their wheels for another century or so and then 'unified' for lack of a better term. The Union showed up basically with magic and ended up destroying the place. I mean, the cold war was basically a containment policy, and all through that everyone was worried about nuclear war, but that never happened. 

I did like that the Union was kind of like missionaries at first and really screwed it up. Which is funny because the Orville did not do well there.

5 hours ago, ketose said:

Even the idea of reputation as value is kind of wonky if you really think about it.

I don't think so. I had to establish a reputation in order to get promoted. It's like that in many professions. Kelly's definition was broader, which made sense to me in the context of the conversation. 

I don't mind the singing. I've been listening to Grimes sing as Steve Smith on American Dad for years. How long has that show been on? 

Did you invite the whole planet?
Yes [emphatically]. 

The joke about 'she's my doctor and has seen me naked but still is marrying Isaac' is just brilliant. It's so niche and perfect. 

Edited August 5, 2022 by DoctorAtomic

[arjumand]

12 hours ago, Zaffy said:

I hope for season 4, but please NO MORE Gordon singing mellow songs. He is not that talented, why on earth we have had him 3 or was it 4 times singing in this season? Is the actor going to release an album or something?  

OMG YES. NO MORE PLEASE. I will power through any number of Bortus doing terrible Elvis covers - at least that was funny, and bonus of Klyden looking misty-eyed while everyone else is bored.

9 hours ago, blueray said:

First off what a weird episode. There wasn't a main story but a bunch of lose ends that were tied up but without any sort of reason. I guess the A story was Isaac and Claire getting married but it happened so quickly. Like you'd think that would be a few episodes as a B story. The random story at the be the Molcan mating ritual. Which I kept thinking okay something is going to happen but nope it went off without a problem. 

Then there was Lysella. Who I completely didn't know who she was for a few minutes then I remembered the episode but still not really her. I totally called she was steal a replicator, but I thought she would actually make it off the ship. I can see her joining the crew (next season) and it kind of like being a Jonas Quinn story where they are not able to go back to their planet because reasons but their planet is about to destroy each other. I'm assuming her planet got worse then when we last saw it. And meanwhile she is adapting to life on a union ship, maybe taking virtual classes, or working the ship cook or something.  Also it seemed weird that she was just signaling and the Orville happened to be there. What if it was another union ship?

Anyhow, clearly set up in case it is the series finale. I loved that we got to see Alara, even if it was just for the party. And I cheered when the egg salad sandwich appeared! And liked Gordon's speech. We never got the reason why Botus wanted to be best man, it came out of nowhere and the joke (no pun attended) got old really fast. 

Thanks for pinning down what I felt about it: from the very beginning, I felt this episode was awkwardly placed. Look, the last episode ended with a funeral, of an apparently beloved character (yes, I hated her. I hated her SO MUCH. But the crew of the Orville didn't), and then in this episode, the theme seems to be "not a fuck was given that day, and all the days to come".

That opening, with Henry Mancini in the background - was that actually in Isaac's head? That was bizarre. And it went on for. So. Long. It went past charming and straight into uncomfortable.

But back to Charley - not even mentioned? It was one episode after she died - I thought it was going to be an escalation of the war thing, but no: wedding hijinks ahoy.

Not that I didn't enjoy the wedding hijinks - that was the best part of the episode, to me. My favourite was Isaac inviting the entire Kaylon fleet to his wedding, and Claire's main complaint was that they wouldn't fit in the holodeck umm simulation room. And I'm always there for a good wedding dress tryout. Would have liked a longer montage, with correspondingly less of Lysella.

See, I'd never seen the previous episode so all I saw was another Charley lookalike, and I was bored by the whole yesno thing. And then I watched the episode and really? She wanted to go back there? Whatever. I would have found it more convincing if when she kept repeating that they lived in a utopia, Kelly had mentioned the - you know- INTERSTELLAR WAR that was happening. And how one of their crew, who was Lysella's age, died just the other day, sacrificing herself to save her friends.

It was tonally bizarre, compared to previous episodes. I could have thought that it had been broadcast out of order, except there was no Charley and there was a treaty with the Kaylons in effect.

[statslady]

8 hours ago, chaifan said:

I thought the same thing.  (And I didn't even see JT on Colbert.)  And the song he sang had the same feel of You've Got a Friend.  If it were an actual JT song, I wouldn't be surprised. 

22 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Was this an original song Gordon/Scott Grimes sang at the end? 

Yes this was a James Taylor song.  I recognized it immediately - I have this album (yes on vinyl) and listened to it practically every day for a while when I was in high school in the late 1970s - was it really that long ago?  Yikes.   Loved hearing this song again, and I thought Grimes did a good job with it.  My only disappointment was why weren't Clare and Isaac dancing to it?  

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, arjumand said:

It was tonally bizarre, compared to previous episodes. I could have thought that it had been broadcast out of order, except there was no Charley and there was a treaty with the Kaylons in effect.

This comment makes me wonder how much pandemic issues affected this season. We've hashed over and rehashed how the freedom to make episodes longer was used and abused. And we've discussed ad nauseum the casting of romantic partners. But I wonder if there were quarantine-type reasons for some of the casting choices of specific episodes. Heck, maybe that is why Seth's gf was cast? (Feel free to throw tomatoes. My computer screen is fruit proof.) Or maybe they hooked up because of quarantining while filming?

 

31 minutes ago, vteal said:

Yes this was a James Taylor song.  I recognized it immediately - I have this album (yes on vinyl) and listened to it practically every day for a while when I was in high school in the late 1970s - was it really that long ago?  Yikes.   Loved hearing this song again, and I thought Grimes did a good job with it.  My only disappointment was why weren't Clare and Isaac dancing to it? 

Thank you for sharing that factoid. By the late 70s I was having babies, so not buying albums, and my only music was live ——which means I'm the old one. 👵🏻 
But yes! Claire and Isaac dancing while Gordon played with a montage fading in and out between both would have been So. Much. Better. 

And I don't see how Covid restrictions could have made that any more difficult than what we saw.

Edited August 5, 2022 by shapeshifter

[jah1986]

I really enjoyed this one, felt like old Orville. I laughed more in this one episode than I did for this whole season combined. I did feel like the Moclan mating ritual/vow renewal went on way too long, it was funny with no one knowing what to do at the end. Loved Elvis impersonator Bortus, and Klyden’s support no matter what. Best part, for me, was all the Kaylon at the wedding. They clearly had no idea what was going on, but they wanted to support Isaac. I loved how they were always a second behind in standing when the bride walked in (I loved Claire’s dress), and standing and applauding after the ceremony. They looked like “why are we hitting our hands together, illogical biologicals”. I did like Gordon’s speech, but if I never hear him sing again that will be just fine with me. I did not remember Lysella at all, but I did remember the planet, glad she decided to stay. Loved seeing Alara again. And loved Claire going old earth on Lamarr for his dumb “advice”.  I’ll be sorry if this is the end, but it was a good finale.

[Zaffy]

At one point the camera showed most of the Kaylons interacting with the other guests, I wish we could listen a part of those chit-chats.

The Lysella situation made me wonder what would happen in Earth if the "Vulcans" made a very public first contact now, in 2022.
I always had this "romantic" belief that if we learned advanced alien civilizations exist out there, we would see things from another perspective and we would get better.
I am not that sure now, we would probably steal all tech from them and kill them in an "accident" and then sell the tech in the galaxy black market.

[DoctorAtomic]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Or maybe they hooked up because of quarantining while filming?

We did it once. It was a different time. HA!

I was intrigued that the sandwich reappeared after the device had been destroyed. This leads me to believe that there is an alt-universe where Gordon raised the family and lived a long life. It's a good thread to leave for a possible future story. 

I know Seth gets a lot of criticisms, but much of the humor is in episodes he wrote. I did laugh at Ed just *not even* when he walked in on the women, and then having zero clue what to say about the dresses with Alara ripping him for sounding 'general'. 

I'd like to see a season 4 of relative stability and having the Orville back to being a more science exploration ship. Maybe some non aggression pact with the Krill and Moclan. 

Edited August 5, 2022 by DoctorAtomic

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Or maybe they hooked up because of quarantining while filming?

22 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

We did it once. It was a different time. HA!

Glad you got to use Oliver's line! Very apt!
("Performance Review" Only Murders In The Building)

[DoctorAtomic]

I been sitting on it all week. 

[jah1986]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I know Seth gets a lot of criticisms, but much of the humor is in episodes he wrote. I did laugh at Ed just *not even* when he walked in on the women, and then having zero clue what to say about the dresses with Alara ripping him for sounding 'general'. 

Kelly's "you have been useful, non-drunk man, you may go", was hilarious. And him not understanding why he had to have an opinion on the dress, also funny.

[Commando Cody]

I went through the first two seasons a couple of times. I had no idea who Lisella was at first. I had to wait for the show to give me some clues. Then I went okay it was the social media episode. Not sure why they chose her to come back. 

After all the discussions that Kelly and Lisella had about finding a purpose. I fully expected Lisella to go back to her planet to try and help the people there. I knew she going to steal something, but I thought she would still go back without it and try to help her people anyway. If the show continues, I don't want her as a new cast member. They didn't need the one who, oddly enough, was not mentioned in this episode. The crew actually seemed downright jolly - like a heavy wet blanket had been lifted off of them. Having too many useless cast members takes away from the original cast members. She just isn't needed. I found her a forgettable character. It took a while for me to figure out who she was.  I didn't find that episode as one of the better ones. It was just Seth predicting the future of social media. 

I really enjoyed this episode. It was good that everything they did made me think that something was going to happen. When Bortus was chasing Klydon through the woods, it seemed like a good place for some misfortune to happen, or when the Kaylons all came to wedding only leaving a small contingency on their planet.  Then all of the ships suddenly showing up. The interesting thing about this episode was that nothing happened. There were no outside forces. The only real threat was Clare when she went off on John. That was so awesome. 

I loved the wedding uniforms and Isaac's tuxedo. I had to wonder, if the show continued, if we would see Isaac wearing a wedding band.  

This was a nice episode that seemed to have more of the elements of the first two seasons. Most of this season was kind of humorless and it was nice to see a lighter episode. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Commando Cody said:

I went through the first two seasons a couple of times. I had no idea who Lisella was at first. I had to wait for the show to give me some clues. Then I went okay it was the social media episode.

So. Out of about 2 dozen of us here who watch diligently enough to comment, at least 15% had no memory of Lisella, which left us going, "huh?" or "eh?" for several minutes of dialog in the middle of the episode.

Agree that she is not necessary for any future seasons. 
 

[tv-talk]

On 8/4/2022 at 9:53 AM, shapeshifter said:

Having seen/heard James Taylor on Colbert this week, I just realized Scott Grimes' singing voice is almost identical, at least for this song.

I had that exact thought, actually wondered if Grimes intentionally tries to sound like Taylor given how close they sounded.

1 minute ago, shapeshifter said:

So. Out of about 2 dozen of us here who watch diligently enough to comment, at least 15% had no memory of Lisella, which left us going, "huh?" or "eh?" for several minutes of dialog in the middle of the episode.

I had no idea who she was. In fact that seems to happen a lot on this show, for instance I felt that I had missed a bunch of stuff about Charly. 4th dimensional genius nonsense and suddenly she took over John's role as partner to Isaac, then the ultimate weapon came out of nowhere...at times I was positive I missed an episode or 3.

[tv-talk]

6 hours ago, jah1986 said:

I did like Gordon’s speech, but if I never hear him sing again that will be just fine with me.

but it's the Seth McFarlane Rom-Com Sci-Fi Variety Show!

[tv-talk]

21 hours ago, RevBrett said:

Lysella is clearly set-up for a Season 4 role, if the show is renewed.

Ugh, probably dating Seth by now. Honestly I would rather see more of the characters we already have, like Bortus, then just adding another attractive nothing to replace the attractive nothing who died in the previous episode. Stop hiring for looks, both Charly and Lisella are simply not good enough actresses to have storylines. Lisella could be really interesting in terms of in essence being from the past but you can already tell her acting wont be up to par. I actually find most of Claire's storylines somewhat tedious but she can act so it's fine. Scott Grimes is actually a funny guy and can act. Whoever plays Bortus, the character itself is just good on-screen ie when he screamed "You will all be silent!" at the wedding. He even showed great emotion with regards to his daughter in front of the counsel. Hire people who can act!

[Lugal]

15 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

That was Kelly's pov from Union history though from what I took. That planet may have spun their wheels for another century or so and then 'unified' for lack of a better term. The Union showed up basically with magic and ended up destroying the place. I mean, the cold war was basically a containment policy, and all through that everyone was worried about nuclear war, but that never happened. 

I did like that the Union was kind of like missionaries at first and really screwed it up. Which is funny because the Orville did not do well there.

I liked that they had their altruistic motives to try and help the other civilizations they meet but didn't always work out right.  But TNG did that episode with the late great Paul Sorvino where they actually had to deal with the consequences of the Prime Directive.  Since Lysella's people are basically 2020s Earth, I can see how giving advanced technology to people who keep cruelty as a cultural value (mass down-votes) would not go work out well.

If aliens showed up here and offered us advanced technology, what would happen if they just said "here" and "do what you will".  Or the other option, if they stayed and guided us in its use, they would put limits on it in ways that some on this planet might see as oppressive, given how people here reacted to various measures over the past few years.  And I should point out that nuclear war didn't happen here through sheer dumb luck.

On Edit: I just looked it up and the TNG episode with Paul Sorvino was "Homeward" and it featured Penny Johnson Jerald.

Edited August 5, 2022 by Lugal

[greekmom]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

So. Out of about 2 dozen of us here who watch diligently enough to comment, at least 15% had no memory of Lisella, which left us going, "huh?" or "eh?" for several minutes of dialog in the middle of the episode.

Agree that she is not necessary for any future seasons. 
 

Not that I forgotten about Lisella and the Reddit/Twitter episode but question - how was she able to swipe a communications device the first time she was on the ship but this time the alarm bells went off that she stole future tech?

Gotta love those plot contrivances. 

Edited August 5, 2022 by greekmom

[DoctorAtomic]

4 hours ago, jah1986 said:

Kelly's "you have been useful, non-drunk man, you may go", was hilarious. And him not understanding why he had to have an opinion on the dress, also funny.

She read the line as not sloppy, but clearly had been drinking too. 

Edited August 5, 2022 by DoctorAtomic

[DoctorAtomic]

58 minutes ago, greekmom said:

Gotta love those plot contrivances.

That was the new shuttle she was entering, so it's fair for me that it would be equipped with more bells and whistles. 

To also be fair, I didn't remember Lysella either, but prior to the communication, they mentioned the planet and something about 'Don't tell John', so it pinged me that it was the 'facebook/reddit' planet. I mean, ok, I didn't quite remember her either, but if they just did an information dump, no one really needs 5 minutes of exposition either. 

[Meushell]

Random thoughts.

I like Lysella as a future minor character, but not as a main character. John and Talla are neglected as it is. I wish John had been best man. Like, even in this, he’s neglected. Why have the season end with him giving bad advice?

Finally! We see Talla and Alara meet. It was nice that they either seemed to have met already, or at least knew each other. It shows that Alara is keeping in contact with the crew without them saying it.

Yaphit. Awww. I hope they do him well.

Isaac inviting the entire planet and not telling anyone is so Isaac. Why did Claire seem to get angry at him though? The “they won’t all fit” could have been said without the anger. Claire, you have nearly an entire planet coming to see your wedding. You should be happy that they clearly take this marriage as seriously as you do.

[legaleagle53]

11 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I was intrigued that the sandwich reappeared after the device had been destroyed. This leads me to believe that there is an alt-universe where Gordon raised the family and lived a long life. It's a good thread to leave for a possible future story. 

The sandwich was sent into the future before the device was destroyed. The device's destruction is irrelevant because the sandwich bypassed the moment of the device's destruction altogether. That's how time travel works.

[SmithW6079]

On 8/4/2022 at 4:59 PM, Zaffy said:

I hope for season 4, but please NO MORE Gordon singing mellow songs. He is not that talented, why on earth we have had him 3 or was it 4 times singing in this season? Is the actor going to release an album or something?  

Actually, Scott Grimes is that talented. He sings regularly as Steve Smith on "American Dad," and he has released albums and singles.

If this ends up being the series finale, they ended on a good note, as the Orville heads off into the sunset.

At least we learned the answer to the question of how one marries one's vibrator. I was disappointed that holodeck Isaac's tassels didn't rotate on little motors (there's a sentence I never thought I'd write). I thought it was really touching that he said he would look after Claire's descendants for all time. 

Glad to see the sandwich come back (but was dreading the return of an interdimensional Charly).

While overall I enjoyed the season, this episode showed how much better it would have been without Charly entirely.

[Yeah No]

19 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

So. Out of about 2 dozen of us here who watch diligently enough to comment, at least 15% had no memory of Lisella, which left us going, "huh?" or "eh?" for several minutes of dialog in the middle of the episode.

Add me to that list.  I vaguely remembered the episode, and it's only because of what I read here that I became sure of which one it was.  I went back to watch it and it all came back to me.  But then I realized that it first aired almost 5 years ago now.  5 YEARS AGO, PEOPLE.  That's half a decade!  So it's no wonder.  I actually think the show should have given us more of a recap than it did.  By this time I almost thought it was something I saw on Black Mirror, LOL.

I liked this episode.  I appreciated that it had more comedy in it.  After rewatching the "Reddit" episode I realized how much they've toned that down this season.  John has been toned down a LOT since first season.  He was positively clueless in that earlier episode.  In this episode Isaac was utilized for his cluelessness when it comes to human customs and relationships.  That annoyed me a little because by this time Data would have been downloading books on the subject to bring himself up to speed.  Doesn't Isaac have similar capabilities?  He can at least digest a book at record speed.  They could still make him a little clueless, just not THAT clueless.  I get it that they wanted to make it funny but it was a little heavy handed.

I love a wedding episode complete with gown fitting.  Thankfully she didn't choose either of the ones shown previously and chose one that was perfect.  I'm liking the more liberal and creative usage of the simulator to aid in things like parties.  On TNG the holodeck was always this semi-creepy place they went alone to live out their fantasies.  Here it's an aid to real life.  I like that.  

I actually felt like Lysella might have been introduced with the intentions of keeping her on as a recurring character should the show be renewed (and I hope it is).  We just got rid of one young female character and now there's a new one to replace her already.  I just hope she isn't Seth's NEXT new girlfriend.  Creepy-patrol..... Although I wouldn't be against her being on the show as a regular.  At least she's more likable than Charly.  

I guess the show couldn't resist actually showing us that Moclan rite/ceremony although it wimped out in the nudity department, thankfully.  I really don't care if they were inconsistent, I'm just glad they didn't show anyone's junk or make them have some sort weird variation like internal sex organs. I think that segment was supposed to be funny, and while I did giggle a little I could have lived without it, to be honest.  It wasn't as funny as they might have hoped it would be.

I'm surprised that so many people don't seem to appreciate Scott Grimes' talents.  I never gave him much thought, but he impressed me a few times this season and I admit I have come around to liking him.  They've given the character more depth and that's a good thing.  Now they just need to do that with John.

What a pleasant surprise to see Alara!  It made me wish they could have used her in an episode somewhere. 

Here's to a very good season overall and let's hope we see another one before another 3 years goes by!

[DoctorAtomic]

Part of the problem is John got moved to engineering so he's not on the bridge to interact with everyone regularly. This season also didn't have much off world exploration where he would likely have been in the away party.