S02.E01: Ja'loja

[shapeshifter]

19 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

I didn't see her name in the credits, but that was Michaela McManus as the new crew member, right?

Yep.

 

 While I am on the anti-stalking-behavior team IRL, the visual of the space shuttle's nose slowly entering the picture window where Kelley and her date were sitting was LOL funny.

And maybe I was a little taken aback by the use of the term "drive by" here—not how it's used in Chicago.

[ganesh]

Makes you wonder what else Ed saw in people's windows. I mean, your window is literally facing nothing. Who's going to see you? 

[Chicago Redshirt]

32 minutes ago, Jacks-Son said:

I don't think that's how it transpired.  Kelly's dad was friends of the Admiral's and Kelly used that friendship to put in a good word for Ed.  The Orville was a ship without a Captain, a pilot,  and an XO.  Ed was given the Captaincy,  he chose Gordon as his pilot,  While the ship was waiting for an XO to be assigned.  Kelly was assigned to the Orville based on her working relationship to Ed.  Kelly was assigned AFTER Ed got the Orville and neither had anything to do with that assignment. 

My recollection was that when Kelly put in Ed's name to captain the Orville, and the admiral basically said that would only happen if Kelly served as his XO. 

[Bort]

If the ship were sitting parked and I knew that people could check out shuttles to go puttering around outside, I'd be closing my blinds.

[ketose]

17 hours ago, ganesh said:

To be fair, he hacked his grades, so the parents had false information too. 

I actually thought he was going to say "I can't go with all you looking at me."

Those parents were in denial. It looked like Claire wanted to see her son's homework while the other parents just took James' word for it.

 

3 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

Damn,  Claire is either the love object of a slug engineer,  Yaphit, or she's a shipping half of an "Artificial Life Form" couple.  Sucks.   I was actually happy the new Cartographer might end up with Ed and not Gordon.  I'm not a fan of Gordon,  as I believe everything is a joke to him (except noctornal leg amputations - which I found hilarious BTW)  I thought Seth had finally decided to just incorporate his RL relationship with Halston Sage into the show and have them be together.  They may still go there,  however,  there is real concern on my part that Alara will no longer be part of the show and I like her character. 

Calling someone's mother a PITA, is fighting words,  and James earned himself a smack in the mouth from Marcus.  Kelly dating Cassius is fine because she's right,  their relationship can't work while she's his XO.  If they want to continue the relationship,  someone should step down.

Seth making an entire episode based on a throw-a-way line about Moclan's urinating once a year (how does THAT work??) is brilliant comedy material.

Welcome back show!  Now,  the wait for ST: D begins. 

I was disappointed they paid to CGI Yaphit but no Norm McDonald to voice him.

The Moclans are to the Orville what Klingons were to ST:TNG. If they need a weird biological quirk (drinking poo, eating glass, peeing once a year) they write it into a Moclan.

 Dann got close to one of the things I find funny about shows with multiple aliens. What segment of a population is really attracted to an alien race, especially when it's wildly different looking?

[Jacks-Son]

38 minutes ago, ketose said:

What segment of a population is really attracted to an alien race, especially when it's wildly different looking?

The image of Claire embedded in Yaphit's gelatinous Karma Sutra pose is painful enough I don't need to see a repeat and that's not Xenophobia talking.

Even Kelly's tryst with Rob Lowe's character, Darulio, was tame, by comparison and SHE was under the influence of a pheromone roofie.

While I'm all for Xeno Cross-breeding or Cross-Sex, Dann and Alara are NOT happening (and yeah, that fucking humongous head may have something to do with it) nor is Claire and Issac (Anatomically correct or Fully Functioning). Still not happening, though it worked for Chiana and D'Argo on "Farscape".

[ganesh]

56 minutes ago, Jacks-Son said:

Still not happening, though it worked for Chiana and D'Argo on "Farscape".

I like this show, but it sure ain't Farscape. 

[Dobian]

1 hour ago, ketose said:

 

The Moclans are to the Orville what Klingons were to ST:TNG.

And Bortus is the Worf of the Orville.

[Orbert]

Bortus is the Worf of the Orville, but I took the Ja'loja to be basically the equivalent of the Vulcan Pon Farr.  But that's somewhat the same thing anyway.  In TOS, the Vulcans were explored via Spock, just as the Klingons were explored via Worf in TNG.

I thought Isaac was laying it on a bit heavy.  James' parents were definitely wrong and in denial (and kinda jerks, too), but James hacking his grades wasn't quite "proof" that he also hacked the food replicator.  Then driving from that point to outright blasting them while the teacher sat there seemed a bit much.  I liked that they got their comeuppence, but wished it had been handled a bit better.  Pretty good overall, though.

[Jacks-Son]

9 minutes ago, ganesh said:

I like this show, but it sure ain't Farscape. 

Very few shows can even claim to be in the same league as "Farscape", but "D. C.'s Legends of Tomorrow" is making a valiant effort at capturing "Farscape"'s irreverent stories.

I don't buy Cassius' love for Kelly after a month of dating.  I guess its possible in real life but i don't buy it.  I bet Kelly can't say the same,  since she was unable to answer Ed's question.  I'm reasonably certain their relationship will be in trouble if Ed starts dating Janel or even Alara. 

[The Kings Foot]

8 hours ago, Cobb Salad said:

@Chicago Redshirt I agree completely re: Kelly and Ed. They must work together given their roles on the ship so they can’t avoid each other.  I want the show to work this out so we don’t need to have it used as a continued source of conflict / plot device.  I hope the show finds something else.  

I did like the plot about Claire’s problems with her son and saw the outcome coming (it was James who was the problem) but I hope the relationship between her and Isaac does not evolve into more than what it is now.  

Something is definitely coming wrt Isaac. When Claire asked her son why he was so combative he shot a look at Isaac which both adults didn't register. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Welcome back, show!  James was pulling an Eddie Haskell. Hope that’s not too much of a geezer reference. 

[Jacks-Son]

10 minutes ago, The Kings Foot said:

Something is definitely coming wrt Isaac. When Claire asked her son why he was so combative he shot a look at Isaac which both adults didn't register. 

I saw that and wondered if Marcus was having absent father issues or he resented Isaac's intrusion in family matters.  I know both Marcus and Ty like Isaac,  but I dont think they want him as a substitute father. Although it would appear that Marcus could use some male guidance.   I too hated the back-handed slight of Claire's marital status from a *itch that can't even monitor her own child.  I guess James got his attitude from his parents. 

3 minutes ago, GussieK said:

James was pulling an Eddie Haskell. Hope that’s not too much of a geezer reference. 

You mean a smarmy liar who kisses ass with ease.  I don't recall if the Cleavers ever saw through Eddie's bullshit. 

[Bort]

17 minutes ago, Jacks-Son said:

I saw that and wondered if Marcus was having absent father issues or he resented Isaac's intrusion in family matters.  I know both Marcus and Ty like Isaac,  but I dont think they want him as a substitute father. Although it would appear that Marcus could use some male guidance.

I think It might be the latter two: feeling like Isaac is intruding too much and needing male guidance. Absent father issues are usually when kids had their fathers abandon them. I have no idea what it would be called for IVF kids that never had a father in the first place.

[Pike Ludwell]

I wish that people, including Seth McFarland, would stop pretending this is a serious drama. It is light comedy for the most part and that is what makes it enjoyable. Please show ... do not try to get too serious with these characters and this premise. There is nothing wrong with comedy.

[Dobian]

11 minutes ago, Pat Hoolihan said:

I wish that people, including Seth McFarland, would stop pretending this is a serious drama. It is light comedy for the most part and that is what makes it enjoyable. Please show ... do not try to get too serious with these characters and this premise. There is nothing wrong with comedy.

That is an identity problem I noted in season one.  The show would veer from being a parody of Star Trek to being a spiritual successor to Star Trek.  Ed would sometimes swing between Ron Burgundy and Captain Picard in the same episode.  The results can be jarring.  The Orville needs to find its tone and stick with it.

Edited January 1, 2019 by Dobian

[Halting Hex]

I thought it was a nice touch to have the Amok Time homage in episode 2.01 of this series, but this was reeeeally thin.  I mean, I guess you could say Seth was being subtle in not having Claire explicitly call out James's parents for being racist, but it came off as if the show was afraid to raise the issue.

And never mind not having "letter" grades centuries in the future, we've been on a digital grading system for decades already now.  I know what my GPA was; danged if I could tell you which alphabet soup letters added up to that, though.

Ed can put a sock in it with "I think women need".  Ed barely understands what Kelly (and her IMO strangely overdone eye makeup) needs; no need to attempt to universalize her.  Especially as he's only giving Cassius advice on Kelly, and not women in general.

I thought Seth did a nice job at having us on by starting with the vintage turntable playing "As Time Goes By", where I was thinking "well, okay, it's enough of a classic that copies might be preserved, I can buy that"…and then having Rhino the Bartender answer Ed's "where'd you get that?" query by saying he had the replicator make it yesterday.  That's one way to address the archaic cultural references issue, I suppose.

That said, surely the only reason that "Open Arms" should have been preserved is as an instrument of torture, no?  I mean, Bryan Adams's later version, "Heaven", was vomit-worthy enough; Journey's prototype of the "post-coital schmaltz" song was a whole other level of cringe.  (At least Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" has some oomph to it.)  Yes, yes, "Don't Stop Believin'" is on the same album (Escape), but it came between this and the even-more-ghastly lead single, "Who's Cryin' Now?" 

(Who's crying, Steve Perry?  You are, because I've hit you in the junk with a baseball bat for a solid hour for daring to unleash that turd on our ears. Gah!)

Well, I shouldn't be surprised Kelly has wretched taste in music, I suppose, but still.  Between her and Claire's Adventures in Child-Rearing (far more effectively dealt with in "Into the Fold", IMO), this was pretty yawn-worthy.  When I was yearning for more scenes about Bortus's Yearly Whiz (and more urination puns), you know it's not such a winner.

Still, glad to have the show back.  Hope they up their game.

(My holodeck/simulator issues go back decades, I'll admit, but how is Gordon leaning on the bar, exactly?  Isn't that just light?  Shouldn't he fall flat on his side?  Very distracting.)

[ketose]

At great personal risk, I have to say I didn't like Farscape and stopped watching after the first season.

Parodies don't have to be farce. I can handle a show with humor and the occasional serious situation.

I also have to respect the use of contemporary references, because Next Generation suffered too much from pretentious "Roddenberry box" societies where people listened to classical music and opera all the time and played in 19th century costume dramas on the Holodeck.

[Jacks-Son]

17 minutes ago, Halting Hex said:

(My holodeck/simulator issues go back decades, I'll admit, but how is Gordon leaning on the bar, exactly?  Isn't that just light?  Shouldn't he fall flat on his side?  Very distracting.)

Never having really watched much of TNG, the holodeck/simulator prop was SO over used, it's one of the MAIN reasons Voyager turned me off.  I was cool with Janeway and the crew, but the constant use of a holodeck scenario was just fabricated melodrama and not part of the overall story, and it just soured the ST franchise for me until Enterprise came along. Yes, I liked ENT, so rag away.

Yes, Gordon should have fallen flat on his ass, but then I don't understand how John could replicate such a fugly leather jacket and think it needs MORE zippers.

[Chaos Theory]

I like that the show can be funny one episode and then deeply serious the next.   This is the exact opposite of the kind of show that needs to stick with a single tone.  

Edited January 1, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[SmithW6079]

12 hours ago, vibeology said:

This is insulting but it also misses the point of the scene completely. Kelly wasn't looking to have a discussion. She wanted to express herself emotionally to her romantic partner and receive support from him. She didn't want to have a discussion about Ed's drive by and she didn't want someone to fix how she was feeling. She just wanted to release those emotions in a safe place to a safe person and Cassius was way too focused on solving the "problem" and seeing both sides rather than just listening and being there for his girlfriend.

Her boss/ex refused to respect her privacy. She was upset. Why should she have to control that in private with her boyfriend?

You're right. She didn't wanted a discussion.  All she wanted was someone to agree with her, regardless of his own thoughts about it, and it infuriated her that he wouldn't just "yes" her. That's on her.

[Halting Hex]

1 hour ago, ketose said:

At great personal risk, I have to say I didn't like Farscape and stopped watching after the first season.

I think I made it through three episodes before giving up.  The use of the puppets just took me out of it.  But JMO.

[RedHawk]

3 hours ago, Dobian said:

That is an identity problem I noted in season one.  The show would veer from being a parody of Star Trek to being a spiritual successor to Star Trek.  Ed would sometimes swing between Ron Burgundy and Captain Picard in the same episode.  The results can be jarring.  The Orville needs to find its tone and stick with it.

 

I dunno, I’ve kinda liked the mix of silly and serious. 

Edited January 1, 2019 by RedHawk

[Jacks-Son]

On 12/31/2018 at 8:46 PM, Halting Hex said:

On 12/31/2018 at 7:21 PM, ketose said:

At great personal risk, I have to say I didn't like Farscape and stopped watching after the first season.

I think I made it through three episodes before giving up.  The use of the puppets just took me out of it.  But JMO.

You should realize that both reasons for discontinuing Farscape are well established general complaints from those who tried to get into it.  The first season was cheesy; special effects were bare or non-existent; and of course, MUPPETS, WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' MUPPETS!!!!.  Heard them all before, then the complainer stopped and gave it a chance and lo and behold, season 2-5 passed before their eyes as they sat there in wonderment.  I remember MY first experience.  Seriously?  What species are these people supposed to be?  I'll go on record as admitting that I hate muppets, loathe them, hiss at them on sight.  BUT, I love Farscape's muppets.  They're people.

Edited January 2, 2019 by Jacks-Son
Stinkin' is the correct word used in the quote

[dwmarch]

Good episode overall although a little sedate for a premier.

I have to say I am disappointed that we did not get a Strange Brew reference with Bortus' once a year piss. In the Canadian comedy Strange Brew a beer-loving character ends up in a situation where he is about to be drowned in a giant vat of beer. He escapes this situation by drinking the beer and escapes a later fire by pissing it out. I suppose one can only go so far with showing urination on network TV.

We see that the shuttles have cloaking but Ed somehow forgets to engage the cloak while on his drive-by. I suppose he did have a lot on his mind.

However, speaking of which, I remember the last episode of season 1 being the one where Kelly inspired a religion. I do not remember that one having some profound Ed/Kelly romantic moments. If it did and I have simply forgotten that's what you get for leaving eighty six months between seasons, show!

[shapeshifter]

34 minutes ago, dwmarch said:

We see that the shuttles have cloaking but Ed somehow forgets to engage the cloak while on his drive-by. I suppose he did have a lot on his mind.

Or Ed forgot to cloak the shuttle during his drive-by "accidentally on purpose."

[Raja]

11 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

I saw that and wondered if Marcus was having absent father issues or he resented Isaac's intrusion in family matters.  I know both Marcus and Ty like Isaac,  but I dont think they want him as a substitute father. Although it would appear that Marcus could use some male guidance.   I too hated the back-handed slight of Claire's marital status from a *itch that can't even monitor her own child.  I guess James got his attitude from his parents. 

You mean a smarmy liar who kisses ass with ease.  I don't recall if the Cleavers ever saw through Eddie's bullshit. 

As I remember it Ward and June always saw through Eddie's act on Leave it to Beaver . But since he did actually act correctly  when an authority figure was around there was never an opportunity for the extended village to discipline and correct him.

[Raja]

10 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

 

(My holodeck/simulator issues go back decades, I'll admit, but how is Gordon leaning on the bar, exactly?  Isn't that just light?  Shouldn't he fall flat on his side?  Very distracting.)

I don't know about The Orville's bible but for TNG era Star Trek the holodecks where more than just light but also projected force fields. It was how the doctor was able to work After all he did more than just diagnosis.  It seems like in our world we are more likely to be in isolation pods and force feed experiences nuerally than to have physical beams apply physical force on us. 

9 hours ago, ketose said:

At great personal risk, I have to say I didn't like Farscape and stopped watching after the first season.

Parodies don't have to be farce. I can handle a show with humor and the occasional serious situation.

I also have to respect the use of contemporary references, because Next Generation suffered too much from pretentious "Roddenberry box" societies where people listened to classical music and opera all the time and played in 19th century costume dramas on the Holodeck.

Think of it more as a public domain box. So in the end the Trek shows can be put on DVDs and streamed anywhere where as the the little snippets of more modern 'classics" will make The Orville uneconomic. Since the rights owners act like you are watching the TV show to hear a snippet of their property with characters and other production noise laid on top of it.

[marinw]

10 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

use of a holodeck scenario was just fabricated melodrama and not part of the overall story, and it just soured the ST franchise for me until Enterprise came along.

The Holodeck has been described as “Reality twice removed”. I always felt cheated by Holodeck episodes. I want space drama, not a Sherlock Holmes mystery! I think so far The Orville is using its' “Environmental Simulator” with a bit  more restraint, using it to aid the plot (such as it is) and not be the plot. That said, knowing Seth McFarlane, The Orville may well be way more explicit than Star Trek about all the weird sex stuff that must go on in there.

Edited January 1, 2019 by marinw

[Raja]

1 hour ago, marinw said:

The Holodeck has been described as “Reality twice removed”. I always felt cheated by Holodeck episodes. I want space drama, not a Sherlock Holmes mystery! I think so far The Orville is using its' “Environmental Simulator” with a bit  more restraint, using it to aid the plot (such as it is) and not be the plot. That said, knowing Seth McFarlane, The Orville may well be way more explicit than Star Trek about all the weird sex stuff that must go on in there.

Well more explicit than TNG and Voyager at any rate.  On DS9, Quark's was a brothel that the Starfleet Stu's re-purposed for other types of games. 

[The Kings Foot]

12 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

Never having really watched much of TNG, the holodeck/simulator prop was SO over used, it's one of the MAIN reasons Voyager turned me off.  I was cool with Janeway and the crew, but the constant use of a holodeck scenario was just fabricated melodrama and not part of the overall story, and it just soured the ST franchise for me until Enterprise came along. Yes, I liked ENT, so rag away.

Yes, Gordon should have fallen flat on his ass, but then I don't understand how John could replicate such a fugly leather jacket and think it needs MORE zippers.

You would've hated the 80s.

[ketose]

2 hours ago, Raja said:

Well more explicit than TNG and Voyager at any rate.  On DS9, Quark's was a brothel that the Starfleet Stu's re-purposed for other types of games. 

TNG had Geordi and Barclay recreating real life women in the Holodeck, and the show took the opportunity to point out how creepy it was.

[Jack Kerouac]

13 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

(My holodeck/simulator issues go back decades, I'll admit, but how is Gordon leaning on the bar, exactly?  Isn't that just light?  Shouldn't he fall flat on his side?  Very distracting.)

I think in TNG, they explained it by a combination of force fields and holograms. But, YMMV.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, The Kings Foot said:

13 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

such a fugly leather jacket and think it needs MORE zippers.

You would've hated the 80s.

I thought the jacket was a tiny bit cooler than Malloy/Grimes' regular Oriville garb, but I wasn't sure what they were going for. Now I realize it's not so much that I'm unfamiliar with 25th Century fashion trends as I am with the 80s (when I was gardening, painting, cooking, caring for children, or making music--with no TV).

[SmithW6079]

15 hours ago, Pat Hoolihan said:

I wish that people, including Seth McFarland, would stop pretending this is a serious drama. It is light comedy for the most part and that is what makes it enjoyable. Please show ... do not try to get too serious with these characters and this premise. There is nothing wrong with comedy.

But life is both heartrending grief and laugh-out-loud silliness, sometimes even at the same time. I have no problem with "The Orville" being both. Original Trek had lighthearted episodes, and while I enjoyed TNG, it was often weighted down by its own pomposity. It could have done with some levity.

Edited January 1, 2019 by SmithW6079

[Jacks-Son]

3 hours ago, Raja said:

Well more explicit than TNG and Voyager at any rate.  On DS9, Quark's was a brothel that the Starfleet Stu's re-purposed for other types of games. 

Are you sure Quark's was repurposed?  Those Dabo girls sure looked like models on display for "companionship".

[Jacks-Son]

3 hours ago, The Kings Foot said:

You would've hated the 80s

The 80's were fine, despite the style of dress. I think it was either pre-platform shoes or shortly before. It was the 50's and 60's that I hated. Television hadn't arrived locally yet, and when it did, it was "Howdy Doody Time!".

[HunterHunted]

17 hours ago, ketose said:

At great personal risk, I have to say I didn't like Farscape and stopped watching after the first season.

16 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

I think I made it through three episodes before giving up.  The use of the puppets just took me out of it.  But JMO.

I think the best description I'd heard of Farscape was "an American walks into an Australian bar and realizes it's S&M night and there are puppets; he stays because he's tired and just wants a beer." 

17 hours ago, ketose said:

Parodies don't have to be farce. I can handle a show with humor and the occasional serious situation.

I agree. The thing I really like about the Orville is how much love they have for Star Trek.

6 hours ago, Raja said:

Well more explicit than TNG and Voyager at any rate.  On DS9, Quark's was a brothel that the Starfleet Stu's re-purposed for other types of games.

2 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

Are you sure Quark's was repurposed?  Those Dabo girls sure looked like models on display for "companionship".

 

It was a bit of both on DS9. Quark is pretty explicit about his plethora of "pleasure programs" for his holosuites. One of the titles that he mentions is Vulcan Love Slave. There actually was a plot point in the show that Dabo girls were expected via their employment contract to at least give their Ferengi bosses those ear massages that were the equivalent of a hand job. Leeta, who would later become Quark's sister-in-law, objects to this and other contract provisions, unionizes the Dabo girls, and negotiates a number of employment contract revisions.

[Bort]

Ok, as with the previous forum, let's take the general comparisons with Trek and other sci-fi shows to another topic so as not to clog the episode thread up with non-relevant chatter.

If a topic no longer exists, feel free to create a replacement.

[Halting Hex]

On a second watch, it's clever to see the Duncan family's racism being subtly cued by James using the "Bortus ate my homework" excuse.  Yes, James, Moclans are just animals.  You little shit.

OTOH, Kelly was more insufferable the second time through, when I realized that her refusal to listen to Cassius's request for rational discussion dovetails neatly with her stupid hypothetical she gives to Ed, about how he should always choose Bortus to die instead of her because she's "the woman you love".  So she never wants any man to think rationally, just be blindly loyal and/or a yes-man to silently "support" her as she vents.

FFS, just get a dog, then.  The Duncans will suggest you name it "Bortus".

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Ok, as with the previous forum, let's take the general comparisons with Trek and other sci-fi shows to another topic so as not to clog the episode thread up with non-relevant chatter.

If a topic no longer exists, feel free to create a replacement.

Here y'all go: Compare and Contrast: The Orville, the Star Treks, Muppets, The Voyage to the Bunny Planet, etc.

[Danielg342]

If this aired as the S1 finale, it could have rated higher. After all, after 12 weeks of intense action, we all could have used a breather.

As the S2 opener? I felt like I was just waiting for things to get going and have the episode get the larger stories in motion (like a true premiere) but this episode just never got there.

It was hilarious that Bortus has an elaborate ceremony about the one time per year he needs to urinate. I never thought the process could be so dramatic and majestic. Good work, show.

I was also amused by Gordon's and Alara's side stories about finding a date for the ceremony. I can also relate to Gordon's and Dann's troubles because, well, that's me on those dates- too afraid to make a move, awkward and getting attached too easily. I don't write poetry though- I write stories, though I'm not sure I'd ever use one to woo a girl...they're not exactly the "wooing" kind of stories.

To add to the previous paragraph, I will mention Alara was justified in her reactions, though I was slightly uncomfortable with the storyline. You hardly ever see guys go on "charity dates" but women seem to do it all the time on TV, though I guess the context of the "ship as family" could make that scenario believable.

The Marcus/James story was a groaner until Issac's moment of awesomeness at the end. It's such a tired trope to portray teenagers as one-dimensional rebellious brats, but I appreciated that even though Claire hated what Marcus was doing she still stuck up for her kid, even when James' parents tried to shift the blame onto Marcus for what happened (and, let me state I wouldn't blame James' parents for how they thought- they were also just defending their kid).

Then, of course, was Issac's moment of win...who knew logic and inference could be so dramatic?

Lastly is Ed's story with Kelly...been there, done that. What a bore. I will say the "calm down" moment was good though.

[Meushell]

On 12/31/2018 at 2:52 PM, Orbert said:

I thought Isaac was laying it on a bit heavy.  James' parents were definitely wrong and in denial (and kinda jerks, too), but James hacking his grades wasn't quite "proof" that he also hacked the food replicator.  Then driving from that point to outright blasting them while the teacher sat there seemed a bit much.  I liked that they got their comeuppence, but wished it had been handled a bit better.  Pretty good overall, though.

That bugged me too. Maybe he overcompensated because of how much in denial the Duncans were? They seemed ready to argue with the teacher about the grades he gives James. Why did no one ask the third boy on the matter? 

It was never really addressed, but it bugged me that the Duncans thought they were within the right to move Marcus.

[legaleagle53]

23 hours ago, Pat Hoolihan said:

I wish that people, including Seth McFarland, would stop pretending this is a serious drama. It is light comedy for the most part and that is what makes it enjoyable. Please show ... do not try to get too serious with these characters and this premise. There is nothing wrong with comedy.

Seth has repeatedly said that he never intended this show to be a straight-up comedy, and he felt that FOX had originally mis-marketed it by trying to pass it off as one.  Seth's approach was to make this show half-parody/half-homage to Star Trek, particularly The Next Generation, of which he is a huge fan.

Frankly, I think he's struck the perfect balance of comedy and drama.  I'm looking forward to a great Season 2!

[legaleagle53]

18 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Or Ed forgot to cloak the shuttle during his drive-by "accidentally on purpose."

You mean, he wanted Kelly to catch him spying on her?

[shapeshifter]

5 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

19 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Or Ed forgot to cloak the shuttle during his drive-by "accidentally on purpose."

You mean, he wanted Kelly to catch him spying on her?

On some level, yes. Maybe.

[Bort]

51 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

If this aired as the S1 finale, it could have rated higher. After all, after 12 weeks of intense action, we all could have used a breather.

As the S2 opener? I felt like I was just waiting for things to get going and have the episode get the larger stories in motion (like a true premiere) but this episode just never got there.

This wasn't the finale from last season. That episode will air Thursday. This was always the premiere.

[legaleagle53]

2 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

On a second watch, it's clever to see the Duncan family's racism being subtly cued by James using the "Bortus ate my homework" excuse.  Yes, James, Moclans are just animals.  You little shit.

OTOH, Kelly was more insufferable the second time through, when I realized that her refusal to listen to Cassius's request for rational discussion dovetails neatly with her stupid hypothetical she gives to Ed, about how he should always choose Bortus to die instead of her because she's "the woman you love".  So she never wants any man to think rationally, just be blindly loyal and/or a yes-man to silently "support" her as she vents.

FFS, just get a dog, then.  The Duncans will suggest you name it "Bortus".

That's not what Kelly said.  She didn't say that Ed should always choose Bortus; she said that he always would choose Bortus because he loved Kelly too much to order her to her death even if she was objectively the better choice.  Her whole point (which she had also raised earlier in "Mad Idolatry") was that she and Ed could never be objective about each other if they re-entangled themselves romantically while they were both still captain and first officer.

[Danielg342]

18 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

This wasn't the finale from last season. That episode will air Thursday. This was always the premiere.

Ah. Must have missed a press release, or misread one. Just amplifies my original point- that this was too slow for a premiere.

[ganesh]

5 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

I think the best description I'd heard of Farscape was "an American walks into an Australian bar and realizes it's S&M night and there are puppets; he stays because he's tired and just wants a beer."

Add - and there's a smoking hot black haired woman that looks like she wants to kill him - and I'd say yes. 

3 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

On a second watch, it's clever to see the Duncan family's racism being subtly cued by James using the "Bortus ate my homework" excuse.  Yes, James, Moclans are just animals.  You little shit.

Oh wow - what a great insight - I wonder if that was the intention of the writing, but I think this interpretation is totally on point and wonder if they will revisit it. I wouldn't call any of the command staff (i.e., main characters) racist, especially since Ed called a meeting to discuss Bortus' request, and in the pilot episode, although it was heavy on exposition, Ed was very interested in learning and taking in who his staff was. If the kid is like this - where did he learn it from? His parents. This again makes me wonder about the scope of the ship and the people on it. Begging the question, What is the Union? If this was intentional on the writers, then I again applaud their efforts on world building. 

1 hour ago, Danielg342 said:

As the S2 opener? I felt like I was just waiting for things to get going and have the episode get the larger stories in motion (like a true premiere) but this episode just never got there.

Actually, I think this was a good choice for the opener because everyone was featured. It was a character driven episode, and not much happened, but given the timeslot, if people just left it on after football, and they advertised hard during football, I think they did their best to showcase the show. 

 

1 hour ago, Danielg342 said:

It's such a tired trope to portray teenagers as one-dimensional rebellious brats, but I appreciated that even though Claire hated what Marcus was doing she still stuck up for her kid, even when James' parents tried to shift the blame onto Marcus for what happened (and, let me state I wouldn't blame James' parents for how they thought- they were also just defending their kid).

It is a tired trope, but as a formerly teenaged boy, and as someone who in in his 40s having to teach kind of teenaged boys, literally nuclear physics, I can say with strong confidence that these boys are in fact one-dimensional and also total bags to boot. I actually liked this storyline because that's not really what you're going to see on a show about a space ship. You know how it's said that each solider in real life requires 3 support personnel? It's the same concept for me. Certainly, I don't need to see that every episode, but I think the narrative choice here for the opener is apt. 

54 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

Seth has repeatedly said that he never intended this show to be a straight-up comedy, and he felt that FOX had originally mis-marketed it by trying to pass it off as one.  Seth's approach was to make this show half-parody/half-homage to Star Trek, particularly The Next Generation, of which he is a huge fan.

Frankly, I think he's struck the perfect balance of comedy and drama.  I'm looking forward to a great Season 2!

I didn't see any marketing for the show when it kicked off. I don't recall where I heard about the show. Maybe EW. In terms of a dramatic story every week, infused by comedy, he's struck a good balance. If you just look at it as a military show, the military can be a total farce, hour in and out. People drink and hook up. It doesn't matter if it's a spaceship or a base in Syria.