S02.E09: Identity, Part II

[Bort]

Quote

Ed and the crew travel to Isaac's home planet, Kaylon.

Airdate, Thursday, February 28, 2019

[Mr. Sparkle]

I AM SO READY FOR THIS!!! 

[ottoDbusdriver]

Totally agree with @Superclam -- can't wait for this.

The episode description is pretty vague, so here's the promo.

One interesting note on the promo. In a scene on the bridge there is a shot with 3 Kaylons, one with blue eyes (Isaac), but the other 2 Kaylons have red eyes and orange eyes.  Never noticed any Kaylons with eyes other than red in Part 1.  Curious if that means anything.

Edited February 28, 2019 by ottoDbusdriver

[Morrigan2575]

1 hour ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Never noticed any Kaylons with eyes other than red in Part 1.  Curious if that means anything.

There were Red and Orange in part 1. There were theories in the episode thread as to what that meant (Leader/Drone)

[SimoneS]

Outstanding episode. I really enjoyed these two episodes. The Orville has been such a surprise.  

Damn, the Kaylons don’t play. The Union ships took a hell of a beating. It will take them years to recover. I am glad that they didn’t kill Victor Garber’s character.

Go Isaac with your badass self. I hadn’t realized that Ty and Marcus had been captured. Ty is the most adorable little boy.

Knowing that the actors who play Gordon and Kelly are engaged in real life cracks me up.

Gordon is such an idiot, but I appreciated the homage to Luke in the rebel fighter by having him in the Krill fighter.

Edited March 2, 2019 by SimoneS

[Bort]

Oh man, what a battle sequence! And I'm so glad this wasn't a simulation, I really really loathe reset buttons episodes.

[ketose]

Well, damn. That was some Star Trek TNG level writing, pacing and directing. Also felt a little like Descent Part 2, the other Borg 2-parter. 

[SayMyName]

Hey Yaphit, how about when you break into the armory you return with more than one weapon.

[Bort]

If I were Ed, Isaac's first task upon returning to the crew would be to hose out the Pee Corner. I don't even wanna know if there was a Poop Corner.

[Chaos Theory]

Some damn good writing there.  And there was no way Isaac was going to hurt Ty so it felt organic that Ty became the final catalyst for Isaac turning on the rest of the Kaylans and once he turned on Prime he just went full on traitor.

That battle scene was very well done.

One of the few episodes I liked Scott Grimes.

[ketose]

2 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

If I were Ed, Isaac's first task upon returning to the crew would be to hose out the Pee Corner. I don't even wanna know if there was a Poop Corner.

"Isaac, return to poo corner."

[Morrigan2575]

I have to say this was the best possible outcome I could have asked for. No simulation, no fake out, no change of heart. The Kaylon were given backstory that explained their motives. Isaac was given a completely believable road to redemption and nothing was sugar coated. I'm happy the crew has a discussion on if they should even try to save Isaac after everything. Earth Command expressed similar reservations and the Doctor didn't ignore everything for a cheesy happy ending.I liked her line about forgiveness starting somewhere. 

I really loved the spce battles and really all the FX tonight were well done.

The one thing that blew me away was how powerful the Krill ships were compared to the Union/Human vessels.

I have to say I loved the Krill Captain, try and stay out of our way...LOL

[k2p2]

I was pretty sure Ty's relationship to Isaac would figure into the resolution. Mr. K2 was betting on them using some kind of electromagnetic pulse to disable the Kaylon. So, yay us.

Neither of us predicted Yaphit being prominent in the takeover, but good for him.

The Krill fighters are sweet, as is the Earth space dock.

[chaifan]

OK, so Kaylon still exists with how many million/billion drones?  What's stopping them from building more ships and attacking Earth (or any other humanoid populated planet) again, maybe this time not announcing their plan in advance?  Yes, Isaac can give the Union intel, but he's not going to be able to stop another attack.  Someone would have to EM bomb the entire planet. 

Avis works in mysterious ways.

[Bort]

I was sure that the mention of Isaac being built after all the other Kaylons, thus what I guess is the reason for his blue eyes, was going to factor into their downfall, because of the pain-receptor program the others had but he didn't. But that's not what happened, so color me surprised.

[vibeology]

That was amazing. Like if Best of Both Worlds II had lived up to its potential. The space battle looked so good; you can tell they spent some money there. All of the action on the ship was great and leaned heavily on character. The pacing was spectacular. It felt like 15 minutes and two hours all at once. I’m just blown away at how great this was.

[greekmom]

FFS!  Isaac knew about the 13 button salute? Did he tell the Primary what colour Claire’s panties are and what sex position she likes as well?  Poor red shirt.

I knew that Ty would get Isaac to come around but I’m sorry, I can’t just forgive.  Damn those Kaylon are so stupid and arrogant.

Damn, that is one amazing space battle. Reminds me of the big TNG vs Borg battle in the Best of Both Worlds.

We fight for the glory of Avis! And Gordon in a Krill fighter!! OMG I loved it.

I really do not understand how the crew of the Orville will be able to work or even be around Isaac again.  Regardless of him saving the crew of the Orville, as Captain, I wouldn’t be able to trust him.  It’s not like 7 of 9 who was previously human and became Borg. And even then, Janeway was hesitant at first.  He really betrayed them. I can’t even see how Claire even opened the door to possible forgiveness.  

Damn... they better give this show a Season 3!!

[Chaos Theory]

Hope the show didn't use the season's FX budget on that space battle.  Although  WORTH IT!!!!!!!!

[SayMyName]

I was also wondering about how the duress code is kept. If all the bridge crew knows or it is written documentation? It could defeat the purpose as was done here. You would think there would be a code that would only be verbally shared among captains and admirals.

And I had to look to see if it is an actual military term and it apparently is Navy slang:

"13 button salute: When a sailor in dress pants pulls down on the top two corners and all 13 buttons come unbuttoned at once, usually done just before sex."

Edited March 1, 2019 by SayMyName
added Navy as origin of 13 button salute

[EllenB]

That was one intense hour!  Whoosh!  So much to love: Yaphit finally being so much more than an annoying blob, the Star Wars nod with Gordon and the Krill pilot (and how brilliantly it paid homage and skewered it simultaneously), adorable Ty being badass adorable Ty, Isaac saving the day in a believable way, the incredible special effects, and so much more.  And I'm wondering if the main Krill guy intentionally sounded like Andrew Robinson/Garek when he told Ed to stay out of the way?

[tennisgurl]

Every time I look for this show on here, I always look in the genre section, then remember its clarified as a comedy. Which, while it does have funny parts, its really more of a full on space dramady. What a great two parter, with a really satisfying ending that actually hit all of the notes I wanted it to hit. The Kaylons are down but not out (and no simulation), Issac turned to the side of good but not all is forgiven yet, we got a seriously kick ass space battle sequence, and we had the Krill and the Union working together against a common enemy!

Damn who would have thought the Krill would play Big Damn Heroes?! The Krill ships were awesome, and it was pretty awesome to see them actually working with the Union, with Gordon even flying a Krill jet! I am really excited to see the Krill and the Union in an uneasy alliance against a common enemy, I think it could make for some really interesting story telling opportunities. 

I hope we see the Krill captain again! "Stay out of our way."

I didnt expect for Yaphit to have so much to do, but it does make sense. But it was Ty who really saved the day, appealing to Issac and the love they clearly have for each other. I liked how they handled things with Isaac, and I am so happy that he really was affected by the connections he made, and it wasnt him faking it. Having Ty be the one to get through to him totally made sense, and it was great how it all played out. Oh the feels!

I also liked that the crew are clearly not forgiving him right away, even if they decided to give him a second chance. They had real reservations about even turning him on again, and I can imagine that people will be understandably pissed for quite awhile, and will be slow to trust him. But he did end up coming through, ditching his whole planet and people for them, and was willing to die to make up for it, so thats certainly not nothing. 

That battle was amazing, you can see where the budget went this season! Glad that Admiral Victor Garber survived, but the fleet took some real damage. 

What a satisfying ending to the two parter, and a great opening for new things to come!

[TVSpectator]

I liked this episode and I am happy that it wasn't a simulation nor a test but something real. Also, yeah, Isaac saves the crew at the last minute but I still like it. And I also like how Dr. Finn was a bit more wary of Isaac than before and she actually shows conflicted towards him. 

[Bort]

14 minutes ago, SayMyName said:

I was also wondering about how the duress code is kept. If all the bridge crew knows or it is written documentation? It could defeat the purpose as was done here. You would think there would be a code that would only be verbally shared among captains and admirals.

And I had to look to see if it is an actual military term and it apparently is Navy slang:

"13 button salute: When a sailor in dress pants pulls down on the top two corners and all 13 buttons come unbuttoned at once, usually done just before sex."

Oh yeah, I forgot all about that.

[phalange]

There was a lot of bravery going on in this one. Ty crawling through the tunnels to help Yaphit, Kelly and Gordon going to ask the Krill for help, and Isaac using the EMP knowing he would be deactivated, too.

And there were real stakes, with the Union ship being destroyed because the Kaylon knew the code Ed gave, and the poor crewman who was ejected out into space. Plus, during the space battle the Union definitely took a huge hit. Good thing the Krill showed up just in time. I'm really liking the progression of the storyline with the Union and the Krill this season.

Some nice, subtle continuity with Ed and Kelly, here. She said the reason they shouldn't be in a relationship was because he wouldn't be able to send her on a mission where she may die, and when she suggests she find the Krill, Ed points out that it could be a suicide mission, but agrees to let her and Gordon go.

Ed was right to refuse the Admiral's idea of putting an off-switch on Isaac since he already proved his loyalty by sacrificing himself to save the ship. The last scene with Isaac and Claire was well done; Isaac learned about sympathy and now he's going to learn about forgiveness.

[shapeshifter]

On 2/28/2019 at 9:28 PM, SayMyName said:

I was also wondering about how the duress code is kept. If all the bridge crew knows or it is written documentation? It could defeat the purpose as was done here. You would think there would be a code that would only be verbally shared among captains and admirals.

And I had to look to see if it is an actual military term and it apparently is Navy slang:

"13 button salute: When a sailor in dress pants pulls down on the top two corners and all 13 buttons come unbuttoned at once, usually done just before sex."

LOL! I wonder in IRL--as well as in the Union fleet-- if "13 button salute" would also mean (figuratively): "The enemy has pantsed us!"
  

I always find space battle porn boring, so I found the first episode much more intellectually stimulating.
  

I too thought they should've sent Yaphet back for more weapons from the armory. 

And Yaphet should get some sort of medal of bravery.
Ty should too, I suppose, but I'm still miffed that by running after Isaac he got a poor red shirt killed almost got Thalla* killed--even though, of course, if Ty wasn't so unrelentingly chasing after Isaac, Isaac might not have developed "sympathy." 
______________________
*Why does Thalla have a red shirt? 😞

Edited March 2, 2019 by shapeshifter

[Colorado David]

Thank goodness for unsecured and reasonably sized ventilation tubes.

But bravo, very good episode.

Edited March 1, 2019 by Colorado David

[ottoDbusdriver]

59 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Avis works in mysterious ways.

"It's alright, it's alright, it's alright".

to borrow from the lyrics of U2.

[jumper sage]

1 hour ago, k2p2 said:

Neither of us predicted Yaphit being prominent in the takeover, but good for him.

He was perfect for the job.  Him oozing in and out of the bots was pretty cool.

38 minutes ago, phalange said:

Ed was right to refuse the Admiral's idea of putting an off-switch on Isaac

I took if like a metaphor, in a sense.  Black soldiers helped the North in the Civil War and it would be like the white leaders keeping chains around, just in case.

[tennisgurl]

You know, Captain Logic Robot Guy, I think if you read Roots and the only thing you got out of it was "genocide is an awesome idea!" you probably read it wrong, Mr. Super Advanced Species. 

[Danielg342]

Guess there's no going back for Issac...but hooray that the show found a way to keep him around as well as solve things in an interesting manner.

Well done, Seth.

I also liked the Star Wars vibe I got from this show, and I'm glad the episode put in motion the Krill and the Union hoping to bridge their gaps. Let's see where it goes.

Edited March 1, 2019 by Danielg342
So tired forgot to finish.

[Ottis]

1 hour ago, Chaos Theory said:

Some damn good writing there.  And there was no way Isaac was going to hurt Ty so it felt organic that Ty became the final catalyst for Isaac turning on the rest of the Kaylans and once he turned on Prime he just went full on traitor.

That battle scene was very well done.

One of the few episodes I liked Scott Grimes.

Some damn predictable writing maybe. Go back and look at the thread for last week. This “surprise” was predicted by, well, everyone. That made it... predictable. 

15 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

Guess there's no going back for Issac...but hooray that the show found a way to keep him around as well as solve things in an interesting manner.

Well done, Seth.

I also liked the Star Wars vibe I got from this show, and I'm glad the episode put in motion the Krill and the Union hoping to bridge their gaps

This episode made me realize that, like Star Wars, Orville is for kids. Maybe teens. Easy to watch, not very deep. Nothing wrong with that. Guilty pleasure I think. 

I mean, off the top of my head, 1) there is no reason that AI life forms would have to retrieve each other in person for a meeting, 2) nor would they not realize that a whole group of them, including the leader, were out of commission at once, 3) the inconsistency of what weapons beat the Krylons and which ones didn’t was amusing, however 4) apparently the Krill would kick Earth’s ass based on how effective they were. 

Yay Yaphrit, though. 

[Mr. R0b0t]

1 hour ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

"It's alright, it's alright, it's alright".

to borrow from the lyrics of U2.

or paraphrasing from the great American philosopher Matthew McConaughey.

[EllenB]

22 minutes ago, Ottis said:

Some damn predictable writing maybe. Go back and look at the thread for last week. This “surprise” was predicted by, well, everyone. That made it... predictable. 

This episode made me realize that, like Star Wars, Orville is for kids. Maybe teens. Easy to watch, not very deep. Nothing wrong with that. Guilty pleasure I think. 

I mean, off the top of my head, 1) there is no reason that AI life forms would have to retrieve each other in person for a meeting, 2) nor would they not realize that a whole group of them, including the leader, were out of commission at once, 3) the inconsistency of what weapons beat the Krylons and which ones didn’t was amusing, however 4) apparently the Krill would kick Earth’s ass based on how effective they were. 

Yay Yaphrit, though. 

I must be one ancient kid then, because I love it.   Or else I just don't think I'm so special that I'm above it all. 😒

[tennisgurl]

54 minutes ago, Ottis said:

Some damn predictable writing maybe. Go back and look at the thread for last week. This “surprise” was predicted by, well, everyone. That made it... predictable. 

1 hour ago, Danielg342 said:

I mean, I think there is a difference between predictable, and pay off. Yeah, most of us saw Issac turning away from his people in favor of his friends, especially Claire and her family, but I would be disappointed if nothing ever came of any of that. If all of that was fake, and Issac was just blown up with the rest of his people, yeah it would be surprising, but it was also leave me wondering what the point was of all the time dedicated to Issac and Claire's romance and his bond with her kids, especially Ty, which has been built up since the start of the show. Was it all for nothing? Yeah I saw it coming, but because it was earned, and continues his character arc. 

Or, yeah the Krill showing up at the last minute to save the Union was something I thought would happen, but because it makes sense (why would either of these groups fight each other in the face of genocide from some other species?) and leads to the interesting possibility of an uneasy krill/Union alliance, in the way that Star Trek had the Federation team up with rival or enemy races throughout the franchise, that often lead to some really great stories. And it’s been implied that they could find common ground since the Krill episode last season. So while it wasnt a "shocking" episode the way that last week was (even though in retrospect, I probably should have seen that one coming) it was earned based on previously established character dynamics and established plot points, and I will take that over a "shocking twist" that makes no sense or came out of left field, or left me feeling like I wasted time. I mean, it would be shocking if the episode ended with everyone turning into cucumbers, but it wouldn't be a very good ending, you know?

Edited March 1, 2019 by tennisgurl

[Miles]

Well that Issac would turn on his people was a given. Getting the help of the Krill surprised me. Also interesting that they are closer to earth-space than the Mocklens.

But shouldn't they have followed the Kaelons? wiped out their flett and production facilities? They are robots. They can build new ships way faster than biologicals can. what's stopping them from coming back in a month with an overwhelming force? This doesn't seem well thought out.

4 hours ago, kariyaki said:

If I were Ed, Isaac's first task upon returning to the crew would be to hose out the Pee Corner. I don't even wanna know if there was a Poop Corner.

I asked myself: "Shouldn't the shuttles have toilets? Those away missions sometimes take days."

[mertensia]

This was really good. I'm so glad it wasn't a simulator test.

Loved that Gordon's reaction to the Avis comment was "see?! I told you I wasn't making it up! "  It's a good thing he didn't enter the Diplomatic Corps.

[thuganomics85]

Damn, they spared no expense on the space battle, huh?  I wonder how much all that cost?  Then again, I'm pretty sure that Seth MacFarlane's can pretty much ask FOX for anything amount at this point, and they'll right the check, considering how much he's likely made for the network.

Like others, my biggest fear was that this would end up being some kind of simulation or trick, so I'm glad that they actually went there and had it be a true invasion, and set up the Kaylons as new villains for the Union (and, well, all biological species.)  And, as others predicted, it has led to the Union forming an uneasy alliance with the Krill.  Curious to see where this all goes.  Cool seeing and hearing Nick Chinlund underneath all those prosthetics as the Krill captain.

As for Issac, as soon as Ty got caught, I knew that would cause him to finally betray his people, but I did like that we were already seeing him question the Primary's methods and decision making, so it wasn't all about Ty being in peril, but he was already starting to change, and that was what pushed him over the edge.  And being willing to sacrifice himself to take out the rest of the Kaylons was a good step towards fixing things.  Still, I have to suspect the rest of the crew will never look at him the same again.  Judging from the remarks when the crew was wondering if they should revive him, it looks like Bortus and Gordon are going to be the two that he will have the most pushback with.  And then there is Claire, who I'm sure is going to have a lot of mixed emotions going forward.

Pretty good episode for Yaphit of all people, with him sending out the distress signal and being able to revive Issac at the end.

Not sure who was having more fun: Gordon the character, flying that ship or Scott Grimes the actor, pretending to do so!

Glad Admiral Victor Garber survived!

While the show was certainly willing to have real cost here, I wonder if Seth ever considered having a recurring character get spaced instead of a random ensign.  Obviously, no way would it be one of the regulars, but I wonder if either Dann or the Cupcake Ensign might have had more emotional impact, since we've seen them before.  But I can see why maybe they didn't want to go that dark (yet?)

Great episode and not just for The Orville, but a pretty good episode of sci-fi in general.  Still surprised and impressed over how Seth and crew have made this all work as well as it does.

[Ms Lark]

This and Part 1 are probably the best episodes to date. Figure they wiped out the FX budget in one go, but it was worth it.

I was worried they were going to kill off two of my favorite characters: Isaac and Yaphet. Crispy Yaphet made me wonder if the CGI cost was making him expendable. Ditto Isaac, although more in the lines of the actor getting tired of the suit. We'll see!

Yes, agree. How can we still trust Isaac, given his basic "lack of emotion?" Seems he may be evolving. We can only hope and watch.

Which brings me to my one big problem: If the Kaylons are totally unemotional machines, how is it they can hold a grudge for eons? Grudges are major emotional baggage best resolved and left behind. That part didn't make any sense to me. Not that being held in thrall by biologics is acceptable.

[aemom]

8 hours ago, Colorado David said:

Thank goodness for unsecured and reasonably sized ventilation tubes.

But bravo, very good episode.

At least a regular sized person could crawl through a Jeffries tube. What happens when something breaks down in there and needs repair? 

8 hours ago, phalange said:

And there were real stakes, with the Union ship being destroyed because the Kaylon knew the code Ed gave, and the poor crewman who was ejected out into space. Plus, during the space battle the Union definitely took a huge hit.

Not to mention the other crewmembers that were killed when the Kaylon took over the ship.

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

And, as others predicted, it has led to the Union forming an uneasy alliance with the Krill.

This reminded me a lot of when Voyager teamed up with the Borg to defeat Species 8472.

I liked how this was resolved and opened things up for some interesting stories with the Krill. I also liked how things aren't all peachy keen with Isaac - I definitely want to see some evolution of the crew slowly accepting him again.

Edited March 1, 2019 by AEMom
Typos

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

As for Issac, as soon as Ty got caught, I knew that would cause him to finally betray his people, but I did like that we were already seeing him question the Primary's methods and decision making, so it wasn't all about Ty being in peril, but he was already starting to change, and that was what pushed him over the edge.

But wasn't it all about Ty every time Isaac questioned the Primary's methods? Or at least all about not wacking biological lifeforms? 

They kind of dropped the ball on Isaac having to choose a new name, or was that on purpose?
  

2 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

Which brings me to my one big problem: If the Kaylons are totally unemotional machines, how is it they can hold a grudge for eons? Grudges are major emotional baggage best resolved and left behind. That part didn't make any sense to me. Not that being held in thrall by biologics is acceptable.

I wondered about that too, but decided (fanwanked) that even though Primary's voice conveyed way too much emotion, it was more a matter of preventing future enslavement in which pain receptors would be used for torture.

But wouldn't preventing pain sensations have made more sense? IDK.

Edited March 1, 2019 by shapeshifter

[welnoc]

I wonder if Isaac will now stop referring to his race and himself as "superior".

I was happy that Ed went to bat for Isaac. He strikes me as a more Picardian captain while, to me, Kelly is actually more Kirkian. I guess that's why I don't care for her much.

I liked the resolution and am very glad that I won't have to continue to watch The Orville with bitterness in my heart as I would have if Isaac was was "killed" off.

I'm not going to into a lot of detail about the episode as so many others have commented so eloquently about it already.

Damn I love this show!

[k2p2]

2 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

Which brings me to my one big problem: If the Kaylons are totally unemotional machines, how is it they can hold a grudge for eons? Grudges are major emotional baggage best resolved and left behind. That part didn't make any sense to me. Not that being held in thrall by biologics is acceptable.
 

The Kaylon are technologically skilled, but they do not appear to have evolved much since becoming sentient. "Someone hurt me, now I must hurt someone back" is the thought process you expect from a two-year-old.

Someone at Union HQ has some 'splaining to do about why they thought it was a good idea to accept the first "diplomat" from an unknown robot race as a member of the bridge crew, giving him access to a unlimited amount of information about the Union and receiving nothing in return.

[Chaos Theory]

The more I think about this episode the more I really like it and this has never really been one of those shows I particularly thought about.  I watched it and then moved on to other things.   

Lately though I have been enjoying it a lot more. Why Is it really even marked  as a  comedy?  It should go in the genre section especially now.

Damn Issac.  And yeah most of us kinda predicted what would happen but that isn’t a bad thing.  We have all just gotten used to shocking reveals so that  stories that happen organically seem like bad predictable writing.  But if a story makes so much sense that you can see it happening it is a good thing.

It made all the sense in the world that Ty would be heart broken that Isaac would turn on the crew he is a young boy.

It made all the sense in the world considering the relationship between Claire and Isaac that goes back to season 1 that Ty in peril  would be Isaac breaking point.

It makes all the sense in the worls that The Krill would be what saved Earth but despite the differences between the Union and the Krill they aren’t the type to attack a helpless species,  if they did attack Earth they would actually want earth to be at full capacity.

And keeping Isaac makes sense because....well having A Kaylon on their side helps because the Kaylons are still a threat and there are plenty of good stories that can come of it.

Edited March 1, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[Raja]

7 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

. 

Or, yeah the Krill showing up at the last minute to save the Union was something I thought would happen, but because it makes sense (why would either of these groups fight each other in the face of genocide from some other species?) and leads to the interesting possibility of an uneasy krill/Union alliance, in the way that Star Trek had the Federation team up with rival or enemy races throughout the franchise, that often lead to some really great stories. And it’s been implied that they could find common ground since the Krill episode last season. So while it wasnt a "shocking" episode the way that last week was (even though in retrospect, I probably should have seen that one coming) it was earned based on previously established character dynamics and established plot points, and I will take that over a "shocking twist" that makes no sense or came out of left field, or left me feeling like I wasted time. I mean, it would be shocking if the episode ended with everyone turning into cucumbers, but it wouldn't be a very good ending, you know?

I think we are going the B5, DS9 type of arc. Alliances will change. The Krill may be damaged too but with the power of Avis behind them just might decide to strike even with a bigger Kaylon threat on the horizon. 

Has Seth McFarland done the extensive world building and plotting forward that J. Michael Stracynski did or would FOX let the story play out like the syndicators did for those space operas waited on is a question.

Edited March 1, 2019 by Raja

[tiredofwork]

Quote

Loved that Gordon's reaction to the Avis comment was "see?! I told you I wasn't making it up! "  It's a good thing he didn't enter the Diplomatic Corps.

What cracked me up more is the deadpan face from the Krill captain like WTF??? upon seeing that Kraylon ship, especially  after all that "blowhard" talk by the Krill captain.

[benteen]

Great episode!  Nice to see a second part that actually delivers.  Having Seth write the story and not Braga certainly helped that.  I'm definitely glad the reset button was nowhere in sight.

They really went all out with the battle scene.  It was awesome and yeah, it must have cost a fortune.  My one problem with it was that there was so much going on that it was hard to follow.  But I did love the running firefight to Earth.

The special effects were first rate.  I loved every shot of The Orville traveling with the Kaylon fleet and the space shots of Kelly and Gordon's shuttle as they fled the fleet.

Didn't expect the Krill to be utilized this way but it was a welcome surprise and good for long-term storytelling.  I admit I half-expected them to turn their fleet on Earth after the Kaylons fled.

I was pleasantly surprised with how much Yaphit figured into the story.  I'm hoping he'll get his own episode one of these days.

Now I like how Ty helped out at the end but it's a little hard for me to dismiss "Stupid Kid Syndrome" where he absolutely can't grasp how serious the situation is (and he's been in a series situation before last season) and nearly gets Talla killed.  Not letting him off the hook there.

While I'm glad they didn't reset button the storyline, I admit I have mixed feelings about Isaac being let off the hook like this.  I'm glad he's still on the show, mind you, and there's definitely real logic with having him help the Union out against the Kaylons.  But I think at minimum, he needs to be under lock and key and not given free reign of the ship.  I don't think having a kill switch was too much to ask and you'll excuse me if I lack confidence in Ed saying he'll take full responsibility for Isaac.  Ed's instincts have shown to be terrible at times.

That being said, great episode and I can't wait for more from this show.

Edited March 1, 2019 by benteen

[ottoDbusdriver]

That was Carlos Bernard as Captain Marcos of the Roosevelt -- none other than Tony Almeida from '24' -- I guess he won't be back in a recurring role.

I wonder if one of the conditions of Isaac remaining on the Orville is to disarm the weapons in his head.
 

50 minutes ago, benteen said:

They really went all out with the battle scene.  It was awesome and yeah, it must have cost a fortune.  My one problem with it was that there was so much going on that it was hard to follow.  But I did love the running firefight to Earth.

The special effects were first rate.  I loved every shot of The Orville traveling with the Kaylon fleet and the space shots of Kelly and Gordon's shuttle as they fled the fleet.

That shot after they spaced the engineer where you could watch the Orville and the Kaylon fleet jump with their quantum drives in the background -- was pretty cool.

The space battle was pretty awesome, incredibly detailed.

ETA: I liked that Admiral Halsey's ship was the Spruance --  both are solid WW2 US Navy references.

Edited March 1, 2019 by ottoDbusdriver

[welnoc]

7 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

That shot after they spaced the engineer where you could watch the Orville and the Kaylon fleet jump with their quantum drives in the background -- was pretty cool.

What I liked about the shot after they spaced the engineer was they fairly accurately portrayed what would happen to the engineer. No cartoonish swelling of the body and eyes bulging out and all that. Seth & Co. are trying to keep the science accurate.

https://www.cnet.com/news/what-happens-to-the-unprotected-human-body-in-space/

[Chaos Theory]

5 hours ago, benteen said:

Now I like how Ty helped out at the end but it's a little hard for me to dismiss "Stupid Kid Syndrome" where he absolutely can't grasp how serious the situation is (and he's been in a series situation before last season) and nearly gets Talla killed.  Not letting him off the hook there.

This is hardly a case of a kid acting stupid.  I mean he IS a kid who almost literally  five minutes earlier was calling Isaac his new daddy.   Kids can’t turn off their emotions that quickly.  If he did everyone would be complaining about Ty and the “wise beyond their years” trope.    

Edited March 1, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[Morrigan2575]

16 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

That was Carlos Bernard as Captain Marcos of the Roosevelt -- none other than Tony Almeida from '24' -- I guess he won't be back in a recurring role.

OMG I knew he looked familiar. I expected him to survive because I knew he was a recognizable face.  Shame they killed of Tony 😌