Season 1 Discussion: Because Bortus Ate the Old Topics

[Bort]

This topic is to discuss Season 1 of The Orville.

[Chaos Theory]

Season 1 is on Hulu in case anyone wants to watch.  I decided to rewatch and it actually still is very good.  .  The first three episodes are the weakest but after “About A Girl” which is the weakest of the season  it steadily gets better.  “ Into The Fold” “Majority Rule”  and “Mad ideology”  are some really great stories and the best of the season.  

Edited March 3, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[legaleagle53]

I agree that the show got better as it found more of its voice.  "About a Girl" set the tone for the rest of the season and laid the groundwork for Season 2, with the comedy becoming much more subtle and subdued and the character development and the sci-fi drama/action receiving much more of an emphasis as Season 1 progressed.  Seth's goal was clearly to make his viewers think as well as to entertain them, and he's accomplished that admirably, in my opinion.  This show really IS the true heir to the Star Trek legacy.

Edited March 3, 2019 by legaleagle53

[SmithW6079]

I signed up for Hulu when they were running the $1.99/month for a year special, primarily for "The Orville." (I also discovered "Future Man" and "Letterkenny," which were bonuses.)

Anyway, I rewatched the pilot last week. This time, I went into it knowing it is not a spoof on "Star Trek" but an actual well-thought-out sci-fi show, and I was amazed again how good it was. I especially loved the battle scenes, because this time, the writers did not forget that spacecraft can move in three dimensions. The scenes of the Orville attacking the Krill ship were great.

[Danielg342]

I think a lot of people initially thought that The Orville was going to be "Family Guy in space" and were perhaps surprised that it was anything but. I do believe the show struggled to find the right tone early on in the series, but once they figured out the right mix of comedy and drama, they produced some of the best television I've seen in quite a while.

Quite honestly, the latter half of S1 just might be some of the best episodes ever done, and that's no hyperbole. It's strange for me to think in this way because I don't really think the show is particularly well written- the writing is too simplistic and straightforward, and when it tries to go deeper, it can leave a lot to be desired. That said, in a TV universe flooded with writers who really try too hard to make their episode the "most complex and thought provoking episode ever!" it's a relief there are still writers like Seth McFarlane who still understand the best writing principle is the KISS principle- "keep it simple, stupid".

It's a lesson I wish more in Hollywood would take notice of.

[RedHawk]

On 2/7/2020 at 6:20 PM, SmithW6079 said:

I signed up for Hulu when they were running the $1.99/month for a year special, primarily for "The Orville." (I also discovered "Future Man" and "Letterkenny," which were bonuses.)

Anyway, I rewatched the pilot last week. This time, I went into it knowing it is not a spoof on "Star Trek" but an actual well-thought-out sci-fi show, and I was amazed again how good it was. I especially loved the battle scenes, because this time, the writers did not forget that spacecraft can move in three dimensions. The scenes of the Orville attacking the Krill ship were great.

I had the vague idea it would be something like "Galaxy Quest" so from episode 1 to 2 to 3 was very pleasantly surprised that it was not a parody (although it had great humor) and each episode contained more serious and dramatic moments. It completely won me over and I loved all of season 1. 

[Catfi9ht]

On 2/9/2020 at 4:19 AM, Danielg342 said:

I think a lot of people initially thought that The Orville was going to be "Family Guy in space"

This is exactly how I assumed the show would be so I didn't start watching it until after episode 4 aired, I think. My sci-fi friends with similar taste to mine were split between The Orville and Star Trek: Discovery. I tried ST:D first, hated it, and decided to give The Orville a shot. The Orville was everything I expected from ST:D. I'm really glad I chose to watch both shows in that order because I don't feel I'm missing anything by not watching Discovery.

By episode 2, this show had settled into a very Star Trek-like space from a message and episodic perspective. About a Girl addressed current social narratives in a very Star Trekkian manner but the writing was more mature (IMO) for a first season show.

Majority Rule is my least favorite episode because I think the implementation was a little too cartoonish. I kept comparing it to the Black Mirror episode, Nosedive, the year before. Even though I didn't particularly care for Nosedive compared to other BM episodes, I thought there was still an unsettling undercurrent in its tone that Majority Rule should have had. However due to Majority Rule's shallow implementation, it lacked that same sense of foreboding for me and fell flat compared to the rest of The Orville's season.

[blueray]

I just started to watch this on Hulu and now have finished season 1. I thought I'd give it a try as I heard it was more like the 90's star trek and less as "dark" as Picard was (which I just finished prior to watching). I was hesitant at first, since I'm not a fan of family guy and assumed the show would be stupid. I was presently surprised to be wrong.

It took a bit to get going but improved around the 3rd episode. I'm able to look past some of the "potty humor" due to the story and characters being engaging. While it's not a complex show, there is nothing wrong with something that is just entertaining. I'm a huge fan of the Star Trek shows from the 90's so having a show with a similar tone as TNG is refreshing.  While it's not ground breaking it defiantly held my interest and made me care about the characters. I'm looking forward to seeing where the show goes next season.

[DoctorAtomic]

I think one of the reasons the show is good is that Seth is a genuine Trek fan and can put together a good allegorical show (at times) with nuance. 

Plus, I always thought Trek was a little too antiseptic. Not in that it should be 'dark and gritty', which has become derivative, but this crew makes mistakes, cracks some jokes, has karaoke, sometimes drinks too much. 

[Chaos Theory]

I have been writing individual reviews of season 1 on twitter I will try to link to them of what i have so far.      The posts get kind of long so I am just posting the first link for each Episode.   

Episode 1:  I thought i reviewed this but I might have erased it.  Oh well  https://twitter.com/ChaoticSoul5/status/1530254996213841920

Episode 2:  https://twitter.com/ChaoticSoul5/status/1530280080659861505

Episode 3:  https://twitter.com/ChaoticSoul5/status/1530286931120119816

Episode 4:  https://twitter.com/ChaoticSoul5/status/1530312789683838977

Episode 5:  https://twitter.com/ChaoticSoul5/status/1530346104935563270

Episode 6:  https://twitter.com/ChaoticSoul5/status/1530368175921053697

[Chaos Theory]

My spelling on twitter is atrocious.  Still I am too lazy to check my spelling once I type what I think of episodes so the fault is mine.  here are the rest of the episodes for season 1.

Episode 7:  https://twitter.com/ChaoticSoul5/status/1530371994209988613

Episode 8:  https://twitter.com/ChaoticSoul5/status/1530611585277894658

Episode 9:  https://twitter.com/ChaoticSoul5/status/1530652739654586368

Episode 10:  https://twitter.com/ChaoticSoul5/status/1530685682175311872

Episode 11:  https://twitter.com/ChaoticSoul5/status/1530709722432688128

Episode 12:  https://twitter.com/ChaoticSoul5/status/1530721103525576704

More then likely posted on season 2 individual threads when they came out.  But it has been awhile and I am fickle so I will post on actual threads for season 2 when I watch.  

Edited May 29, 2022 by Chaos Theory

[bigseach]

I really like alara’s ears.

[Jynnan tonnix]

Sorry to see that season one topics got eaten. I am just beginning to watch The Orville, and am three episodes in. Came here to see whether there were any thoughts on About a Girl because, though I do agree that it was very uneven, it seemed that between the plotline and the execution, it might have sparked some discussion. In any event, the whole premise of the show and the characters are very appealing so far. I've sort of meant to give it a watch for years, but never got around to it. If anyone has any more thoughts on season one and the episodes, I'd love to read them!

[Danielg342]

On 6/3/2022 at 3:02 PM, Jynnan tonnix said:

Sorry to see that season one topics got eaten.

Well, you know, Bortus has his cravings...

On a more serious note, it's disappointing because we had quite a few good discussions. I didn't see "About A Girl" (I started with "Pria") but I do recall this board had quite the debate surrounding Rob Lowe's guest starring turn in "Cupid's Dagger". That one raised some new wrinkles in Kelly's infidelity from the pilot episode, and...well, let's just say everyone was deeply divided on what that episode was saying about the nature of consent and the gravity of sexual activity. That's one debate I surely miss.

[madfortv]

I just finished season 1 of Orville. I watched the original Star Trek when it was first on. Since then I watched a lot of episodes of Star Trek next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Last year, I watched the first season of Discovery, which I didn't care for, though I enjoyed the first episode. To me it was boring.

This show was not on my radar because I thought it was more like the Family Guy. As I checked it out this week, the potty humor, as someone else called it, was off-putting. I like the friendly jokes between the characters, many of their aside comments, and how they are building their relationships. A lot of the stories are  interesting. I actually think it is a better successor to the original Star Trek than many of the shows in between.

Other than the minor stupid attempts at humor I'm beginning to dislike that the captain has obsession with his ex-wife. I have always hated will-they-or-won't-they get together teases. Very tired of that aspect of the series and I hope it is dropped in future episodes.

Edited June 21, 2022 by kariyaki
Removed extraneous spoiler block for you