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2th

Member
Oct 27, 2017
306
The teaser for next week's season finale said that somebody's going to die next week. Tasha Yar, the head of security for the Enterprise, died at the end of season 1 of TNG. So if this show continues its trend of copying TNG, then I think that means Alara's getting clapped next week :o

Either that, or Norm's character is being sent off. I think I remember reading at the old forums that Norm was only signed on for one season of this show.

Technically next week isn't the end of the season, at least so far as what was shot. Episode 13 was shot but pushed back to season 2.
 

Medalion

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,203
God I really missed The Orville

This show is like comfort food

I love this crew

Yaphit and Lamarr got more screen time

I too am not fully convinced in his ability to lead, when he was seen as the guy at Conn cracking stereotypical slang jokes

And no sooner after Crisis on Earth X, get to see Victor Garber again like I wanted

Kelly is a babe, but I hope they don't go the predictable route and get those two together at the end, and split apart next season
 

AoM

Member
Oct 31, 2017
7,307
Yeah the dude just isn't that good unfortunately. Or he's just really stiff.
Yeah, but not too surprising. Besides Isaac's actor (who has a unique role), Lee has the least acting experience of the main cast. And it probably didn't help that this was the director's third outing.
 

jb1234

Very low key
Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,234
That was deeply dull. I'm glad to see LeMarr getting more development but I don't find the actor engaging and it felt like the 2D storyline was really only there to service his character when it could have been a fascinating sci-fi concept on its own. A shame they barely did anything with it (pretty visuals aside). And from the very beginning, every scene with Mercer and Grayson bickering has been an utter black hole of interest. Occasionally with weaker episodes of this show, the jokes have made up for dramatic weaknesses but after three episodes of writers other than MacFarlane, he's back to his old tricks of making every gag seem out of place and forced.

Here's hoping the finale delivers.
 

FaceHugger

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
13,949
USA
This episode reminded me of a book I read in middle school, when a kid used alien tech to go two dimensional and reach around the door of a closed locker.

LaMarr is going to have wear a visor, even if just for a few seconds in a scene.

I'm impressed, MacFarlane had lone writing credits on this. He's so much better than the low brow stuff he became famous and wealthy for. Whatever works I guess. Glad he moved on.
 

SArcher

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
2,669
Anyone know how many episodes are left after ep 11?
 

Dr Doom

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,023
"Are we bonding" OMG. Dead.
It's plain but I do like that 2D world

Nice to see a character development
 

whooter

Member
Oct 27, 2017
272
Personally, I have a hard time believing they'll actually kill someone off this soon into the run. Also, since this is going to be episode 113, won't it be awkward if the killed off person suddenly shows up again whenever 112 eventually airs?
 
Oct 28, 2017
5,050
I only caught the trailer, and can't believe they're nearing the season finale already. I liked what I watched and was curious to see where it would go from there on.

Looks like I've got some streaming to do after work tonight :-P Count me in.
 

Deleted member 11985

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,168
I only caught the trailer, and can't believe they're nearing the season finale already. I liked what I watched and was curious to see where it would go from there on.

Looks like I've got some streaming to do after work tonight :-P Count me in.

The first few episodes are not that great, if I'm being honest. But everything after that has been pretty solid.
 

Enzom21

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,989
This show is so weird to me. Because it's a Seth MacFarlane show, I am always expecting some weird cut away gag or some lame joke, but it's Sci-Fi through and through and I love it.
 

Medalion

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,203
This show is so weird to me. Because it's a Seth MacFarlane show, I am always expecting some weird cut away gag or some lame joke, but it's Sci-Fi through and through and I love it.
There are some lame jokes, particularly in the pilot... but yeah, I've watched multiple interviews with this show's creators, they are going for a lot more serious sci-fi homage than you would think.
 

Stoney Mason

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,921
Good solid episode. The actual plot mechanics of the space situation were really just an excuse to do character building for the crew but it was handled well. The humour was on point in that episode as well.

The acting on the show is often a little wonky if I'm being generous but the intent and direction of the moment is more important sometimes than just pure execution.
 

Medalion

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,203
I like we're giving Yaphit something to do other than just being a one note gag of hitting on the Doctor
 

Stoney Mason

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,921
lol no way. I guess J Lee is a Family Guy actor and has no experience otherwise, so it's understandable.

It's not just him. Seth can be very hit and miss. Yaphit is a lot of miss. The show is often edited in a weird way also where they will hold on at the end of an awkward scene to try to emphasize it, but it often feels weird. A lot of the writing and acting often feels awkward.

It's always been noticeable to me. That being said, it doesn't stop my enjoyment of the show. It's not like everybody is consistently terrible. They are all giving their best effort. They are all still likeable. It's just some are better actors than others. Like the Doctor is a good actress. She has a lot of experience. It shows compared to others. But a good show is not just an actor's showcase. It's about a lot of little things making up a greater whole. It's why I enjoyed the recent episode for example. If your heart is in the right place with a show, it excuses alot.
 

firehawk12

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,217
It's not just him. Seth can be very hit and miss. Yaphit is a lot of miss. The show is often edited in a weird way also where they will hold on at the end of an awkward scene to try to emphasize it, but it often feels weird. A lot of the writing and acting often feels awkward.

It's always been noticeable to me. That being said, it doesn't stop my enjoyment of the show. It's not like everybody is consistently terrible. They are all giving their best effort. They are all still likeable. It's just some are better actors than others. Like the Doctor is a good actress. She has a lot of experience. It shows compared to others. But a good show is not just an actor's showcase. It's about a lot of little things making up a greater whole. It's why I enjoyed the recent episode for example. If your heart is in the right place with a show, it excuses alot.
I appreciate the attempt to give everyone their own episode, but you can tell who the veteran actors are.
For Yaphit, I assume it's just Norm Mcdonald in a Family Guy booth being recorded weeks before the episode is even shot, so I expect that to be bad. lol

The ensemble is pretty good though. I don't hate anyone in particular, and it doesn't feel like there's an A-tier and Z-tier of crew member like there was on Voyager, Enterprise and Discovery.
 

Stoney Mason

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,921
While they haven't given him a specific episode like they have with most characters, I do feel like I know him. And he has been secondary in a good number of episodes and gotten characterization that way. It also helps that he is generally the main character through which humour is funneled.
 

hibikase

User requested ban
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
6,820
Last episode convinced me once and for all that the worst part of this show is Macfarlane's acting. I have a really hard time giving a damn about Captain Mercer, he always comes out as a whiny manchild who definitely does not deserve to be captain (and ironically this episode was exactly about him having doubts). One could argue that the writing doesn't help either, but I'm pretty sure that a more talented actor could portray someone with self-esteem issues a lot better than him, despite the script. As it is, he just doesn't feel like a plausible person of authority at all.

Apart from that, I am growing fond of Yaphit. I feel like he's the direct response to the common criticism that Star Trek has only humanoids. It makes a lot of sense for a civilization as diverse as the Federation (and therefore the Union as well) to have a bunch of really alien members, and would make even more sense to have them serve on starships where their vastly different physiques can make them a huge asset to the crew roster. I'm glad that we're starting to see him being used as more than just comic relief.
 
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Kaeden

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,916
US
Yeah there's something a bit off to me with Ed giving commands on the ship. When he's telling various people to do whatever, it just seems... off. Like he's simply reading it from a cue card.

I love the show a lot though, and can't wait for the finale and to see where we go next year - late next year. :(
 

AoM

Member
Oct 31, 2017
7,307
Season finale tonight.

"Mad Idolatry"
The crew crash land on a planet from another universe; Ed and Kelly consider getting back together.
 

Fable

Member
Oct 25, 2017
204
Ugh, I don't want them back together. Maybe one of them will die and "forever" take that off the table.
 

2th

Member
Oct 27, 2017
306
Good first season. I really enjoyed it. Now comes the painful wait for season 2. :(
 

DarthWoo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,665
So if
Isaac was on the planet and privy to all their technological advancements, which seem to include some beyond the Union's, such as transporters, would he consider it reverse cultural contamination if he gave his knowledge of such tech to the Union or at least his own people?
 

AoM

Member
Oct 31, 2017
7,307
Good finale. Not only a good standalone, but it wrapped up Ed/Kelly (for now). Also:

Perd!

perd+hapley.jpg


And I like how the one woman who came aboard the ship with Isaac lingered on "Diiscovverry".
 

Stoney Mason

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,921
Didn't care for the episode. The idea is good. The execution was extremely poor as the main drivers of the episodes were the incompetence of the crew and a simplistic punch-out ending to make everything okay. With better writing and execution you could have a really good prime directive episode. As it stands this would be a sub-par prime directive trek episode.

I'm not the biggest fan in general of the relationship stuff between ed and kelly but this was probably the episode that handled it the best without either side suddenly becoming a petty love-sick teenager.

As far as the overall show, I enjoyed the first season of the Orville. It's a show I will continue to watch. I hope it improves. There is no doubt it is an entertaining show. And it could safely exist on what it is currently and be a fun show for however long it runs. My complaint is that it could be a really good show if the writing and execution improve in general and it finds its own voice. There were a number of episodes this season that were bold but I couldn't help but feel like the execution let down the premise. Tonight being a perfect example of that. It still feels like such a TNG clone that I think that's limiting. I understand the nostalgia and appeal of that but I think better writing can retain some of those elements and step out and be something more fresh. With things that just don't ape TNG episodes. I think their aspirations should be higher.

I think the show also needs an arc. I'm not saying it needs to become so serial that every episode leads into the next episode or anything. But it does kind of need seasonal directional as it continues. Arcs give the show someplace to go. Someplace to grow. And lessons to learn that actually effect things. A larger frame to the show could help define themselves as something other than just a funny TNG clone.

I think the humour improved as it went on. Early on it was super hit or miss. Mostly miss imo. But I think the jokes and humour style found a better rhythm. There are jokes that seem so perfect when they land. And some that seem so cringey. Part of that is the nature of comedy itself. But part of it is just being more strict about the selection process of what is a good joke that's appropriate to the tone they want to set.

I think the strongest piece of the show is the crew. This is the one thing they've probably done maybe better than any existing trek show has ever in a first season, I think everybody fits and everybody has a role and a distinct personality. And the democracy of the show to give everybody a piece of the pie is laudable. I hope they continue that. Despite whatever sketchy acting slips through, as long as the honest effort is put through to characterize, I'm cool with it.

Continue to focus on the characters. Beef up the quality and execution of the plot. Be more selective with the humour. Give me some arcs. That's my take on the first season of the Orville. For a first season though on a show that was initially beat up on by the critics, I think they did a good job. I was doubtful of Seth Macfarlane and the show originally. I was scared it was going to be family guy in space. It's better than that. It's better than the critics lashed on it about. And it has potential to get better. That's all good stuff. The best compliment I can give is that I'll miss it until Season 2. There is a little Orville hole in my viewing schedule so I'm excited for Season 2.
 

firehawk12

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,217
Hahaha, this is that Voyager episode that Daniel Dae Kim guest starred on.

Combined with The Picard! lol
 
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jb1234

Very low key
Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,234
Yeah, this was basically two (better) Star Trek episodes merged together, especially Voyager's excellent "Blink of an Eye." I really wish the show could come up with its own ideas, especially since it regularly botches the ones that it steals. It doesn't help that the plot is basically driven by contrivances and especially sloppy behavior by the crew. They basically go out of their way to be noticed by the planet's inhabitants and then, when they should have left well enough alone, they go back down to the surface anyway to try and make Grayson feel better. If I were the admiral, I would have put Mercer in jail. I did appreciate some of the later plot beats (aside from Isaac staying on the planet, again ripped straight out of Voyager when the Doctor did it) but the sledgehammer "we got out of the dark ages by renouncing organized religion" ending was overly simplistic. It's also a little disappointing that for a season finale, this felt just like a regular episode.

(That said, I give credit to the episode for giving me one huge laugh, when Mercer made fun of the admiral without realizing she was still on the line.)
 

firehawk12

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,217
Yeah, this was basically two (better) Star Trek episodes merged together, especially Voyager's excellent "Blink of an Eye." I really wish the show could come up with its own ideas, especially since it regularly botches the ones that it steals. It doesn't help that the plot is basically driven by contrivances and especially sloppy behavior by the crew. They basically go out of their way to be noticed by the planet's inhabitants and then, when they should have left well enough alone, they go back down to the surface anyway to try and make Grayson feel better. If I were the admiral, I would have put Mercer in jail. I did appreciate some of the later plot beats (aside from Isaac staying on the planet, again ripped straight out of Voyager when the Doctor did it) but the sledgehammer "we got out of the dark ages by renouncing organized religion" ending was overly simplistic. It's also a little disappointing that for a season finale, this felt just like a regular episode.

(That said, I give credit to the episode for giving me one huge laugh, when Mercer made fun of the admiral without realizing she was still on the line.)
I totally agree, but I guess I also don't mind either because I'm so desperate for actual Star Trek content. lol
 

AoM

Member
Oct 31, 2017
7,307
I went to check the ratings for past episodes, and saw this on Wikipedia lol.

4fZhn4j.png
 
Oct 25, 2017
12,447
Underground
That was a great finale. Wouldn't have minded a longer episode so I could get a glimpse of Isaac's time on the planet, but it is what it is.

Really good season overall. Looking forward to the next. Good shit, Seth. Went from thinking I'd only watch the first episode or two to looking forward to it each week. Guess this also means I'd like the Star Trek shows.
 

Medalion

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,203
That is not what I wanted for a finale ep... just gonna put that out there
Too familiar in concept to other Star Trek eps, nothing interesting or creative was done here
The relationship drama finally came to ahead and they did cliche thing of going their separate ways
This whole thing felt very anticlimactic

I loved the series overall but that was a weak...weak season finale