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Last week’s episode of The Orville focused on Bortus and his addiction to meeting other men in the simulation room. It was a character-driven episode that connected episodes from the first season with a new episode. I have been waiting for Seth MacFarlane to do that for a while now and it paid off.
The third episode of the season titled ‘Home’ is a farewell to Halston Sage’s character Alara. It has been rumored for quite some time now that Halston Sage would be leaving the show permanently … or just for a while. There is a cheesy tribute to the character but in the end, she wants to be off the Orville ship to stay with her family on her home planet.
The episode opens with Alara and Isaac participating in an arm-wrestling match, a Friday night tradition that many partake in. Isaac wins but breaks Alara’s arm. She is rushed to the medical bay where she learns that her strength is deteriorating, which includes a loss in bone density. Alara needs to return home to try and recover. If she waits too long, her return could eventually crush her bones because she would acclimate to earth’s gravity. Ed and Gordon accompany Alara on her trip home where they meet Alara’s family, who aren’t fond of the military that Alara is enrolled in.
I have always enjoyed Halston Sage’s character on The Orville, but I found the writing for her in this episode to be frustrating. Alara is a strong character that has had many moments to show her strength. There were many opportunities in this episode to show that she has more than just physical strength. Towards the end of the episode, her parents were in danger from a local Xelayan, and Alara could have proved herself worthy of saving her family. How the ending was wrapped up was a cop out and could have been handled better. I wish I would have seen Alara devise a plan to save her parents or stop the intruders in a way that just wasn’t her showcasing her brute strength.
For an episode that was supposed to be Halston Sage’s last episode, there were many odd choices throughout regarding the character. The set up for Alara returning home was a clever one with some added humor, but once she returned home and we were introduced to her family, the show focused on why she should be home instead of wrapping up her storyline. We were introduced to her mother, father, sister, and neighbors who all had reasons why Alara should be at home with family and friends. I had an idea right when she returned home that she might be staying for good.
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Patrick Warburton plays Lt. Thral, who serves as Alara’s replacement. I enjoy Warburton’s scenes, but I do think his side-story was unnecessary since it led to Ed returning to Alara’s home planet to try and convince her to return home. If Alara was going to return to the Orville, I wouldn’t mind seeing her and Ed Mercer start a relationship since they have been throwing slight hits of a connection between the two.
Hopefully Halston Sage returns to The Orville because I have enjoyed her character throughout her time on the show. She has always played a minor character with many redeeming moments that made her someone worthy of being on the show. I hope that other characters don’t leave the show because a lot of them are getting good screen time and writing that makes for a good mixture of drama and comedy.
The Orville airs Thursday at 9:00 PM on Fox.
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