FOX
The second to last episode of The Orville Season 2 aired on Thursday night and it left without making an impression. I’ve mostly enjoyed this season, but lately it has been irritating me. Seth MacFarlane creates these well-thought out storylines and doesn’t follow through with it. This is another prime example of weak storytelling presented in The Orville. Earlier in the season, Isaac and his fellow Kaylons attacked the Union, but it was hardly discussed after that episode. It was something that could have been a dramatic turn for the show, but they choose to ignore it. Brief moments of a Kaylon threat were in this week’s episode, but I really didn’t care.
This episode starts off with Ed, Kelly, Talla, and Gordon at the bar on board the Orville drinking and laughing. They are reminiscing about the past and having a good time, but as Talla and Gordon leave, Ed admits that he dating Kelly again isn’t off the table for him, but it is for her. While this is happening, Isaac discovers time travel while working alongside LaMarr. Kelly arrives to send LaMarr off on a task, but the ship is hit by a gravitational wave. While this happened a younger Kelly from seven years ago, the night after her first date with Ed which was being discussed at the bar, was brought onto the ship. Her thoughts with Ed coincided with the gravitational wave, which allowed for the younger Kelly to come on board.
I thought this storyline was interesting and allowed for characters to redo the past. Ed spent a lot of the episode reminiscing about his past with Kelly, but she doesn’t want to move forward again with him. By bringing a younger Kelly on board, Ed can fix things that were wrong about their relationship. Ed and Kelly have had their troubles throughout the series, and they work better as Captain and First Commander, which she even mentions in the show. I wasn’t really rooting for Ed to explore a new relationship with past Kelly since we know already know how it will play out.
The show ended with a twist which I thought could be a promising storyline for future episodes. Past Kelly was promised that she could return to her own time with no memory of this experience. She was transported back to the past where she woke up after her night with Ed. We know that she will talk to Ed again and they will continue their relationship, but she tells Ed that they shouldn’t see each other again, hinting that their plan to wipe her memory didn’t work.
This episode also attempted to bring back the Kaylons, which never felt urgent. The 2-part episode where the Kaylons attack the Union was one of the best storylines the show had to offer, but they threw it to the wayside, which was disappointing. The Kaylons randomly attacked the Orville again and it was past Kelly who knew how to escape them. I never found these moments to be suspenseful since I have moved past the storyline with the Kaylons. Also, if past Kelly was so good at hiding from the Kaylons, why wasn’t current Kelly good at it when they attacked a few episodes ago?
This was a simple episode that felt it could lead to something more, but with typical Orville fashion, I am afraid it won’t. The idea of an alternate future where Ed and Kelly don’t see each other again may change the course of the show, but for right now, I am curious to see how Season 2 will end.
The Orville second season finale airs Thursday, April 25 at 9:00 PM on Fox.
What do you think this episode? Sound off in the comments below!
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