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Last week’s episode of The Orville brought us many twists and turns throughout and it was easily one of the better episodes I have seen. I love that the show so far is living up to its title by exploring new horizons and connecting episodes together. Episodes that were in previous seasons now have a greater impact in the third season. In this week’s episode titled ‘Gently Falling Rain’, Captain Mercer faces his greatest challenge yet.
The episode opens on the Krill’s home world. We see Teleya (Michaela McManus), who has a long history with Captain Mercer (Seth MacFarlane). The current Krill Supreme Chancellor, Koran, is a false prophet in Teleya’s eyes and expresses her opinions on the treaty with the Planetary Union, which she is against. Koran begins to lose the current election and if Teleya wins, the treaty between the Union and the Krill is over, which will cause severe problems for the upcoming episodes.
After Chancellor Koran loses the election, he is publicly executed, which signals an end to the treaty. Mercer and Teleya have a heart-to-heart conversation about their relationship. She is still angry about what had happened between her and Captain Mercer. It’s during this scene that we see the urgency within the conversation and how changing Teleya’s mind could lead to a drastic change for the Union.
Mercer is imprisoned by the Krill but is broken out with no explanation. The guards that helped him out of prison are killed and he is taken to an underground building. A group of Krill that oppose Teleya inform Mercer that he and Teleya have a daughter, a half human-half Krill, named Anaya. She is well taken care of, with Teleya providing for the girl, but never visits her. Mercer gets himself imprisoned again with the purpose of confronting his former lover.
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This episode has some of the best acting I have seen from MacFarlane. With a history of comedy both in live action form and animated, there isn’t much room for him to show off a dramatic side. Mercer doesn’t know how to react to the situation but is angry with Teleya. The emotions that MacFarlane brings to the conversation, shows the range MacFarlane has.
There are plenty of appealing visuals, especially when the show explores the Krill’s world. From the back streets of the city to the larger organized events, the show continues its impressive run of visuals that give the new season a sleek look. Moments of battle between the Krill and Union are intense and raises the tension between the two.
This episode has some political moments that mirror of current world. With discussions of elections and abortions, the episode uses the Krill’s world and Teleya’s tactics to give an insight to the Krill’s political beliefs, but also leads to honest conversations about them. It’s smartly written without showing the writers’ political stance on current topics or trying to persuade the viewers to change their opinions on such topics as abortion.
Season 3 of The Orville,/em> is only continuing to get better. Many storylines are promising moments in the future that could lead to this season being the best one. There is a lot more at stake that will shake up relationships and positions aboard the Orville. With brutally honest sequences, the season is showing that it can be dramatic without sacrificing the tone of the overall series.
What did you think of this episode? Tell us in the comments section below!
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