Orville: New Horizons (Spoilers)

[Argyle King]

Corporate greed? I was getting straight-up slavery.

The CEO of the company was continually ranting about profits and such... how recalling the product would kill the company.

Given current events, I believe the show was trying to offer some social commentary on how corrupt corporatism can be harmful to a society as a whole.

Certainly, the interactions with the family shown were also showing slavery. Orville typically does comment on multiple things during an episode.

 

[Ryujin]

The CEO of the company was continually ranting about profits and such... how recalling the product would kill the company.

Given current events, I believe the show was trying to offer some social commentary on how corrupt corporatism can be harmful to a society as a whole.

Certainly, the interactions with the family shown were also showing slavery. Orville typically does comment on multiple things during an episode.

True enough. That part didn't impact me as much as the slavery angle and the callous abuse.

 

[Umbran]

The CEO of the company was continually ranting about profits and such... how recalling the product would kill the company.

Given current events, I believe the show was trying to offer some social commentary on how corrupt corporatism can be harmful to a society as a whole.

Certainly, the interactions with the family shown were also showing slavery. Orville typically does comment on multiple things during an episode.

I think they were embracing the power of "and" in this case. It could even lead you to ask yourself when corporate greed leads to crossing the line from a reasonable employer-employee relationship to abuse of employees.

 

[Arilyn]

Tonight's episode is great. Bonus points for bringing in Dolly Parton!

 

[Ryujin]

Tonight's episode is great. Bonus points for bringing in Dolly Parton!

Perfect. They could end the season on that one and I'd be happy.

 

[Rabulias]

Perfect. They could end the season on that one and I'd be happy.

If they had an episode like this and said, "Nah, let's make that episode 8," I am hopeful that episode 10 will blow us away.

 

[MNblockhead]

There is a lot to nitpick at this last episode, but there was some great acting. I was actually in tears. A theme and story line that was getting old too me actually feels necessary to have the investment needed into the characters to have this episode have the impact that it did.

 

[Stalker0]

Man this show is just one zinger after another.

Topa's inner strength was really awesome to see, and really brought the feels. I also like that we took an almost Messianic character in Havena and humanized her a bit with some imperfections. But you can really understand her position, she took a huge leap of faith in that confession....and it really did put a lot of her people in danger. It all worked out....but it almost didn't. Did she actually make the right choice...its a worthy debate.

The council's decision is a tip of the hat to the notion that while humanity and the Union are not perfect, they are pushing for that perfection we humans strive for. Booting out Moclus is again a huge gamble, the military calculus would say its absolutely the wrong decision (it would be like Canada leaving NATO while under invasion from Russia)...but the council would no longer allow the brutality of Moclus to go unchecked.

My one nitpick was Gordon, its clear they brought him down to Earth just to have his one outburst...but ultimately it really didn't do much. I mean the audience was already quite clear how crappy Moclus was, it didn't need to be specified. It didn't really do much for Gordon's character, we already know he's brave but also foolhardy. Now if it had some real consequences to Gordon's career that would be an interesting way to go....but it looks like he got to commit a major and direct Faux Pa while being ordered to stand down by his superior officer...which is a MAJOR offense...and get away with it Scott free. So that whole thing just seemed kind of silly in the face of an otherwise amazing episode.

And man Bortus can throw down when he wants to....so awesome!

 

[Umbran]

My one nitpick was Gordon, its clear they brought him down to Earth just to have his one outburst...but ultimately it really didn't do much. I mean the audience was already quite clear how crappy Moclus was, it didn't need to be specified.

I think it served more purpose than you do. Gordon is our "everyman" character. That scene is an example of the Everyman standing up and speaking truth to power, even though he expects to catch trouble for it.

Next, he notes the compromise dynamic explicitly - Meet me in the middle, says the unjust man. You take a step toward him. He takes a step back. Meet me in the middle, says the unjust man. In so doing, he is also pointing out that the Admirals are complicit in this dynamic.

And, perhaps most importantly, "we all know how crappy they are" is not a reason to not say it! Wrongs we stop speaking about are where the "missing stairs" live - abusers thrive on people not talking about them. Because, that which isn't spoken about can - and will - be ignored when it is convenient to ignore them. By saying it explicitly. Gordon breaks the silence of inconvenience, making it so the Admirals can't quietly bypass the real issue at hand.

It didn't really do much for Gordon's character, we already know he's brave but also foolhardy. Now if it had some real consequences to Gordon's career that would be an interesting way to go...

Given what transpired afterwards, giving Gordon consequences for being right about it all, would be increasing the unjust nature of the Union. The Union we have is imperfect, but moving forward, not backward.

 

[Ryujin]

Man this show is just one zinger after another.

Topa's inner strength was really awesome to see, and really brought the feels. I also like that we took an almost Messianic character in Havena and humanized her a bit with some imperfections. But you can really understand her position, she took a huge leap of faith in that confession....and it really did put a lot of her people in danger. It all worked out....but it almost didn't. Did she actually make the right choice...its a worthy debate.

The council's decision is a tip of the hat to the notion that while humanity and the Union are not perfect, they are pushing for that perfection we humans strive for. Booting out Moclus is again a huge gamble, the military calculus would say its absolutely the wrong decision (it would be like Canada leaving NATO while under invasion from Russia)...but the council would no longer allow the brutality of Moclus to go unchecked.

My one nitpick was Gordon, its clear they brought him down to Earth just to have his one outburst...but ultimately it really didn't do much. I mean the audience was already quite clear how crappy Moclus was, it didn't need to be specified. It didn't really do much for Gordon's character, we already know he's brave but also foolhardy. Now if it had some real consequences to Gordon's career that would be an interesting way to go....but it looks like he got to commit a major and direct Faux Pa while being ordered to stand down by his superior officer...which is a MAJOR offense...and get away with it Scott free. So that whole thing just seemed kind of silly in the face of an otherwise amazing episode.

And man Bortus can throw down when he wants to....so awesome!

I'm hoping that Topa gets to be a better treated Wesley Crusher character at some point in "The Orville." By "better treated" I mean by the writers, than Wheaton's character was in Next Gen.

I'm with @Umbran about what Gordon did. Diplomatic rug-sweeping tends to gloss over the truth of an issue and Gordon is calling that out. You can't deal with and move past an issue, if you never explicitly deal with it.

I very much like that Bortus, as our Worf analogue, doesn't get held up as a master warrior and then destroyed every other episode, just to show how tough an opponent is. Having them get his moment of pure rage over the torturing of his daughter was cathartic.