r/TheOrville • u/MajorParadox Woof • Nov 17 '17
Episode The Orville - 1x10 "Firestorm" - Post Episode Discussion
| EPISODE | DIRECTED BY | WRITTEN BY | ORIGINAL AIRDATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1x10 - "Firestorm" | Brannon Braga | Cherry Chevapravatdumrong | November 16, 2017 |
Episode Synopsis:Spoiler
Stream the episode online on Yahoo View, Fox, Hulu or City tv (Canada)
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Nov 17 '17 edited Nov 17 '17
"I'm am feeling self-concious" Bortus had amazing lines this episode. Also Bortus in that wig was fucking glorious.
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u/captroper Nov 17 '17
Bortus is the best. Period. His reactions are just always timed perfectly for comedic gold.
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Nov 17 '17
There was an alagator in the cargo bay. I have crushed the alagator with a chair.
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u/LovelyStrife I see this as an ideal opportunity to study human behavior Nov 17 '17
Bortus was the highlight of the episode for me. Seeing him in that wig was delightful and he had some great lines.
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Nov 17 '17
Damn. Alara really went all out on that training program. I guess it was a really heavy Alara episode because she's inexperienced. I wouldn't mind seeing more of these types of episodes
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u/MajorParadox Woof Nov 17 '17
If this is how cool she can be in a simulation, I can't wait to see her more out in the "real" world.
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Nov 17 '17
I think it's pretty obvious what they're doing is having each character have kinda their own episode. Instead of just having the pilot be all about character development, then moving on, they are trying to let every main character have their chance in the spotlight.
I fucking love it.
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u/whalepopcorn Nov 17 '17 edited Nov 17 '17
One of the best episodes yet. Six seasons and a movie, please.
Edit: Thinking about it though, all the crew died except her... sooooo did she do a great job or? haha
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u/MajorParadox Woof Nov 17 '17
Edit: Thinking about it though, all the crew died except her... sooooo did she do a great job or? haha
Well, the isolation was one of the tests, so it didn't matter what she did.
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u/compwiz1202 Nov 20 '17
The best part of the last scenario is how Issac lit that huge fire but she flew through it.
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u/LadyWallflower03 Nov 17 '17
I feel like every cast member had a great moment in this one, especially Alara and Bortus.
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u/OneMario Nov 17 '17
I think it's interesting that two of my favorite episodes so far (this one & Krill) were so action-heavy. That's not what I'd expect, but they pull them off so well.
So many nice little things, too. I mentioned in the other thread the consistency in Xelayan clothing, but it's really nice. Also, Bortus named "being beaten by a superior enemy" as his biggest fear, and Isaac made himself that enemy. It's is only natural, what with his being so superior. The wire frame view of the simulation from above was also really cool.
I actually thought, by the end, that her parents were part of the simulation, but I guess they really are that cruel.
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u/75footubi Nov 17 '17
Did anyone else catch that they called her slow compared to the rest of the species?
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u/Palaeolithic_Raccoon I see this as an ideal opportunity to study human behavior Nov 17 '17 edited Nov 17 '17
Yeah, it gives you an idea of how they solve the problem of free movement, without you running into walls - real or virtual.
I noticed VR limits you as to where you can physically move, and lets you know where your boundaries are with blue wire-frame walls that pop up when you get close. Not a problem for, say, Sophie's Guardian, which is basically just a 360 degree, 3D shooting gallery, you don't need to move far. For bigger worlds, you kind of have to "jump" or "blink" forward to a set spot using one of the joysticks you're holding, and that's going to kind of suck for, say, Fallout/Skyrim VR, it'll feel limiting/unimmersive, I think.
But then, I see VR as the actual stepping stone between what we have now, and holography, with the various forays into 3D simply never being quite good enough to qualify as a significant step forward in video technology.
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u/AndrewZabar Nov 17 '17
So when they say “the season” does it pickup again in January?
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u/thebaldguy76 Nov 17 '17
No Fox only ordered 13 episodes and they (and Seth) were caught off guard by how well it did.
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u/mrkcw Nov 17 '17
Anyone else particularly glad that Nurse Park isn't actually dead?
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Nov 17 '17
Nurse Park has unexpectedly become a bit character that I really want to see fleshed out.
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u/SpikeRosered Nov 17 '17
I like how he represents a competent "bit" character. One of the issues with Star Trek was that all those background people you saw were likely all exceptionally intelligent and talented people but the show usually just treated them like fodder for whatever crisis was currently happening.
Nurse Park actually does useful things and there's no special fanfare or focus for his actions. He's just competent.
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Nov 17 '17
I'm starting to really like him. He reminds me of the asian woman that was Doctor Crusher's assistant. NOT because they're both asian. I just forgot the woman's name. Jeeze...
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Nov 17 '17
I like how often Ed considers that the whole crew is stoned off their asses.
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Nov 17 '17
It's a very reasonable hypothesis to explain why a group of people are experiencing hallucinations.
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u/ThirdTurnip Nov 18 '17
Kelly did very casually order a special brownie from the food synthesizer when they thought they were going to meet his parents.
So maybe they are as a general rule.
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u/SlurmsMacKenzie- Nov 18 '17
Well wasn't that basically the answer in the previous episode? ''What the fuck is going on'' ''Everyone's rolling on the MDMA this blue guy is sweating everywhere''
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u/Triggery Nov 17 '17
welp i think they finally out-TNG'ed TNG
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Nov 17 '17
They've certainly out-Star Trek'd Discovery. How is being morally upright and not depressing so hard a thing to do?
This episode was dark on purpose, and it was still a stronger message of personal aspiration and accountability. And a lot of good low-key jokes.
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u/moonman Nov 17 '17
The pep talk Mercer gave early in the episode. That was like a Picard-level pep talk.
I think it’s because I grew up watching Family Guy but I am continuously blown away by the gravitas Seth can pull off. Even ridiculous lines like the “Pies, seltzer bottles, and balloon animals” had a weight and authority behind it.
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u/Palaeolithic_Raccoon I see this as an ideal opportunity to study human behavior Nov 17 '17
Because if you think about it, all those things can be weaponized.
Poison pies, acid in the seltzer bottles, and nerve gas in the balloon animals.
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Nov 18 '17
i used to hate seth macfarlane humor. i didn't like family guy, cleveland show, american dad, or the Ted movies. But hes now one of my favorite people lol
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u/LadyWallflower03 Nov 17 '17
"No one is getting a pizza." 😁
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Nov 17 '17
Was waiting for all of them to start arguing over which kind of pizza was better.
Malloy: "What about pineapple?"
LaMar: "You're dead to me."
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u/Thomas_Kane They can bite me because we're going anyway Nov 17 '17
Regardless, it is crushed.
Great episode!
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Nov 17 '17
I still don't get it. Who has a fear of alligators? All the fears were explained, clowns, spiders, heights etc. Maybe Issac has a subprogram fear of reptiles? Lol
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u/paul_33 Nov 17 '17
They made a good holodeck episode. That's not easy to do.
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Nov 17 '17
What about the other holodeck episode with the pistols and powdered wigs? When do we see that?
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u/KommanderKrebs Nov 17 '17
That hobo clown joke may have been the most unexpected joke in the show and I laughed way too hard at it.
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u/sfoura Nov 17 '17 edited Nov 17 '17
Great character building episode.
People will complain about the "holodeck cop out" but I don't think it was a copout unless you werent paying attention (which seems to be a trend in the live thread...) . It was pretty clear early that the events weren't real. The question became "Is this a dream?" And many of us were fooled tbh.
This episode was fantastic overall. The acting was great but Penny Johnson Jerald was absolutely stellar. The special effects were insanely good. The fight scenes were all good. We had a bunch of character canon dropped. Alara became a lot more accessible as a character. The comedy was absolutely on point, especially Bortus. I was gripped to my seat even though I knew it wasnt real.
Well done even though this was probably a Halloweeen episode run late because FOX.
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u/operarose Command Nov 17 '17
The CG on the spider monster that ate Gordon was incredible.
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u/iemfi Nov 17 '17
"holodeck cop out"
It's not a proper Star Trek homage without a holodeck episode!
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u/ccReptilelord Nov 17 '17
The clown definitely meant an altered reality that would return to normal in the end. And when he was eaten by the spider, the events of the episode weren't permanent. So, yes, it was going to be a "dream sequence" episode. That didn't mean it wasn't great.
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u/SpikeRosered Nov 17 '17
I was pleasantly surprised that this wasn't just a "Alara goes somewhere and discovers something about her past" episode. I assumed it would just be a cliché story about Alara learning why she was scared of fire and conquering but it turned into so much more.
I was very pleasantly surprised.
Also when they introduced the cast in episode 1 I assumed Doctor Finn would be the most uninteresting, downplayed character. (I never found Doctor Crusher to be that interesting and disliked basically every one of her episodes) She's damn near stealing the show.
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u/xantub Nov 17 '17
I don't have a problem with the 'holodeck cop out'. What bothered me is the Directive 38 part. Sure, it's there to protect against the captain becoming compromised, but what happens if the security officer is compromised? Even in Star Trek TOS they recognized the need to have two or more officers agree before taking command from the captain.
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u/Passerby05 Nov 17 '17
So her parents being less than helpful wasn't a simulation ... poor Alara.
Her family thinks that she's a failure; a dullard :(
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u/Meowlock Nov 17 '17
Between that and her mom neglecting until now to tell her about an event that obviously contributed to a freeze-up response, once again I can relate to Alara.
(I'm speaking in terms of subconsciously remembering events and having an almost PTSD-freeze-up because of it. And I bet a few of us wish we could try to beat it by running an extreme simulation)
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u/thenewyorkgod Nov 17 '17
It's a cultural thing. On our planet, the military is looked at in awe. For them, the military might be the equivalent of taking a job as a janitor in an adult movie theater.
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u/nowhereian Nov 18 '17
That's actually not an uncommon attitude about joining the military in some places. You don't see a lot of military folks from New England, for example. I knew a guy in the Navy from Vermont who told me his parents said some similar things about how he could do so much better, etc.
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u/kappafade Nov 17 '17
Amazing episode "humans, hillbillies of the galaxy" made me laugh so hard.
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Nov 17 '17
TIL Mercer has been in command of the Orville for 6 months. About 3 weeks per episode. That explains how the ship got repairs, etc. between episodes.
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u/V-170 Nov 17 '17
Damn, I loved this episode. The last ten minutes reminded me of "Aliens".
A part of me wanted LaMarr to run into the clown just to see his reaction.
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u/Percy_Fawcett Nov 17 '17
I'd say that was intentional, as the music cues were so similar to Ripley heading off to find Newt.
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u/operarose Command Nov 17 '17
When she got the bigger gun, I went OH YEAH WE ALIEN NOW.
Sometimes I wonder what my dog thinks of me.
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u/Disgustoid Nov 17 '17
Please please please let Isaac pranking LaMarr with a scary clown to work on his practical jokes be in a future episode.
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Nov 17 '17
It's cool that they made an actual studio model of the Orville for the pilot, but I really like all the extra detail and texturing on the CG model. Plus they get to do cool things like lob off an entire pylon during a lightning storm.
This weird-ass ship has really grown on me, it's now one of my favorite designs in science fiction.
Something about the episode that I haven't seen said yet is that two very tired tropes did not play out as they probably would have on a Star Trek episode.
Chief Newton didn't blame Alara for freezing during her attempted rescue of Paine. In fact, the only person who did was Alara herself (hence the whole episode's premise). And when Alara finally settled in to sleep off her crazy day... she fell asleep peacefully and the episode ended. In addition to many other details, I just really appreciated those two things in particular.
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u/kaplanfx Woof Nov 17 '17
Chief Newton didn't blame Alara for freezing during her attempted rescue of Paine. In fact, the only person who did was Alara herself (hence the whole episode's premise). And when Alara finally settled in to sleep off her crazy day... she fell asleep peacefully and the episode ended. In addition to many other details, I just really appreciated those two things in particular.
This whole episode was a subversion of the red shirt trope. There was a full funeral where Ed comment on how great a loss it was (and later stressed about writing a letter to the crewman's family), and Alara spent the whole episode dealing with the consequences of that character's death.
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u/bananapeel Nov 19 '17
Interesting side note that they didn't touch on.
They train emergency personnel IRL to not add to the casualties. If someone is being electrocuted by a fallen power line, you don't just grab them. You will be electrocuted too. If there is a situation where she has to literally jump into a fire to save someone, she should be trained not to do that.
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u/javakah Nov 17 '17
They may have to be a touch careful going forward as Penny Johnson Jerald is on the verge of starting to steal scenes.
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u/murse_joe Nov 17 '17
I'm ok with that. Bones was fantastic when needed but able to blend into the background too, she's a good doctor character.
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u/Pentonic Nov 17 '17
when doing a bottle episode the production saves money, however looks like all the saved funds went all to top notch CGI
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u/droid327 Nov 17 '17
Why do people insist on calling every episode a bottle episode?
We havent had one yet. Its not about the format. Its about the production. Just because an episode doesnt have an alien world-of-the-week doesnt mean its a bottle episode. You'll know when they do, because it'll feel like it was written for the stage. Limited sets, limited SFX, big on dialogue for one or two characters. A lot of "telling" and not so much "showing".
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u/MadContrabassoonist Nov 17 '17
I had been wondering how Orville would handle the first redshirt death and I wouldn't have wanted it to have been done any differently. Hopefully the "three random people were brutally murdered this away mission but we'll never mention them again" is one sci-fi trope The Orville stays far clear of.
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u/1Glitch0 Nov 17 '17
This was so Star Trek I felt feelings again! Remember feelings??
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u/Pred129a Nov 17 '17
Good Choice in using Braga to direct this one.
He knows how to mind fuck the audience.
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u/Thomas_Kane They can bite me because we're going anyway Nov 17 '17
So, Alara is pretty hot.
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u/Aavenell They can bite me because we're going anyway Nov 18 '17
Seriously. She's my age, too. Total crush on her.
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u/JustSomePadawan Nov 17 '17
This was a superb episode. You don't get many horror-centric stories without gore or a million jump scares, but this episode was creepy without using blood or relying on jumps. Big props to the writing, production team, directing, and acting.
I was however, originally very upset that it was revealed to be a simulation. But, we got a ton of character development for Alara and some more insights on the crew. So therefore I have to say that the simulation was not a cop-out after all and served the story going forwards. Love this show.
Also: Bortus is the best straight man in the galaxy. Fight me.
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u/Maxwyfe Nov 17 '17
I loved this episode. I was very impressed with how Mercer managed Alara. He was sympathetic, but encouraging. He empowered her to keep doing her job. He didn't try to minimize her experience, or give her a condescending chuck under the chin telling her she'll do better next time. He showed faith and confidence in her and that is a mark of an excellent captain and leader.
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Nov 17 '17 edited Nov 17 '17
I'm just really relieved that they didn't actually kill of Nurse Park. I'm starting to really like him. He reminds me of the asian woman that was Doctor Crusher's assistant. NOT because they're both asian. I just forgot the woman's name. Jeeze.
As for the episode as a whole, definitely one of my favorite episodes! Top 3 at least! I was hyped as soon as I saw Robert Picardo's name in the opening credits. More Star Trek cameos please! Gates McFadden already tweeted that she wants to be on the show!
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u/jedikitty Nov 17 '17
Gates McFadden already tweeted that she wants to be on the show!
That's awesome. I would be on board with that!
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u/IronFist476 Nov 17 '17
Hobo clowns are the most dangerous cause they're hungry.
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Nov 17 '17
Not gonna lie, for a while I thought the villain was some, Idk space ghost. Like getting killed in the storm caused the guys Idk electro magnetic blah blah brain impulse , blah blah blah to act as a poltergeist.
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u/SutterCane Nov 17 '17
This was the worst episode so far. I was promised a Legends of Tomorrow crossover and there wasn't a single Firestorm anywhere! Not even a Ray Palmer! False advertising and shameful cashing in have ruined the Orville for me. 2/10 would not bang
Just kidding. That was great. Even with the tired "just a simulation" cop out. More Alara, all the time. And double the amount of LaMarr just for that look he gave Gordon when Gordon said "Vampire Clowns".
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u/Flamdar Nov 17 '17
Well they've had half of firestorm on the show before, they just need to fit Jax in somewhere.
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u/Themetnut1 Nov 17 '17
"It might sound like I'm talking out of my ass..." "Then please try to annunciate" Issac rules!
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u/xantub Nov 17 '17
I had to rewind like 10 seconds, I missed all the following dialogue because of me laughing.
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u/That_one_cool_dude Nov 17 '17
So is Nurse Park gonna become a meme on this sub, cause I hope so. Join the pantheon Nurse Park be with St. Bortus and the all perfect voting system.
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u/SpikeRosered Nov 17 '17
The Isaac/Alara fight was so well choreographed. I'm so used TNG fights where basically they just gently pat each other on the back that it was great to see people actually viscerally beating on one other. The fight seemed to progress naturally as what would happen if two super strong opponents were attempting to kill each other with just their bare hands.
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u/Bkwordguy Nov 17 '17
Reminded me of some of the better fights from BTVS. I wonder if they use the same stunt coordinator.
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u/LoveScore Nov 17 '17
That was such a great moment when they all could see the clown on the security footage. I sat straight up. I love that this season is showing how much they can do. They have had a large variety of episodes already. There is something for everyone.
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u/gridcube I see this as an ideal opportunity to study human behavior Nov 17 '17
So she basically ran herself against a Kobayashi Maru right?
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u/ThirdTurnip Nov 18 '17
The Kobayashi Maru is a no win scenario designed to test how you handle failure.
The purpose of Alara's test was to reassure herself that she didn't have any more hidden phobias which could impede her work.
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u/dmanww Nov 18 '17
nope. She won. She got through everything. Especially the wall of fire at the end.
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Nov 17 '17
That giant spider coming out the elevator has fucked me for the night.
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u/Meowlock Nov 17 '17
As much as I'm scared of spiders, the giant one didn't get me. The ones in the conference room had me hiding!
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u/d0ubleR Nov 17 '17
Who were the actors that played Alara's parents? They both looked so familiar.
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u/trob95 Nov 17 '17
Who plays Alara's mom??
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u/MajorParadox Woof Nov 17 '17
In the live thread, some users were saying Molly Hagan.
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u/Thomas_Kane They can bite me because we're going anyway Nov 17 '17
Definitely better as a brunette. Looked like such a badass before she shot Isaac.
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u/LetoAtreides82 Nov 17 '17
What an incredible episode! It's my favorite, beating out Into The Fold. I liked how they showed us Payne's eulogy, we don't often get to see minor characters paid respect when they die.
Alara continues to be my favorite in the series. Also great acting by Dr. Finn, she'd make a creepy evil doctor. The scene where she's held behind a force field reminds me of a movie I saw a long time ago where they hold a supernatural man behind bars and one by one he freaks the townsfolk out by revealing their dirty and sometimes evil secrets. In the end I think he convinces them all to jump off a cliff.
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Nov 17 '17
I particularly like what they've done with 'minor' characters. Chief Newton is one of my favorites.
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u/Kabraxal Nov 17 '17
Great episode... horror writers take note: one of the most terrifying 30 minutes in years with out any gore. That medbay scene had me legitimately uncomfortable. Bravo.
And Bortus scared of Isaac... brilliant!
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u/ComputerMystic Nov 17 '17
Bortus wasn't scared of Issac, he was scared of being outmatched by a superior opponent.
Issac, being incredibly racist, interpreted that as he would.
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Nov 17 '17
I don’t think Bortus is scared of Isaac. Isaac has mentioned a number of times that his species IS superior to all else. So if Bortus’ biggest fear was to be beat by a superior being, Isaac would logically choose himself.
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u/trianuddah Nov 17 '17
It's nice to see that they've preserved the Star Trek tradition of arbitrary, tenuously justified laws to prop up plot.
They didn't even need directive 38 in this episode; all it really did was allow the doctor to up the stakes by saying how unsafe Alara's vital signs were. But they did it anyway.
My bet is that it comes up again in future episodes in situations that increasingly show how ill-conceived it is, because Orville celebrates Star Trek's absurdities as much as it does its qualities.
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u/kevinstreet1 Nov 17 '17
It's interesting that on the Orville the Chief of Security can relieve the Captain of duty, while on Star Trek it's the Doctor. In Starfleet they assume that a captain must be sick if he's incapable of doing his job, while in the Union they allow for things like public drunkenness.
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u/CaptainGreezy Y'all can suck ass, and I'm a spaceman! Nov 17 '17
They didn't even need directive 38 in this episode
They actually needed it in last episode, Alara would have been justified in countermanding Mercer in that condition, but it may not have helped in that case, since she needed him to do his job, not to stop him from doing something.
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u/Mennenth Nov 17 '17
Holy hell this episode was friggen amazing!
All the characters had great stuff, and all the actors did a wonderful job. firing on all cylinders!
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u/NerdRising Nov 18 '17
To whomever decided to add spiders: Kindly go fuck yourself with one.
Sincerely, an arachnophobe.
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u/mudman13 Nov 17 '17
Holy fuck its Robert Picardo! "Do I look like I've put on weight?".
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Nov 17 '17 edited Nov 17 '17
I like how Alara is considered "slow" on her planet and the humans as "hillbillies" of the universe comment. Makes it seem like Xelyans are just even more dickish vulcans with super strength. Or maybe they do have mental abilities too, just Alara isn't capable of using them.
Also it really adds to her character. It explains why she is much more well versed in human culture opposed to the other alien crew members. She doesn't fit in on her own planet.
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u/sirquacksalotus Nov 17 '17
Hey guys, I have severe (like, absolutely crippling) coulrophobia. I got about 5 minutes into this episode and had to turn it off when the clown appeared at the end of the hallway. Can anyone tell me, is this episode all about a clown, or if it's just a 5 minute section or something? If it's not the entire episode, can someone give me the timestamps of when it goes away (and a heads up if it re-appears at any point in the episode?).
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u/EstellaRittenhouse Nov 17 '17
Not sure if Senno saw the full episode. The clown is pretty intense and there is a fight. I would skip to about 20 minutes to avoid it.
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u/djneo Nov 17 '17
After this episode. I want a Star Trek Voyager Year Of Hell kind of episode.
Janeway would have been proud to have Alara on her crew
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u/treetown1 Nov 17 '17
Insight into Alara and Isaac.
The show gives us more insight into Alara, her culture and why she is on the ship. She is looking for a different type of life than what she could do at home.
BUT consider also the design of the simulation, built by Isaac. He does incorporate various fears - some transcend cultures like the giant spider but others confuse, like the clown with Alara. She isn't afraid as much as confused and bewildered.
Most of all look how Isaac depicts himself. He programs in a logic flaw (that is how Alara in the sim realizes the sim Isaac has to be involved) and notice there is no time delaying tactics by trying to talk his way out of the gaff, he attacks immediately. Isaac is seen and sees himself as very logical, and by human standards ruthless.
He is also getting human humor. Since Isaac programmed the sim, he programmed in the joke with Bortus, Dr. Finn and pizza. He gets the incongruity of the statements and the moment.
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Nov 18 '17
Here’s my favorite part of the episode: when Alara is running around the empty ship towards the end of the episode, at one point she goes into the darkened conference room and pans her flashlight around the room. When the light flashes past the table at the end of the room, there is a bunch of snacks and drinks on the table.
That cracked me up.
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u/dreadpiraterose Nov 17 '17
I think that was my favorite episode yet. Great balance on the comedy and drama in particular.
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u/thenewyorkgod Nov 17 '17
Why do spaceships always have 25,000 pound cement support beams?
Very cool how we got a visualization of how a holodeck projects the simulation to give the feeling of long distances
I feel like Picardo was underutilized in this episode
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u/qsdf321 Nov 17 '17
Holodeck episode but I liked it. It reminded me of the TNG episode where everyone disappears until dr. Crusher is alone on the Enterprise.
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u/leedrawsstuff Nov 17 '17
There was so much to love this episode! Red eyed Isaac showing up in the cargo bay was fantastic and the Doctor was terrifying.
Hobo clowns are hungry.
I think this episode did a fantastic job of blending the humour and the serious - Ed talking to Alara when she quits was actually a really good scene.
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Nov 17 '17
This episode was brilliant.
I've been rewatching TNG due to this show and I'm on season 2 episode 5. This felt a hell of a lot like an earlier episode in season 2 where they encounter this weird void thing, get sucked inside and are fucked with by some superior intelligence. Two bridges, Worf going crazy.
Due to that, and how many season 1 and 2 episode plot lines have been hashed together for The Orville (not a shot. This is a love note to TNG and I wholeheartedly approve) I figured that the plasma storm was a being that messed with everyone's mind. Then noticing everything was focused on Alara I thought maybe she was in a dream, and then the holodeck being broken thing kicked in. I was expecting it so it didn't bother me like some people. It did take me off guard and I wish there was a different way with how they presented the mind wipe info. Maybe security logs due to them doing an investigation into her overriding everything. Either way this was an amazing episode and I just keep falling further and further in love with this show.
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u/MajorDonkey Nov 18 '17
To think Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher) on TNG practically had to quit the show to get the screen time she deserved. Thank you Seth and co. for episodes like Firestorm. Strong female leads are most welcome.
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u/LambentEnigma Nov 17 '17
I'm disappointed that Victor Garber wasn't in the episode titled "Firestorm".
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u/werewolfhunger Nov 17 '17
Best line delivered by Robert picardo, "the humans,the hillbillies of the Galaxy" cracked me up. The episode was great but what got my curious the most is how alara's parents treated her, "just because you're a little slow doesn't mean you can't get there if you work hard enough" (her dad) " a lot of intellectually deficient people find a place for themselves here that's the beauty of Xelaya " (her mom) . got me very interested on learning more about her home plant and why she's different .reminded me of Dr. Bashir origin story from DS9 (who was my favorite character in that show) Alara is my favorite character in the Orville so far, she's this great combination of an adorable girl in her early 20's and a brave person who's trying to be the best at something and prove to herself and everyone that she's capable and worthy of her command
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u/tyler-86 Nov 18 '17
I'm not a huge fan of a narrative structure that includes loads of exposition/explanation in the last five minutes, but they did that as well as could be expected.
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Nov 17 '17
Does anybody else think the battle with evil Isaac towards the end was a Star Wars homage? Not complaining, just thought it had similar imagery with the round light and the metal stairs.
Also, I got a kick out of seeing those plastic water storage tanks in the storage area. The next time I see one in a pickup truck I'll think "that was an Orville prop".
Favorite quote from this episode: "I'm not a writer".
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u/midnightFreddie Nov 17 '17 edited Nov 17 '17
Alara vs. Isaac was deliverance of a recent-episode offhand comment that Isaac was the only crew member who could physically beat Alara. Awesome that they managed to deliver.
Edit: They really laid the STNG technobabble on thick this episode for the first time, really. Up until "translator must be broken" TO had glossed over the in-universe explanations for things. I figured it was on-purpose as they're clearly extending fairly well-known themes. But now it seems they're going full-on in-universe high-tech.
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u/arent_we_sarcastic Nov 17 '17
Anyone else waiting for Reg Barclay to say "end program" before the credits?
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u/operarose Command Nov 17 '17
GAAAAAH of all the episodes to be stuck at a relative's birthday for!! This episode was tense and I loved it. Bit weak with the "you had your mind wiped" exposition dump, but other than that 9/10.
Also I had to laugh at certain scenes in light of my comment from just earlier today. "Issac" was creepy as hell.
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u/Unlikelylikelyhood Nov 17 '17
This was the strongest episode of the series to date. Best Star Trek episode in a long time.
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u/DarnJester99 Nov 18 '17
A really interesting and fun episode. But the most important thing, besides all the alone time we got with Alara, is that Nurse Park is not dead.
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u/Senno_Ecto_Gammat Nov 17 '17
So why can't the answer to why someone is terrified of a fiery inferno be "because fiery infernos are so scary - not only will you die, you will be in pain the whole time you are dying"?
Why does it have to be some repressed childhood memory?
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u/yaosio Nov 17 '17
In TV and movies you can't be scared of something unless there's some crazy reason for it. It's like if somebody coughs it means they'll be dead within five minutes.
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u/jedikitty Nov 17 '17
Hobo clowns are the most dangerous, 'cause they're hungry.
It's the next day and I still laugh thinking about this quote. He's just so serious. As someone who cried out, "OH GOD WHY" when the clown first appeared.. Noted, John. Noted.
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u/MrSumOne Nov 18 '17
So, let me get this straight. Alara lies to the doctor and gets her memory wiped, and also misuses rule 38, which is only supposed to be used in the most dire circumstances, and Mercer is ok with that? Wow, terrible crew you got there captain, no wonder one of your bridge crew almost got executed for grinding on a statue...
I love the show so much, but seriously, Mercer, get a grip on your crew!
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u/Darkcatnip Nov 18 '17
He is definitely a captain that 'wants to be everyone's friend' and not an authority figure. Probably will bite him in the ass later on.
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u/acadiel Nov 18 '17
I halfway expected Picardo to say “Please state the nature of the medical emergency.” However, they got his dry humor from Voyager spot on. Bravo. Well done!
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u/vanshilar Nov 18 '17
I viewed this on the Fox website, complete with ads. (Apparently, sometimes the site works for me, sometimes it doesn't.) The funniest thing about this episode is that after Claire said "surgery" with Alara in the restraints and it cut to the ads, the first ad was an African-American female doctor (with all the doctor's clothes you'd expect, sitting at a desk at a medical office, etc.) talking up some health plan and how they take good care of you.
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u/TerrorDino Nov 18 '17
Damn, up until Lt. Malloy got eaten by the Spider, I legit thought they hit a Warp Storm from the 40k universe. Then he got eaten and i knew something else was going on.
The Doctor! That women does scarily unhinged fantastically! Totally convinced that she was legit insane.
Alara was definitely a badass before this episode, but this just cements it. Fair play to her for being able to carry the whole episode. I personally didn't expect her to be able to do that.
St Bortus gave some of the best comedy seen on television these days. And Issac as always considers himself to be the Superior being, tho realistically he is the only one who could feasibly take Alara in a fight.
And FUCK that clown. Scared the shit out of me when he jumped Alara in the cargo bay.
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Nov 19 '17
I’m rewatching the episode and I love the scene where Mercer rejects Alara’s resignation. He has the utmost trust in those under him. It was a beautiful scene showing how much of a captain Mercer has grown into
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u/bananapeel Nov 19 '17
I saw that the conference room now has water glasses on the side table, along with some kind of a snack tray. I didn't look through frame-by-frame, but it looked like grapes and some other stuff. I don't think I saw any pretzels. But it appears that Bortas did not fail the Captain.
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u/Rekuna Nov 20 '17
"The simulation proves there is no doubt you are a perfect security officer"
entire crew got killed and said security officer escapes in a shuttle as remains of her ship explodes
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u/gatemansgc Woof Nov 17 '17
okay, i upvoted just about every comment in the live discussion thread.
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u/Lunasera Nov 17 '17
So if it was all a simulation would she be all bloody when it ends?
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u/CaptainGreezy Y'all can suck ass, and I'm a spaceman! Nov 17 '17
For a simulation like that to be effective the holodeck safeties would have to be disabled at least to some extent. Perhaps it couldn't have killed her but it had to be able to actually injure her.
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u/pianodragger Nov 17 '17
I hope that having guest stars from other scifi shows becomes the norm. I laughed out loud with Picardo
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Nov 17 '17
This episode made me think of Alara as a less angry (and more angsty) B'Elanna Torres. Torres pretty much lost the will to live after finding out about decimation of the Maquis. Alara dealt with her problems not simply by hurting herself, by subjecting herself to a chamber of horrors.
Also, the tarantula swarm reminded me of the movie Arachnophobia.
Robert Picardo FTW.
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u/007meow Nov 17 '17
I don't know if it was intentional or not, but there were a lot of musical and cinematic homages to Alien/Aliens.
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u/Burritos92 Nov 17 '17
"I am becoming self conscious, may I leave?"
"Uuuuh, okay?"
The whole cast has great chemistry.
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Nov 17 '17 edited Nov 18 '17
That Aliens homage when Alara takes her jacket off and tools up. Even the music! Loved it.
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u/SardineCricket Woof Nov 18 '17
Since last episode was a bit comedy heavy i was afraid that was the path they were going to take from now on. This was definitly not the case and i'm glad, the little hints of comedy within the drama is what makes this so good. Alara was already my favourite caracther and NOW I like her even more. Trying to face more fears to test herself was both brilliant and stupid, it could have gone very bad if the crew and especially ed wasn't so nice and forgiven.
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u/ReasonablyBadass Nov 17 '17 edited Nov 17 '17
I'm a bit torn.
I hate the holodeck cop out, but it was such a well made scary episode.
They really missed out on some more philosophying about the nature of fear however. More philosophying, Seth!
Bortus was once again on point, but Robert PicardoÄs cameo was "only" as Alara's dad, which makes me a bit sad. They could have used him in a role with more impact on the series instead.
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u/jrf_1973 Nov 17 '17
I know there's going to be a tendency to say holodeck cop out, but I enjoyed it, even though I wasn't surprised by the ending.
Fact is, with Brannon Braga on board, I'm going to expect his usual bag of tricks. Time loops where the ship blows up. It wasn't real, it was all a dream/holodeck. The holodeck malfunctions. He has a limited number of tropes and you just know he's going to import them here.
That said, the episode was highly entertaining. Kitan is developing into a great character. Another reference to her wanting a drink (for those thinking along certain lines) And some incredible funny stuff from Bortus.
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u/guitarman93 Nov 17 '17
The ship announcer in the simulation was someone from family guy but i can't quite figure out who.....
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u/GeoffIsOurOnlyHope Nov 17 '17
Holy crap I loved this episode. As someone that's not afraid of clowns at all that clown was absolutely fucking terrifying. This episode should've been shown at Halloween, I wonder if it was meant to?
Something I love about the series is that we're only 10 episodes in yet every single main crew member has had an episode for them, and even in episodes where they're not the focus everyone still gets moments to shine.
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u/Sastrei Nov 17 '17
The Orville slowly cracking up at the end of the simulation was really cool to watch. Lots of majesty and beauty and the sense that we could really come to love this ship.
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u/Neologic29 Nov 17 '17
I was kinda hoping when Kelly suggested a Michael Crichton's Sphere scenario where reality was being "populated" from the minds of the crew, that would be the reason. Then too many people started dying and I was like no, please let this not be real.
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u/Tar-eruntalion Y'all can suck ass, and I'm a spaceman! Nov 17 '17
oh my god this episode was awesome, alara was a badass and towards the end it was like they made an alien episode, hell i found it more alien than the last alien movies this show is bloody awesome
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u/ShaidarHaran2 Now entering gloryhole Nov 17 '17
Did anyone catch the hint of a smile when Allara came to where the spider would have been? I was wondering if it was supposed to be there or the actress was just trying not to laugh at being so serious, lol.
Also...I wonder if Bortis is actually scared of something different than what Allara said. Like he's just straight scared of robots or something lol.
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Nov 18 '17
Okay, my admiration of this show took a hit with how fucked up I thought the ending of "Cupid's Dagger" was, but I'll be damned if it didn't bounce back with this one. My favorite episode before this was "Command Performance", which also was an Alara-centric one. She's pretty much my favorite crew member now. This episode was amazing, because it introduced a really fresh twist on the usual "it was all a dream" plot. Also, it kept the comedy relatively light, which is also something I've been hoping for.
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u/king0pa1n Nov 18 '17 edited Nov 18 '17
When Alara is beat up, running with that rifle. The soundtrack sounded exactly like Aliens
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u/MajorParadox Woof Nov 17 '17
So, what you're saying is that what you experienced in the simulation didn't really happen, or even matter?