The Orville

[Prometheus]

After a long hiatus, Season 3, Episode 1 is about to drop, so I decided that I'd re-watch the first 2 seasons. Hell. I don't really have anything better to do.

I binged Season 1 yesterday.

The show takes quite a bit of time to hit its stride. Seth MacFarlane, best known for FAMILY GUY, is the creator, main writer, and star. Fans also know that he is a HUGE fan of the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, so his move into this space (pun intended) was going to come with some quirks: is it going to focus on comedy or just be a good ol' "space western"?

The first half of the season seems to struggle with the same question but eventually settles on "space western" with typical MacFarlane snark and pop culture references to lighten the mood. I think he hit the right balance.

In keeping with its Star Trek roots, the show definitely tackles some tough social issues, such as:

Sex re-assignment surgery on a newborn

Social media and "Cancel Culture" before CC was even really a thing

And more.

What's odd is that MacFarlane is a well-known Democrat and anti-conservative, yet his stories veer off from the "leftist agenda" quite a bit at times.

The cast is filled with many long-time MacFarlane collaborators, so there's a built-in chemistry that really helps the show through those rough earlier episodes and really helps it to gel into a really good series by the end of the first season.

I'll binge Season 2 a little later....

[ant-mac]

Jun 2, 2022 0:44:10 GMT Prometheus said:

After a long hiatus, Season 3, Episode 1 is about to drop, so I decided that I'd re-watch the first 2 seasons. Hell. I don't really have anything better to do.

I binged Season 1 yesterday.

The show takes quite a bit of time to hit its stride. Seth MacFarlane, best known for FAMILY GUY, is the creator, main writer, and star. Fans also know that he is a HUGE fan of the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, so his move into this space (pun intended) was going to come with some quirks: is it going to focus on comedy or just be a good ol' "space western"?

The first half of the season seems to struggle with the same question but eventually settles on "space western" with typical MacFarlane snark and pop culture references to lighten the mood. I think he hit the right balance.

In keeping with its Star Trek roots, the show definitely tackles some tough social issues, such as:

Sex re-assignment surgery on a newborn

Social media and "Cancel Culture" before CC was even really a thing

And more.

What's odd is that MacFarlane is a well-known Democrat and anti-conservative, yet his stories veer off from the "leftist agenda" quite a bit at times.

The cast is filled with many long-time MacFarlane collaborators, so there's a built-in chemistry that really helps the show through those rough earlier episodes and really helps it to gel into a really good series by the end of the first season.

I'll binge Season 2 a little later....

I gave it a go, but I couldn't get through the first episode. I had to switch off before I damaged something expensive... like my TV set.

I bailed at around the point he meekly accepted that he'd have to share his dream of a career in space with his cheating ex-wife.

I'm assuming he still hasn't managed to arrange an accident for her involving a "faulty airlock", so I'll stick with my original decision.

[Prometheus]

Jun 2, 2022 1:11:24 GMT ant-mac said:

Jun 2, 2022 0:44:10 GMT Prometheus said:

After a long hiatus, Season 3, Episode 1 is about to drop, so I decided that I'd re-watch the first 2 seasons. Hell. I don't really have anything better to do.

I binged Season 1 yesterday.

The show takes quite a bit of time to hit its stride. Seth MacFarlane, best known for FAMILY GUY, is the creator, main writer, and star. Fans also know that he is a HUGE fan of the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, so his move into this space (pun intended) was going to come with some quirks: is it going to focus on comedy or just be a good ol' "space western"?

The first half of the season seems to struggle with the same question but eventually settles on "space western" with typical MacFarlane snark and pop culture references to lighten the mood. I think he hit the right balance.

In keeping with its Star Trek roots, the show definitely tackles some tough social issues, such as:

Sex re-assignment surgery on a newborn

Social media and "Cancel Culture" before CC was even really a thing

And more.

What's odd is that MacFarlane is a well-known Democrat and anti-conservative, yet his stories veer off from the "leftist agenda" quite a bit at times.

The cast is filled with many long-time MacFarlane collaborators, so there's a built-in chemistry that really helps the show through those rough earlier episodes and really helps it to gel into a really good series by the end of the first season.

I'll binge Season 2 a little later....

I gave it a go, but I couldn't get through the first episode. I had to switch off before I damaged something expensive... like my TV set.

I bailed at around the point he meekly accepted that he'd have to share his dream of a career in space with his cheating ex-wife.

I'm assuming he still hasn't managed to arrange an accident for her involving a "faulty airlock", so I'll stick with my original decision.

Salty!

[Prometheus]

Almost forgot about this thread....

Season 2 definitely moves the series into the "space western" realm while retaining the comedy as incidental rather than as a driving force, which I like. The drama has been ratcheted up and there seem to be some real stakes.

The last few episodes of the season almost seem as though they were written for some other place in the narrative but then got reworked to be added to a post-major conflict spot which throws off continuity a bit for me and is exacerbated by the continuity restoration of the first episode of Season 3.

I wonder if the show was looking at cancellation after mid-season and this was the only way to fulfill the number of episodes obligation.

[Prometheus]

Season 3:

The first episode has dropped and we can see that Hulu has offered a larger budget and that space battles are certainly bound to be THE big thing this season.

Interpersonal conflicts are also ramping up, so we can see that the writing has definitely turned to a more arc-driven concept rather than "minor arcs plus baddie of the week" sort of thing.

I'm looking forward to the next couple of months.

[ant-mac]

Jun 2, 2022 22:56:22 GMT Prometheus said:

Jun 2, 2022 1:11:24 GMT ant-mac said:

I gave it a go, but I couldn't get through the first episode. I had to switch off before I damaged something expensive... like my TV set.

I bailed at around the point he meekly accepted that he'd have to share his dream of a career in space with his cheating ex-wife.

I'm assuming he still hasn't managed to arrange an accident for her involving a "faulty airlock", so I'll stick with my original decision.

Salty!

That's what one of my exes used to say. 

[Prometheus]

Jun 5, 2022 8:02:42 GMT ant-mac said:

Jun 2, 2022 22:56:22 GMT Prometheus said:

Salty!

That's what one of my exes used to say. 

I thought she said, "Ease up on the garlic!"

[ant-mac]

Jun 6, 2022 0:29:05 GMT Prometheus said:

Jun 5, 2022 8:02:42 GMT ant-mac said:

That's what one of my exes used to say. 

I thought she said, "Ease up on the garlic!"

Well, it was hard to understand what she said...

People shouldn't talk with their mouth full.

[merh]

Sis enjoyed Season 3 on Disney+

[Prometheus]

I forgot about this thread....

Season three was good. The special effects were great with an infusion of cash from Hulu, but it seems that just about all the story lines were almost too neatly tied up and almost too easily.

The final episode of the season was named "Future Unknown" because there was no official renewal at the time... and still isn't.

I won't be around for a fourth season even if one does drop, and to be honest, I'm ambivalent. I really wish I could be around for "John Wick 10" but I don't know that I care about The Orville Season 4.