S03E10, "Future Unknown"
POSITIVES
* The opening music and Isaac bringing Claire a banana. That was cute.
* The Moclan renewal ritual. I hope it catches on.
* Isaac proposing. It was so sweet!
* Sober Ed
* Inviting the
entire planet of Kaylons to the wedding.
* Claire chewing out LaMarr was brilliant. I was backing away from the TV.

* THE SANDWICH!
* Elvis Bortus, and Klyden's adoration after the renewal is just too much. I love how precious it was. Also, "you may go."
* Alara made a surprise visit! It was so good to see her again!
* Malloy's the best toastmaster, but no one quiets a room faster like Bortus.
* Scott's got a great voice, he's definitely a James Taylor / Stephen Bishop style singer, and it works.
NEGATIVES
* It may be the last episode of The Orville.
RUMINATIONS
If this is indeed the last episode of The Orville, I like the focus on the characters. I much prefer this giving us a softer, lighter character driven episode to end the season, and maybe the series, on, rather than some epic battle that leaves little time for anything else.
I enjoyed watching Bortus and Klyden renew their commitment, and Klyden's renewed love for his husband was so very sweet. Some won't enjoy the Elvis joke, but I loved the hell out of it. Isaac wearing *just* a neck tie was *chef's kiss*, and I liked how the ladies were having a much better time with the Kaylon stripper. It was brilliant.
Good points on the B story, too. How many of us
haven't dreamed of being rescued by a benevolent alien species and whisked off to the stars, free from the often dystopic conditions in which so many people on earth live in every day? Kelly's points about how if Sargas was given advanced technology they'd just exploit people with it was spot on, IMO, and something to keep in mind, especially when I see our own people talking about how this or that technology will save us from ourselves. It just does not work like that.
The Union isn't a utopia, contrary to what Lysella might thing. Getting to that point in civilization takes a hell of a lot of hard work, and constant vigilance. Certainly, from her perspective, and many of ours, it's vastly superior to what we face every day, but it's not a cakewalk. It requires effort, and a willingness to look outside yourself. A lot of humanity already has that quality, it's just most of the systems in which we live emphasize a hyper-individualism that sees other human beings as competitors, rather than as partners working to not only survive but to thrive.
Lysella having survivor's guilt would also fit aptly. How well could many of us sleep knowing that while we escape poverty and war, the people we love will continue to live in it the rest of their lives? It would be difficult to reconcile with ourselves.
The wedding was wonderful. Isaac is a snack, of course, and Claire's just gorgeous. I love the Union's version of the monster maroon formal dress, the reception was terrific, with Bortus being absolutely
brutal and blunt by pointing out painful truths that threaten to rip open wounds and create a divide that would sow distrust amongst the wedding attendees.
ALL KIDDING ASIDE.
So if this has to be the end of the series, I think it's a touching one, a good one, and it gives us resolution. I sincerely hope for another season, but if not, I don't think it could have ended better than it did. Great work all around.