I suppose Malloy needs a focus episode but, at the same time, he's too much of the "joke character" for I think one to really work on the level it has for everyone else.
THE ORVILLE S1, E10: "FIRESTORM"
- Thread starter Mudd
- Start date
Poor World Clown Association. They complained and had to deal with the new "IT" and now shortly after that, this.
Clowns have been getting a bad rap at least since John Wayne Gacy, but they can still be creepy all on their own.
Welcome back to being entertaining and not cringe Orville. I loved that episode. I already love Alara but Sage knocked it out of the park with this one and Johnson was creepy as hell as the evil doctor. Yeah it was a holodeck episode but it was more than that. It was solid character work for a character who we know has limited experience and who has only been used to “open a jar of pickles”. The simulation might not have been real but watching her face her fears as a way to deal with her grief was and I enjoyed it a lot all the way through.
That scene in sickbay scared me more than either spider scenes. Don’t get on Claire’s bad side. It makes me wonder if her kids saw that simulation. They wouldn’t misbehave again
So watching the episode again I appreciated it a lot more without the disappointment/eye-rolling moment of it being a "holodeck episode." It is truer to what the show has done for the most part all along and been centered on the characters and their personalities more than various space oddities, so knowing what was in store and not having that disappointment I appreciated the episode a whole lot more. For the purposes of the poll I'll leave my grade at "Good" but my letter grade I'd probably take to a Flat-A because so much of the character and drama worked as well as the humor. (The only humor that didn't land for me was the joke about being prepared for seltzer bottles and pies when confronting the clown and yet another "marriage is some x-form of torture/misery" joke.) The rest of the humor worked really well and, man, Bortus could teach a class on flat, dry, humor that lands every time.
The visuals and everything in the episode worked good, I suspect this was intended to be a Halloween episode but was pushed back to touch up the effects. I still kind of wish we were dealing with a malevolent space entity but it really works well for showcasing Alara and her strengths and abilities as the chief of security as well as confronting her potential fears.
The "amnesia drug" and the "ends justify the means" bit with the protocol are other slight dings, but again it all worked for a good character episode for an overall fantastic character. Halston Sage is my passion now.
The visuals and everything in the episode worked good, I suspect this was intended to be a Halloween episode but was pushed back to touch up the effects. I still kind of wish we were dealing with a malevolent space entity but it really works well for showcasing Alara and her strengths and abilities as the chief of security as well as confronting her potential fears.
The "amnesia drug" and the "ends justify the means" bit with the protocol are other slight dings, but again it all worked for a good character episode for an overall fantastic character. Halston Sage is my passion now.
Holding the holodeck reveal until after the simulation would have been a bad idea - that's the moment of letdown, IMAO - "It's all a dream." That the story continues and throws in that little twist is what makes it satisfying. Which is why I remarked on McFarlane's screenwriting skill.
That bit reminded me of "Future Imperfect," in which the Romulan holodeck reveal turns out to be a red herring altogether.
That bit reminded me of "Future Imperfect," in which the Romulan holodeck reveal turns out to be a red herring altogether.
No thanks. I’ve been enjoying each of them and among the reasons I do enjoy each one is that they are NOT alike.
I don't recall ever seeing that in any Trek series, it was a nice effect and filled in a few blanks for me concerning how a holodeck would have to function, without the occupants walking into the walls.
indeed!
actually I got some serious Hannibal Lecter vibes :O
I'm the other way around, the spiders didn't bother me that, but that damn clown creeped me out.I was wondering if anyone else would have an issue with the spiders. The clown didn't bother me, but yeah, not a fan of the spiders.
I've held a tarantula once (outward bound course years ago) but having multiple ones everywhere (or spiders bigger than I am) - yeah, no, just no, god no
I loved this episode, I really like Alara and this was a great episode for her.
Robert Picardo as her father was a nice surprise.
The humor worked really well in this one, I especially got a kick out of Bortus dressed up in the period costume with the wig and everything. The line about the Alligator was good too.
I think this was actually one best holodeck episodes these kinds of shows have done. This is exactly the kind of stories holodecks are perfect for.
Penny Johnson was awesome as evil Dr. Finn, very very creepy.
I could handle the clown and the spiders, but the bit that unsettled me as towards the end when Alara is going through the abandoned Orville. That was creepy.
Oooooh, it was a dark and stormy universe. 
This was definitely a Halloween episode, complete with a sci-fi thunderstorm outside. Killer clowns, spider swarms, dark rooms and power outages, and even a Mad Doctor in the form of Crazy Claire. Great stuff. The fact that it all turned out to be a "holodeck" simulation was a bit cliched, but this is secondary to the follow-up revelation that it was Kitan who did it to herself and that the driving force was her guilt over the death of the crewman and her fear that she could not do her job. Yes, it was extremely unlikely that all of these officers would have cooperated with her plan, especially the doctor (surely there must be protocols in place for a memory wipe), and even more unlikely that the captain would excuse such a breach of regulations, but the semi-comedic nature of the show is more forgiving of these oversights. Although this "semi-comedic show"continues to show more maturity (when it's not trying to be funny) and emotional depth than many shows that take themselves far more seriously.
We also learned a bit more about Kitan's backstory, thanks to her call back home. Apparently she comes from a highly intelligent race and is considered backward by her own kind-- that alone would contribute to her insecurities. Hopefully we'll get to see more of her parents in the future.
This was definitely a Halloween episode, complete with a sci-fi thunderstorm outside. Killer clowns, spider swarms, dark rooms and power outages, and even a Mad Doctor in the form of Crazy Claire. Great stuff. The fact that it all turned out to be a "holodeck" simulation was a bit cliched, but this is secondary to the follow-up revelation that it was Kitan who did it to herself and that the driving force was her guilt over the death of the crewman and her fear that she could not do her job. Yes, it was extremely unlikely that all of these officers would have cooperated with her plan, especially the doctor (surely there must be protocols in place for a memory wipe), and even more unlikely that the captain would excuse such a breach of regulations, but the semi-comedic nature of the show is more forgiving of these oversights. Although this "semi-comedic show"continues to show more maturity (when it's not trying to be funny) and emotional depth than many shows that take themselves far more seriously.
We also learned a bit more about Kitan's backstory, thanks to her call back home. Apparently she comes from a highly intelligent race and is considered backward by her own kind-- that alone would contribute to her insecurities. Hopefully we'll get to see more of her parents in the future.
I really wish I could get into Discovery as it is. It is just so freaking dull, from my perspective. I still haven't mustered the motivation to watch episodes eight and nine.
Yeah, I stopped with 7 too.
I'm sure I'll get 8 and 9 watched at some point between now and January 7th. I'm just not real excited about them.
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