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The Orville, ep. 2: One shot of Xelayan tequila
The “real critics” didn’t know what to make of The Orville last week. I’m not sure they still do. While they argue about whether it’s a drama or a comedy or a parody (because they don’t know what the word “parody” means), every fan of sci-fi innately understands this show — or, they should. The Orville is a fun spaceship adventure series, light enough to feature an extended gag on colon cancer while heavy enough to make social commentaries on animal abuse and reality television.
There’s a heart to The Orville that was present in the pilot but is fully showcased in episode 2, “Command Performance.” Mercer and Bobbi Morse [sorry, I’m still learning names] had some genuinely touching moments reminiscing about a past that could have been, before all-too-realistically switching back into aimless bickering. But the focus of the episode was on Alara Kitan, the 23 year old chief of security who apparently loves Xelayan tequila and sarcasm. Her “journey to find her inner-strength” storyline is a staple of the genre but it was so well executed that it immediately gave the audience both sympathy and respect for a character who had like four lines in the pilot and could very easily have become a generic Tasha Yar.
