The Orville 2.3: Alara

A really outstanding episode of The Orville tonight - 2.3 - high on powerful storyline, a little less broad humor than usual (but enough to get some chuckles) - and that was before the shocker of an ending.

It's always satisfying to see a nonhuman world fleshed out, and we get that as Alara goes back to her home planet Xelayah and her family, to get a slow cure for her physical deterioration.  Plus we get a good psycho story, in the form of John Billingsley playing an intelligent neighbor driven over the edge by the need to avenge (a perfect part for Billingsley) the death of his son, which he sees as due to Alara's father (played by another natural in the role, Robert Picardo).   We get beautiful seaside scenes - which reminded me of where we go for summers on Cape Cod - and an unnerving rendition of  you can't trust the neighbors.  (I told my wife that now I'm a little worried about our neighbors on the Cape).

But that ending... Alara announces, after she returns to The Orville and is back in the fold, that she want to go home to her planet and family.  This is a refreshing, even brilliant, twist on similar stories we've encountered many times before, in science fiction and otherwise, which always end with the character in question returning from that alluring shore leave to resume her or his professional post.  Kudos to Cherry Chevapravatdumrong for writing this and Seth MacFarlane for approving this (though I have no idea who came up with the twist).  Jon Cassar, whose work I always liked in 24, did a good job directing.

But amidst all this praise, I can't say I'm happy at all about Alara leaving.  I'm hoping that the real twist here will be that she rejoins The Orville pretty soon.  When departures like this happen, it's always possible that the actress called this shot, because she got a starring role in a big movie.  Halston Sage could certainly carry such a role - but I'd still rather see her continue her fine work on The Orville.

I'll keep you posted.



love across alternate realities

See also The Orville 2.1: Relief and Romance ... The Orville 2.2: Porn Addiction and Planetary Disintegration

And see also The Orville 1.1-1.5: Star Trek's Back ... The Orville 1.6-9: Masterful ... The Orville 1.10: Bring in the Clowns ... The Orville 1.11: Eating Yaphit ... The Orville 1.12: Faith in Reason and the Prime Directive

1st starship to Alpha Centauri ... had only enough fuel to get there

The Bridge 2.4: Marco Redeemed and Mr. Writ Large

Well, Marco didn't really have to be redeemed.   There was no way he would have ultimately sided with Fausto in the complex web in which he found himself.   Yes, he owes Fausto, but he owes more to his profession and even to the El Paso police who, while no angels, are truer to the profession than his own Capitan Robles in Juarez.  And so it was not surprising, but nonetheless satisfying, to see him commit to Prosector Pintado before the end of the 4th episode.

Meanwhile, Sonya continues her development as one of the most compellingly peculiar cops on television.   But what makes her so compelling and odd is not her police work, but her personal life as a woman whose sister was murdered.  She wants some sort of closure on this trauma, and understandably reacts when the killer dies.   But she continues to sleep with the killer's brother, which is certainly giving a lot to maintain contact with whatever is left of the killer, and apparently enjoys it, including the rough sex she initiates.  Asking the brother of the man who killed your sister to choke you during sex -- that's far more unsettlingly grey than fifty shades.

Speaking of grey, John Billingsley starred in just about every episode of Intelligence on CBS this year, including one called "The Grey Hat," before the series was unfortunately cancelled (I liked it, it was a good series).  He only made it to the 4th episode of The Bridge, in which he blows his brains out as Mr. DeLarge.  He has some upcoming appearances in the popular Masters of Sex, which I'll be watching carefully to see if Mr. Mortality Writ Large survives.

The continuing characters most involved in DeLarge's death, so far, are the pair of reporters - who, I've got to say, are my least favorite characters on the show.  It's not that I don't like reporters and stories about them - to the contrary - but these two barely add up.   With any luck, they'll be woven into the central action in a less idiosyncratic way.  Though, come to think of it, idiosyncrasy could be the middle name of this strange and appealing series.

See also The Bridge 2.1: What Motivates Sonya? ... The Bridge 2.2: First-Class Serial Killer ... The Bridge 2.3: Marco's Dilemma

And see also The Bridge Opens Brooding and Valent ... The Bridge 1.2: A Tale of Two Beds ... The Bridge 1.6: Revelations ... The Bridge 1.7: A Killer and a Reluctant Professor ... The Bridge 1.8: Some Dark Poetic Justice ... The Bridge 1.9: Trade-Off ... The Bridge 1.10: Charlotte's Evolution ... The Bridge 1.11: Put to the Test ... The Bridge Season 1 Finale: Marco Joins Mackey and Agnew

 
another kind of crime story

#SFWApro

get The Bridge season 2 on

Continuing Journeyman: 3

I think what I liked best about Episode 3 of Journeyman on NBC last night was the conversation between Dan and Hugh Skillen (played by Brian Howe, whom we saw as the medical examiner in Deja Vu) at the end. Dan, unable to save Skillen's sister from the 1989 earthquake in San Francisco, did pick up from her that Hugh was called "the Hulk". Dan mentions the name to Hugh, who wonders how Dan, in 2007, could have known that Hugh was once called that...

In other words, Hugh Skillen, like Dan's wife (but not yet his brother), is slowly being drawn into Dan's time-traveling reality. A seed has been planted, which may eventually allow Dan to call upon Hugh for help. Perhaps Hugh is even at the first stage of being recruited into this time-traveling, or whatever the process that calls upon Dan to perform his services.

Livia is course much further along in this than Dan, but we still don't know what it is that is driving both Livia and Dan, in their separate yet intertwining ways.

That's ok. Journeyman needs time to breathe, to develop and make clear the depth of its complex stories. Another nice touch in last night's story was Al Pratt (John Billingsley) having an impact in the present after Dan saves him in the past.

All of this is good time-travel story-telling - a rarity in movies, novels, and television.

The show isn't doing too well in the ratings - not surprising. Other than the time travel, Journeyman appeals to a very audience than does Heroes, which Journeyman follows.

I hope NBC gives Journeyman time to find its own audience.

Reviews of other Journeyman episodes: 1 ... 2 ... 4 ... 5 ... 6 ... 7 ... 8 ... 9. Dan Unravels His Present ... 10. Jack's In! ... 11. Livia's Beau//Save the Newspaper, Save the World ... 12. The Perfect Time Travel Story ... Lucky 13


8-minute podcast analysis of Journeyman

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The Plot to Save Socrates

"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly

"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News

"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book