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George Santayana had irrational faith in reason - I have irrational faith in TV.

Showing posts with label The Orville. Show all posts

Friday, November 25, 2022

Why the "Flowers Never Bend" Performance in The Orville 3.9 Will Last Forever

This sweet soulful rendition by Gordon (Scott Grimes) and Charly (Anne Winters) of Simon & Garfunkel's "Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall" this past July on the 9th episode of the 3rd Season of The Orville certainly wasn't the first vocal performance in a TV drama or comedy that wasn't a musical. It's not even the first sustained singing in a Star Trek or Star Trek inspired TV show. Uhura sang "Beyond Antares" in a memorable scene with Spock (in "The Conscience of the King,” episode 1.13 of the original Star Trek series in December 1966) and a couple of other times on the USS Enterprise on television back then.

But "Beyond Antares" was an original song, from the 23rd century, when it was heard for the first time in Star Trek, and therefore couldn't evoke any of the memories and feelings that Simon & Garfunkel's "Flowers" brought forth a few months ago, rooted in the dozens of times in millions of homes and cars in which Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (the LP which contained "Flowers") was first released, heard, and loved in October 1966, enriched by the increasing number of people who would continue to hear that song in the years ahead, as Simon & Garfunkel, both together and individually, became and continued to be musical icons.

That was the main reason Grimes and Winters' beautiful performance really struck me the first time I heard and saw their performance in July. The other reason was the assembled group from The Orville, who were fortunate to hear this rendition in person. Not only who they were -- the species and role of their characters in the series -- but their expressions as Gordon and Charly sang for them were just perfect.

But this one minute and thirty seconds has really stayed with me since the summer. I now consider it easily the best musical performance in any science fiction on the screen. And I think I know why.

[Spoilers follow ... ]

It's because we learned, as season 3 progressed and concluded with its 10th episode, that Charly singing "my life will never end" had a meaning and resonance that Paul Simon couldn't have foreseen when he wrote those lyrics way back in the 1960s. In that 10th episode, Charly's life does bravely end. Her heroic sacrifice would have been hard to forget in any case. But making that sacrifice after singing that line was a masterstroke. Surely, Seth MacFarlane (and co-writers Brannon Braga and André Bormanis) must have known what would happen to Charly in the 10th episode when they decided to have her sing that song with that line in the 9th episode.

And I'd expect the actors in The Orville would have known about Charly's fate as well. Look at Kelly's face around 30 seconds into the video. She's standing next to Ed, both really enjoying the performance, smiling, but at 30 or so seconds she momentarily almost loses that smile. And that's right around the time Charly sings, "pretend, my life will never end". Coincidence? I don't think so. Was she directed to briefly lose that smile? I have no idea -- perhaps Adrianne Palicki, who plays Kelly so well, was consciously or unconsciously in touch with what she knew was going to happen to Charly, and was hit by that awful irony.

A beautiful, haunting song, brought to life by two beautiful voices and acoustic strings, strummed and plucked, in a scene that I predict will be seen and heard in the corridors of unique science fiction forever.

Renew The Orville!

Friday, August 5, 2022

The Orville season 3 Finale: Matrimony and the Prime Directive

A really satisfying, gratifying season 3 finale of The Orville on Hulu this past evening, especially welcome after last week's harrowing, kinetic masterpiece in which a major crew member was lost.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

The two main themes were a treatment of the Prime Directive ala The Orville, and the marriage of Claire and Isaac. Not doing anything that might unhinge a less-than-space-faring civilization is of course a theme that goes back to Star Trek. The Orville handled it well -- as it did back in the first season in episode 1.12 -- this time with its story of Lysella (well played by Giorgia Whigham), back from the "Majority Rule" episode 1.7 of the first season. The short lesson Grayson gives her is a fine primer on the dangers of what contact too early can do,

And speaking of the first season, it was also good to see Alara (Halston Sage) back from the first two seasons -- as a guest at Claire and Isaac's wedding. That ceremony and its build-up had all kinds of goodies, including Bortus's atrocious effort at being best man, Gordon's excellent job at it, the wedding vows, the Kaylon guests, and Ed and Kelly holding hands at the end.

I've been raving about the music in the past two episodes, and the concert in space of songs in my lifetime continued with Aretha in the background, Bortus giving an atrocious rendition of Elvis (I know, you're not supposed to use the same word twice in such proximity, but there's no other word for Bortus's performances), and Gordon on guitar singing James Taylor's "Secret of Life". Now, I liked Gordon and Charly's harmony last week more than just Gordon alone tonight, and the same for Simon and Garfunkel a little more than James Taylor, but Gordon's performance was still memorable, and an excellent capstone to the role music has played this season of The Orville.

Gordon also figured in the time travel nod in which the sandwich he sent to the future a few episodes back suddenly appears. That's what I call continuity! And the expression on Mercer's face, who knows that he made Gordon forget what happened to him after he sent the sandwich ahead, was just right.

The Orville has really grown up this season into a wonderful science fiction series. It has managed to retain its humor -- see what I said above about Bortus -- while presenting consistently superior stories, such as tonight's marriage of a human woman and an android. I'll see you back here with reviews of every episode of the 4th season, wherever and whenever it might be.

Friday, July 29, 2022

The Orville 3.9: Why It's Become Better than any Current Star Trek

Having just watched The Orville 3.9, let me explain why I think The Orville is better than any current Star Trek series, as well as in the same league with The Original Series and The Next Generation.

It's because The Orville is not beholden to any prior or current Star Trek, not burdened with being true to all that was Star Trek before, and is Star Trek now. The Orville can plot its own course, take its own chances. And now that it's on Hulu not Fox, The Orville is also free fromall the network constraints, including length of episode and language.

Spoilers ahead ... ]

Episode 3.9 makes use of, and epitomizes all of those advantages. It was unafraid to kill off a semi-major character, Admiral Perry (played by Ted Danson) and a major, vibrant new character introduced just this season, Ensign Charly (played by Anne Winters). Charly was so impressive, she even sang some great harmony and lead when she and Gordon performed Simon and Garfunkel's "Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall" in Grayson's family cabin. And the lyrics of this song -- "I'll continue to pretend, my life will never end" -- have a special, pang-in-your-heart significance, given Charly's extraordinary sacrifice at the end of the episode. This accentuates the ethical incandescence of Charly doing this to save the Kaylon, whom she understandably hated up until the episode before last.

The story line was also top-notch, for a bunch of interlocking reasons. "The Orville" has increasingly become a continuing story this season. Episode 3.9 picks up on the Moclans leaving the Union, and they form an alliance with the Krill against the Kaylon. And by the end of the episode, the Kaylon (impressed by Charly's sacrifice) are aligned with the Union. These seismic shifts are conducted with subtlety and apt motive. For example, the Moclan at first balk at giving the Krill co-command of their military, because the Krill leader is a woman. And we see the Kaylon leader very aware of the enormity of Charly's sacrifice.

The battle scenes were also outstanding, especially the spaceship dogfights between the Union and the Kaylon vs. the Moclan and the Krill. All of this was reminiscent of an extended scene from a movie like Star Wars, and was possible because "The Orville" as been given room to the breathe on Hulu, in this case, an hour and nineteen minutes.

Next week is the season 3 finale. I'm very much looking forward to that, and to many seasons to come.

Joel McKinnon and I discuss Star Trek, The Orville and much more

watch The Chronology Protection Case FREE on Amazon Prime

Saturday, July 23, 2022

The Orville 3.8: Dolly Parton and Topa

The Orville checked in yesterday with another superb episode -- 3.8 -- a ninety-minute bases loaded home run that continued the story of Topa, and, believe it or not, had the real Dolly Parton in the holographic flesh singing and playing a significant role. You may be getting tired of hearing me say the episode of The Orville I'm reviewing is the best so far in the series, and/or the episode clearly puts The Orville in the best of any Star Trek territory, but both are true once again about this episode.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

First about Dolly: Heveena's haven of Moclan women, striving to increase their number, and free themselves of the Moclan male insanity of wanting them to have no existence at all, venerate our very own Dolly Parton. We first hear about this, then get a tantalizing playing in the background of "Jolene" (good choice -- my favorite Dolly song), and then Dolly herself on The Orville's whatever its called holodeck, summoned by Captain Mercer to talk sense to Heveena. Dolly succeeds, at least in part because she sings "Try" (another great and very appropriate Dolly song, about the stars). Dolly (de-aged) looked and sounded great. She would have looked and sounded great without the de-aging.

Meanwhile, we get a powerhouse story of Topa, with all the trimmings. Back on Earth, we're treated to a meeting of all the Union delegates, including the humorous slime (the voice of which was played by the late Norm MacDonald), who, unfortunately don't speak. I was hoping we'd at least see them raise their amoebic extended hands, like we did for Yaphet in a recent episode, helping Isaac and some tech creature frantically working to fix something.

Grayson and Bortus put in some good hand-to-hand combat with the Moclan who are keeping Topa hostage in a black ops enclave, and Bortus gives the Moclan who was torturing Topa just what he deserves. I was sorry to see Grayson order Bortus to stand down.

Before the episode is over, Klyden is back in the fold, he invites Grayson to the family dinner table, and Bortus and Klyden have renounced their Moclan citizenship. Their home is now The Orville. The Moclans leaving the Union may not be good for the fight against the Kaylon, but it made for one really satisfying ending in this outstanding episode.

Joel McKinnon and I discuss Star Trek, The Orville and much more

watch The Chronology Protection Case FREE on Amazon Prime

Monday, July 18, 2022

The Orville 3.7: Seconding that Emotion

Well, we saw Isaac in simulated flesh in episode 3.6 of The Orville last week, and in this past Friday's episode 3.7 we get to see him love Claire.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

Love and sex (and death, too) were actually everywhere in this episode. Claire and Isaac kiss. Lt. Commanders Lee and Keyali are in bed together several times, and the literally broken bones that Lee keeps getting from Keyali's passion make for one of the humorous interludes. Freud with his focus on libido and thanatos would have been happy to see all of it. I know I was.

We also get an important backstory about what led to the Kaylon attack on the Union. It was no fun being a robot slave to a sadistic species. Unfortunately, the Kaylon generalization that all biologicals were the same as the ones who tormented them was not entirely warranted.

Back to Isaac and Claire, I once again would have liked to have seen a different ending. Though letting Isaac keep his emotions and Claire so fulfilled in her love for him would have changed the dynamics on The Orville for sure, I think it would have been fun to see at least a few more episodes of that. Television series always seem to have a tendency to revert to their "bibles" -- the specs on the characters that writers need to abide by -- but sometimes it's better to tear out those pages and toss them in the metaphorical trash bin.

At least we get to see Charly finally come to terms with her understable fury with Isaac, which of course was bound to happen, but it will be good to see them working together in the future.

Joel McKinnon and I discuss Star Trek, The Orville and much more

watch The Chronology Protection Case FREE on Amazon Prime

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

The Orville 3.6: Masterpiece of Time Travel with a Missed Opportunity

Another superb, powerful, intellectually complex and morally challenging episode -- 3.6 -- of The Orville, and it's about time travel. This episode was so good, I think it will take its place along with "City on the Edge of Forever" and "The Inner Light" as an all-time great Star Trek (in The Orville's case, Star Trekian) time-travel episode. But I'll be honest with you. I didn't like the ending.

[Spoilers follow ... ]

I would have had Mercer et al take Malloy and his family back to the future, as Malloy suggested. It would have avoided all the potential damage to the future -- no Union, etc -- that Grayson astutely outlined. Although Mercer and Grayson were technically right that Malloy should have held on and not mixed with our 21st century populace -- let alone have a wife and two children -- come on, have a heart. Malloy's new family, and what he learned in his 10 years in our time on Earth, would have made for even more intriguing characters aboard The Orville.

I will say that in taking the route it did, this fine episode of The Orville followed in the time travel tradition of the original Star Trek. Kirk loses his 20th love in "City on the Edge of Forever," for the same reasons as Malloy does in The Orville. And, even worse, Kirk initially has a memory of that love. In The Orville, it is Mercer, Grayson, and the rest who must carry the burden of that memory with them. They inform Malloy about what happened, but that's not the same as having a real memory from your life.

I think rather than upholding "The City on the Edge of Forever" tradition, The Orville had a chance to do something new. But, hey, I'm just a viewer not a writer for this series, and 3.6 was nonetheless a kind of masterpiece, with the bonus of seeing Isaac in the "flesh".

Joel McKinnon and I discuss Star Trek, The Orville and much more

watch The Chronology Protection Case FREE on Amazon Prime

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

The Orville 3.5: Topa

Well, The Orville episode 3.5 moved into Emmy-worthy territory, with an episode on a sensitive, important issue, presented in a plot with letter-perfect detail and twists.

You may recall that in a prior season, Topa, Moclan child of Bortus and his husband, was obliged to undergo "corrective" surgery that changed Topa biologically from female to male, because females were not allowed in Moclan culture. Now, in the present, a young teenaged Topa is feeling confused and unhappy. Commander Grayson figures out why. The solution is an easy surgery which would restore Topa to womanhood.

Except, Bortus's husband goes ballistic at the prospect, and the Union doesn't want to antagonize Moclus given the Kaylon threat and the need to have Moclus as an ally. The Orville leadership applies all of its wisdom and energy towards finding a way to do the surgery, and --

Well, I won't tell you anymore, because if you've read this far and haven't seen this episode, you need to see it.

[Well, ok, here's a general spoiler.]

I will tell you the solution is brilliantly logical, and serves all kinds of purposes. Plus, it will tug on your heart strings and get you to see The Orville in a new light. It has always been far more than mere satire of Star Trek. But now it can justifiably claim the status of being right up there among the best episodes in any Star Trek series.

Joel McKinnon and I discuss Star Trek, The Orville and much more

watch The Chronology Protection Case FREE on Amazon Prime

Friday, June 24, 2022

The Orville 3.4: The Captain's Daughter

An excellent episode 3.4 of The Orville up on Hulu today, which connected to a momentous, disastrous US Supreme Court decision today which couldn't have been known when the episode was made.

[Spoilers follow ... ]

The Union is pursuing a treaty with the Krill to fight their mutual enemy the Kaylons. High stakes diplomacy ensue, including the best admirals on TV these days, Halsey and Perry, played Victor Garber and Ted Danson (you can't go wrong with that). But before the treaty is concluded and signed, the head of the Krill is beaten in an election by the fascistic Teleya. This is just the beginning of the resonances in this episode to the present USA.

Teleya has been on The Orville before, in its two prior seasons. In 3.4, she's not only elected President (presumably -- perhaps she and her party fixed it), she turns out to be the mother of a daughter fathered by our one and only Captain Mercer (the two had an affair). Ed gets to meet her, and it's a great scene. The fact that Teleya kept the baby is not surprising -- an abortion is a crime in their culture, and couples who have them are forced to interact with a hologram of what their child would have been like. (See The Talmud vs Today's Supreme Court Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade for at least some of my thoughts about what U.S. Supreme Court did in our reality today.)

Back on The Orville, I won't tell you how all of this turned out, though you'll of course know that Captain Mercer survives. I will say there are some crackling battles in space, Ed and Kelly have a tender moment, and I like the art deco look of the Krill big city,

See you back here next week with my review of episode 3.5

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Saturday, June 18, 2022

The Orville 3.3: What Do Bill Barr and Ed Mercer Have In Common?

Ok, here's a question: What do former US Atty General Bill Barr and Captain Ed Mercer of The Orville have in common?

Answer: They both said "bullshit" on television in the past week.

Good thing, then, for at least that reason, that The Orville moved from Fox to Hulu.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

As for the story in 3.3, it was a little bit of a hodge podge. Mercer and some of his team land on a planet that has no life signs, only to find an American high school in a clearing with a literally monstrous bully. And it gets worse from there, as our heroes find themselves on a plane without a pilot, and in all kinds of situations where they apparently get really hurt, and their lives are in danger.

They begin to get clues, though, that they're not really there in those dangerous situations, and of course it turns out that they're experiencing a series of illusions. The reason provides the first really interesting element in this story: an alien species has immortality, and they want to feel what it's like when you're about to die.

Mercer, for my money, has the best take on this. To the obvious lesson that immortality has its drawbacks, Mercer says that he would still indeed like to live forever. Why? Because he wants to see what will happen.

Works for me. See you back here next week with my review of the next episode.

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"challenging fun"
- Entertainment Weekly

e-mail received from a reader:
Dear Paul, I just dreamed of airships flying between raindrops. I just returned from 2042 CE, where I sold my hardcover copy of The Plot to Save Socrates for seventy million Neo-Euros, because it had your response to this e-mail from way back in 2007 scotch-taped onto the inside of the cover. A Paul Levinson collector paid top Neo-Euro, because of the authentic archaic e-mail printout from you. It turns out that not many of your e-mails from before your tenure as CEO of HBO/Cinemax and terms as United Nations Secretary General will survive that far into the future. So, please respond to this e-mail, to help found my great-grandchildren's fortune. My Will will stipulate that they must share with your great grandchildren. Thanks! Tom

I of course happily replied...

42 reviews of The Plot to Save Socrates!