The Orville Episode 8 - Folded Away

I'm pretty happy with this conversation.

Forgot to say that Drogen's actor (Brian Thompson) was in Star Trek Generations, three episodes of Enterprise, two of Deep Space Nine, and one of The Next Generation. The Drogen character probably bears some discussion: on one hand, he isn't directly menacing and can perhaps be read sympathetically; on the other hand, none of the other rooms in his apartment seem to have locking doors or boarded up windows.

I like that the kids' role isn't to make problems but to make problems harder.

I love the aesthetic of the videogame. The simple holograms feel more analogous to Tiger Electronics than to a smart phone.

Dr Claire Finn (Penny Johnson Jerald) shows how hard it is to be a single mom and also kidnapped, while Isaac (Mark Jackson) proves the old adage that it takes a V'ger to raise a child.

Available in podcast form at anchor.fm.

The Orville Episode 7 - Wesley Get Off the Grass

It's always a little weird to hear Captain Mercer make a monetary quip, but hearing "you look like unemployed back up dancers" followed immediately by "what is money" is an exceptional whiplash. Is the Planetary Union really a post-scarcity society?

How is an economy based on reputation any different from this world governed by social media?

John Lamar (J Lee) gets thrown under the bus and his friends learn to manipulate the court of public opinion. Hosts SkilTao and VanVelding discuss 'government by reddit,' and SkilTao has a theory about Lamar.

Available in podcast form at anchor.fm.

The Orville Episode 6 - All You Need Is Krill

This episode might be the first time our introductory comparisons start to sound like organic conversation.

I don't mention it in the podcast, but there's a Voyager episode with aliens who have an afterlife as energy beings, and I'm not yet convinced the Krill don't have something like that going on.

Ed Mercer (Seth MacFarlane) and Gordon Malloy (Scott Grimes) dive into Krill culture. Hosts VanVelding and SkilTao talk about using humor as mortar, and SkilTao has a theory about space whales.

Available in podcast form at anchor.fm.

The Orville Episode 5 - Time Travel and Bullshit

I make two mistakes here. (Well, three if you count trying to record over a really bad connection without a script.) First, I got Charlize Theron mixed up with Tricia Helfer; and second, you can find a moral in the episode, in the contrast between Pria's "don't apologize" platitude and Kelly forcing Ed to apologize. 

"Time Travel and Bullshit" was the name of a peer-review science journal VanVelding and Derek joke about in their TNG podcast. The Orville's solution to time travel paradoxes is growing on me.

Star Trek scripts sometimes lived or died on the performance of their guest actors. Despite questionable temporal mechanics, the "Pria" script succeeds where "If the Stars Should Appear" stumbles, and "The Orville" gets good guests.

Available in podcast form at anchor.fm.

The Orville Episode 4 - If a Theme Should Appear

Discussion is shorter this time but, I think, on point. Still starts out staccato.

I wonder if Liam Neeson was originally meant to be the villain of the episode, and writing around that created some of the issues we talk about.

"If the Stars Should Appear" wanders from big idea to big idea without digging into them. It also pries at the characters' relationships. Hosts SkilTao and VanVelding discuss missed opportunities and speculate about the season's romantic arcs.

Available in podcast form at anchor.fm.