******SPOILER ALERT******
We waited 388 days for a new episode. I re-watched the 1st Season on the DVD set (which has excellent Special Features) and waited. I checked the Web's info on the series and waited. This episode was worth the wait.
The Ja'loja itself was a minor part of the story, but it was a good excuse for the main part of the episode: relationships on the Orville. In "Old Wounds", we learned that Maclans urinate only once per year, so we should not be surprised that Maclans have made a big ceremony out of relieving oneself (I write while suppressing a snicker). Indeed, Ja'loja means 'The Great Release' (okay, I snickered again), and the Maclan chooses a special place for The Great Release, which the Maclans see as a cleansing of the spirit (and some other body area -- okay, let's get serious now) and the start of a new year of hope. The Ja'loja is attended by family and friends, which set up the key point for the episode: those attending the Ja'loja must be accompanied by someone. Thus, each non-Maclan who was invited by Bortus must ask someone to accompany him or her. As we saw from the beginning, some of the officers have a hard time with relationships.
Star Trek reference - Olix, the bartender in the ship's Lounge/Mess Hall, was played by Jason Alexander, who played Kurros in an episode of Star Trek - Voyager.
Seth MacFarlane reference - Once again, we saw Dann, the bulb-headed humanoid who put Muzak in the ship's elevators. He is played by Mike Henry, who has done a lot of work with MacFarlane (including the voice of Cleveland Brown). Apparently, we will see Dann many times in the 2nd Season.
We see that Ed is spending too much time drinking alone, because he still desires Kelly. It's understandable that he still loves her and can't resist the hope that they could reunite. But, as Kelly said at the end of "Mad Idolatry", they need to move on from the past. Kelly already has; she is dating Cassius, the teacher for Claire's sons and the other kids on board. Obviously, she still has fond feelings for Ed, but she isn't stuck in the past like Ed. When he used a shuttle for a "drive-by" - peeking into Kelly's quarters during her date with Cassius - Kelly was justifiably enraged by that stalking. Fortunately, at the end, Ed moved on by, apparently, starting a relationship with Lieutenant Janel Tyler, the Orville's new dark-matter cartographer. Speaking of Janel......
When Janel came aboard, Gordon acted like a high-school boy when the new-in-school blond girl sits next to him. He also has difficulty with relationships, so he turned to the so-called Girl Guru: John. Most of John's advice was sensible, but that multi-zipper jacket looked like a reject from 1980s fashion. However, after all of John's encouragement, Gordon chickened out at the last minute, like many others have done in that situation. But I still have hope for Gordon - if he ditches that jacket.
Bortus, seeing that Alara has trouble with guys, became a yenta (indeed, look it up) and arranged a blind date for her: Dann. He also is a fumbler in relationships, but Alara asked him to accompany her to the Ja'loja.
Kelly and Cassius go along well until Cassius stumbled. He also has a history of relationship trouble - in his case, a divorce. But who helped save the relationship by advising Cassius? Ed, proving that, finally, he has moved on from Kelly.
Another relationship examined by this episode: parents and kids. Marcus Finn has become an adolescent; in the 25th Century, 'adolescent' still means 'rebellious pain-in-the-butt.' His new friend, James, is a troublemaker who hacks into the ship's synthesizer to get a bottle of vodka. When Marcus, James, and another blockhead boy are caught with the vodka, Claire is furious. However, James' parents have been fooled by him into believing that he is a smart, upstanding boy. Isaac proves that James hacked into the computer to plant a phony report card (all A's???) and, thus, was the one who got the vodka. Claire, showing her gratitude, invites Isaac to accompany her to the Ja'loja.
This episode had no intense interplanetary conflict or heavy, thought-provoking issue to ponder. But it was a wonderful exploration of relationships that presented the officers of the Orville as very believable - and very interesting - characters. Kudos to Seth MacFarlane, who wrote and directed this episode.
22 out of 47 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
