Very relevant to today's social media trends from the like button to the stupid acts people post on YouTube. This is what Discovery should be but never will be. The Orville takes today's society and it's trends head on just like the very best episodes from all the Star Trek episodes did. In Majority Rules Orville holds a harsh bright spotlight on how social media has taken over how people think and vote based on how they are liked or un-liked instead of what they have actually done and how easy people are manipulated. If you have only judged Orville on the humor you are missing a gem. Ignore the humor pay attention to the story. Go back and watch episode three "about a girl" then say the writing is bad. It is very much on topic with real issues.
74 Reviews
Uncomfortable to watch
lothos-370-69002025 November 2017
Both my praise and criticism revolve around how close our modern society is getting towards this extreme dystopian reality show style form of justice. The idea of being judged in the public forum before you ever reach a court room. In reality the mere accusation is enough to destroy peoples lives these days.
Majority Rule
bobcobb30126 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This wasn't so much a sci-fi or Star Trek episode, but rather a repackage of a Black Mirror episode, commenting on social media and its influence, but it was still a really strong episode. The right amount of comedy and the right amount of moral questioning.
It honestly is possible for something like this to be real and not fiction somewhere down the line. I do not know if that is scary or what, but at least we can mock the idea on TV in 2017.
Good episode and I hope people can look past the pilot and see that The Orville has been solid viewing so far.
It honestly is possible for something like this to be real and not fiction somewhere down the line. I do not know if that is scary or what, but at least we can mock the idea on TV in 2017.
Good episode and I hope people can look past the pilot and see that The Orville has been solid viewing so far.
I'm definitely hooked to the series now
mr-shcmr27 October 2017
What started as a parody of Star Trek is finding its own style episode after episode. In this 7th installment, we're treated to a new setting very much reminiscent of the good old Sliders episodes. A group of close friends trying to blend in a familiar yet alien environment. A dystopia mimicking some of Earth's shortcomings. What's surprising is that it works so well. The mix of familiar urban landscape and alien society feels completely natural and unforced. The point is driven with such ease that it doesn't matter that it's obvious or trivial. And the final solution, the last 5 minutes, is hilarious.
I'm hooked now.
I'm hooked now.
This a fantastic episode!
Chaz-1226 October 2017
I've always thought Seth MacFarlane was a clever writer but this episode (an allegory of present-time social media) was fantastic. A "true" democracy and why it cannot work in the real world. I loved it!
This series continues to impress: the writing, the production values, the special effects -- all just terrific.
I hope it continues for many years.
Go go, Seth!
This series continues to impress: the writing, the production values, the special effects -- all just terrific.
I hope it continues for many years.
Go go, Seth!
Great dramatic episode combined with social commentary
cpetit-127 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The episode begins with two Union anthropologists who went missing. So, The Orville sends down an away team to find out what happened.
** SPOILERS BELOW **
The episode is well written and shows the folly of using direct democracy, where people vote on everything (including the validity of medical treatments and scientific studies), and where public outrage over a single video, ripped out of context, has the legal weight to force someone to be lobotomized (they call it "corrected").
The episode also shows the folly of "cultural appropriation" and, in the climax, the way The Orville crew member barely escapes a lobotomy is because The Orville crew (Issac in particular) floods The Feed (i.e. their planet's Facebook) with fake news, including fake videos, to sway public opinion.
It is a good, dramatic episode that touches on so many current social issues. But, the episode never feels preachy, or slow.
** SPOILERS BELOW **
The episode is well written and shows the folly of using direct democracy, where people vote on everything (including the validity of medical treatments and scientific studies), and where public outrage over a single video, ripped out of context, has the legal weight to force someone to be lobotomized (they call it "corrected").
The episode also shows the folly of "cultural appropriation" and, in the climax, the way The Orville crew member barely escapes a lobotomy is because The Orville crew (Issac in particular) floods The Feed (i.e. their planet's Facebook) with fake news, including fake videos, to sway public opinion.
It is a good, dramatic episode that touches on so many current social issues. But, the episode never feels preachy, or slow.
Fantastic. Fun and brainy is possible.
carlislemcduncanswollop27 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Awesome episode of a very promising show.
Dear the rest of TV, We just want to use our brains every now and then! That's all. Please.
PS - It's cheap!
The special effects were minimal and fine. They got the obviously-this- is-Earth out of the way immediately, and the experience did not suffer. I mean there was a damn 2016 Prius sitting there, because why not.
Very interesting take on a society driven by instant, shallow judgment. An extremely difficult story to tell well, but I think they nailed it, and had (gasp) fun along the way.
Dear the rest of TV, We just want to use our brains every now and then! That's all. Please.
PS - It's cheap!
The special effects were minimal and fine. They got the obviously-this- is-Earth out of the way immediately, and the experience did not suffer. I mean there was a damn 2016 Prius sitting there, because why not.
Very interesting take on a society driven by instant, shallow judgment. An extremely difficult story to tell well, but I think they nailed it, and had (gasp) fun along the way.
Sooo Good!
Jemae27 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
SPOILER ALERT Don't read if you don't want it spoiled for you.
This episode was amazing, I love how they take social issues and parody them and put them in the show. They go to this new planet to study the people and one of the major things they did, was the thumbs up and thumbs down that social media is based around these days. They took it and put it into everyday life, away from social media. I hope that makes sense.
It's actually so scary and funny at how much this could become a real thing in the future. kinda like the idiocracy movie.
This episode was amazing, I love how they take social issues and parody them and put them in the show. They go to this new planet to study the people and one of the major things they did, was the thumbs up and thumbs down that social media is based around these days. They took it and put it into everyday life, away from social media. I hope that makes sense.
It's actually so scary and funny at how much this could become a real thing in the future. kinda like the idiocracy movie.
Best TV Episode I have seen in Many Years
gsmoore8127 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"Majority Rule" was so good my wife and I kept hitting PAUSE to discuss how timely, scary and well done everything about this episode was. We think Seth Mcfarland is pure genius for being able to calmly take the current political climate of the USA and the madness of everyone choosing to LIKE or not LIKE everything on our many social media platforms and combine them into a science-fiction script set in the future. Amazing to watch. We will watch it again. My thoughts to everyone calling this a ripoff of some old TV show(s) are these: Every cop, medical, and lawyer show being written and produced right now has already been done before in some form or fashion. We think "The Orville" is the best show on TV right now. We will never miss an episode and look forward to buying the DVDs. Thank you Seth! Please keep up the good work..!!
Good premise, horrible set up
SylvesterGlenGaul2 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
So Orville has some potential being a zanier version of Star Trek, some episodes were pretty good but this one was a bit different. I felt like writing a review because it made me ANGRY after watching this episode, which had a lot of potential.
So the crew found a planet similar to earth in the 21 century, except the society works on a voting system where the majority of people decide what is right and wrong. Now, I love this premise which criticizes utilitarianism and democracy, but how this premise related to the crew was awful. You have Lt. LaMarr (a horrible diversity insert since episode 1 of the show) performing a lewd act to a statue on a foreign planet, on an undercover mission which cause the whole mission to go astray... So the rest of the episode was about trying to rescue him from impending doom. Not only that but he was completely unrepentant and the moral of the story? It's fine to act like a total asshole and suffer no consequences for your actions.
It could have been a great episode but the structure ruined it.
So the crew found a planet similar to earth in the 21 century, except the society works on a voting system where the majority of people decide what is right and wrong. Now, I love this premise which criticizes utilitarianism and democracy, but how this premise related to the crew was awful. You have Lt. LaMarr (a horrible diversity insert since episode 1 of the show) performing a lewd act to a statue on a foreign planet, on an undercover mission which cause the whole mission to go astray... So the rest of the episode was about trying to rescue him from impending doom. Not only that but he was completely unrepentant and the moral of the story? It's fine to act like a total asshole and suffer no consequences for your actions.
It could have been a great episode but the structure ruined it.
Positively Shameless
markdavess27 October 2017
The strength of this episode for me is in how it seems to deliberately use familiar tropes and implausible scenarios (e.g. the type of planet and its earth-like culture, familiar from Star Trek, which this series so far has generally and seemingly deliberately referenced), and blatant near-stealing of an idea from elsewhere (one specific Black Mirror episode in particular -it seems hard to believe that the writers didn't know it was obvious, though maybe they'd come up with the idea earlier, and just decided not to worry about it, which is kind of equally shameless).
To add to this apparent coarseness is the dubious ignorance and lack of forethought of the main characters, the clumsy arrival of problems to solve, contrived turns of events and reasonably trite solutions to them, and a heavy-handed allegory of our own contemporary society and our specifically very recent problem of how information is exchanged and opinion formed around the world and the kind of negative consequences that has.
It ends up a kind of cartoon idea of the power given by the common mass feed of information to uninformed or ill-considered opinion, and of the unstoppable weight of the negative consequences, with its actual utter shallow, childish arbitrariness shown up as laughable at the end.
There are consequences shown for individuals and also for the quality of the wider culture, only stopping short of having an allegory for some of the world-shaking dumb decisions that have been made in our world as a result in recent years, but is clearly topical, obviously talking about how we are forming our large-scale culture and political structure, as well as limiting the smaller space of each individual within it, with the 'big data' of 'everyone's opinion' becoming the main arbitrator, regardless of knowledge, thinking skills, conscientiousness or any other quality by which you might arguably need to earn respect for that opinion. "A voice should be earned not given away", says Bortus.
So, the way it's conceived and executed is sufficiently contrived, derivative and predictable, using tropes that we've seen again and again, and making the allegory so blatant, towards the end at least, that you almost expect the actors to start winking at the camera, that you could easily fall on the side of heavy negative criticism, if you were to doubt that this was deliberate, and that making that point in that almost clichéd way was the whole central thread of the episode and the main carrier of its qualities, in ideas, in comedy, or whatever else..
I was worrying a little at first at all of this, but as the culmination approached I realised I was overthinking it and shifted towards admiration at the creators for this shameless surface clumsiness, making a point many of us don't need explaining to us, but that somehow benefits very well from being made in this way. Maybe the main thing isn't any conscious admiration though, but more that I couldn't help but laugh loudly at the whole picture of it as it came together.
It's a kind of a 'punk rock' attitude that brings everything down to a simple and obvious core that results in an effective delivery; no need to be so 'clever', 'original', 'or whatever else; just making a sharp and shamelessly coarsely-made point, and adding to the enjoyment and humour all the more for that shameless 'cheapness', with maybe a good serving of 'self-deprecation' implied in there to add some more sauce.
It has the potential to become a classic episode on the basis of the very quality of not trying to be anything clever at all, but just to shamelessly make a point humorously and to laugh at itself for how it's making it. A direct and effective simplicity, not scared to be 'D-U-M- B', just like your favourite Ramones song.
To add to this apparent coarseness is the dubious ignorance and lack of forethought of the main characters, the clumsy arrival of problems to solve, contrived turns of events and reasonably trite solutions to them, and a heavy-handed allegory of our own contemporary society and our specifically very recent problem of how information is exchanged and opinion formed around the world and the kind of negative consequences that has.
It ends up a kind of cartoon idea of the power given by the common mass feed of information to uninformed or ill-considered opinion, and of the unstoppable weight of the negative consequences, with its actual utter shallow, childish arbitrariness shown up as laughable at the end.
There are consequences shown for individuals and also for the quality of the wider culture, only stopping short of having an allegory for some of the world-shaking dumb decisions that have been made in our world as a result in recent years, but is clearly topical, obviously talking about how we are forming our large-scale culture and political structure, as well as limiting the smaller space of each individual within it, with the 'big data' of 'everyone's opinion' becoming the main arbitrator, regardless of knowledge, thinking skills, conscientiousness or any other quality by which you might arguably need to earn respect for that opinion. "A voice should be earned not given away", says Bortus.
So, the way it's conceived and executed is sufficiently contrived, derivative and predictable, using tropes that we've seen again and again, and making the allegory so blatant, towards the end at least, that you almost expect the actors to start winking at the camera, that you could easily fall on the side of heavy negative criticism, if you were to doubt that this was deliberate, and that making that point in that almost clichéd way was the whole central thread of the episode and the main carrier of its qualities, in ideas, in comedy, or whatever else..
I was worrying a little at first at all of this, but as the culmination approached I realised I was overthinking it and shifted towards admiration at the creators for this shameless surface clumsiness, making a point many of us don't need explaining to us, but that somehow benefits very well from being made in this way. Maybe the main thing isn't any conscious admiration though, but more that I couldn't help but laugh loudly at the whole picture of it as it came together.
It's a kind of a 'punk rock' attitude that brings everything down to a simple and obvious core that results in an effective delivery; no need to be so 'clever', 'original', 'or whatever else; just making a sharp and shamelessly coarsely-made point, and adding to the enjoyment and humour all the more for that shameless 'cheapness', with maybe a good serving of 'self-deprecation' implied in there to add some more sauce.
It has the potential to become a classic episode on the basis of the very quality of not trying to be anything clever at all, but just to shamelessly make a point humorously and to laugh at itself for how it's making it. A direct and effective simplicity, not scared to be 'D-U-M- B', just like your favourite Ramones song.
misguided
gus49528 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Let me start of by saying I love what this show has done so far. It has a lot of Trek going on in a good way, and it is obvious the creators really love ST and all it stands for.
That said I thought this episode was a let down. The intro was very interesting: what if there's a society that does not have laws but lets the member of society decide what's right and not? Granted, this has been done a year ago in Black Mirror already, but that's alright.
Where this episode goes the wrong way for me is the implementation. I get that this show tries to mix humour and drama, and I think it works well enough in previous episodes. However in this one it just makes the message of the episode hard to buy. The lieutenant is seem humping a statue in one of the first scenes when he is undercover in another nation: is this really in line with a crew on a rescue mission? And if that's not enough, he keeps doing similar stuff that is totally out of line. After getting in trouble, he does not try to understand what he did wrong and seems to take no efforts to have any respect for the society. In the last scene, he tells everyone on the planet that they are crazy and that he's glad to be gone from them.
Like I said, I get that this show tries to mix humour and drama, however I feel in this episode it made the episode totally moot. The whole point of Star Trek is to take a look at what could happen, how society could be different, but first and foremost always respect the things that are different (because there's always a good reason why things are what they are in space, even if you don't agree with it!). If that isn't what the Orville as a show is trying to do then that is fine of course, but it also makes episode like these where they're going halfway in giving some social commentary hard to buy. How can we take seriously a crew whole knowingly (mockingly!) violates another cultures values repeatedly while also at the same time tries to push home a moral message about how society could be or should act? It makes it hard to understand what the episode is exactly about.
That said I thought this episode was a let down. The intro was very interesting: what if there's a society that does not have laws but lets the member of society decide what's right and not? Granted, this has been done a year ago in Black Mirror already, but that's alright.
Where this episode goes the wrong way for me is the implementation. I get that this show tries to mix humour and drama, and I think it works well enough in previous episodes. However in this one it just makes the message of the episode hard to buy. The lieutenant is seem humping a statue in one of the first scenes when he is undercover in another nation: is this really in line with a crew on a rescue mission? And if that's not enough, he keeps doing similar stuff that is totally out of line. After getting in trouble, he does not try to understand what he did wrong and seems to take no efforts to have any respect for the society. In the last scene, he tells everyone on the planet that they are crazy and that he's glad to be gone from them.
Like I said, I get that this show tries to mix humour and drama, however I feel in this episode it made the episode totally moot. The whole point of Star Trek is to take a look at what could happen, how society could be different, but first and foremost always respect the things that are different (because there's always a good reason why things are what they are in space, even if you don't agree with it!). If that isn't what the Orville as a show is trying to do then that is fine of course, but it also makes episode like these where they're going halfway in giving some social commentary hard to buy. How can we take seriously a crew whole knowingly (mockingly!) violates another cultures values repeatedly while also at the same time tries to push home a moral message about how society could be or should act? It makes it hard to understand what the episode is exactly about.
One of the hardest episodes to watch of any show
jewtyler12 July 2018
This show has been good so far, but why can't Alara mask her alien features with the same tech that made Malloy and Ed literal Krill soldiers, why can't Lamarr read any social cues, why didn't the team just fly the shuttle out and send another more capable team down? Seriously, I have to finish this to watch the season, but man is this one poor excuse for TV or art. You guys are so much better than this! Who Ok'd the script for this episode?
Government by American Idol
MrGoog26 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
******SPOILER ALERT******
Star Trek references - Steven Culp, who played Publicity Officer Willks, played Major Hayes, the commander of the MACOs, in Enterprise. Ron Canada, who played Fleet Admiral Tucker again, played 3 different characters in The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, and Voyager.
Special Seth MacFarlane reference - on October 26, when this episode was televised, MacFarlane turned 44.
In this episode, MacFarlane put a mirror in front of our society and showed us how absurd it has become, especially in its addiction to social media.
Sargas IV is a planet very similar to 21st-Century Earth, but that's all the Union knew about that world. The Union sent 2 anthropologists, Lewis and Tom (Lewis & Clark would have been too clever), to observe the planet. However, all contact with the duo was lost a month ago, so Union Command sent the Orville to investigate. The mission became personal for Claire because Lewis is her friend.
Nostalgia note - Tom was played by Barry Livingston, who played Ernie in 'My Three Sons'.
Ed assigned Kelly, Alara, John, and Claire as the landing team to find Lewis and Tom. The landing team needed to wear Sargasian clothes, and John's blue jeans were very tight. Alara wore a Kelvik hat to hide her Seleyan forehead. They flew a shuttle with a cloaking device (Star Trek fans will get that reference) to the surface.
Question - Why doesn't the Orville have a cloaking device? Possible answer - it would consume too much of the ship's power.
The landing team learned that Sargasians are obsessed with the Master Feed, their version of the Internet. Everyone wears a badge that counts 'upvotes' (positive comments) and 'downvotes' (negative comments) about that person (Like/Dislike, Left-Swipe/Right-Swipe). The landing team learned that Lewis and Tom were arrested for having too many downvotes, only because they did not give up a seat on a public-transport vehicle to a pregnant woman. (The picture of the incident went viral.) Lewis was 'corrected' but Tom was killed trying to escape.
Alara and John had a casual conversation about dancing, and John gyrated with a statue. He didn't know that it was a statue of a Sargasian hero. Not surprisingly, some Sargasians posted the video on the Master Feed and it went viral, provoking over 1,000,000 downvotes for John, so he was arrested. Fleet Admiral Tucker didn't allow Ed to launch a rescue mission because the knowledge that aliens exist could disrupt Sargasian society. (a Prime Directive?)
The landing team learned from all of this that Sargas IV is a total democracy - no elements of a republic (like in the U.S.A. and many other Earth societies), just a direct vote by the people on everything, including whether or not a fact is a fact (Fake News!). If John receives 10,000,000 downvotes, he will be 'corrected' (a high-tech lobotomy). Willks was assigned as John's Publicity Officer; he guided John on an 'apology tour' to avoid 'correction'.
John's first stop was "The Chat" (an obvious parody of "The View"). He tried to apologize, but the hosts and the audience didn't believe him. Then he appeared on an interview show, but his downvotes kept rising.
In an apparent swipe at political correctness, a Kelvik man was offended by Alara wearing a Kelvik hat and threatened to post her photo on the Master Feed. In the restroom of a cafe, Claire tried to replace the hat with an improvised bandanna, but Lysella, a barista, saw Alara's forehead. Then Claire and Alara told Lysella the truth. Fortunately, she didn't freak out, but was intrigued by her encounter with aliens.
Lysella helped Claire and Alara find Lewis, but Claire couldn't do anything about his lobotomy. (He reminded me of the disciples of Landru in "The Return of the Archons" in the original Star Trek.) Ed had Lysella brought to the Orville, where she guided Isaac in hacking the Master Feed. As John's downvotes passed 9,000,000, Isaac planted phony posts (Fake News) about John to provoke sympathy from the Sargasians. The effective post showed John as a war veteran with a dog named Chuckles. (Why not a Cocker Spaniel named Checkers? - look it up.) The downvotes stopped at 9,999,996 - John was freed.
At the end, when Lysella saw the latest accusation on the Master Feed, she did not vote.
My conclusion - This is why we need to remain both a democracy and a republic (and need the Electoral Vote as much as we need the Popular Vote). And could we stop spending every waking hour staring at smartphones (and posting our lunches on the Internet)?
Star Trek references - Steven Culp, who played Publicity Officer Willks, played Major Hayes, the commander of the MACOs, in Enterprise. Ron Canada, who played Fleet Admiral Tucker again, played 3 different characters in The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, and Voyager.
Special Seth MacFarlane reference - on October 26, when this episode was televised, MacFarlane turned 44.
In this episode, MacFarlane put a mirror in front of our society and showed us how absurd it has become, especially in its addiction to social media.
Sargas IV is a planet very similar to 21st-Century Earth, but that's all the Union knew about that world. The Union sent 2 anthropologists, Lewis and Tom (Lewis & Clark would have been too clever), to observe the planet. However, all contact with the duo was lost a month ago, so Union Command sent the Orville to investigate. The mission became personal for Claire because Lewis is her friend.
Nostalgia note - Tom was played by Barry Livingston, who played Ernie in 'My Three Sons'.
Ed assigned Kelly, Alara, John, and Claire as the landing team to find Lewis and Tom. The landing team needed to wear Sargasian clothes, and John's blue jeans were very tight. Alara wore a Kelvik hat to hide her Seleyan forehead. They flew a shuttle with a cloaking device (Star Trek fans will get that reference) to the surface.
Question - Why doesn't the Orville have a cloaking device? Possible answer - it would consume too much of the ship's power.
The landing team learned that Sargasians are obsessed with the Master Feed, their version of the Internet. Everyone wears a badge that counts 'upvotes' (positive comments) and 'downvotes' (negative comments) about that person (Like/Dislike, Left-Swipe/Right-Swipe). The landing team learned that Lewis and Tom were arrested for having too many downvotes, only because they did not give up a seat on a public-transport vehicle to a pregnant woman. (The picture of the incident went viral.) Lewis was 'corrected' but Tom was killed trying to escape.
Alara and John had a casual conversation about dancing, and John gyrated with a statue. He didn't know that it was a statue of a Sargasian hero. Not surprisingly, some Sargasians posted the video on the Master Feed and it went viral, provoking over 1,000,000 downvotes for John, so he was arrested. Fleet Admiral Tucker didn't allow Ed to launch a rescue mission because the knowledge that aliens exist could disrupt Sargasian society. (a Prime Directive?)
The landing team learned from all of this that Sargas IV is a total democracy - no elements of a republic (like in the U.S.A. and many other Earth societies), just a direct vote by the people on everything, including whether or not a fact is a fact (Fake News!). If John receives 10,000,000 downvotes, he will be 'corrected' (a high-tech lobotomy). Willks was assigned as John's Publicity Officer; he guided John on an 'apology tour' to avoid 'correction'.
John's first stop was "The Chat" (an obvious parody of "The View"). He tried to apologize, but the hosts and the audience didn't believe him. Then he appeared on an interview show, but his downvotes kept rising.
In an apparent swipe at political correctness, a Kelvik man was offended by Alara wearing a Kelvik hat and threatened to post her photo on the Master Feed. In the restroom of a cafe, Claire tried to replace the hat with an improvised bandanna, but Lysella, a barista, saw Alara's forehead. Then Claire and Alara told Lysella the truth. Fortunately, she didn't freak out, but was intrigued by her encounter with aliens.
Lysella helped Claire and Alara find Lewis, but Claire couldn't do anything about his lobotomy. (He reminded me of the disciples of Landru in "The Return of the Archons" in the original Star Trek.) Ed had Lysella brought to the Orville, where she guided Isaac in hacking the Master Feed. As John's downvotes passed 9,000,000, Isaac planted phony posts (Fake News) about John to provoke sympathy from the Sargasians. The effective post showed John as a war veteran with a dog named Chuckles. (Why not a Cocker Spaniel named Checkers? - look it up.) The downvotes stopped at 9,999,996 - John was freed.
At the end, when Lysella saw the latest accusation on the Master Feed, she did not vote.
My conclusion - This is why we need to remain both a democracy and a republic (and need the Electoral Vote as much as we need the Popular Vote). And could we stop spending every waking hour staring at smartphones (and posting our lunches on the Internet)?
Best and scariest episode of the first season
namob-4367310 June 2022
This is very close to reality and we all know this is were we are heading as a society, or some version of it. Also very scary to see democracy in action. No sane person ever thought highly of democracy. The majority is almost always wrong.
This is the greatest episode of the season with basically no flaws. Brilliantly done, brilliantly written and brilliantly acted.
9/10 and I am scared...
This is the greatest episode of the season with basically no flaws. Brilliantly done, brilliantly written and brilliantly acted.
9/10 and I am scared...
Bluntly Admirable
ionisravell28 October 2017
This is first ever 10/10 I gave to anything on IMDb - I normally review things I like, and my average is about 7/5.
I don't think "Majority Rule" is somehow flawless; my score reflects the feeling after watching that episode. This could be descent TNG episode, easily!
It is, perhaps blunt, but on point commentary on our modern social- media controlled world. World in which hashtag activism became a valid form of social participation.
This episode doesn't focus on Mr. MacFarlane or relationship of his character with Cmdr Grayson, instead giving front seat to Lt. LeMarr with support of Grayson, Alara and Dr. Finn - giving the show proper feeling of being an ensemble endeavour - which is what Star Trek always was (with notable exception of STD).
This episode isn't extremely clever and it's not a deep philosophical debate that let us look upon ourselves through lenses of sci-fi storytelling, but it is the best a show like Orville could do, while appealing to a modern audience.
For that, it deserves, in my opinion, the highest praise and rating.
I don't think "Majority Rule" is somehow flawless; my score reflects the feeling after watching that episode. This could be descent TNG episode, easily!
It is, perhaps blunt, but on point commentary on our modern social- media controlled world. World in which hashtag activism became a valid form of social participation.
This episode doesn't focus on Mr. MacFarlane or relationship of his character with Cmdr Grayson, instead giving front seat to Lt. LeMarr with support of Grayson, Alara and Dr. Finn - giving the show proper feeling of being an ensemble endeavour - which is what Star Trek always was (with notable exception of STD).
This episode isn't extremely clever and it's not a deep philosophical debate that let us look upon ourselves through lenses of sci-fi storytelling, but it is the best a show like Orville could do, while appealing to a modern audience.
For that, it deserves, in my opinion, the highest praise and rating.
This is Black Mirror meets Star Trek - The Next Generation
GerZah28 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
If you were wondering if The Orville and the Planetary Union had something like a prime directive about non-interference, trying to minimize the footprint of meeting lesser developed civilizations – yes, they have, sort of, but it's lose in the holster.
This is not a "Black Mirror" rip-off done badly. This is taking a similar aspect of projecting what could happen if technology like social media and public, uninformed "voting", quote/unquote, as in voting for pop idol type media events, could result in, if this would be taken into every aspect of daily life, especially into the justice system. Plus, manipulating the public mind through social media – well done, Mr. Seth MacFarlane, this is Gene Roddenberry's vision done right on the spot.
This is not a "Black Mirror" rip-off done badly. This is taking a similar aspect of projecting what could happen if technology like social media and public, uninformed "voting", quote/unquote, as in voting for pop idol type media events, could result in, if this would be taken into every aspect of daily life, especially into the justice system. Plus, manipulating the public mind through social media – well done, Mr. Seth MacFarlane, this is Gene Roddenberry's vision done right on the spot.
To everyone calling it a Black Mirror rip off
Jagdpanzer27 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Community did it first, you hack frauds. My only complain is the way John gets away. They could have just hacked the "Feed" voting system (RL, anyone?), and be done with it. But no!, they have to make it exciting... Bleh. Overall, great episode.
So, next time you accuse of something, try to get your facts right.
So, next time you accuse of something, try to get your facts right.
Voices and Majority
hartnsoul-1171329 October 2019
The discussion about rights in this story reminds me very much of my favorite lines in the movie Pump Up the Volume. Where Principle Creswood says "Can't you understand that nothing is more important than a good education." and Mr. Hunter responds, "Except the basic right to it." In this episode of the Orville, Lysella states that "Everybody deserves a voice." and Bortus responds "A voice should be earned not given away." Both of these quotes/statements are correct and could take up weeks of discussion in a Social Studies class. Basic rights are important but earning a voice (from educating yourself and proving your worth) go hand in hand. MacFarlane's attempt to educate us, through this well scripted story, that our vote counts. (We have a right to vote) but we should educate ourselves, confirm our facts (not just go with the majority or believe the general hype) is just as important. The writing in this episode is on par with the rest of the exceptional story telling of this series. I hope season three and beyond are just as thought provoking and fun.
Vote My Review Up
justinboggan27 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Or else I will get it.
SPOILERS John, Finn and Kelly go on a mission to an alien planet similar to Earth in the 20th/21st century, to find two scientists who went undercover to study the race.
When they get there they soon find out everybody wears a badge with and "Up" and "Down" vote, much like something you find on message board comments (sometimes a thumbs up or down). Everything can get you a vote; you accidentally say something wrong, you can get down-voted; do something nice, get up-voted.
John ends up doing something inappropriate and it's caught on video and uploaded and soon his down-vote numbers are tumbling and he's arrested.
Faced with the equivalent of a frontal lobotomy to leave him more happy and peaceable, John must try and avoid getting ten million votes -- the number where you get "re-educated", so to speak. Unfortunately, the society is a mob-ocracy, where everybody gets a vote and much like today's online behavior, they don't look into anything and vote on not facts by emotion.
The episode is a little weak and has it's faults, but it's easy to look passed them and find what is a rather nice (though not excellent) example of why the United States has an electoral college and why America is a Constitutional Republic and not a democracy. What happens here is an example of what you get when you have a democracy.
Examples of weak spots include: the alien world is basically just Earth with badges slapped on everybody and a little lingo being different; there's no real effort. Some of the modern scoring with synth sounds here and there (thankfully not the majority of the episode score by John Debney) is annoying and distracting, cheapening the on-screen events. It feels like most the actors are going through the motions and not putting real effort into their work; Seth looks tired and un-invested, for example.
SPOILERS John, Finn and Kelly go on a mission to an alien planet similar to Earth in the 20th/21st century, to find two scientists who went undercover to study the race.
When they get there they soon find out everybody wears a badge with and "Up" and "Down" vote, much like something you find on message board comments (sometimes a thumbs up or down). Everything can get you a vote; you accidentally say something wrong, you can get down-voted; do something nice, get up-voted.
John ends up doing something inappropriate and it's caught on video and uploaded and soon his down-vote numbers are tumbling and he's arrested.
Faced with the equivalent of a frontal lobotomy to leave him more happy and peaceable, John must try and avoid getting ten million votes -- the number where you get "re-educated", so to speak. Unfortunately, the society is a mob-ocracy, where everybody gets a vote and much like today's online behavior, they don't look into anything and vote on not facts by emotion.
The episode is a little weak and has it's faults, but it's easy to look passed them and find what is a rather nice (though not excellent) example of why the United States has an electoral college and why America is a Constitutional Republic and not a democracy. What happens here is an example of what you get when you have a democracy.
Examples of weak spots include: the alien world is basically just Earth with badges slapped on everybody and a little lingo being different; there's no real effort. Some of the modern scoring with synth sounds here and there (thankfully not the majority of the episode score by John Debney) is annoying and distracting, cheapening the on-screen events. It feels like most the actors are going through the motions and not putting real effort into their work; Seth looks tired and un-invested, for example.
May not be the most original but definitely relevant
isabellacheng18 November 2017
I don't care about critics who claim "Hey Black Mirror did this before!". This episode is all the more relevant to today's political landscape given events of recent years. Coming from an authoritarian country with a populist government that manipulates social media and thus its citizens with false information and misdirection (not America though), I can attest that this is so much more than a worst case scenario sci-fi set piece. This is reality. And worst, most of us don't realize we are living through it.
Yes, definitely see Black Mirror: Nosedive
redgatortrv-8807124 November 2017
Or if you've seen "Nosedive", then watch The Orville: Majority Rule.
Both attack the same subject. Both have their good points and method of presentation.
Nosedive is better. The execution of the special effects are superb. There was definitely more that went into them, all build especially for that story.
But the best point of Nosedive was Bryce Dallas Howard; she keeps up a steady character development throughout the piece. She is the singular center of the drama and does her father proud.
Both attack the same subject. Both have their good points and method of presentation.
Nosedive is better. The execution of the special effects are superb. There was definitely more that went into them, all build especially for that story.
But the best point of Nosedive was Bryce Dallas Howard; she keeps up a steady character development throughout the piece. She is the singular center of the drama and does her father proud.
Clever Idea...But
Hitchcoc8 June 2022
I've seen this concept somewhere before. There was a movie where people began to get demerits for their acts. That's OK. But the character of John ruined it. I wouldn't have felt bad if he had been fried. We wouldn't have to listen to him anymore. This series is growing on me, but I wish the subordinate officers had some more going for them.
Happening in China 2019
baverom16 July 2019
Huge Orville Fan & genuinely love Seth's work. This was a very eerie episode that is happening in China today with the only difference is the government scores you on behavior not the people. The technology on this side of the globe is going in that direction with the image scanning where you are being watched and looked on a deeper level than just surveillance cameras. All this invasions of privacy was all after 911. Full body searches before boarding a plane, image scanning, the raid (?) Chips that are encouraged to have implanted. Very scary, irratating and invasive all rolled in one. IDIOCRACY is another movie I feel resembles today's intelligence. Not to that much extreme, but nevertheless on that level of regression in today's society. I encourage people to watch both of these shows and you decide. Love & Peace from NYC. 🤘
THIS WAS WRITTEN BEFORE BLACK MIRRORS'S "NOSEDIVE" AIRED
jyoder6220 May 2022
Seth MacFarlane wrote this script prior to May 2016 when FOX bought it. Black Mirror's episode "Nosedive" aired in late October 2016. Yes they are incredibly similar but for everyone calling MacFarlane a hack or accusing him of stolen content how about you do a little research first and not just follow suit of the actual message this episode specifically was trying to portray! This episode is a phenomenal piece of television. For anyone to rate this episode low off of a completely inaccurate argument, maybe try watching this episode again to hopefully understand the message.
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