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The Orville |OT| MacFarlane's sci-fi com-, wait it's a drama!? That can't be right

jb1234

Member
It was better in that the humor felt far less forced and it more or less maintained the same tone throughout, which was a serious problem in the pilot. On the other hand, the story was bargain-bin sci-fi, ripped from several different sources and not enough of interest was done with the concept.

This episode also has a production code of 003 (002 airs in a few weeks), which often happens when the network wants an episode of higher quality to air right after the pilot.
 

Kevin

Member
It was better in that the humor felt far less forced and it more or less maintained the same tone throughout, which was a serious problem in the pilot. On the other hand, the story was bargain-bin sci-fi, ripped from several different sources and not enough of interest was done with the concept.

This episode also has a production code of 003 (002 airs in a few weeks), which often happens when the network wants an episode of higher quality to air right after the pilot.

So they are airing this out of order? Damn it why does Fox keep doing this with scripted shows? It's lunacy!
 
Idk I like it, it's got charm and it's ernest in how much Seth clearly loves Trek. The pilot did well didn't it? I could see this having legs and ironing out the issues as it goes. People are desperate for more serious but not "DARK DARK DARK" Sci Fi and with how well the general public is receiving it I think it and Discovery can both live and thrive.

It's not without potential, I like it.
 

Kevin

Member
Idk I like it, it's got charm and it's ernest in how much Seth clearly loves Trek. The pilot did well didn't it? I could see this having legs and ironing out the issues as it goes. People are desperate for more serious but not "DARK DARK DARK" Sci Fi and with how well the general public is receiving it I think it and Discovery can both live and thrive.

It's not without potential, I like it.

I feel like this is a show that could get really good either later in the season or a season two if it survives long enough. It's a lot fun. Perfect it is not, the humor and pacing can sometimes be off but I'm having fun and that counts for something. Star Trek Discovery is the one I'm most excited for but it seems the internet has decided that the show sucks... even before a single episode or review drops. Another show I am greatly anticipating. I mean it's not like we have a lot of space shows on tv currently what with Dark Matter canceled. Killjoys will wrap up it's run with 20 more episodes and I fully expect The Expense to be canceled after season 3.
 
I feel like this is a show that could get really good either later in the season or a season two if it survives long enough. It's a lot fun. Perfect it is not, the humor and pacing can sometimes be off but I'm having fun and that counts for something. Star Trek Discovery is the one I'm most excited for but it seems the internet has decided that the show sucks... even before a single episode or review drops. Another show I am greatly anticipating. I mean it's not like we have a lot of space shows on tv currently what with Dark Matter canceled. Killjoys will wrap up it's run with 20 more episodes and I fully expect The Expense to be canceled after season 3.
Like I just want a show about explorers in space doing explorer stuff. And this gives me that.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
It was better in that the humor felt far less forced and it more or less maintained the same tone throughout, which was a serious problem in the pilot. On the other hand, the story was bargain-bin sci-fi, ripped from several different sources and not enough of interest was done with the concept.

This episode also has a production code of 003 (002 airs in a few weeks), which often happens when the network wants an episode of higher quality to air right after the pilot.
I wouldn't say higher quality, more an episode that will help attract an audience.
 

Game Guru

Member
This episode was fun enough... Better than the pilot, at least. So far, it's been good enough for me to keep watching it despite it being from Seth MacFarlane.
 
This episode was 'People Are Alike All Over' from the Twilight Zone. When they woke up in the apartment, I audibly said, "Please don't be a zoo."

Ugh...
 

gforguava

Member
I am still endlessly fascinated by this. I wouldn't necessarily call it worthwhile yet, the tone is still off and the humor still feels so out of place and that is when there is humor, I clocked a good 20 minutes in the middle there where it was completely dramatic(which makes the humor's return jarring).

The one thing it really needs to work on is endearing us to the characters, as is the only one who has left any real impression is Alara and that only was because she got the spotlight here but everyone else is a bunch of nothing. Borus is a gag character, the pilot and navigator are both one dimensional, the robot is a robot, Ed is just kind of there, and Adrianne Palicki is endlessly watchable in anything, just seeing her laughing and flashing her megawatt smile while reminiscing on the couch was worth the time, but Kelly is just...I don't even know.

And speaking of that scene with Kelly and Ed reminiscing(best moment of the episode I would say), I think that that nicely shows what the show should be(and maybe is) aiming for, a certain casualness that puts ostensibly 'normal' people into a Star Trek like world. But that ends up clashing horribly with the style of humor on display, the two halves aren't meshing well, when the humor really kicks in(like with his parents on the view screen) it feels like the show stops and a comedy bit happens and then that ends and the actual shows starts again.

It is watchable though and I hope it sticks around to find its proper footing.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
So they are airing this out of order? Damn it why does Fox keep doing this with scripted shows? It's lunacy!


It's usually lunacy because network execs do love to kill things that might have succeeded by juggling, but occasionally it makes the difference between renewal and cancellation.
 
Ok, 15 minutes into the first episode and it's incredible how familiar everything feels. They've copied everything about the look of TNG and watching the show gives me a warm feeling of nostalgia. I know how much of a Trek fan McFarlane is and boy does it show here. Now I'm hoping that the show actually is a drama and McFarlane conned Fox into letting him make a straight-up Trek show disguised as a comedy.
 
^I'm convinced that's the case... and clearly while growing up he must have played make-believe captain all day. This is some serious wish fulfillment!

I don't know if the show quite works yet but I think it has some potential. They need some stronger sci-fi writers and concepts though.
 

DBT85

Member
Having seen ep2 (or 3), better than the pilot. Again though drop the daft comedy. Eating your staffs egg, cringe with the "parents" on the bridge viewscreen, elvis last words.

Just feels disjointed and not funny.

Really does have potential though.
 
I've really liked both episodes. This show isn't bad at all, and honestly Seth is a better actor than in a Million Ways to Die in the West so he is improving and has potential. The humour is stupid but self-aware, and quite a few jokes made me laugh.
 

mm04

Member
I liked the episode. The fact that they didn't try to free the entire zoo was both messed up and funny.
 

Ricker

Member
Recorded the end of the football game instead of this last night but its replaying this week right...? like the first one enough to keep watching(Adrianne Palicki) it... ;)
 

Apt101

Member
15 minutes into the first episode, and this thing is already very uneven. There really isn't any heart either.

Edit: and wow some of this dialog. How was it not edited out and/or not reshot?

Edit 2: having finished ep1, I'll keep watching. It got some laughs out of me, and I see potential. Uneven pilots/first episodes of TV shows aren't unheard of. And I like the cadence and goofy nature of MacFarlane comedies. But man, could go either way.
 
Having seen ep2 (or 3), better than the pilot. Again though drop the daft comedy. Eating your staffs egg, cringe with the "parents" on the bridge viewscreen, elvis last words.

Just feels disjointed and not funny.

Really does have potential though.

Some of the jokes are good though. The play on reality TV with the zoo and the Star Wars joke randomly tossed in were both pretty good. I think it's more an issue with pacing / structure.

Still way more enjoyable than the critics made it seem like it would be. Which is really all I wanted. A fun little sci fi
 
Some of the jokes are good though. The play on reality TV with the zoo and the Star Wars joke randomly tossed in were both pretty good. I think it's more an issue with pacing / structure.

Still way more enjoyable than the critics made it seem like it would be. Which is really all I wanted. A fun little sci fi

My exact take, gonna disagree with critical concensus on this one, cause I think it's charming.

The humor will get ironed out I believe, it takes a while for most sci-fi shows to find their footing in tone, characterization and pacing and all that. TNG's tone was all over the place in S1, but if Seth and the other writers can make the humor mesh better to where it's not plot STOP *joke* plot STOP *joke* I think this has some real potential.

Having looked up that the premier did great in it's target demo and the second episode did well I hope so this may get renewed sooner rather than later if it has legs.
 

DBT85

Member
Some of the jokes are good though. The play on reality TV with the zoo and the Star Wars joke randomly tossed in were both pretty good. I think it's more an issue with pacing / structure.

Still way more enjoyable than the critics made it seem like it would be. Which is really all I wanted. A fun little sci fi

I was fine with both of those to be fair. But it flowed, so didn't feel like a slap in the face. I was half expecting a cutaway a la Family Guy of the Doctor doing some Star Wars shit when she brought up Obi Wan though.

I can definitely see that the show can go somewhere so I'll give it some time, but I'm not in the camp of saying I'm enjoying it yet. There are bits, glimpses. Maybe its just a bit too casual for my liking? Not helped that I'm no real fan of Seth anyway.
 

Senteevs

Member
I was done after episode 2.
But, OK, because of all your comments, I'll give it another chance. Not getting my hopes up though.
 

Kadin

Member
Is there any official way to watch this second episode for free to someone who pays for shitty Comcast? Since football ran long I decided to record the 8PM PT showing but since I have a series recording set to only record new shows, it just flat out ignored it. And yeah, there's no free On-Demand apparently for this show.

edit: nvm found on fox.com
 

Apt101

Member
Is there any official way to watch this second episode for free to someone who pays for shitty Comcast? Since football ran long I decided to record the 8PM PT showing but since I have a series recording set to only record new shows, it just flat out ignored it. And yeah, there's no free On-Demand apparently for this show.

It's not on the ad supported Hulu?
 

Kadin

Member
It's not on the ad supported Hulu?
I probably should have spent like 5 minutes searching on Google before asking. It's on fox.com right now and I didn't even have to sign in with Comcast info, so I guess that's a thing. That works for me.
 

Sesuadra

Unconfirmed Member
Wife and I enjoy it and we did not expect it to be this decent-good.

Especially episode 2 got better. I think this show will get better with time. And the scene with the replicator was funny
 
I was fine with both of those to be fair. But it flowed, so didn't feel like a slap in the face. I was half expecting a cutaway a la Family Guy of the Doctor doing some Star Wars shit when she brought up Obi Wan though.

I can definitely see that the show can go somewhere so I'll give it some time, but I'm not in the camp of saying I'm enjoying it yet. There are bits, glimpses. Maybe its just a bit too casual for my liking? Not helped that I'm no real fan of Seth anyway.

Yeah I was surprised the Obi-Wan joke wasn't more blunt. The way it was quickly brushed aside by her "I don't know who that is comment" was perfect IMO.

It is a casual viewing, for sure. I'm not really looking for more though, honestly. If they can get pacing straight, a sci fi that doesn't take itself too seriously seems welcome.

I kinda think Seth being a divisive figure himself is a hurdle. Might be as large as the pacing. The first thread on this show was basically half full of people using critical reactions to justify their own preexisting biases. (not saying you here as you're actually viewing the material)


My exact take, gonna disagree with critical concensus on this one, cause I think it's charming.

The humor will get ironed out I believe, it takes a while for most sci-fi shows to find their footing in tone, characterization and pacing and all that. TNG's tone was all over the place in S1, but if Seth and the other writers can make the humor mesh better to where it's not plot STOP *joke* plot STOP *joke* I think this has some real potential.

Having looked up that the premier did great in it's target demo and the second episode did well I hope so this may get renewed sooner rather than later if it has legs.

I'm hoping it goes from fun / charming into actual good / awesome territory, but I think this will scratch a small itch I have just nicely as is.
 

DBT85

Member
Yeah I was surprised the Obi-Wan joke wasn't more blunt. The way it was quickly brushed aside by her "I don't know who that is comment" was perfect IMO.

It is a casual viewing, for sure. I'm not really looking for more though, honestly. If they can get pacing straight, a sci fi that doesn't take itself too seriously seems welcome.

I kinda think Seth being a divisive figure himself is a hurdle. Might be as large as the pacing. The first thread on this show was basically half full of people using critical reactions to justify their own preexisting biases. (not saying you here as you're actually viewing the material)
Forgive me I didn't mean casual as in, for casuals. I mean the crew are too casual for me. Getting weed from the replicator, general orders and stuff being a bit matey. It's like no command structure in history and takes me out of what it could be.

Right now I'm glad someone is spending money making more scifi, it's by far my favourite TV and it pains me when it's not cool any more and nobody makes anything for a few years.

I don't know that this show will ever skew toward what I'd like with Seth at the helm, he is quite clearly a Trek nut which is great thing for someone making this kind of show. It just feels a little like Trek for Family Guy fans who don't like Trek, with nods here and there for this of us that do.

I love me some stargate and farscape so not taking oneself too seriously definitely appeals when contrasted against Trek. This is just passing right out the other side too often right now.

As I said I'll keep going. I've watched all of TOS, TNG, VOY, DS9, ENT, BSG, Farscape and Stargate so I'll give him a fair crack.
 

sammex

Member
Are the Trek fans in here enjoying this cos it looks like Trek? I think the writing is terrible and the characters shallow one dimensional jokes. I watch some pretty average tv and this show is fine light entertainment if you want something you don't have to think about, but after the amount of scorn in the star trek discovery threads I thought the criticism in here would be fierce. Harry Kim had more personality than this crew.

I've watched the two episodes and it's such a rip off that it gives me that familiar feeling of tng/ds9/voy purely from a visual style but everything else is really lacking. Id love it to get better but it needs to decide what it wants to be. If it's a star trek comedy then the characters need to be more likeable and the jokes better. If it's a drama with some levity then the characters need to interesting. I'm not even sure if the cast is good enough to pull off serious.
 

MC Safety

Member
Still the best Trek Episode ever

Except for the 25 or so that are better, including the episode that inspired it.

This is a bright and cheery Star Trek, and I genuinely like the cast. I'll stop watching when the show becomes Family Guy in space, but for now, I'm in for weekly viewings.
 

Jackpot

Banned
Couldn't make it through the second ep after they went through that perfunctory "naive officer learns responsibilities of commands" arc. Watched it up until she walks into the mess hall and I could see every plot beat laid out in front of me, and I just could not be fucked to slog through it.

Maybe like The Cleveland Show it'll find its groove after a few seasons.
 

sarcastor

Member
if you ignore the bad jokes, its just another episode of STNG, so its okay. I just wish they either made it actual scifi or a parody of ST.

also it turns out Lt Kitan is strikingly beautiful

halston-sage-third-annual-kaleidoscope-ball-02.jpg
 
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