The Orville: Ja'loga
December 31, 2018 1:27 PM - Season 2, Episode 1 - Subscribe
The Orville diverts course to the planet Moclus and the crew scrambles to find dates for the social event of the year.
Pining for Kelly, Mercer puts her weakness for Journey to good use. Alara tries dating outside of her comfort zone. John helps Gordon up his zipper game. Dr. Finn gets help from Issac in a very human predicament. New crew is introduced: the bartender Olix, a school teacher Cassius, and Janel Tyler, a dark matter cartographer. Bortus is relieved.
Pining for Kelly, Mercer puts her weakness for Journey to good use. Alara tries dating outside of her comfort zone. John helps Gordon up his zipper game. Dr. Finn gets help from Issac in a very human predicament. New crew is introduced: the bartender Olix, a school teacher Cassius, and Janel Tyler, a dark matter cartographer. Bortus is relieved.
I like Cassius, I hope we see more of him.
I'm shipping Issac and Dr. Finn.
Alara is still my favorite character.
I wasn't a fan of the John/Gordon subplot. The zipper stuff was fine but the rest? kinda stereotype-y for me. You'd figure the club scene would have evloved a bit in the future, wouldn't you? also stereotypes about black guys being "playas".
Maybe you have no "game" because you're a shallow human being?
posted by some loser at 1:35 PM on December 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm shipping Issac and Dr. Finn.
Alara is still my favorite character.
I wasn't a fan of the John/Gordon subplot. The zipper stuff was fine but the rest? kinda stereotype-y for me. You'd figure the club scene would have evloved a bit in the future, wouldn't you? also stereotypes about black guys being "playas".
Maybe you have no "game" because you're a shallow human being?
posted by some loser at 1:35 PM on December 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
I thought this was a horrible episode. I try to give Seth Macfarlane (writer) the benefit of the doubt, but all of the plots fell flat for me. The only way to rebel as a teenager in the future is by drinking and changing your report card? Kelly is dating the schoolteacher who needs Mercer's help to successfully date her? Bortus needs a Klingon peeing ceremony? Really, I thought the entire episode existed only to give Mercer a new love interest. Painful to watch.
posted by wittgenstein at 1:43 PM on December 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by wittgenstein at 1:43 PM on December 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
I agree, they should have replicated freebase cocaine and hookers instead of vodka. But I guess it's supposed to be a PG show so they went with vodka and changing your report card.
posted by some loser at 2:43 PM on December 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by some loser at 2:43 PM on December 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Damn, this show is dopey. And god damn but do I want to punch Seth Macfarlane in his stupid face. I figured it out finally, it's the teeth. Those perfect stupid teeth in his dopey shit eating grin. Ugh! But I grudgingly give him credit that he's learned to act competently and the show that he has created hangs together.
Weird start to a season though. All about people failing at dating? No action or scifi story outside the ship? Kinda weird. I liked the dumbness of the gag about Bortus needing to pee. Amok Time is one of my favorite ST:TOS episodes ever and this was a nice homage. They could have done a lot more with that if they wanted to, at least one battle scene. Maybe with "Time Goes By" replacing the classic Vulcan battle music. But I think they cut the A plot short so we could see another scene with Cassius being smarmy.
Dark matter cartographer? Lol. More like Krill spy. I guess they'll let it cook three or four episodes before they pull the trigger. If this season turns into the Romantic Misadventures of Seth Macfarlane I may have to escalate from face-punching to ball-kicking. Kelly deserves better.
posted by Nelson at 10:34 AM on January 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
Weird start to a season though. All about people failing at dating? No action or scifi story outside the ship? Kinda weird. I liked the dumbness of the gag about Bortus needing to pee. Amok Time is one of my favorite ST:TOS episodes ever and this was a nice homage. They could have done a lot more with that if they wanted to, at least one battle scene. Maybe with "Time Goes By" replacing the classic Vulcan battle music. But I think they cut the A plot short so we could see another scene with Cassius being smarmy.
Dark matter cartographer? Lol. More like Krill spy. I guess they'll let it cook three or four episodes before they pull the trigger. If this season turns into the Romantic Misadventures of Seth Macfarlane I may have to escalate from face-punching to ball-kicking. Kelly deserves better.
posted by Nelson at 10:34 AM on January 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
I was kind of hoping that the new cartographer would hit on Alara, but I guess they're saving Alara's romance for later in the season.
posted by Mogur at 11:17 AM on January 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by Mogur at 11:17 AM on January 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
I was really hoping Bortus's urination would manifest as a fantastical multi-stream sprinkler, like a Bellagio fountain show.
I was pretty dismayed at the lack of any kind of science fiction plotline in this episode. Relationship drama is not why I watch this show.
I love Klyden, but I also love Fred Johnson, and I feel like The Orville is just giving Chad Coleman crumbs and preventing him from being a bigger part of The Expanse.
I really like the supporting cast. Halston Sage is always so fully present in every scene she's in, and she manages to create moments with other characters even when she's not speaking.
I would totally wear Gordon's zipper jacket.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 1:40 PM on January 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
I was pretty dismayed at the lack of any kind of science fiction plotline in this episode. Relationship drama is not why I watch this show.
I love Klyden, but I also love Fred Johnson, and I feel like The Orville is just giving Chad Coleman crumbs and preventing him from being a bigger part of The Expanse.
I really like the supporting cast. Halston Sage is always so fully present in every scene she's in, and she manages to create moments with other characters even when she's not speaking.
I would totally wear Gordon's zipper jacket.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 1:40 PM on January 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
Ugh. I had sort of hoped they'd left the relationship drama behind last season and yet whammo, let's start the first episode of the second season with it. Repeatedly! The only bit I sorta liked was the Dr. Finn / Isaac arc, even if it was a bit predictable. (Ok, and Gordon going _zoop_ right around his attempted date at the end was sorta fun, but very MacFarlane-y.)
And yeah, at the end of the day I was sort of disappointed with the ja'loja? I mean, I'm glad that Seth didn't turn it into a family guy spectacle, but I expected more than a shout to the gods.
posted by Kyol at 7:55 AM on January 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
And yeah, at the end of the day I was sort of disappointed with the ja'loja? I mean, I'm glad that Seth didn't turn it into a family guy spectacle, but I expected more than a shout to the gods.
posted by Kyol at 7:55 AM on January 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
Two of the plots were pretty bad. The pick up line stuff where he was applauding the 'I'm dying' approach was bad, but those characters are always pretty cringe-worthy. They're half a step above Yaphit in that regard. That's why Mercer stuff was worse for me.
Cassius: Using a shuttle to stalk you ex isn't cool man.
Mercer: Everyone stalks their ex. You're saying you haven't done that before?
Cassius: Welllllll . . .
Gross. I did like the Dr. Finn and Isaac plot though. They're both great and adorable characters that play well together. More please!
The "I miss you" text made me laugh pretty hard, but three plotlines about dudes being creepy was too much.
Note: My husband was in the kitchen during the pee ceremony and asked me what was happening. Because the setting and color palette were similar, I said it looked a little like that Lion King scene with Bortus standing on a rocky ledge and everyone gathered around.
"Below him?!?"
posted by Garm at 9:19 AM on January 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
Cassius: Using a shuttle to stalk you ex isn't cool man.
Mercer: Everyone stalks their ex. You're saying you haven't done that before?
Cassius: Welllllll . . .
Gross. I did like the Dr. Finn and Isaac plot though. They're both great and adorable characters that play well together. More please!
The "I miss you" text made me laugh pretty hard, but three plotlines about dudes being creepy was too much.
Note: My husband was in the kitchen during the pee ceremony and asked me what was happening. Because the setting and color palette were similar, I said it looked a little like that Lion King scene with Bortus standing on a rocky ledge and everyone gathered around.
"Below him?!?"
posted by Garm at 9:19 AM on January 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
Some bad plots, some good. I think they decided to get the relationship subplots all in order before jumping into the new season, with aliens and such. Alara, Dr Finn, Issac, and Bortus are the best characters on the show but I fear I am crushing on the new cartographer.
Seth is starting to grow on me. The first half of season one he was unbearable. But he had just enough moments in the second half (like banging Rob Lowe) that made him acceptable. The guy is a huge ST fan and he knows his limitations. I'm willing to see how this plays out.
posted by Ber at 11:07 AM on January 2, 2019
Seth is starting to grow on me. The first half of season one he was unbearable. But he had just enough moments in the second half (like banging Rob Lowe) that made him acceptable. The guy is a huge ST fan and he knows his limitations. I'm willing to see how this plays out.
posted by Ber at 11:07 AM on January 2, 2019
Yeah, I should note that my disappointment is that honestly the second half of the first season was pretty good and not quite so on-the-nose MacFarlane-y, even a few decent resolutions to the groan-worthy shit he started the season with. So this episode felt like a step back, and hopefully just a weirdly Fox'ed up running order thing rather than a return to original form.
posted by Kyol at 1:02 PM on January 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Kyol at 1:02 PM on January 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
Ugh. I had sort of hoped they'd left the relationship drama behind last season and yet whammo, let's start the first episode of the second season with it. Repeatedly!
A friend called this episode "Saved By The Bell in space", complete with a creepy stalkerZach Morris Ed Mercer.
posted by peeedro at 4:51 PM on January 2, 2019 [2 favorites]
A friend called this episode "Saved By The Bell in space", complete with a creepy stalker
posted by peeedro at 4:51 PM on January 2, 2019 [2 favorites]
I agree, they should have replicated freebase cocaine and hookers instead of vodka. But I guess it's supposed to be a PG show so they went with vodka and changing your report card.
When Kelly and Cassius find the kids with the vodka, they're in the holosuite. I've been wondering if there was a gag about them using a raunchy program that was edited out to save that joke for the next episode, which was originally scheduled to air much earlier.
posted by peeedro at 8:37 AM on January 4, 2019
When Kelly and Cassius find the kids with the vodka, they're in the holosuite. I've been wondering if there was a gag about them using a raunchy program that was edited out to save that joke for the next episode, which was originally scheduled to air much earlier.
posted by peeedro at 8:37 AM on January 4, 2019
whoo boy.
"every single man in the galaxy is a sociopath"
man, this show is terrible. I felt like maybe I didn't give it a fair shake after spinning through episode after episode of manbaby bullshit in s01. Starting this, I was like, huh, Andre Boormanis, hmmmkay sure maybe this was a good call and then my optimistic musings screeched to a halt at the dread words Brannon Braga.
And here we are. Manbabies, nothing but terrible manbabies. I'll randomly sample at least one other episode this season but fuckin a, this is some terrible shit.
posted by mwhybark at 8:38 PM on February 11, 2019
"every single man in the galaxy is a sociopath"
man, this show is terrible. I felt like maybe I didn't give it a fair shake after spinning through episode after episode of manbaby bullshit in s01. Starting this, I was like, huh, Andre Boormanis, hmmmkay sure maybe this was a good call and then my optimistic musings screeched to a halt at the dread words Brannon Braga.
And here we are. Manbabies, nothing but terrible manbabies. I'll randomly sample at least one other episode this season but fuckin a, this is some terrible shit.
posted by mwhybark at 8:38 PM on February 11, 2019
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posted by peeedro at 1:28 PM on December 31, 2018