For our review of the last episode of The Orville, click here.
Synopsis: The Orville makes First Contact; A new crew member joins the ship. (IMDB)
Writer: Seth MacFarlane
Director: Robert Duncan McNeill
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 44mins
Airs: Thursdays at 9pm on CityTV (Canada)/Fox (United States)
It seems as if The Orville has lost its footing as of late. This isn’t to say that the episodes have been necessarily poor or the jokes off but lately it seems as if there is an issue with wasted potential in their storylines in the past couple of episodes. “All the World is Birthday Cake” continues this trend but it does continue the show’s strong allegorical themes to modern-day problems that when done well, can be refreshing for a show that features such diverse characters.
This episode finds the crew discovering a communication from an undiscovered planet, Rigor II, and positions The Orville to make first contact. During the same time, Capt. Mercer begins to get to know his new Chief of Security Officer, Lt. Talla, who has replaced Lt. Alara.
Once on Rigor II, the crew exchange in a wonderful welcome with the new species and begin learning all they can from the planet’s people. Red flags begin to emerge as they discover that babies are forcefully being born prematurely in an effort too avoid them being born in a specific astrological month. Before this is realized, Kelly and Bortus, who’s birthdays are a week apart, declare to the Rigorians how ecstatic they are to have made first contact within their birthday week leading to their imprisonment.
Capt. Mercer and his crew struggle to find a resolution too their situation in order to free Kelly and Bortus, but eventually devise a plan that enables a remote satellite to reflect a nearby sun’s rays in order to trick the Rigorians into believing the start they once despised has now returned.
While the plot for “All the World is Birthday Cake” wasn’t the strongest, which is completely alright, the list potential is what hurt it the most. A major component that has been lacking in the last couple of episodes has been the show’s humor, which over the course of the first season has proven formidable and has offered a nice balance to the heavier episodes. Without this component, the last couple of episodes have skewed mainly towards more serious storylines containing less humor which is definitely a misstep by the show.
The Orville is most enjoyable when it attempts to use its platform to draw comparisons to modern issues but also enjoyed how it has creates very relatable workplace conflicts that are funny using a unique cast of characters. When the show is able to do this in tandem, it’s at its best. Here’s hoping it finds its center once more.
Score: 6/10
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