The Orville (2×13) Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Review

For our review of the last episode of The Orville, click here.

Synopsis: A time distortion affects Ed and Kelly’s relationship. (IMDB)

This week’s episode had Captain Ed and Commander Kelly revisiting their past relationship with Ed wanting to give them another chance. Kelly was reluctant to such an idea because of both of their leadership positions aboard the Orville and the possible complications it could put them in with their crew. Coincidentally, Isaac and Lt. Lamar have discovered a form of technology by way of a strange crystal that centers around time travel but are unsure how to even use it. As the crew’s luck would have it, the ship travels through a space anomaly triggering the mysterious crystal’s abilities and bringing Commander Kelly from the past into the present.

As the crew attempts to understand what has just taken place, the current Kelly and the past Kelly take the opportunity to begin a dialogue with one another that changes how both Kelly’s see their future. While Isaac and John work on a way to send her back, Kelly starts to become more and more comfortable on the Orville and with Ed. With Ed realizing the gift that time has given him, he and past Kelly seek to begin a relationship with each other that is new and unique to past Kelly while allowing for Ed to have the second chance he’s always wanted.

In the end, time wins out as cracks begin to form between them given their age difference and Ed’s evolution into the man he is now based on the events of the past he’s lived through with current Kelly that has changed him. This is perfectly summed up with a group date in a simulator program designed for past Kelly and her love for the techno dance club while Ed and Gordon find it easier to sit and complain about the loud music. However, not all was bad as this scene treated the audience to Bortus and Klyden dancing furiously to the music that reminded them of a Moclan mating song on their home planet.

Eventually, Isaac and John work out the technology to send Kelly back to her current timeline with Dr. Finn assisting to wipe her knowledge of her time aboard the Orville. After current Kelly shares her goodbye and Ed apologizes for what he’s about to put her through in her timeline, Kelly returns to the day after her first date with Ed. The twist comes when past Ed calls her in the morning, as we find out he did earlier in the episode, and she ends things there instead of asking for a second date which now leaves the entire future up in the air for the crew as we know it.

The main aspect to be appreciated about this episode is that not only did The Orville tackle what seems to be a space staple – the episode dealing with time travel – but it managed to do so coming at it from a very different approach that felt familiar and yet still fresh in many ways. Anytime throughout the episode that questions arose about the implications of timelines manipulation or time travel logic, it nimbly was able to avoid them and continued to move forward in an entertaining way.

It knew the pitfalls of stopping long enough to attempt to wrestle with this form of unknown and instead of doing so it simply acknowledged that no one really knows and proceeded to give its interpretation of what it felt to be true. It took all of the questioning and guesswork out of time travel and allowed you to just enjoy the story for what it was. Ed deserves some small form of happiness after his encounter with the Krill switch-a-roo and he hopefully could have found it with past Kelly.

As weird as that would be, it would be easy to overlook the awkwardness that it would create for episodes to come but it thankfully did not occur. However, the implications could pose far greater consequences as we head into next week’s season two finale because of Kelly’s diversion from the natural order of her timeline and the ripple effect it will now have on her, Ed and many others.

As someone who craves closure, they must find a way to neatly wrap this story up by next week but history has painfully shown that while that might indeed happen you can believe that they will more than likely leave some loose ends for the third season.

Our hearts surely can’t take that if it leaves Ed and Kelly in strange places but we will just have to see. Either way, this episode was a fun set up for what will hopefully be a strong finish to an amazing season.

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