I agree, the first 20 minutes of idiot Malloy were terrible. But yeah, with roughly 20 minutes to go, Malloy stops being an idiot and things get good. The second half of this episode is the best Orville to date. The first half, unfortunately, is still mediocre.

The tech is virtually identical to Star Trek: The Next Generation. So I’m not sure how it’s any more plausible.

The comedy is still the worst part of the show. I don’t think it should be ditched altogether, as the cold open was actually pretty funny. But the bumbling idiocy of Gordon trying to pass himself off as a Krill wasn’t funny so much as it was embarrassing.

They don’t have the McRib in California? No wonder I left there a decade ago.

Too early to tell either way.

I’m not hating it at all, and I agree. Encounter at Farpoint wasn’t terrible for a show that had to prove Star Trek could be relevant 20 years later while introducing half a dozen new characters and a god-being who would torment the Enterprise for the next seven-odd years. There is no possible excuse for the awful…

I hope to god you’re right. Because, while some people do enjoy music and literature from the past, they rarely bring it up in conversation unless they’re English, love theatre and play the harpsichord.

That opening bit with Seinfeld (actually 20+ years old now) was the worst. I thought the practical joke bit was gold though.

Oh god. “Open this can of pickles.” I’d pay Seth McFarlane $100 to never utter those words again.

Chump change, sure, but I ain’t rich.

Eh...I don’t know that I could ever imagine this show - at present - pulling off a character like Scorpius. I’m not sure I’d even want it to try. Farscape could be gritty and brutal. This isn’t that kind of show.

“And the original Star Trek outfits are better than any that followed.”

AGREED.

I have to disagree with you on the B-plot. The whole leg joke had me laughing out loud.

I agree with the rest, though. The last episode was a lot more enjoyable.

And yeah, the scene from Seinfeld...totally unnecessary. I actually rolled my eyes and facepalmed.

It’s still infinitely preferable to the comments section of basically every single post on FaceBook.

Yes, that ship was awesome. It totally made up for the tractor beam effect at the beginning, which was a lot less awesome.

Yeah, but the Orville was lost out in the middle of space somewhere. Not quite as dramatic as an incredibly expensive luxury liner in the middle of the ocean.

But you’re right. Titanic is totally overrated, and I never did care for that love story.

On the one hand, I’m really tired of the 20th and 21st century pop culture references. On the other hand, the prank Isaac pulled on Malloy was hilarious. Yaphit is a waste of computer-generated imagery, and I love the bit with LaMar drinking his soda pop. As for the rest of the episode, I’m not sure if I actually…

Eh. I find Family Guy juvenile, violent and absurd. There’s literally an episode where Chris teaches his grandfather how to masturbate. I don’t know if there’s any reality in the cosmos where that constitutes good television.

That’s actually my main beef with the show: the lack of ambition. However, I don’t expect a brand-new sci fi show to have a lot of ambition from the get-go, necessarily. Farscape didn’t really start finding its voice till near the end of the first season. TNG and DS9 didn’t start finding their voices till the middle…

Note: I haven’t actually had a chance to watch Discovery yet. I have to wait for my next paycheck to subscribe. But at least that means I’ll get to binge on four episodes at once!

P.S. I’m commenting, but I haven’t actually read the review yet.

The only Star Trek that really started off excellent right out of the gate was the original from the 60s. And Roddenberry didn’t have a choice. Star Trek had to be excellent from the get-go or there was no show.