The Orville - 3.04: Gently Falling Rain

[ctg]

The Orville crew leads a Union delegation to sing a peace treaty with the Krill

 

[REBerg]

Holy politics!
I realize that showrunners are sometimes overpowered by a need to be topical, but I don't think they consider how much they will fan the flames on seemingly unsolvable issues.
I want to be entertained, not incensed. I've got 24-hour news networks for that.
That said, I wonder if Ed's daughter will be making appearances in future episodes.

 

[ctg]

This is the one Seth claimed to be the big one ... or at least bigger in the scope than the last one. Well, I can say it most certainly is in as the episode starts from a speech, an epic accusation that's changing the whole culture. One that I'd expect to read in the books, but not to see in the series, as the execution of those are more than difficult to do.

It is a bold move, but it needs the audience to be somewhat familiar with the fabrics to get the impact of the story and the speech. This one did it from the beginning and therefore inflaming the conflict between the Union and the Krill. I know Seth wrote this while ago, and most probably trying to reflect a certain blond president in his feverish moments spilling propaganda, but it also fits right in the middle of the today. To this time of conflict.

It is kind of corny that we'll find our side of the story, well ambassadors, listening to an alien kid singing a Broadway musical. It feels so peaceful, so humane and very American as on Earth everyone can prosper. The Union idea isn't conquering the galaxy, but to expand it through peaceful means ... if that's probable. But still, the Krill delegation weren't exactly thrilled about the show.

I loved that the Krill kept reflecting their own culture, which isn't far from some of our own ones. But even though theirs is mostly a theoractian one, their model is reflecting norms that are somewhat frowned upon in ours. In our eyes, it is as if the Krill is kind of evil, even though their whole culture works behind it. And through their model, they reached the space age, and the interstellar level of diplomacy that led them to the Broadway and the treaty details.

To them, allying with the Union against the Kaylon threat was a solution to an "existential" crisis. It's just I felt so strongly that they should have done the signing of things in the interstellar space, instead in the Krill capital, due to the political play. Why the diplomats cannot smell a danger?

That is such a cool look. I really like that moustache. But it was the arrival of the diplomats that made remember similar scenes from B5 and NG/DS9. For some reason, Star Wars never utilized those ones, even though they're somewhat crucial for the high-level political story telling

--

got visitors, so I'm going to finish this one later.

 

[Dave]

I haven't seen this yet but was

to sing a peace treaty

a typo?

Or, is that photo of some John Lennon tribute band?

 

[ctg]

I haven't seen this yet but was

a typo?

Or, is that photo of some John Lennon tribute band?

No, a real thing, a peace treaty between the Krill and the Union.

 

[Dave]

So, it is a peace treaty that is entirely sung to each other, rather than signed?

 

[ctg]

So, it is a peace treaty that is entirely sung to each other, rather than signed?

Haven't got to that bit, yet. But they used the word "signing" in the dialogue.

 

[ctg]

I'm getting too tipsy, so I'll finish the post tomorrow.

 

[Dave]

I can now confirm that there was no singing of treaties in this; no "Give Peace a Chance," only "Tomorrow" from Annie at the start. That was an amusing joke about the Sun coming out.

I thought this, rather than last week, would qualify for the best Orville episode. This is no longer a comedy spoof show. Just read through the credits of the actors, writers, advisor and consultants who work on this show. They all have very long science fiction TV credits.

Again, excellent musical themes and top cgi.

Okay, it was obvious that they were not going to be signing any treaty today, and maybe they shouldn't have gone until after the election results, but It went off in a direction I had never expected. It did become very political.

Holy politics!
I realize that showrunners are sometimes overpowered by a need to be topical, but I don't think they consider how much they will fan the flames on seemingly unsolvable issues.
I want to be entertained, not incensed. I've got 24-hour news networks for that.
That said, I wonder if Ed's daughter will be making appearances in future episodes.

I think you were just referring to the nationalism, but there was much more that connected since you wrote that too. Seth MacFarlane doesn't pull his punches when he gets political.

I can't believe that it was any more than coincidence that it got shown today, given the news breaking from the USA today. We obviously don't discuss that here, but I just can't see how it could have been arranged to be so topical today on purpose. It has to be a coincidence.

I'm not sure whether everyone who died in the battle was worth it, just to rescue, the president, Ed and the other top brass? It should avoid an all out war between the Krill and the Union though.

I'm certain that we will see Ed's daughter again.

That is such a cool look. I really like that moustache.

I'm actually finding the Issac joke a little tedious now. He has one joke. How many times can you say the same joke? Still, I guess that his line:

This town will not accommodate the numerical totality of our combined mass.

was more amusing than most.

 

[REBerg]

I can't believe that it was any more than coincidence that it got shown today, given the news breaking from the USA today. We obviously don't discuss that here, but I just can't see how it could have been arranged to be so topical today on purpose. It has to be a coincidence.

A coincidence or an extremely lucky guess.

'm not sure whether everyone who died in the battle was worth it, just to rescue, the president, Ed and the other top brass?

Not even when that president was John J. Sheridan?

 

[REBerg]

That is such a cool look. I really like that moustache.

"This town will not accommodate the numerical totality of our combined mass."

Too bad the scene was cut so short.

 

[AE35Unit]

Once again another brilliant episode!

 

[ctg]

I'm actually finding the Issac joke a little tedious now. He has one joke. How many times can you say the same joke?

I think it's his Ai, trying again as a computer would, to be a bit more human. It's just he's the only one who can really wear that dome Stetson and look good while doing it. I know they put a dent on it, but it's still the same thing.

If John Scalzi's Three Robots would do the same, you wouldn't blink an eye on it.

So let's carry on with the review.

--

Red shirts ready to die, for honour and duty. President Mercer said, "I appreciate it, but there's no need..." Maybe he was foreshadowing another red shirt wipe out. At least the admiral had enough of balls to show the opposition spewing her ideologue to the followers.

Going into the Krill space, and having that sort of news, and you can only assume that there's going to be a conflict, no happy things at the signing ceremony. But the thing is, she was talking about the politics, their culture, and their beliefs.

In the captain's shoes, I'd have ordered the engineering to find more speed and the security to hold out escort and boarding drills, just to be certain that every red shirt is going to make it. And I'd have objected going into the hell, because it's looking rather toasty in the capital planet.

What surprised me was him openly talking about information warfare, reflecting so very well what's happening today and in the recent past. It was so well crafted talk between the captain and the XO.

The delegation party. I find this shot so amusing. First of all, why they are standing? And secondly, why the Admiral is sitting in the co-pilot chair and not the captain? Does the admirals get their hands dirty, when they have drivers and other people to do that for that, because of the status. I think this is the only scene where I've seen a brass doing a low level task.

Krill capital city looks as cool from the air, as it looks on the ground. It's very scify and equally futuristic. In places it reminded me about ST's Romulans, and for some reason, the Blade Runner's San Francisco.

It didn't surprise me that on the ground that political situation changed, and the crew found themselves in the middle of the conflict zone. But I loved the space battle and the Krill showing being extreme nationalist. At least from our perspective.

"So silent," the Supreme Chancellor claimed. "Nothing to say, Captain?"

"Looks like you're an uptown girl now."

It surprised me that the conversation between the two were so... frankly honest, and direct to the point. If Mercer had not released the girl, the political situation would've been very different, and certainly not so tensile. It's just the Kaylon had handed asses to both parties, but the Supreme Chancellor only saw her side. Not the whole picture.

Mercer bleaded, "You might not want to have the treaty, but you do not want to start a war with the Union."

Chancellor sneered back at him, "I now command the full might of Krill. It is you who should be asking yourself, is the Union prepared for war with us?"

"There's an old Earth verse that describes a traveller," the captain answered. "Who comes upon the ancient ruined statue of an Emperor, which has an inscription of: 'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings. Look upon my works, ye mighty and despair!' Only there's nothing left beside it, except empty desert. Hubris has a way of coming back to bite you in the *ss."

Chancellor shrugged. "Our time in this real is finite, Captain, as you will soon learn. One can live it in a light of command, or in a darkness of servitude. I choose the way of Ozymandias." Touche.

Stupid does as stupid does.

The biggest surprise was with the after party as Mercer was taken forcibly to meetings and finally to meet his daughter. At first, I was like the captain with "what?" and then I laughed when I realized that the Chancellor Teleya was a scorned woman.

A hybrid. This went fast into the ufo territory, but also the caretakers were right as she also present a political bomb. A tool that could change many things. I also loved that starchild also proved to be smarter and better than the counterparts. And the fact that the caretakers were willing to put her out there, as some has prophesied on the starchilds, to be a key for the change. The big change.

Maybe the bigger surprise to me was that the Union showed up on the Krill space border with a proper armada to go in to do a hostile rescue op, if needed. That sight got me to tears as I felt so chuffed on the show of power.

Mercer's meeting with the Chancellor went as well as I expected. I liked that he put up the daddy face and weren't backing out from the topic. Not even when he was facing the death. A proper show of gunship diplomacy, both on the ground and in the space.

The strangest things was that back on Earth, the captain was feeling about the starchild the same way as many abductees tell the same story, of being able to see the wonder kid only once.

 

[REBerg]

Was a Spiderman film playing in Dalakos when Capt. Mercer was being escorted through the Krill capital?

 

[Dave]

It does look like it.

 

[ReiWolfsohn]

I love the conversation between Mercer and Teleya. It really fleshes out how susceptible Mercer is. It also highlighted how ridiculous Teleya’s politics are.

I appreciate how futuristic their city is but I think it also shows the degradation of a society based on markets, as opposed to the utopia shown in the Union.

I thought the mixed race child was a novel idea and an interesting one. I also liked how she outshone her counterparts.

But it made total sense to me that the Union would start a battle and lose people over the risk of top officials. As utopian as the Union is, there’s still a hierarchy of value of people’s lives. It’s unavoidable in human nature. But it’s better than Krill’s hierarchy.

I see what you mean about Blade Runner’s San Francisco. Also Minority Report.

My problem is with the stupidity of the Union. If they knew there was a risk Teleya might win, why risk the lives of top officials in a treaty signing on Krill? Why not wait one day to see how the election turned out?