Martin Carr reviews the fourth episode of The Orville season 2…
If your down and dirty playlist does not include Billy Joel then best you steer clear of The Orville this week. Aside from touchstone movie moments, Krill kidnappings and mock torture MacFarlane has delivered us an old fashioned rom-com. Tolerance, acceptance and understanding might be at the forefront of his narrative arc, but Billy Joel is not only the perfect companion but proves that The Orville remains cut from its own unique cloth.
Some weeks you get the impression that MacFarlane is indulging his inner fanboy by touching on inter-species coupling and cultural diversity whilst slipping in the occasional show tune. Thankfully in the main he tempers this urge to break from convention by using others as distractions. However his decision to turn in a rom-com with splashes of torture, mild planet hooping and cultural bonding does unset tone a touch this week. Primarily because the plot twist which harks back to season one resonates very strongly, whilst simultaneously clashing with those tender romantic notions.
However as the relationship develops between Mercer and Teleya that make-up which hides this striking actress metaphorically disappears, simply leaving two people with a connection. As a means to counterpoint that payoff using Gordon Mallory and his need for acknowledgement is comparatively weak. Scott Grimes works hard with the material given but that other story line, revelation and character progression trumps him throughout. There are as ever moments of wry comedy supplied in the main by Patrick Warburton, but these are fleeting and never detract from any drama.
Within ten minutes of the forty eight it is evident what MacFarlane is going for and he gets there pretty much unscathed. Mixing romantic elements successfully into a series which demands dramatic friction was always going to be problematic, meaning that a perfect balance between them is almost impossible. Yet with some clever little touches and a whole load of Billy Joel we have yet another enjoyable instalment. And one more thing anyone who is not disarmed by the sucker punch song choice in those closing minutes might have missed a meeting.
Martin Carr
