Martin Carr reviews the season one finale of The Orville…
Unlike most season finales The Orville asks you to work harder, pay attention and ask questions as it tackles some serious issues. Penned by show creator Seth MacFarlane, Mad Idolatry begins lightly enough by blindsiding you with comic character moments and romantic red herrings before seguing off elsewhere.
Using an intricate plot device to discuss evolutionary impact, religious doctrine and social constructs, ‘Mad Idolatry’ explores singular action and domino effects. MacFarlane examines ideas of misinformation, Chinese whispers and political fearmongering alongside belief systems in society. Interestingly this may sound like turgid and intellectually demanding, but comes across as entertaining, engaging and importantly character driven.
Moments of humour punctuate the more challenging scenes and tone is maintained without feeling preachy or resorting to cliché. Isaac gets perhaps his most important moment thus far, in a series which prefers understatement to condescension or spoon-feeding. Aside from the romantic interlude MacFarlane lets his writing do the talking, pointing out certain hypocrisies inherent to the human condition without being heavy-handed.
Touching on a culture at various stages of development he is able to reference, question and suggest opinions concerning belief without causing offence. References to the Salem witch trials are also ferreted away, while televangelism, holy wars and immigration issues come under scrutiny. Ultimately though ‘Mad Idolatry’ demonstrates that television shows can be used to educate, illustrate and create debate beyond those final credits.
What Seth MacFarlane has created with The Orville is a means to air his ideas on topics others might not wish to tackle. However in order to do that he has given us a collection of characters which you can care about. It remains the oldest sleight of hand trick in entertainment, that you can do anything with the right hand if people are watching your left. By employing this technique and cloaking his intentions beneath a shroud of colourful characters The Orville has proven the perfect vehicle.
Finales rarely feel like a continuation and are often defined by resolution followed by cliffhangers. The Orville however remains refreshingly self-contained, socially relevant and logically optimistic throughout. What we have here is a welcome exception to the rule fulfilling that requisite entertainment quota whilst also asking that people think. In an industry where formula is king The Orville provides a welcome digression from expectations.
Martin Carr
