The Orville is back! It’s got a new home and a new name. Season 2 of Seth MacFarlane’s space exploration comedy aired in 2019. Then, while we knew we were getting a season 3, the years kept passing with little chatter about if it was still happening. Well now it’s back — and while I was nervous about whether the show would still have legs to carry it, I’m pleased to say it absolutely does!
The new season comes with a new title: The Orville: New Horizons. The series was released from Fox and is now a Hulu original series, which changes a few things but not much (we’ll get into that later). It also features one of Norm McDonald’s last performances before he passed, which makes this season especially bittersweet. Let’s get to the recap of the season 3 opener!
One thing I love about The Orville is they aren’t afraid to shy away from heavy hitting subject matter. This first episode is a perfect example of that. It opens in the middle of the war between the Kaylons and the Planetary Union. The imagery is intense and action packed. I first thought this was a flashback but it is soon revealed to be a nightmare that Marcus Finn is having.
As the episode continues we see Issac, the Kaylon engineering officer, finding that his presence aboard the Orville is becoming less and less welcome. Ever since the war the Kaylons are now their biggest threat, so having Issac on board has made people uneasy. This episode does a really good job exploring discrimination and what a certain group of people can go through after or during a war.
Issac has several run-ins with different crew members, including newcomer to the Orville, Ensign Charly Burke. She explains to Issac how frustrating it is that he can’t feel emotions as she and others on the ship are still grieving from the war with the Kaylons. Ensign Burke explains how she lost her best friend on a ship that the Kaylons destroyed and now she can’t stand him.
These conversations are important because, while we know Issac doesn’t feel anything, the audience really does feel bad for him. While Issac was talking with Ensign Burke someone went into Issacs lab and wrote murderer on some of his panels. We eventually discover that Marcus, Dr. Finn's oldest son wrote it.
Now this leads to one thing i thought was interesting, and that was the use of profanity in a scene where Marcus Finn says “I don’t give a S***!” This is the biggest difference we see with Hulu taking the helm. While the use of profanity isn’t needed in the series it does add just a little more emotion to scenes and it’s not overly used at all. Once Marcus is confronted about what he’s done he explains that he’s been having nightmares and that he blames Issac. He then tells Issac out of anger to kill himself.
(Trigger Warning)
The next scene we see Issac doing some minor upgrades to the ship and then he shuts down. It’s revealed that Issac has in fact committed suicide as there is no way the crew can revive him. This is the heavy subject matter that the Orville is known for. The episode continues to explore “grief” further and how loss affects different people in different ways. We see Dr. Finn find her youngest son Ty talking to a hologram of Issac.
She explains that using the holo-deck to see lost loved ones is dangerous and can be unhealthy. Upset, Ty leaves Dr. Finn alone in the holo-deck. She activates the holographic restaurant that her and Issac had their date at and begins to cry. A little bit later we see alt. LaMarr with Irillia (his new possible love interest) talking about how her people view suicide. This conversation leads Lt. LaMarr to figure out a way to revive Issac, but the only person on board capable of doing this is of course Ensign Burke, who declines. The Orville is then attacked by a Kaylon scout ship. After the ship narrowly escapes, it becomes apparent they need Issacs help and the captain orders Ensign Burke to report to engineering.
She refuses and is relieved of duty. We then cut to Ensign Burke in the mess hall where she has a chat with Marcus Finn. He asks her to help Issac, he explains that he told Issac to kill himself and while he hated Issac he never wanted to hurt him.
The next scene we see Ensign Burke reviving Issac. When he wakes up he asks Burke why she helped him she ignores his question and turns and says, “I didn’t do it for you.” Later Dr. Finn asks Issac why he did what he did. Issac explains that his presence on board was causing distress to those affected by the Kaylon war. So Issac felt that if he was gone the ship's crew could return to being as efficient as they once were. She asks Issac to talk to her before he does anything like that again. As I’ve said this episode is heavy hitting, especially to anyone who has lost someone to suicide or has had those thoughts.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide call the suicide prevention lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Services are Available 24/7
The Orville has really become one of my favorite series on television. I’ve always said that it’s a modern day Star Trek, and while I know Star Trek is still on, it’s got that Star Trek: The Next Generation feel. It’s funny and smart all at the same time. I’m glad it has returned and I’m excited to see what “New Horizons” we explore!
Catch new episodes of The Orville: New Horizons every Thursday on Hulu!