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chuckmarble
Reviews
The Orville: Domino (2022)
A Master Class in Television Science Fiction
I'll try to do this review in a way that conveys how brilliant this episode is without giving too much away. Seth MacFarlane and his amazing Team have created what I believe will be forever remembered as one of the greatest single episodes in the history of Science Fiction television! In my opinion, The Orville's Domino stands along side the best installments of Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, et al. Even the opening strains of the orchestra brilliantly convey the riveting story that follows.
It is so amazing on so many levels: Writing, acting, directing, pacing, VFX, camerawork, score, foley-work, editing, physical sets, makeup, lighting, sound-design, etc., this episode has it all. It's literally a Master Class unto itself (I'd give it an 11 if I could). I was having as much 'edge-of-my-seat' fun as I did decades ago when watching Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope as a teen in the theater on opening week. I doubt I'll sleep for hours (if at all tonight)! In fact, I'm going to watch it again after writing this review. Everything about this episode got my adrenaline pumping. If Seth could figure out how to put that level of brain-engaging excitement in a bottle on convenience store shelves, he'd make (yet another) fortune!
Domino combines so many of the greatest elements the best science fiction ever presented on the screen (television or film). From the realistic pacing, interpersonal interactions and believable slice-of-life moments, to the moral dilemmas presented, to the political intrigue, technology, military strategies, air and space battles and multiple/ongoing twists and turns, it is exhilarating. And wow, IMO the knock-down drag-out fight scene between two of the ensemble cast's female characters is far more believable than so many other current attempts to depict "strong female characters". In fact, it was reminiscent of the best classic male mano-a-mano fight scenes depicted in television and film. No weapons, no superpowers, just dogged determination from two characters who passionately believe in their opposing causes.
Speaking of the state of modern science fiction: To me, many sci-fi properties today suffer from a lack of believability. I find today's Mystery Box style of storytelling to be unfulfilling (where the writers try to subvert expectations with plot elements that, under scrutiny, range from the unlikely to the absurd). I also find that many science fiction shows today try to engage the viewers feelings, without providing adequate or believable reasons for the emotions they try to evoke. Not here! In this episode, in spite of the many complexities involved, everything happens for a reason, the reactions to the situations are totally believable and it all makes sense.
This is the kind of science fiction storytelling that I've loved all my life and yet (to me) is largely missing from today's science fiction storytellers, including the current versions of the very franchises that used to be so good at it. In my opinion, The Orville's Domino is an outstanding example of high quality science-fiction storytelling. Ironic, since The Orville began as a semi-comedy homage to the once great science fiction of the past. "The circle is now complete" (the learner is now the master)!
The Orville (2017)
Season Three (The Orville: New Horizons) ROCKS!!!
Science-fiction has been my favorite genre since I was a kid. I grew-up with classic Star Trek and it really meant a lot to me. That said, I liked The Orville from the beginning (when it was kind-of a Star Trek: The Next Generations comedy/parody show). But it seemed they were trying to find their own direction in season one. I really appreciated how the creatives actually listened to fan feedback and made changes (a rarity these days). IMO, by mid-season one, it was telling some great SciFi stories mixed with a lot of Seth-style humor that -- at times -- still seemed a tad forced. By the end of S1, I would have given it a 7 of 10.
Then came season two, which I felt had an even stronger science-fiction emphasis, yet still had a lot of humor which seemed less forced and more organic to the stories. I would have given S2 a solid 8 of 10. But WOW, season three (now known as The Orville: New Horizons) has really "grown the beard"!
The production quality is steller (pun intended). The phenomenal visuals in each episode are now full-blown major motion picture quality (to me, it's the best production quality of ANY science-fiction television series to date). While I love that, it's the writing and storytelling that really impresses me in season three! Yes, the first episode was pretty dark, but it was not only necessary (to tie into -- and show the aftermath of -- the more serious episodes from S2) but I also felt it was very realistic and believable. And it's "believability" that I find to be sorely missing in most of today's science-fiction. I loved it.
Then came S3 / E2, which really felt like a modern version of what I liked so much about Star Trek The Next Generation. The stories, characters and plot elements in The Orville: New Horizons all tie together well, without any of the absurd "mystery box" storytelling and soap-opera style that is so prominent in most science-fiction these days. I'm really looking forward to seeing E3 tonight. So if you haven't seen season three yet, if you loved classic Star Trek, and if you're as disappointed as I am with the current live-action CBS Star Trek shows, you should give The Orville: New Horizons a try.
As a life-long fan of high-quality, hard science-fiction, I can safely say that The Orville: New Horizons truly ROCKS!!! I give it a 10 of 10 (and I'm really picky)! It's awesome to finally have a high quality science-fiction series again. Thank you to Seth and everyone involved.