Martin Carr reviews the twelfth episode of The Orville season 2…
Ethical and moral quandaries are the lifeblood of this sci-fi soap opera with added topical relevance. Seth MacFarlane has been using The Orville as a sounding board slash soapbox since its inception and with notable success. With issues of gender equality front and centre plus an underlying touch of MeToo movement debate thrown in, Sanctuary aims for contentious but gets bogged down slightly.
Discussions around gender reassignment have already been broached with success within this series and had realistic ramifications, yet the step made in Sanctuary goes one further. This is more than a decision solely based around emancipation but ties into free choice across numerous levels. Featuring horror legend Tony Todd, Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham and Ted Danson there are a lot of cameos which add gravitas without feeling intrusive.
In terms of topics gender equality and race carry equal weight yet for the first time, as much as this feels thought through cohesive and interesting, there is something vaguely pedestrian occurring. Notions of a completely male populous who are culturally railroaded into maintaining the status quo, ties into oppression as experienced elsewhere. Bigotry and ignorance also link into the unspoken agenda under debate, which is where Sanctuary comes unstuck slightly as this causes a tonal imbalance throughout.
Their inclusion of Dolly Parton and a song which extols female empowerment may have good intentions but ultimately such a layered sub-text falls short. Set piece fire fights or high propulsion space battles feel superfluous alongside the heavier topics being examined, just as bringing this before a larger forum seems slightly melodramatic. Life lessons which are worked into the overall storyline also feel forced and a little too neatly tied together. Although this carries on an arc for a significant cast member the progression feels minimal, which is a shame as quality remains high elsewhere.
As we gear up for the final two episodes of this season there are questions left unanswered and a potential barnstorming finale heading our way. My only hope is that MacFarlane maintains a balance between topical relevance and thought provoking entertainment which has becomes The Orville’s hallmark.
Martin Carr
