A guest comes aboard the Orville with an unusual historical discovery, a time capsule from early 21st century Earth. Among its contents are a cigarette (setting Bortus and Klyden on a nasty nicotine addiction), and a smartphone (that soon causes another form of addiction). Intrigued by a video of the phone's long-dead owner, Malloy loads the device's data into the ship's environmental simulator to recreate and interact with her. What starts as fascination soon becomes infatuation, as Malloy falls in love with the simulation he's created.
This is not the first episode of The Orville to ditch the galactic stakes and focus on a simple romance -- we got that earlier this season with Dr. Finn and Isaac. But given that a robot was one half of that pair, science fiction was present in every single moment of that episode. This was a story about Malloy losing himself in the past, which in turn meant the episode was losing the genre trappings.
The Finn/Isaac episode also had the advantage of featuring Penny Johnson Jerald in a key role; I would say she and Adrianne Palicki are the two strongest performers on the show. (And admittedly, I say this mostly for the work I've seen them do on other TV series. The Orville, for its strengths and its sense of fun, doesn't often call for capital-A Acting.) Scott Grimes, the show's go-to comic relief player, is here given his second episode in a row playing against those expectations. And though he won't suddenly be winning awards for his work here, he does step up when given something meaty to do.
It helps that he gets a great scene partner in guest star Leighton Meester. I never watched Gossip Girl, though I do watch Single Parents -- so for me, this story featured two comedic performers being asked to play drama. She brought great charm and dimension to her character of Laura. It's never easy to come on a show and play the love interest that a regular character is drawn to in the span of 60 minutes minus commercials. I believed it here.
Addiction may have been the thread linking the two plots of the episode, but I really could have done without the Bortus/Klyden subplot. It was yet another in the long list of examples of Klyden Being Just The Worst. At least this episode, Bortus was being terrible too... but I'd rather have Klyden redeemed (or removed) than have Bortus dragged down to his level.
In that subplot's place, I think the episode might have benefited from a more sci-fi-based story. Perhaps I think this because of the ways in which this episode reminded me of Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Booby Trap," in which Geordi has a brief flirtation with a hologram. (That episode put the Enterprise in jeopardy for its B-plot.) Or perhaps I think this because I'm less invested in Malloy as a character than Dr. Finn (whose relationship with Isaac I felt could sustain a "no science problem" episode).
A last side note here. I feel I ought to mention that Star Trek: Voyager's Tim Russ was in the episode, continuing the use of Star Trek veterans both in front of and behind the camera of The Orville. But I feel all I can do is mention it; there wasn't enough to the role to really justify "wasting him" in the part.
Overall, I was entertained by the episode. I think its aspirations were good, and its heart in the right place. But I was less moved by the story than I was intrigued. (The most emotional scene, I thought, was Grayson consoling Malloy near the end. Like I said, Adrianne Palicki is one of the strongest actors on the show.) I'd give "Lasting Impressions" a B.
No comments:
Post a Comment