Category Archives: The Orville

Bureau’s Breakroom’s Television Table – Week beginning 21 April 2019

Another busy week as we rush headlong into the ending of the regular broadcast seasons.  The American Gods give us some Mad Sweeney backstory.  We get a calm evening at Winterfell on Game of Thrones.  In the Decidedly Comprehensive corner, Supergirl reads Dostoevsky’s first great novel, Arrow focuses on Diggle, the Legends send unsolicited emojis, the Flash brings back their winter villains, and Doom Patrol lets Cyborg perform an upgrade.  In Riverdale, the Easter themed little sister is still missing, and on Cloak and Dagger, Tyrone rolls up a new character sheet.  Orville has to deal with the fallout from last week’s temporal shenanigans.  For fans of slightly less genre specific shows, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is scheduled to make a return, and Cobra Kai kicks off season 2 this week, also!

[All synopses (and titles) from Trakt.tv or IMDB below the cut, except when there really aren’t any.  (If a show’s synopsis is a spoiler to you, do not click More…)]

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Bureau’s Breakroom’s Television Table – Week beginning 14 April 2019

This week, we return with a new post title with 20% more DC and 100% more dragons!  I didn’t even know Doom Patrol had started, and we are already 10 episodes in, but they will also appear here along side the warring armies of Westeros.  Out homegrown deities explore what happened to one of the more popular in the pantheon, the hammer wielding Donar.  Except for Supergirl, the other Disguised Champions are back on patrol alongside their doomed streaming exclusive friends.   Arrow’s Laurel redemptive arc hits a rocky patch, Mona reads some classic literature, and Flash gives us answers on Nora’s motivations.  The junkies in Riverdale find themselves deeper into the clutches of a cult.  Marvel gives us Cloak fighting his past while Dagger fights a sex trafficking ring.  The Orvile’s description seems like we get our classic time loop episode.  My most biggest anticipation this week however is watching Star Trek: Discovery boldly goes into its season finale.

[All synopses (and titles) from Trakt.tv or IMDB below the cut, except when there really aren’t any.  (If a show’s synopsis is a spoiler to you, do not click More…)]

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The Orville – S02E0809 – Identity

Seth MacFarlane made it big with Family Guy, a not-so-family-friendly animated comedy show, but he also worked to bring Cosmos’ revival to air and is a big fan of Star Trek.  While I can’t back up this claim, it seems as though he asked to make a new Star Trek show (before Discovery took off) and was rebuked for being the crude comedy guy.  His show had a lot of what we love about Star Trek, but he couldn’t sell it without cashing in on his crude comedy background, and as a result, we have The Orville, a clear rip off on Star Trek, but with what my wife describes as Frat Boy comedy overlaying everything.

Despite this, the show tackles serious social issues, such as the expectations of gender, social media and trial by public opinion, and porn addiction.  In the same way classic Star Trek uses strange new worlds to sign a spotlight on our own world’s problems, The Orville does the same thing within a coating of low brow comedy.

…until now.  In Identity, The Orville drops the jokes and just tells a space-based sci-fi story.  I truly think they just want their off-beat comedy to be Continue reading →