Electric Sheep

Okay I was trying really hard to like this episode but everyone else is right. This is not a great start for this season. While I understand what they're trying to do by making Isaac the pivot point, the Marcus and Charly characters are way over the top. To be honest, I get the inclusion of Claire's kids but every time I see them I just want to scream. I hate being "that guy" but if I treated my mother the way they do, I'd have been grounded for life and then some. Probably worse than that.

Introduction of both Charly and the Pterodon seems a bit gratuitous and forced. While I understand the "macguffin" needed with both of them, it just felt kinda uncomfortable.

Also, most of the humor seems to be missing from this episode. Guessing that was a conscious choice given the subject matter, but once again it feels a bit uncomfortable.

A very moving show, which I was not expecting.

After 3 years of missing this show, I was expecting some light-hearted, silly fun. And even though I am an advocate of our right to die, this show was surprisingly good at portraying the pain of losing someone you love.

Plus, CGI was impressive!

To come in with this as the first episode of a new season was a mistake for me. The episode felt like it dragged way too much and was just constantly padded by some very beautiful, but unnecessary CGI.

The script also felt clunky and the acting wooden. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come.

So, I've recently binged the first two seasons of the Orville, and probably enjoyed it more than I expected (being a MacFarlane fan, I figured there would be more Family Guy-esque humor, but it turned out to be a more serious, and rather politically pointed series than I expected). This season started with a dark tone, which is fine, but it's so scattered and busy, and the music is overwhelming. The storyline is fine, but it seems the personality of the main cast is scattered in this particular episode. Maybe it changes moving forward, but the Hulu version didn't hold my full attention out of the gate.

I was positively foaming of delight when I started to watch the episode. All the shiny new sfx and new locations are eye candy for sure, even Isaac had a nice new makeover. There were a few tense scenes and serious moments to boot, but fell way short in the humour department. I mean, I know this episode focused on a more mature and serious subject matter, but I missed the odd comedic encounters we got from the other seasons. Perhaps they're saving those moments for the other episodes? We shall have to wait and see.