Review of 'The Orville' 2.10

Well, critics are waking up, after the two-part episode last week and the week before, about how good and important The Orville is. Will Harris of The Verge observed that "With the two-part episode 'Identity,' The Orville has matured into serious science fiction." I actually thought the series was born serious science fiction—that is, in its very first episode—but, hey, welcome to the club.

Episode 2.10 was another excellent example. Friendship, revenge, and the difficulty of enemies stepping back from war were all well explored. Spoiler alert: Let's just say that Ed did better with the Krill last night than Trump did with Kim last week.

And there are lots of good feints and twists as loyalties and savvy were continually tested. But my favorite part of this episode was a genuine piece of science fiction I don't think I've come across before. The secret weapon is blood in a humanoid species which explodes when it comes into contact with our kind of atmosphere. On their home planet, there's something in the air which prevents this from happening. Needle marks turn out to be not injections but withdrawals of blood to make a powerful explosive weapon. That's what I call a nice, neat classic little package of science fiction.

The strong narrative continuity which typifies The Orville also continued in fine form. A possible peace with the Krill follows perfectly from the alliance of humans and Krill at the end of last week's episode. And in that same subplot, it was good to see Isaac where he belongs on the helm of The Orville, and Yaphit getting a medal for his oozy heroism last week.

Next week's an Orville vacation. I'll see you back here in two.