Warning: This review contains spoilers for the episode of The Orville titled “Deflectors”

This week, we’re coming off a very high note for The Orville. Last week’s episode, “A Happy Refrain,” is quite possibly one of my favorite episodes, if not my favorite of the entire series. Season 2 has definitely set itself apart from the first season and I’ve been informed that as the season goes on it only gets better. So, let’s get on with it, shall we?

To recap last week’s episode, we got to see Isaac and Claire’s romance develop, with all of its ups and downs. We also got to see Bortus with a mustache and saw what Isaac would look like in human form. It was a solid episode, with lots of fun humor and cute moments. Let’s get into “Deflectors.”

Episode Spoilers Begin Here!

“Deflectors” begins with Kelly and Cassius in a simulator of what looks to be somewhere in 1945 after Japan’s surrender during WW2. They’re having a date at a café when Cassius mentions a trip they’ve had planned, that Kelly keeps dodging. Kelly says that they’re about to explore an uncharted region of space, and it just isn’t the right time for a vacation. Cassius counters that she has vacation time and hasn’t taken off in six months, so she should use the time she’s got and take a trip with him.

Cassius asks her if their relationship is okay and Kelly says that she doesn’t know. She asks Cassius what his goals are for the relationship and he is completely honest. He wants to grow with her and one day get married. This devolves into a heated discussion over Kelly thinking her job is more important than his after Kelly suggests that she has no intention to get married again, especially not with her job being so demanding.

Kelly breaks things off with Cassius, telling him that she has no desire to lead him on when they want different things. I had a feeling their relationship was a bit doomed from the beginning but it is bittersweet, I liked Cassius and he was good for Kelly. During their argument, Ed called in to tell Kelly that they were approaching Moclus, so Kelly goes to the bridge after breaking things off.

A Moclan shuttle arrives on the Orville, delivering an engineer that Moclus is loaning to help upgrade the Orville. Immediately something is off when the engineer shows himself and knows Bortus. Bortus doesn’t seem pleased to see Locar (the engineer) either. Talla is instructed to show him to Engineering, while Bortus says he’ll join them shortly.

Once they have a little privacy, Kelly asks Bortus how he knows Locar. Bortus explains that Locar is his ex-boyfriend, which makes me wonder something very specific. If divorce on Moclus is lethal, how do breakups go over there?  Next, we see John and Locar working on the upgrades. Once John goes to start his end of things, Bortus tells Locar that if everything is as he needs it to be, Bortus will have to return to work rather than supervise.

Locar tells Bortus that he hopes they have a chance to talk, but Bortus isn’t receptive. He leaves Talla with Locar and Talla strikes up a conversation with him. Locar is one of the most skilled Engineers on Moclus and as they talk, before Talla leaves to resume her duties, there is something interesting between them.

At dinner with Klyden and Topa, Klyden asks Bortus what he spoke with Locar about when he saw him earlier. Bortus explained that they only talked about work and Topa asks who Locar is. Bortus tries to be vague, but Klyden tells Topa the truth, citing that Bortus has no reason to hide anything from Topa or from Klyden himself.

It is clear that Klyden doesn’t believe Bortus when Bortus explains that things with Locar are over and that he didn’t talk to him about anything other than work. Before they can talk more in-depth about it, someone is at the door of their quarters. Bortus goes to answer it and finds Locar. Bortus asks what Locar wants and Klyden invites him in.

Honestly, let me just sidetrack for a minute here. I really don’t agree with Klyden’s parental style. I’m all for being honest with your kids about things. Kids see more than parents give them credit for. However, inviting someone from your husband’s past inside for dinner, when said husband has no desire to interact with said person, isn’t a good way of handling things.

Klyden introduces himself and offers for Locar to join them for dinner, despite Bortus’ protests. Klyden asks Locar if he has a mate and Locar says he doesn’t because his work demands a lot of his time. Locar tells Bortus that he hopes they can be friends, but it is clear that Bortus is furious. He has no desire to be friends with Locar and he’s not happy about this situation.

While the upgrade is in progress, Isaac asks Bortus why he and Locar broke up. Bortus answers that they were merely incompatible. Gordon then asks the question I wanted answered myself. He asks if breakups are as violent as Moclan divorce. Bortus explains that breakups require each Moclan to pull a tooth and leave said tooth with their former partner.

Moclans then give their former partner’s tooth to their next mate and their mate eats the tooth. I wasn’t expecting anything less weird from the Moclan culture, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. The Moclans then help the Orville test their newly strengthened deflectors, and we get a gorgeous sequence of Gordon flying the ship and evading Moclan fire.

I’m a sucker for good visual effects and The Orville doesn’t disappoint. There are some hiccups with the test, but overall, they discover that the upgrade was ultimately successful. Afterward, Ed visits Kelly in her quarters and initially asks for an update before seeing a cookie bouquet on Kelly’s desk. Kelly explains that Cassius sent it after she broke up with him.

Ed tries to lighten her spirits by saying that she dodged some awkwardness. As captain of the ship, if Kelly had gotten married, Ed would have been required to officiate the ceremony. Kelly responds that she’s just tired of people talking about her getting married. Talla and Bortus interrupt to give them an update. Locar and John are ready to finalize the upgrade, which will take approximately 48 hours.

Talla returns to her quarters to find Locar, who insists that they talk. She tells Locar that it is usually rude to show up at someone’s quarters uninvited, but Locar tells her that what he wants to say is private. He tells her that he is attracted to her, which is surprising since Moclans are a patriarchal species who forcibly ensure that all Moclans are male. They also don’t have a very high view of females from other races either.

Talla is just as confused as I am, but Locar explains that there are some Moclans who are drawn to females. It is a forbidden desire in Moclan society and if he was found out, Locar would be imprisoned forever. Talla asks if he has told anyone and Locar tells her that she is one of the few. He also explains that he has only told people that he believes share his feelings.

Her response is shock really and Locar mistakes it for rejection until Talla tells him that it is just a lot to take in. He bids her goodnight so that she can process what he has told her, and the scene shifts to Kelly and Ed. Kelly is complaining that Cassius is sending her messages by the hour. She and Ed talk about the situation and Ed does a surprisingly great job of letting her vent.

Also in the cafeteria is Gordon, John, and Isaac who are joined by Talla. They’re gossiping about the breakup and Gordon points out that there must be something seriously wrong with all of them since the most stable relationship on the Orville is Isaac’s relationship with Claire. Talla asks why Ed and Kelly don’t just get back together already. She points out that she hasn’t been on the Orville that long and even she can see how they feel about each other.

It is interesting because Talla sees things the way the audience does. We know how they feel about each other and honestly, I agree with her. Gordon points out that their relationship is very complicated and Talla responds with an insightful line. “The galaxy is full of so many unhappy people, why ignore something good?”

Talla then goes to see Locar in one of the conference rooms. She tells Locar that it must be hard, having to live on Moclus, feeling the way he feels. Locar explains that for a long time he didn’t have anyone to lean on. He tried to hide his heterosexuality from everyone, including himself. He also explains that his family doesn’t know, because if they did, their family would be ruined. Moclus would punish them for giving birth to someone like him.

Locar then asks if things are difficult for Talla as well, being a Xelayan serving in the military when Xelayans think so poorly of the military in general. Talla explains that for her, it is a little different. She is from a long family line of Xelayans who served in the military. Talla then asks Locar to come with her on a walk, in a simulated Earth where they won’t be seen.

However, someone sees them leave, which isn’t good for Locar. Talla takes Locar to the simulated version of New York City circa 1945. She shows Locar how to dance the way humans do and explains that she used to date a human a while ago. They kiss but are interrupted by Kelly calling Talla over the comms. Kelly asks Talla to come to her quarters because of “an issue.”

After Talla leaves, Klyden enters the simulator room and tells Locar “I know what you are” in a menacing tone. Talla finds Kelly in her quarters, dealing with a talking flower creature that was sent by Cassius to try and convince Kelly to take him back. I have to admit, the flower guy was well animated, and cute too.

Talla returns to the simulator to find Locar gone. She asks the location of him on the Orville and is told that he isn’t on the Orville at all but that there is no sign of a shuttle departure. Talla initiates playback of the simulator footage from the time she left and sees a distorted image confronting Locar, which we know is Klyden.

The simulator footage is corrupted so she can’t tell who the person is, however, she sees them vaporize Locar. Did Klyden really kill Locar? I mean, he tried to kill Bortus a la divorce, but…really? Regardless, the Orville crew and the Moclan emissary get together and discover that the murder weapon was simulated and somehow the simulator safety protocols were removed.

As they are getting the facts together, Talla confesses that Locar wanted to see her romantically, so she took him to the simulator. Things quickly get heated, as the Moclan commander accuses Talla of lying, and then accuses her of doing something to make Locar desire her. She then calls the Moclans exactly what they are, bigoted and closed-minded.

Ed sends Talla to his quarters. Then, he and Kelly tell her that she should have told them what was going on so they could have helped prevent any fallout or blowback. Ed considers putting someone else in charge of the murder investigation, but Talla refuses, saying that no one would get away with murder on her watch.

Talla then goes to see Bortus, who calls her selfish for encouraging “a dangerous impulse.” She responds by saying that she didn’t make him do anything and asks Bortus if he knew what Locar’s desires were. Bortus doesn’t respond favorably and Talla chastises him, telling him that she expected Bortus to be more evolved considering Topa was born female, and Bortus protested the gender re-assignment.

Meanwhile, Isaac and John manage to fix the simulator distortion and find that Klyden, or someone looking like Klyden, was the one to kill Locar. There’s still a good fifteen minutes left in the episode though, it seems too easy. In a holding cell, Klyden insists that he did not kill Locar. He explains that he followed Talla and Locar, and when Talla left, he told Locar that he wouldn’t be silent. He would tell Locar’s secret and prevent him from “debasing our way of life.”

After that, according to Klyden, he left the simulator and Locar was still alive. He insists that he had no intention of killing Locar, only turning him in to the authorities on Moclus. When Ed, Kelly, Bortus, and Talla compare notes, Talla reveals that Klyden had minor engineer training and could have distorted the simulator if he did his homework.

She goes on to point out that Klyden had means, motive, and opportunity. Kelly agrees, stating that Klyden has a history of violence on the ship. He is currently their only suspect, so until they know otherwise, they have to consider that he did it. Bortus asks for a word with Klyden alone and Bortus asks Klyden if he killed Locar. After Klyden’s refusal, Bortus points out that Locar disgusted Klyden because of his nature.

Bortus tells Klyden that he believes him and asks Klyden what he should tell Topa. Klyden says just to tell Topa that Klyden loves him. John and Gordon sit with Talla in the mess hall and ask her how she’s holding up. She tells them that she’s just glad she got to stay on the investigation. She also mentions that she can’t figure out anyone else on board with a motive. The only possibility is Klyden, but she doesn’t believe it is Klyden either.

John takes the time to mention that something has been bugging him. Fixing the distortion was easy and there were plenty of roadblocks that could have been present but weren’t there at all. This makes Talla start to wonder if someone wanted John to clear the distortion. Talla goes to tell Bortus what she found and apologizes for what she said to him before.

Bortus tells her that when he was younger, he served in the Moclan fleet. He and Locar met on the same ship, and the attraction was immediate. Bortus even thought he would be with Locar for the rest of his life. Their relationship ended because Bortus found out that Locar was interested in women. He never told anyone, but he ended their relationship.

He also tells Talla that on Moclus, suicide is an unforgivable crime, after which the entire family is exiled from Moclus. This leads Talla to an idea. Maybe Locar isn’t dead after all. Talla tells the crew that she thinks Locar found a way to fool the computer on the Orville into thinking he was dead. She thinks that the footage of Klyden killing Locar is a complete and total simulation.

She explains that Locar only saw one way out after knowing Klyden would tell the truth about him. She believes that he saw death (or suicide) as the only way out, except suicide would punish his family too. So, he wanted to fake his death in order to have a way out. Klyden was the perfect scapegoat, considering he was the one who wanted to tell the truth about Locar.

The security crew begins to search the Orville for Locar and Talla finds him on board one of the shuttles in the shuttle bay. He cloaked himself with a device and has been hiding on the shuttle since he faked his death. Locar asks her to leave him there cloaked and not turn him in. Talla explains that she can’t let Klyden take the fall, he is innocent.

Locar counters that Klyden’s heart is full of hate and cowardice; there is no innocence in him. She refuses to let an innocent man take the fall for a crime he didn’t commit and instead offers a solution. Locar could ask for Asylum aboard the Orville, but Locar refuses and says that he will return home and face his consequences.

Talla reaffirms that she cares about Locar, but Locar tells her that this will be on her conscience. It is a terrible end for him but it is sadly a realistic one. Countries imprison homosexuals to this day, some kill them outright. Even here there are transgender people who die every day because of bigotry and malice.

Kelly and Ed share a drink, and Ed comments that the more he learns about the Moclans, the more he learns that their differences cut straight to the core of their values. Kelly points out that the Union needs them, but Ed counters with a valid question. How long can an alliance with a culture like the Moclan culture last?

Cassius shows up, and Ed gives Kelly and Cassius some privacy to talk. Cassius asks Kelly if she is still in love with Ed and Kelly doesn’t exactly answer the question. She says that she’s always going to have love for Ed. She then clarifies, saying that answer is the only way she knows how to answer that question.

Cassius then tells her that he’s going to put in for a transfer to a different ship. They end things on good terms, but it is clear that Kelly is still a little rattled. Klyden finds Talla in one of the conference rooms and thanks her for clearing his name. Talla answers that she was just doing her job and it is clear she’s not happy.

Klyden tells her that he owes Talla a debt. She responds by saying that the only way he can repay her, is by avoiding her. She clarifies that Locar didn’t hurt anyone but because of Klyden, his life is over. Klyden’s prejudice ended Locar’s life as a free man. Talla is angry and upset, as she should be. Klyden returns to their quarters, but Bortus seems to be displeased as well. He goes to bed and we see Locar being sentenced before the episode closes.

I have to admit, this episode was a hard watch. The first half of the episode was relatively slow, mostly because they were establishing Talla and Locar’s attraction, along with other pieces on the proverbial chessboard. As a whole, the episode did what it set out to do. It further cemented the closed-minded nature of the Moclans and provided a clear image of what life is like in countries where homosexuality or “otherness” is criminalized.

However, something about the episode just doesn’t sit with me as it should. It was a cautionary tale and The Orville does very well with cautionary tales. Perhaps it was the fact that Talla doomed not just Locar, but his entire family that bothered me. Or, maybe I was just hoping for some sort of resolution that wasn’t so dark.

Either way, this was a very serious episode. Even when it tried to be funny with Cassius blowing up Kelly’s communicator with messages or providing other attempts at humor, this episode just didn’t escape the bleakness of its ending. We went from one of my favorite episodes of the series, to possibly one of my least favorite ones. That isn’t to say that this is a bad episode by any means, it just wasn’t to my taste.

I can honestly say though, this episode made me like Talla a lot and made me dislike Klyden in equal measure. I know people can say that he is brainwashed by the upbringing he had with the Moclan society, but I just can’t reconcile the hatred. I have to wonder if Ed is right too, what happens when the Moclans turn on the Union? Do they view other opposite-sex couples as abhorrent?

In summary, I think this episode did what it set out to do with a social commentary on systemic bigotry and sexuality. However, it did so at the expense of a satisfying ending. I think I’d have preferred him being a fugitive to this. Perhaps this was just a matter of the episode being a little too close to home for me. My feelings on it are complicated, likely as they should be.

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The Orville

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• Great Visual Effects
• More Character Development for Talla
• Meaningful Social Commentary

Cons

• Bleak Ending
• Slow First Half