Warning: The following review contains spoilers for part 1 of “Identity”

We’re past the halfway point of Season 2 of The Orville! I was hoping that we’d get a Season 3 release date announcement before this point so I could figure out how to integrate a potential Season 3 binge, but that hasn’t happened yet. COVID-19 has made 2020 a scheduling nightmare for a lot of shows, and I can’t really fault them for that. However, we’ve got 7 episodes left of this season, so let’s make em count shall we?

This week’s episode is actually a two-parter, Episodes 8 and 9 of The Orville are titled “Identity” and “Identity Part II,” however, I’m not going to review them both here today. With the level of detail I put into these reviews, you’d be reading for an hour and I’d be pulling my hair out trying to get all the details straight. So, we’re just doing part one today.

To recap the last episode, the Orville received help from the Moclans upgrading their deflectors. In the process, the engineer Locar revealed that he is attracted to women. This is against the law on Moclus and led to Locar faking his death and blaming Klyden for it. Ultimately, Talla discovered the truth, and reluctantly turned him in. It was an intense episode with a bleak ending, not my favorite but not the worst either.

Episode Spoilers Begin Here!

Part one of “Identity” begins with Ty, Isaac, and Marcus spending time together. They are playing some sort of game together, which Isaac wins. This is obvious really since he’s a robot and all. Claire arrives and apologizes for being late. It was a particularly busy night in the medical bay.

They sit the boys down and tell them that they’re dating, and (because they’ve not been subtle at all) the boys admit they knew already. They tell Claire that they love Isaac and that they just want her to be happy. Suddenly, Isaac collapses out of nowhere, alarming Claire and the boys.

In the med bay, Claire admits they don’t know much about Kaylon physiology and she can’t seem to find vital signs. John reiterates that they’re taking shots in the dark without knowing more. Kelly arrives, explaining that there were no power surges or viruses, nothing to explain Isaac’s sudden shutdown.

Ultimately, Ed reaches out to Admiral Halsey, asking to take Isaac to Kaylon-1 on the Orville. Admiral Halsey explains that the Kaylons haven’t allowed people on their planet, so it is a tricky situation. After a bit of coaxing, Halsey admits that if they could seal the deal and convince the Kaylons to join the Union, it would be a big win for them. However, he issues a warning: Kaylon-1 is far from union space, once they head that far out, they’re on their own if they get into trouble.

Ed tells the bridge to set a course for Kaylon space. It is a risky move, but Isaac is part of the family, so they have no choice really. We then get a rather heartbreaking scene of Ty and Marcus talking to Isaac’s inactive form. Marcus doesn’t think Isaac can hear them but Ty insists that he can. Claire takes them back to their quarters since they have school the next day, but it is obvious the toll this is taking on all of them.

When they arrive in Kaylon space, Ed sends out a message explaining the situation. However, before the message can go out, the power shuts off on the ship and the Kaylons begin to scan them. Power immediately comes back up after the scan and Talla receives landing coordinates.

They land on the planet, which is a breathtaking view. I have to applaud the art department of The Orville for the unique designs they tend to give to new planets and cultures. I am always deeply impressed and excited to see what they come up with. I’m an art nerd though, so make of that what you will.

You can really tell the difference between Kaylon-1 and other planets because the cities are largely mechanical, clinical, not touched by artistic expression, religious ideology, or even much in the way of plant life. It makes sense considering synthetic organisms live there.

Once they land, the Orville crew is instructed to bring Isaac to the surface of the planet. They make their way into a large building, and I can’t help but feel a sense of foreboding here. A race of synthetics who believe they are superior to other races is a problem waiting to happen. I’ve seen plenty of Sci-Fi films where robots take over, I know where this is headed… I think.

They are greeted by Kaylon Primary, and I have to say, there’s a fantastic use of color here. Isaac’s eyes and everything have always been blue. He is a gentle, kind character. The other Kaylons have red and orange eyes, which seem far more menacing. The Kaylon Primary welcomes them to the planet and tells them that they confirmed the Orville’s identity only seconds before their defense perimeter would have destroyed the vessel. Yeah, that’s totally not menacing at all.

Kaylon Primary then tells them that Isaac is not damaged. He was deactivated because his purpose had been completed. Kaylon-1 got all of the information on humanity it required and no longer needed him to serve that purpose. They tell Claire and the others that Isaac will be disassembled and “re-integrated.”

Kelly quickly tries to salvage the situation, and Ed explains that they value Isaac and do not want to lose him. Primary makes a cryptic request for them to wait and then three Kaylons take Isaac away. The call is coming from inside the house! Get out while you can Orville crew! Of course, they can’t since Isaac is still deactivated.

Isaac is reactivated and asks why he was deactivated in the first place. He is briefed on the situation and asks “if a decision has been made.” Kaylon Primary explains that it hasn’t yet but that his work on the Orville is done. However, the Orville crew has brought him here to ask that he be reactivated, hoping he would return with them.

Isaac returns to meet with the Orville crew, and Claire is excited to see him up and around. Ed asks the Kaylon Primary if they’ve made a decision yet and the response is…surprising. Primary explains that they allowed the crew to come because they had more questions and wanted to observe human behavior directly, as they have not finished looking over Isaac’s data yet.

When Kelly asks if Isaac is ready to get back to work, Isaac says he will not be returning to the Orville. He explains that Kaylon-1 is his home, while Claire counters that he has made a home for himself on the Orville. Claire is angry, as she should be. Isaac returns to the Orville to tell Ty and Marcus that he is leaving, and they are upset, almost as much as Claire is.

Claire tries to stay strong for them, but it is obvious that she is very hurt by Isaac’s choice. She tells them that if the Kaylon people join the union, they can stay in touch with Isaac, maybe even visit. Ultimately, Isaac leaves after telling the boys that he believes they will become fine, upstanding, productive adults. It is his brand of affection and I have a feeling he will have a change of heart about leaving.

The problem is, things aren’t going well with the negotiations. The Kaylon Primary sees a lot of benefits for the Union in the alliance but not much benefit for the Kaylon people. Ed points out that they’ve only charted a fraction of space and there is no telling what the Kaylon could find as a result of this alliance.

They cite that human history has its risks in their participation. Humans were responsible for war, greed, and so many other things that could pose a risk to them. Ed tries to get them to understand that things are different now but the negotiations don’t go all that well. Talla takes Isaac for a going-away party in the mess hall, explaining that he can’t leave without one.

The crew expresses how much they are going to miss Isaac and Gordon even sings a song for Isaac. They want him to know how much the crew values him and cares. I was surprised at how good Scott Grimes is at singing, he’s got quite a talent. We also learn at this party, that Bortus likes the corner pieces on cake. It is strange, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Bortus.

Ed and Kelly make a speech, letting Isaac know that he’s more than just a great Science Officer. He’s a dear friend and he always has a home on the Orville. Before Isaac leaves though, Claire catches him, needing him to hear what she has to say. She tells Isaac that she’s angry, but she knows that it is part of how Isaac is built. She also tells him that she wouldn’t trade the time they shared for anything.

Ty also draws a picture for Isaac of Isaac, Claire, Ty, and Marcus together. He tells Isaac that he wants Isaac to remember them. He ultimately leaves the drawing behind on his way out, citing that his memory banks will not allow him to forget them.

Ed and Kelly are talking in his office when Bortus tells Ed that they’ve finished scanning the planet’s surface. There are a number of unidentified spherical formations on the planet. They are large, identical, and there are more cropping up by the hour. The scans can’t penetrate them, but they are generating the same amount of radiation that large scale particle weapons generate.

Kelly says that it could be part of their defense system, but Talla wonders why they’re making more. Ed tells them to continue scanning but be discreet, so they don’t upset the Kaylon people. This doesn’t bode well.

Claire finds Ty in the simulator. He has climbed a simulated tree and is holding the picture that Isaac left behind. Claire tries to explain things to Ty but he is upset and angry. It is hard for a kid to understand this sort of thing. I find it interesting how they managed to mirror a child’s response to parental breakups; they managed to capture it in a real, visceral way.

Ty manages to sneak off the ship, hoping to bring the picture back to Isaac, thinking he just left it by accident. He climbs down into a tubular shaft while attempting to avoid other Kaylons and uncovers tunnels that contain something, though we don’t actively see what it is.

Meanwhile, Ed and Kelly speak with Kaylon Primary again, who tells them that they are still deliberating. Afterward, Ed says he feels like the Kaylons are stalling for some reason. He points out that “join or don’t join” the union is a simple binary choice. Even computers of our age can do binary, so why are they taking so long?

Claire rushes in and tells them that Ty is missing. They scan and find Ty under the surface, so Bortus, Talla, and Claire go to find him. When they find Ty, he tells them that “there’s something bad down here.” As they investigate, they discover thousands of organic skeletons. There is a cave so full of these remains that it contains piles and piles of bones.

They show Ed and the crew via video feed, and Talla tells them that there are 500,000 bodies in this one room alone. Who knows how many more caves like this there are. Talla mentions that she’s picking up more caves just like this one and they go on for miles. Kelly does a full scan of the underground, and there are graveyards like this under almost the entire surface.

Ed, Talla, Bortus, and Claire find Isaac and ask him to help them understand what is going on. They explain what they’ve found, which includes billions of dead biological organisms under the planet’s surface. Isaac explains that their creators are the dead organisms. The Kaylon eradicated them after an “irresolvable conflict.”

He also tells Ed and the others that the Kaylon people never actually intended to join the union. Ed and the others try to leave, and they are stopped by a Kaylon who attempts to hold them at…laser eyeball point? Isaac and the other Kaylons lead the crew back through the building, and Isaac explains that his mission was to study biological lifeforms.

However, the true reason was to decide whether or not the biological lifeforms were worth preserving or not. Kaylon Primary reveals that their builders tried to enslave them, so they had no choice but to destroy them. He also explains that they have to seek other worlds because their population is outgrowing Kaylon-1.

To the Kaylon, co-existence is impossible. Claire asks Isaac if he truly believes that they aren’t worth preserving and before Ed can alert the Orville, it is commandeered by the Kaylon people. The Kaylon soldiers board the ship, taking out Security Officers along the way. Ty and Marcus manage to hide but ultimately, they and all of the crew are corralled into one of the shuttle bays.

Ed and the rest of the land party are brought back to the bridge, while Kaylon soldiers commandeer it. The Kaylon hack into the security systems and completely take over the Orville. The Kaylon deploy all forces and set a course for Earth. The episode ends as large orb-shaped ships rise and accompany the Orville on their way to Earth.

This was a great episode and a great cliffhanger to the first part of the episode. I think it is fairly obvious that Isaac will have a change of heart and help Ed and the others stop the Kaylon fleet. However, this episode did a fantastic job of showcasing the bonds between him and the Orville crew, while also showcasing the sinister nature of his people.

This is back to what I have said that The Orville does well, solid Sci-Fi, and solid character-focused episodes. It also served as a solid horror-adjacent episode too, in a strange way. I can’t wait to see what next week’s episode holds. This was a strong episode, and I can see now why so many people have praised this two-parter, even only having seen the first half.

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The Orville

10

Score

10.0/10

Pros

• Great Showcase of Isaac's Friendships and Relationships
• Beautiful Art Design and CGI
• Great Villains
• More Kaylon Backstory
• Suspenseful Ending