Warning: This review may contain spoilers for episode 2 of The Orville’s third season, as well as episode 1, “Electric Sheep.”

Watching the first episode of The Orville: New Horizons (The Orville’s third season) left me feeling both excited for the season ahead and angry at what had transpired. It was an emotional episode and that is what made it so effective. I like that The Orville has leaned away from the humor of the early parts of its run, and now settles itself closer to Star Trek: The Next Generation in tone. With episode 2, “Shadow Realms” we lean away from the hard-hitting premise of episode 1 and lean more into an adventure and horror-themed episode.

Episode 2 begins with the arrival of Vice Admiral Paul Christie, a diplomat who is meant to help the Union negotiate with the Krill to explore a previously uncharted region of space that the Krill have kept Union ships from exploring. Admiral Christie is Claire’s former mentor, and with current arrangements with the Krill going smoothly, there seems to be room for compromise.

Claire’s reaction to Admiral Christie’s arrival is less than enthusiastic, and their interactions hint at an interesting connection between them. From their first scene together, it is clear that there was once something romantic at work. Admiral Christie seems to want to rekindle it, but Claire (being involved with Isaac) doesn’t seem so keen on it. I also couldn’t help but wonder if there was a sort of power imbalance at play with their previous relationship considering she was a student and he was a professor.

In any case, Claire has long since moved on after their relationship 25 years prior, with two sons and a whole career moving forward. During the reception before the diplomatic negotiations, it becomes obvious that there are cracks in the alliance with the Krill. They seem only interested in keeping up the alliance as long as the Kaylon remains a threat. Without seeing the rest of the season, I am predicting that this may end up being a problem in the future.

Kelly and Claire slip away from the reception, and during the subsequent girl talk we discover that Claire was married to none other than Admiral Christie. She also reveals that the marriage ended because Admiral Christie was more interested in a young, youthful, bedroom-focused lover than being a partner and having a wife. It is interesting to see this side of Claire, a person normally so put together.

Of course, everyone has a wild side, or a part of their lives that they consider to be motivated by the recklessness of youth. Seeing Claire come to terms with that and acknowledging that she needed to learn the lesson is very interesting. Rather than regretting the dissolution of her marriage (as the Admiral seems to), she is at peace with it.

The negotiations are fruitful, and The Orville gets first dibs on exploring the region of space. However, the Krill stipulates that this first foray must be done with one of their trackers on board the ship. Surprisingly, the Krill also warn against traveling through the uncharted Kalarr Expanse, which they state is inhabited by demons. The Krill do not have explicit evidence beyond what is written in their religious texts, so the crew is skeptical, to say the least.

I think you can already figure out where the central conflict from this episode is going to come from. The warning from the Krill is not unfounded, but Admiral Christie and The Orville ignore the warning. Of course, before things inevitably go to Hell, we see Christie find Dr. Finn at the small restaurant on the ship. He reveals that he is joining the crew to explore the Kalarr expanse, and already I feel like we’re probably not going to end the episode with this man still alive.

The Admiral keeps trying to rekindle the past, but Claire is not at all interested in returning to the way things were. As the voyage begins, we see the Admiral doubling down on his focus on Claire, asking Isaac for information on what makes Claire happy. This gives us a bit of insight into the fact that Isaac is missing Claire as well.

As usual, The Orville showcases some gorgeous space shots, before we get into the real meat of the episode’s conflict. The Orville intercepts a distress signal, and in doing so enters a starless void that is home to a gorgeous (yet unnerving) structure. The Space Station doesn’t respond to their requests for contact, so despite the warnings a crew approaches, with Admiral Christie in tow.

This is where the episode branches into unsettling “horror” territory, as the crew discovers a seemingly organic material on the walls. The Admiral and Mercer find things giving off energy, and one seems to react to the Admiral. After returning to the ship, it is discovered that the Admiral was infected by something on the mysterious station.

At this point, I had a major bone to pick with the episode. Why were there no containment suits? The moment he started having some sort of reaction, any other series or ship would have had some kind of quarantine protocol. With that said, I like the special effects makeup they did for the Infected Admiral, as well as the CG/set design for the Space Station.

Of course, with the horror element established, the crew sets out to try and find a solution. This requires returning to the belly of the proverbial beast. On their second trip, the landing party is wearing special suits. Why didn’t they do that the first time? Seriously, maybe I’m just paranoid but I’d be dressed up like the Michelin man to go to an uncharted region of space or a creepy-looking space station.

Once they discover what infected the Admiral, they discover that the distress beacon is now transmitting coordinates. In addition, Paul’s condition is getting worse, yet when Claire speaks to him, she’s not wearing any sort of suit. Yet again I ask: what are the quarantine protocols on this ship? Then, Claire is stupid enough to have the nurse leave her alone with him.

They have a heart-to-heart, but it becomes clear that his condition is worsening, despite Claire’s insistence that she will save him. When she makes contact with Mercer again, they let her know they’ve found the contaminant, but the Admiral is suddenly missing. The admiral shuts down the power to the ship, leaving them in the dark with a contaminated officer aboard.

This section ratchets up the tension and horror elements, with the Admiral becoming a real threat to the crew, infecting Claire’s lead nurse and others. The tension also amps up when you discover that Ty and Marcus are looking for Claire, putting themselves in harm’s way. This puts them directly in the path of the mutated creature, though it is unclear if it is the Admiral or the Nurse.

Watching one of the crew members transform was both impressive and absolutely disgusting. “Shadow Realms” does a great job of Alien-esque horror against an unknown threat. The Orville does a great job of taking common sci-fi tropes and executing them to expert effect. Other series have done similar things, but The Orville put its own spin on it. Centering the crew is an expert idea as well since it puts the lives of characters you care about at risk.

Watching LaMarr get chased by the creatures was nerve-wracking, though I loved seeing Talla draw them away. I’ve really grown to like her, though I wish we’d get more of her backstory. Her fight scene with the creatures was well choreographed too. You can tell that the production budget was raised for this season.

Matters are made worse by an unidentified craft that seems to be responding to the signal from the station. Luckily, Claire discovers that the creatures have a weak immune system, and thus a synthetic virus will enable them to fight back against the creatures. Claire risks her life to try and reach Paul, hoping that she can convince him to leave with the other creatures, rather than killing them with the virus.

Shockingly, her attempt to reach him works, though the creatures warn that they are not gone forever. The end of the episode shows Isaac and Claire rekindling their relationship, so at least something good comes out of all of this. I’m rooting for those two crazy kids…well, one human and one robot at least.

As far as episodes go, “Shadow Realms” was a solid Sci-fi adventure with a good mix of horror thrown in. I had some issues with some of the more logistical plot holes, but overall, the episode was a good watch. It didn’t move the overarching plot forward in large ways, but I can see how things like the Krill alliance and Claire’s relationship with Isaac will factor in moving forward.

The Orville is at its best either when it is tackling strong social commentary or paying homage to Sci-Fi. “Shadow Realms” fits in the latter category, paying homage to Aliens, as well as The Borg, The Replicators, and other Sci-Fi horrors. If we get a season 4 of The Orville I’m sure we’ll see these creatures again.

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The Orville

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Intensely thrilling episode
• Fantastic homage to Alien and The Borg
• Beautiful CG and Visual Design

Cons

• Why were there so few Quarantine measures?
• The Orville needs better medical protocols for contagion