Warning: The following review contains spoilers for episode 8 of The Orville’s third season, titled “Midnight Blue,” as well as references to previous episodes.

We’re nearing the end of The Orville: New Horizons. Over the course of this third season, we’ve seen a lot of narrative growth and a lot of personal changes. Episode 8, known as “Midnight Blue” carries forward from narrative elements we saw in “A Tale of Two Topas” and brings back a favorite of mine from the previous seasons.

The episode begins with Kelly and Bortus having a drink in the mess hall. Bortus is frustrated by parenting because Topa has a crush on a boy. Kelly points out that it can be very personal and is sometimes hard for girls to discuss with their fathers. Kelly goes to talk with Topa, hoping that another female perspective will help.

Kelly invites Topa to a simulation the next day and tells Topa that while she has been through a lot, she doesn’t have to face it alone. Kelly offers to talk with her about anything she needs, which leads to a bit of girl talk. I absolutely love Kelly and Topa’s bond. It is one of my favorite parts of this season, and I really hope it carries forward.

It turns out that the person Topa has a crush on is Gordon, of all people. I’ll admit I had to pause the episode right here because I laughed for a good 10 minutes at the unexpected hilarity of this. The entire engineering crew’s reaction was hilarious too. Luckily, Gordon lets her down easily, telling her he cares about her like a sister.

It just so happens that this episode marks a year since Heveena’s colony became protected by the Union. As such, both Moclus and The Union are able to do an inspection to make sure both sides are happy with the arrangement. As such, Admiral Halsey assigns Kelly and Bortus to do the inspection for the Union.

Halsey wants them to make sure that the Moclans haven’t tried to secretly observe or disrupt the colony in any way. The Moclans will be sending their own crew led by Kodan, an intelligence officer. Halsey cautions them to be careful, as the Moclans are the Union’s strongest ally, and relations are strained. Something tells me that this might be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back.

Topa asks to accompany Bortus and Kelly to the sanctuary and initially, Bortus refuses. He doesn’t want her to be subjected to the scrutiny and hatred of the Moclan inspection team. However, Kelly points out that Topa has never met another Moclan female, so this could be good for her. Topa joins Kelly and Bortus on the trip to the colony.

When they arrive, they discover the Moclan inspection team has defied their initial word and protocol and has already begun their inspection. After a tense standoff, the three go to the colony to do their inspection and are met by Osaya, one of Heveena’s allies. Seeing Topa’s delight at the sight of other women is nothing short of wonderful.

Heveena meets Topa for the first time and while Bortus and Kelly do their inspection, Topa stays to get to know Heveena. Also, I just have to mention that I absolutely love Heveena’s adoration of Dolly Parton. It might be the future, but that is very relatable indeed. Topa tells Heveena that she wants to know everything about the revolution and that she also wants to thank her for speaking at the Tribunal when she was too young to do so herself.

That night, Bortus, Kelly, and Topa stay for a night-time celebration during a double full moon. During the dinner, Topa goes to watch the Luminites (rainbow firefly-like creatures) and speaks with Heveena again. Heveena gives her a gift, and recruits her into her operation, revealing she is still smuggling babies from Moclus. I’m all for Heveena helping the plight of the female Moclan, but she shouldn’t be getting a young girl involved.

Of course, being eager to help others like her, Topa agrees to keep Heveena’s secret. She also agrees to relay messages between the colony and a Moclan contact, using the Orville’s communications array. Shortly after, Topa is captured after wandering off in pursuit of a “rare blue Luminite” which leads her directly into the clutches of the Moclan Inspection Team.

Back at the feast, Heveena tells Ed and Kelly a story, but then they all realize they can’t find Topa. A search party begins, and Kelly finds the necklace Heveena gave Topa. They deduce that the Moclan Shuttle took Topa, but Heveena doesn’t tell them what she knows at first. Despite the Moclans sabotaging the Orville’s shuttle, Kelly and Bortus take off and decide to go find Topa themselves.

On the Moclan shuttle, Kodan mocks Topa when she tries to understand why they have taken her. Ever the paragon of his misogynistic race, Kodan threatens to remove her tongue. After not hearing from Kelly and Bortus, Ed decides that the Orville needs to visit the Colony. This violates the agreement, but he can tell something is wrong.

Ed asks Heveena if the Moclan team did anything out of the ordinary, or if she knows why Topa was taken. Ed isn’t stupid though, and when she denies knowledge, he points out that it is highly unlikely that she doesn’t know what’s going on. Heveena ultimately confesses that she recruited Topa to her cause, and suspects that is why she was taken.

She reveals to Ed that Topa knows the name of the Moclan contact and the quantum frequencies that they communicate on. Ed echoes my earlier thoughts, that Heveena shouldn’t have put Topa in that situation. Ed also points out that Topa sees Heveena as a role model and would do anything to please her.

Admiral Halsey tells them that the best option is for Heveena to testify that she broke the agreement. Confessing that she enlisted Topa would demonstrate a clear motive for them to investigate. Heveena refuses, not wanting to risk her colony getting arrested and ultimately killed. Ed keeps Heveena onboard the Orville, while Kelly and Bortus continue their pursuit of the shuttle.

Kelly and Bortus find that the Moclan Shuttle is heading toward an uninhabited planet and decide to pursue them. Back on the Orville, Talla escorts Heveena to a simulator on Ed’s orders. The simulation is of a cabin, where she meets none other than Dolly Parton. She reveals that they put her together from all sorts of historical records and information, so she might be a simulation, but she is “All Dolly”.

Heveena explains the situation to Dolly, and Dolly tells her a story with a lesson. If Heveena does the right thing, the future will sort itself out. After a musical interlude, Heveena agrees to testify to the Council. The Moclans have taken Topa to a secret facility on the uninhabited planet, put her in an interrogation room, and threatened her.

They tell her if she does as she is told, she might live. Her interrogator is a one-eyed Moclan. He gives her water and tells her that she is there because she is one of Heveena’s conspirators. When she refuses to give the name of the contact Heveena gave her, the man begins to torture her.

Kelly and Bortus find the facility which is not on any Union Database. Clearly, the Moclans don’t want the Union to know it exists. Kelly and Bortus gear up, preparing for a rescue. In the meantime, Ed and Gordon take Heveena to the council.

At the hearing, Heveena tells the council everything. She is ready for any punishment as long as it means Topa can be saved. The Council agrees to an investigation but the Moclans immediately resist. Back on the planet, Kelly apologizes to Bortus for encouraging Topa to join them on the trip. In response, Bortus tells Kelly that he values her presence in Topa’s life and that it has been difficult since Klyden left. Bortus considers Kelly a part of their family.

Topa is being tortured still and maintains she doesn’t know anything. We see the Interrogator threaten her with a Krill torture device, and he even uses it on her, but she refuses to break. Kelly and Bortus rescue Topa just in time. Topa gave them the information they wanted, but Kodan and the Interrogator didn’t have time to use it.

Bortus beats the Interrogator so badly that it takes out his other eye. The three escape to the Shuttle, heading to meet the others back on Earth, but the Moclans are pursuing them. They manage to take out their pursuers, fleeing the planet.

Back on Earth, the Moclans still defy the Council’s ruling. Gordon stands up to them, despite being warned by the council to stay silent. It’s about time someone called the Moclans out on their crap though. The Moclans demand an apology from the council. Just in the nick of time, Kelly, Bortus, and Topa arrive.

Kelly tells the truth of what happened and Bortus demands retribution for what the Moclans have done. Hours later, Ed visits Kelly with coffee, and Heveena apologizes to Bortus for her part in what happened. Admiral Halsey reveals that Moclus has been expelled from the Union, which will lead to a messy severance of ties. The Union has also voted to make Heveena’s colony a sovereign state under Union protection.

Claire tells Bortus that physically Topa will heal up fine, but that she will need counseling. Talla arrives with Klyden in tow. Klyden took the first transport he could find when Ed contacted him. He asks to speak to Topa and tells her that he misses her. He admits that he said some hurtful things and apologizes to Topa for what he said. He says that he thought he hated her, but seeing her almost get killed by people who believed as he did was a wake-up call.

Klyden admits that he allowed a lifetime of prejudice to cloud his judgment and acknowledges that he needs to change. He tells her that he accepts her and that he is proud of her. Klyden moves back in with Bortus and Topa, and when Kelly arrives to welcome Klyden back, things are tense. However, Bortus reveals that he and Klyden have renounced their Moclan citizenship.

Klyden also thanks Kelly for saving Topa’s life and invites her to stay for dinner. The episode ends on that happy note, though I’ll admit I have a few issues. I still don’t like Klyden, and if anything, I think his reconciliation with Bortus should have been something that took a bit more time.

After you tell your daughter you wish she was never born and then leave her and your husband to fend for themselves, you shouldn’t get to come back like nothing happened. Klyden needs therapy for his internalized issues, along with the severe prejudice he holds. On top of that, the family as a whole needs therapy because Klyden has disagreed with every step Bortus has made since he started serving on the Orville.

Regardless of all of that, “Midnight Blue” was a great episode. It will be interesting to see how the last two episodes play out, now that the Moclans are no longer part of the Union. The Kaylon are a bigger threat than ever now, but we only have two episodes left, so a lot can change. This was a solid episode, but I do think that the resolution of the Klyden/Bortus/Topa storyline wrapped up too quickly. This was likely due to the shorter season order, but still, it felt rushed.

With two more episodes left in The Orville: New Horizons, I’m curious to see what stories are told. I’m sure that the Kaylon threat will be addressed, but will it be resolved or will it be left open for a potential season 4? Either way, The Orville is still going strong, and I can’t wait to see how things turn out.

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The Orville

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Dolly is wonderful as always
• Great return to the Moclan female colony storyline
• I love seeing Kelly's relationship with Bortus and Topa grow
• Bigger stakes leading up to the finale.

Cons

• Klyden's return felt rushed