Warning: The following review contains spoilers for episode 10 of The Orville’s third season, titled “Future Unknown,” as well as references to previous episodes.

The Orville has a habit of leaving the climactic problems for the penultimate episode while letting the final episode be more chill. The Orville: New Horizons doesn’t buck this trend, and with “Future Unknown” it sprinkles a little humor back into the proceedings. Of course, this title seemingly has a double meaning, since at the time of writing we still aren’t aware if The Orville will continue on. Despite my issues with the past few episodes though, this season has been good, and this final episode leaves room for more.

The episode begins in stark contrast to the ending of “Domino” with a celebration rather than the funeral that ended the last episode. We see Isaac going around the ship about his morning, set to cheery music as he gears up for a day at work. Bortus and Klyden are renewing their vows, which consists of a sort of… mating hunt? Moclan traditions continue to be interesting, to say the least.

Watching the vow renewal gets Isaac thinking, but before we follow that storyline, we’re directed to Admiral Halsey. He sends the Orville to rendezvous with a new batch of scientists on Sargas 4, the planet we visited back in the season 1 episode “Majority Rule.” As they prepare to head to Sargas 4, Isaac starts investigating Human bonding customs.

Isaac interrupts Talla and Claire, who are sharing a drink in the mess hall. He proposes to Claire in the mess hall, and just like that Claire’s mind is blown. Claire is shocked by the proposal and asks Isaac to explain why he proposed, so he does. Claire then asks Isaac if he has considered the challenges that time will impose on their relationship.

She points out that one day she will be gone, and he will still be there, not having aged a day. He remarks that when she is gone, he will look after Marcus, Ty, and all of her descendants. This leads to Claire, Talla, and Kelly having a wine-infused girl talk later that night. The girls break down the proposal and the pros and cons of Claire marrying Isaac. Unluckily for Ed, he gets roped into the proceedings as well, and he suggests asking Ty and Marcus what they think.

Later, on the Bridge, the Orville gets hailed by Lysella, the girl they met on Sargas 4 back during Season 1. She requests help, and despite not knowing the reason, Ed responds. Lysella asks them to come pick her up, and since she has already seen the ship, they agree. She reveals that she stole the comm scanner because she didn’t want to cut herself off completely, and now she wants to stay aboard the Orville.

When Ed points out that most people seeking asylum are fleeing an oppressive government, she remarks that her world is oppressive. The majority gets to decide on everything, and it all comes down to up or down votes. She tells them that the oppression has only gotten worse, and she has lost two friends in the past year from downvoting. Lysella also reminds them that she helped John Lamarr when he was in trouble and asks them to do the same.

Kelly tells Lysella that if she chooses this, she can never go home. Ultimately it is decided that Kelly will guide Lysella to get her used to Union life. Meanwhile, Isaac goes to talk with John and the Engineering crew, and they ask about Claire’s response to his proposal. He reveals that she hasn’t answered yet, which surprises them all. John suggests Isaac might be jumping the gun and proposing to Claire too soon.

Claire goes to talk to Marcus and Ty about the proposal and they are incredibly supportive. Claire tells Isaac yes to his proposal, and thus a wedding is on. Except… in the very next scene Isaac goes to ask Kelly on a date, possibly with sex on the table. Luckily, Kelly sets him straight, though she is inclined to talk with Claire about it.

We then see Lysella and Kelly talking about life in the Union, including jobs. The conversation about how the Union values contributions to society and doesn’t hold resources over people’s heads is interesting. Kelly then goes to see Claire, but before she can explain, Claire asks her to be the Maid of Honor at the wedding. Kelly agrees, but then tells Claire what happened.

Claire expresses her displeasure to Isaac, and he asks her how to prevent these sorts of miscommunications in the future. We then get to see Claire scold John over his influence on Isaac. I love the comedy of this. Seeing Lamarr get told off by Claire was absolutely hilarious.

Kelly takes Lysella to the simulator, showing off a type of entertainment she isn’t familiar with, exploring a simulated asteroid. Lysella is blown away by how much is possible in the galaxy and clearly wants to know more. Meanwhile, Isaac asks Gordon to be the best man at his wedding. This leads to a dispute between Gordon and Bortus over who would be the funnier option to make a speech. Ultimately, Bortus wins, to Gordon’s confusion.

Isaac even invites Kaylon Primary to the wedding, which confuses Kaylon Primary as he doesn’t understand what marriage is. He also accidentally invites the entire Kaylon fleet to the wedding. Later, Kelly asks Lysella how she’s handling everything, as she’s aware it is a bit of a culture shock and a lot to take in. Lysella explains that she doesn’t dislike the people on her planet, it’s just that they can’t remember how to be any other way than what they are.

When Kelly asks if she is happy that she left home, Lysella is conflicted. She says she feels guilty because compared to her world The Union is perfect. She thinks that if her planet had what the Union has, they’d be better people. Kelly suggests that the only way to get what the Union has is to become better people first.

Lysella says she feels like she is abandoning her people. Kelly invites Lysella to Claire’s bachelorette party, and it seems Lysella is feeling more at home. Meanwhile, Gordon is annoyed that Bortus got the Best Man gig. Gordon also gets his sandwich that he sent forward in time a few episodes ago.

During preparations for Claire’s bachelorette party, Lysella learns how the food synthesizer works. She asks why the Union can’t help her planet. Kelly explains that it is against the law to give advanced technology to developing planets. Lysella doesn’t seem satisfied with her answer though.

Isaac’s bachelor party is a disaster, though we do get a performance from Bortus in an Elvis costume. The girls are having a blast at the bachelorette party though, including a simulated robotic stripper! Afterward, Lysella asks Kelly to return home. She explains that leaving her planet doesn’t feel right and that she feels selfish.

While Claire is trying on wedding dresses with Talla and Ed, Kelly breaks the news to them. Kelly doesn’t think Lysella poses a risk if they take her home. Before Lysella can leave, Kelly and Talla discover that Lysella is trying to smuggle out a comm scanner full of futuristic information. She reluctantly gives it up, but Kelly decides to show her the reason behind this rule.

She shows Lysella a simulation of a world that had technology given to them too soon. Because they advanced too rapidly, the planet’s civilization collapsed and it became a wasteland with zombie-esque creatures. Kelly explains that early Union explorers acted more like missionaries, and when they found this world, it was divided and armed with nuclear weapons.

After their intervention, it just made things worse. The factions warred, and the civilization wiped itself out in five years. Kelly tells Lysella that she can go home if she wants, but she cannot help her people with knowledge of the future.

On the bridge, the Kaylon fleet meets the Orville for the wedding, scaring the heck out of everyone aboard. Kaylon Primary congratulates Isaac on the wedding, and they decide to stream the ceremony to the Kaylon fleet rather than trying to accommodate everyone in the simulator. Everyone arrives for the ceremony, with Ty as the ringbearer.

Marcus walks Claire down the aisle, and we discover that Lysella is in attendance. The wedding is beautiful, with Claire and Isaac writing their own vows. Weddings are beautiful regardless of the time period. Afterward comes the reception, where Lysella reveals she is staying aboard the Orville.

Ed and Kelly marvel over how quickly relations between the Kaylon and the Union have improved. We also have a surprise guest! Alara showed up for the wedding reception! Alara has a heartwarming reunion with the crew, and we see that she is doing well and climbing up the ladder on Xeleya. Next comes Bortus’ toast, which goes about as well as you’d expect.

Luckily, Gordon steps in to save the toast and then plays a song for the married couple. It is a beautiful way to end a strong season. The Orville came together, friends old and new, to celebrate the union of a romance 3 seasons in the making. While I hope we get a fourth season of The Orville, this was a well-crafted finale. There are plenty of loose ends to tie up, like Anaya, the Moclan-Krill alliance, and even a few other bits sprinkled throughout previous episodes.

However, The Orville is at its best when it takes on character-focused stories. This episode was a great way to start a new journey for Lysella while coming full circle for Claire and Isaac. The comedy was fantastic, and there were plenty of heartwarming moments thrown in as well. Even if we don’t see more adventures from The Orville for a while, I’m glad we got to see this season’s journey.

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The Orville

10

Score

10.0/10

Pros

• Fun lighthearted close to the season
• Who doesn't love a good wedding?
• Alara showed up!
• Lysella's storyline is super interesting

Cons

• Excuse me, where is the Season 4 renewal announcement?