Bortus and Klyden renew their vows in a deeply Moclan way and Ed presides. After the ceremony, the ship is sent back to Sargas 4, the planet ruled by social currency encountered back in season 1 episode Majority Rule, and Ed is amazed to find Lysella (Giorgia Whigham) who they met back then on a Union frequency asking for help. And then, Isaac asks Claire to marry him…

After last week’s universe-shaking events, this finale is entirely domestic and steers hard back into the comedy the show has largely eschewed this season. It’s a smart choice and it leads to a cavalcade of genuinely funny, sweet moments that the show could never have hit in its first season but are second nature now. Gordon clapping to break the awkward silence at Bortus and Klyden’s big moment, Bortus Presley and the world’s first Kaylon stripper are all goofy and very, very funny. Plus we get one more ‘YOU WILL BE SILENT!’ from Bortus which feels like a deeply deserved victory lap.

But while MacFarlane is playing the hits this week it all swerves the same purpose. Whigham is fantastic as Lysella and the conflict between fleeing her world and aiding her world is smartly realized and throws a light on the Union’s attitude towards non-interference that puts the situation a few weeks back with Gordon’s alt-timeline family in a perspective it could have used at the time. Oh and Gordon’s sandwich from that episode is back too! Chekov’s lunch pays off!

The other plots resonate just as well. Some of the comedy, Lamarr telling Isaac to play the field especially, feels like playing for time but again, even that feels understandable. Penny Johnson Jerald cements her position as MVP of the show and the good-natured bickering surrounding the wedding plays like what it is: a group of brilliant, flawed, people realizing they finally get to have a little fun and put a little light back out in the universe. Whether it’s Lysella choosing to stay because she’s grown too much for a world that doesn’t want to grow at all, Bortus and Klyden being reunited, Claire and Isaac choosing to marry or the tussle over Best Man duties between Bortus and Gordon, it all feels comfortable and fun.

The show throws in some moments that just make your heart soar too. Ed and Kelly hold hands at the wedding and it seems to surprise and please both of them in equal measure. At one point Ed is called to assist a drunken wedding discussion and dismissed with ‘You have been useful, sober man.’ His crisp little salute and chuckle tells you just how far Ed and Kelly have come not just as officers but as people and it’s so lovely to see.

If you’re looking for big clues about a fourth season they’re here. The Kaylon are in the Union, Claire and Isaac marry, Bortus and Klyden remarry and Lysella joins the crew (and we got a cameo from Alara too!). There’s absolutely more to do with the show and I hope they get to do it. But as Gordon sings for the wedding and the ship pulls away into space it’s impossible not to feel that if this is the end, The Orville has ended in the best possible way.

Verdict: A great tie off for the season, maybe the show too, and just a really good time. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart