A 2015 time capsule is uncovered in Saratoga Springs and the contents are transported to an off-world museum. Along the way, they cause very different kinds of havoc on the Orville, for Gordon and Bortus in particular.

It’s a mark of how strong this season has been that the bum note in this episode strikes so loudly. The Bortus plot just doesn’t work, with one exception, for two reasons. The first is that every Bortus plot this season has been a variation on ‘Bortus and Klyden are angry at one another’. It breaks no new ground and in a season that’s done nothing but that, really sticks out. Secondly, the plot’s the first overt comedic plot we’ve had, I think, since the Isaac/Gordon prank war. Played out as it is against the core narrative, it feels forced and cludgy. That being said, the cushion gag is glorious.

The Gordon plot on the other hand is note perfect. He uses a smartphone found in the capsule to generate a program based on the life of its user, played by Leighton Meester. This being Gordon, he over-invests, to the point of falling in love with a digital ghost of a woman who has been dead for centuries. Scott Grimes has at times felt like one of the least well utilized members of the cast but this season, and this episode in particular, show just what he’s capable of. Gordon’s a gentle, kind, blue collar guy who is super-aware of his own faults and when a trusted friend points out what he already knows, gets out of his own way. Grimes plays all that beautifully, with just a shot of melancholy thrown into the pilot’s usual chipper demeanour. If previous episodes have been Gordon as soldier this is Gordon as man, and he’s thoroughly likable, learns from his mistakes and exhibits the sort of quiet courage that’s never given enough credit.

Verdict: Sweet, funny and rounded out by a great guest turn by Meester this is another strong episode of the season, even with the dull B plot. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart