The crew are thrilled to get a legitimate first contact mission. Until Kelly and Bortus are thrown in prison for being born in the wrong month…

It’s always nice to see shows find ideas that work and riffing on them. One of the strongest episodes of season 1 was ‘If The Stars Should Appear’ which, again, featured Kelly shining in a lousy situation. Pairing her with Bortus here raises the stakes and gives the situation a welcome shift too and the two work really well too. Peter Macon’s wonderfully deadpan and secretly kind of prissy Moclan is a great foil for Kelly’s sleeves rolled up heroism. They bring out the best in each other and there’s a subtle note of mutual support to the situation that really cements the friendship. Plus the eventual double birthday party is really sweet and reinforces the idea of Union vessels being a little more seat of the pants than Federation ones.

Oh hey, Admiral Ted Danson also! There’s a Good Place crossover waiting to happen!

But the episode really shines in how it builds on the conundrum Kelly and Bortus are in. This is the definition of a complex, almost impossible situation and the solution the crew come up with is elegant and clever and fundamentally kind. The show’s come a long way from the temporary sexuality tweaks of last season and this really does feel like a group of good people developing a solution that’s bloodless, culturally seismic and environmentally sound. Plus it’s a team effort and that’s always a good thing.

The Orville’s second season is, so far, a massive and consistent improvement on its usually fun first one. This is no exception and even cleverly uses the situation as a means of folding in new security officer Lt. Talla Keyali, played by Jessica Szohr. Instantly far more of a relaxed and confident presence than the already missed Alara, Talla doesn’t get much to do this week besides work out where she fits in but it’s a nice way to fold in a new character without making them the focus.

Verdict: Cleverly written, smartly acted and beautifully shot, this is another top line episode of an already strong season. Keep doing what you’re doing, folks. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart