The Orville season 2 debate: Is Isaac story what it seems?
Typically, we live within a world of black and white with the crew about the ship. There are good guys, and then there are bad guys across the universe. From Ed to Kelly to Talla to everyone else, we like to think everyone is benevolent in nature. Even those there may be an angel and devil standing atop the shoulders of everyone, the better nature tends to win out. Each episode ends with a layer of hope for the future.
That is what makes the events of this past installment all the more shocking. Through what happened to Isaac, you saw the show’s version of being told Santa Claus isn’t real. This was taking a character we believed in, crushing the magic, and then throwing what little magic was left in the incinerator. Isaac is evil — or, at least the Kaylon around him are evil. It was the plan from the start, per star/executive producer Seth MacFarlane, to have this story be told. At the end of part one, the entire Orville crew is hostage to the Kaylon and with that, forced to potentially watch the destruction of their own planet.
Is everything doomed? Are we going to spend most of Thursday’s episode sobbing in disbelief that the world has come to this?
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Well, we don’t think it’s that simple. We don’t think that you can just say “Isaac is evil now!” and walk away.
Isn’t there a scenario in which our favorite AI is one of the good guys, or at least in a position to turn around the crew’s fate? There are a few reasons to think that he may still turn around and save Ed and the crew, even after landing them in their devastating place to begin with. Check them out below, and if you missed it, take a look at our video perspective on this past episode below; meanwhile, subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube to get some additional updates. (We also have an official The Orville playlist to make your search for coverage all the easier.)
1. The eye color – Isaac’s eyes, the last we saw, were still blue; meanwhile, the rest of the Kaylons’ are still red. Maybe that is just a quirk of his creation, or maybe that is just a way for viewers to understand who he is in relation to the others.
2. The lack of weaponry – We haven’t exactly seen Isaac showcase the same capacity to kill as his brethren. Potentially he lacks the feature; yet, it is possible that he doesn’t want to kill, but realizes that he just needs to play along with an act until he finds the time to strike.
3. He hasn’t been himself – Something felt off in regards to Isaac’s behavior from the moment in which the Kaylon revived him. Did they alter his programming and, in turn, is there a way to bring him back? We should address the criticism that some have of the notion of Isaac having a heart. We don’t see it that way; instead, think back to earlier this season, where Isaac determined that his programming had become used to being around Dr. Finn that changing it would suddenly feel abnormal. This is, by his measure, him having a heart. Therefore, him wanting to leave the Orville, let alone render a part of humanity’s destruction, feels like too great a departure to his computerized DNA.
One way or another, something doesn’t feel right — there is a glitch in this system and something that the second part of “Identity” on Thursday will hopefully resolve.
What do you think will be coming next regarding The Orville and Isaac?
Be sure to let us know in the comments. (Photo: Fox.)