It's high time we got a Kelly-centric story, as her character's been a bit neglected this season. Unfortunately she spends a good part of the episode discussing Mercer, and her past self belatedly resumes their relationship! So much for the Bechdel Test! Too bad so little of the episode was actually about Kelly herself.
One thing I did like about the episode— despite Mercer's constant attempts to reignite their relationship, Kelly stood her ground and refused any reconciliation. Good! As Kelly herself stated, the two of them work much better as friends and colleagues. I would hate to see them go the Moonlighting or Sam & Diane route.
Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow (I guess Shakespeare never heard of the Oxford comma) is yet another episode that lifts its entire plot wholesale from Star Trek: The Next Generation. As much as I've grown to love this show, this continues to be my major complaint. I could see aping general plots in the beginning, as the series attempted to find its stride. But we're to the point now where they should be giving us original stories, not retreads of a thirty year old series. I'm hopeful that Season 3 will fix this, but I'm not holding my breath.
Lastly, despite the fact that there's no "Part 1" in the title, it's obvious that this episode is the first half of an unofficial two-parter. Kelly's decision at the end of the episode demands a followup next week!
SPOILERS!
The Plot:
In the Mess Hall, Mercer, Kelly, Gordon and Talla share a drink. Mercer claims that when they were married, Kelly used to deliberately get him drunk, much to his embarrassment. Gordon & Talla leave, as Mercer and Kelly continue to reminisce. Once again Mercer says he'd like to rekindle their romance, but Kelly's adamant that a married Captain and First Officer would be a bad idea.
Meanwhile in the Lab, Isaac shows John the experiment he's conducting with Dr. Aranov's Time Cone (first scene back in Old Wounds). John's impressed, saying that with the device they could travel through time as easily as they do through space. Kelly enters and tells John it's time for his monthly Dysonium Field Condenser analysis. He grumbles about having to perform such a basic duty and leaves.
Suddenly the Orville's rocked by an unknown force. Mercer asks what the hell just happened, and John says the ship just passed through a massive gravitational wave. Kelly leaves the Lab to report to the Bridge.
Isaac busies himself with his experiment, and hears a voice behind him. He turns to see what appears to be Kelly, dressed in her night clothes. He asks how she changed so quickly, since she just left five seconds ago. She doesn't understand the question, so Isaac contacts the Bridge and says he thinks Commander Grayson's unwell. Kelly, who's sitting on the Bridge, asks him what he's talking about. Isaac immediately says there's an intruder onboard.
In the Sickbay, Claire examines the intruder and says she's a perfect match for Kelly, right down to the genetic level. Present Day Kelly enters and is gobsmacked to see her doppelganger. Claire explains that as weird as it sounds, both women are Kelly— but one is seven years younger. Just then Younger Kelly spots Mercer, and is shocked to see him.
Cut to a meeting of the command staff. John spews out a bunch of technobabble, explaining that the gravity wave amplified the temporal field in Isaac's Time Cone contraption. Somehow this temporal spike reached seven years into the past and brought Younger Kelly to the ship. Sure, why not? John says for now, they have no idea how to reverse the process.
Present Kelly asks why she doesn't remember any of this happening seven years ago. And how she could exist on the ship if the process is irreversible. Isaac says when Younger Kelly was plucked from the past, a new timeline may have been generated, allowing them both to exist in the present. Um... I guess so? John and Isaac theorize that because Present Kelly was standing near the Time Cone and reminiscing about her first date with Mercer, quantum mechanics caused her thoughts to pluck Younger Kelly from the timeline.
Later on, Mercer and Present Kelly meet in his office. They wonder what— if anything— they should tell Younger Kelly about the past seven years. Mercer says if they're in a tangent timeline, then they could send her back without fear of damaging anything. If it's a single timeline though, anything she learns could create massive changes. He says he can't lock up Younger Kelly for doing nothing wrong, and decides to go ahead and fill her in. Wait, what?
Cut to Younger Kelly's quarters, where Mercer and Present Kelly awkwardly explain that they were married, got divorced due to an "infidelity" and now serve on the same ship. Younger Kelly's overwhelmed.
Isaac and John report to Mercer, saying they've analyzed all the data and there's no way to send Younger Kelly back to her own time. Younger Kelly's distraught by this news, but Mercer and Present Kelly tell her they'll do everything they can to help her settle in and find a new purpose.
Talla visits Younger Kelly and asks how she's doing. She says she feels like she has no place in the "future." All she wanted was to fall in love, become a captain and make the universe a better place. She says there's no point in trying any of that now, as Present Kelly's already done it. Talla points out that Younger Kelly's now a separate person from Present Kelly, and should start acting like it. She tells her the first step is for them to get her a proper uniform.
In the Mess Hall, Younger Kelly chats with Gordon, John and Talla, telling them embarrassing stories about her academy days. Present Kelly then walks up asks to speak to her alone. She tells Younger Kelly that she'd appreciate it if she didn't broadcast stories like that to the crew, since as commander she needs their respect. Younger Kelly realizes she's right, and apologizes. Younger Kelly then says she likes the Orville and its crew so much she's decided to accept a position onboard. Present Kelly is horrified at the notion of having her time twin around permanently, but does her best to smile.
Cut to Mercer's quarters, where Gordon's whooping him at a holographic videogame. Younger Kelly enters and asks to speak to Mercer alone. She tells him she enjoyed their first date— which from her point of view was just a couple days ago— and would like to go out on a second one.
Mercer visits Present Kelly in her office, and asks her one last time if there's any chance of them getting back together. Once again, she emphatically confirms that's never going to happen. He then asks if she'd be weirded out if he began dating Younger Kelly. He says it'll be a second chance to get their relationship right. Present Kelly's obviously a bit disturbed by this, but says she can't stop him. She warns him though that Younger Kelly's a different person than she is.
Mercer and Younger Kelly go on a second date, which ends well. The next morning, Present Kelly visits her younger counterpart, saying she thinks it's a mistake for her to date Mercer and the whole thing will just lead to heartache. Younger Kelly explodes, saying Present Kelly isn't married, isn't a captain and is distant from her crew. She says she's made her future a disappointment.
Present Kelly storms off and takes her post on the bridge. Mercer asks what's wrong, and she snaps, "Nothing!" Just then Bortus detects two Kaylon Spheres in the area. The Orville changes course and goes to Quantum Speed to avoid them.
Later on, Mercer tells Gordon about his second date with Younger Kelly. Gordon's not thrilled with the prospect, as he's afraid Mercer will just get hurt all over again. Younger Kelly appears and invites them all to a simulation of her favorite place.
Cut to Mercer and Gordon sitting uncomfortably in a nightclub, as lights flash in their eyes and pulsing techno music drowns out any hope of conversation. Younger Kelly and Talla dance together, enjoying themselves immensely. So do Bortus and Klyden! Gordon asks Mercer if this is really what he wants in a relationship.
Meanwhile, Present Kelly airs her problems to Claire. She wonders if Younger Kelly was right, and she is a disappointment. Claire assures her she's done great things with her life, and not to let Younger Kelly get to her. Kelly isn't sure, so Claire asks her what she really wants in life.
After hours, Younger Kelly surprises Mercer by wearing a slinky nightgown. She's disappointed though when he admits he's seen it before. They begin kissing, but Mercer stops, saying it doesn't feel right. He says he's already done all this before with the original Kelly. He says this was a mistake, as he still has feelings for Present Kelly.
Just then there's an alert, and the crew reports to the Bridge in their bedclothes. Bortus announces that the two Kaylon Spheres are back and will intercept them in eight minutes. Gordon reminds Mercer they can't outrun the Spheres. Younger Kelly appears on the Bridge, and suggests they make for the Vandex system, which is only a few light years away. She says the second planet in the system is surrounded by Jovian rings made of ice, and they could hide from the Kaylons there.
The Orville high-tails it to the planet, and slips into its ring system. It lands on one of the larger chunks and begins jettisoning water, which covers the entire ship in ice. Mercer then orders all power shut down. The Kaylon Spheres arrive and begin searching the rings. They fly within several feet of the frozen Orville, but amazingly don't detect it. Eventually they move off.
Sometime later, Younger Kelly visits Present Kelly and apologizes for what she said. She says after seeing her on the Bridge, she realizes the value in what she does every day. The two make up. Just then John and Isaac enter, saying they think they've found a way to send Younger Kelly back to her own time.
They offer a technobabble explanation that involves channeling the Quantum Drive through the Time Cone. Problem is, it'll take a LOT of power, more than they use to travel faster than light. Younger Kelly asks if her knowledge of the future will be a problem in her own time, and Claire says she could do a memory wipe on her. She warns that there are risks to such a procedure, and says she'll have to make the decision on her own. Young Kelly smiles, saying the fact that Present Kelly doesn't remember any of this is proof that it all worked. Wait, didn't they say earlier that this was a new timeline, and it didn't matter if she knew about the future? I'm confused.
Anyway, Younger Kelly reports to Sickbay, where Claire preps her for the procedure. Talla says goodbye, and tells her to look her up seven years from now. Mercer apologizes for the heartache his younger self's about to cause her, and then leaves for the Bridge. Finally Present Kelly bids her younger self goodbye. Claire then wipes Younger Kelly's recent memory.
Mercer tells John and Isaac to start the procedure. John fires up the Quantum Drive, and Isaac monitors the Time Cone. He says it needs more power, but John says the Drive's already over the line. Isaac says he needs at least 15% more power. Mercer orders John to divert all power for ten seconds and then shut it down. John does so, and the ship begins shuddering as system after system overloads. Present Kelly tells Mercer to stop before the ship's destroyed. Mercer orders John to shut it down. In Sickbay, a blinding flash of light fills the room.
Kelly wakes on the floor, and groggily gets up. She walks over and looks out at the city through the window of her apartment. She gets a call from Mercer, who tells her he had a great time on their date last night and asks to see her again. Kelly's look turns serious, as she tells him she just doesn't see them working out. She hangs up on him.
Thoughts:
• The title of the episode comes from Macbeth:
"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."
This is in line with the various Star Trek series, which were fond of using pretentious sounding Shakespearean titles.
—The Animated Series: How Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth (from King Lear)
—TNG: Thine Own Self (from Hamlet)
—DS9: The Dogs of War (from Julius Caesar) and Past Prologue (from The Tempest)
—Voyager: Mortal Coil (from Hamlet)
—Enterprise: Sleeping Dogs (from Henry IV, Part 2) and Breaking the Ice (from Taming of the Shrew)
• The Orville "lands" on a massive chunk of ice in the planet's rings. It then jettisons thousands of gallons of water to coat the ship in ice and hide it from the rapidly approaching Kaylon ships.
• Once the ship's hidden by ice, Mercer orders Isaac to cut all power. The crew watches tensely as one of the Kaylon ships passes within a few feet of the Bridge's overhead dome.
Isaac's there watching them too. Hey, wait a minute! Mercer told him to shut down ALL power! Shouldn't that include Isaac as well as the ship's systems? Look at him! His eyes and shoulder pads are glowing merrily away in the darkness! Shouldn't the Kaylons be able to detect his power source?
For that matter, it's a good thing the enemy ships weren't scanning for any Kaylon "life signs" as they slowly floated overhead! Maybe they assume the Union disassembled Isaac, and don't know he's still onboard?
• At the end of the episode, the Orville crew manages to send Younger Kelly back to her own time. She wakes up on the floor, then stands and looks around, unsure of just where she is.
• Maybe it's just my failing eyesight, but when Younger Mercer calls Younger Kelly on her vid-phone, it looks like they did a bit of de-aging on him as well.
• Despite the fact that her memories of the future were erased, Younger Kelly declines a second date with Mercer.
So what do we think here? Did the memory wipe not work for some reason? Or did it work, but Kelly was still left with an uneasy feeling about her future with Mercer and decided to hang up on him?
Either way, this is a major change to her timeline. By not going on a second date with Mercer, they'll never get married and she won't cheat on him. She then won't feel guilty and call in a favor from Admiral Halsey to get Mercer appointed captain of the Orville. That means Mercer, Kelly, Gordon and Claire won't become part of the crew.
Whether any of this actually happens or not depends on which time travel theory you believe. If Younger Kelly really is from an alternate timeline, then her actions won't make any difference. If there's only one timeline and actions in the past affect the future, then she just radically altered the entire series.
I have a pretty good idea which it is. The official synopsis for next week's episode reads, "The crew must contend with the disastrous fallout from Kelly's decision." So yeah, I guess we can forget all the alternate timeline talk, as she obviously just changed the future.
I'm assuming we'll get some sort of Mirror, Mirror alternative timeline episode next week, that'll have to be undone somehow.
In that episode, Commander Will Riker discovers that eight years ago (!) a transporter accident unknowingly created a perfect duplicate of him. This copy was then stranded on a remote planet, and was finally discovered when the ship returned. To avoid confusion, the duplicate uses Riker's middle name of "Thomas." The two Rikers quickly get on each other's nerves, as Thomas is unhappy to see that Will isn't yet a captain and ended his relationship with Counselor Deanna Troi. Eventually the two Rikers are involved in a natural disaster on a planet, and Will saves Thomas' life. Thomas then transfers to another ship.
Sounds pretty darned familiar, doesn't it? Despite the fact that this episode's plot is lifted wholesale from Second Chances, it feels more emotionally resonant. The two Kelly's aren't separate entities, but the same person from two different times. This makes a huge difference, as Younger Kelly feels there's no point in doing anything, since her future self has already done it.
The episode also feels a bit like TNG's Tapestry, in which Captain Picard is killed, but is brought back to life by godlike entity Q. Picard then has the chance to change his past mistakes, but quickly makes a mess of things and realizes his failures make him the man he is as much as his successes.
It also reminds me very slightly of the TNG episode Time Squared, in which a time-displaced Captain Picard appears on the ship, from just six hours in the future.
• This Week's Best Lines:
—Enterprise: Sleeping Dogs (from Henry IV, Part 2) and Breaking the Ice (from Taming of the Shrew)
• The episode opens with a cool exterior shot of the ship, that slowly zooms into Mercer and the others enjoying a drink in the Mess Hall.
Take a look at the hull in the upper right corner! It's covered in dirt, grime and other assorted schmutz! Somebody run the Orville through a "ship wash," stat!
• For the second week in a row, the rating snipe appears in the worst place possible. Again, was it really necessary to stick it right on top of someone's face?
There's plenty of real estate to the left of Kelly's head. They started placing snipes a foot inward back in the late 1990s, back when the majority of viewers still 4:3 aspect ratio TVs. Those days are long past though, as 99.9% of the audience is viewing on 16:9 widescreen TVs. It's safe to move the snipe over to the edge of the screen, guys.
• This week's plot is largely driven by Isaac's Time Cone, aka the Aranov Device.
She effortlessly pulled it off though. I had absolutely no trouble believing I was seeing the currently Kelly interacting with her younger self.
Equally impressive was the fact that they somehow made the Kelly from the past look seven years younger. Obviously they used some clever makeup tricks, like outfitting Younger Kelly in a blonde wig with bangs and lightening her lipstick. But I'm wondering of they might have used some subtle digital de-aging as well? So far no one online's mentioned how they did it.
• Hats off to the effects team as well, who seamlessly integrated the two Kellys into dozens of scenes. At one point Present Kelly even reaches out and gives Younger Kelly a comforting squeeze on the arm!
Many of the effects were more subtle, but just as effective. Like this scene, in which Younger Kelly is slightly out of focus— exactly as she would be if she were really sitting behind Present Kelly! Well done, guys!
• At the risk of getting flamed for body shaming, I was shocked to see just how thin Adrianne Palicki is. Holy crap! I mean I could see she was thin before now, but her Union uniform is more loose-fitting, and helped make her look a bit heftier. Younger Kelly spends much of the episode in skin-tight yoga pants, revealing a frame that's almost disturbingly skinny. Get that girl a sandwich, stat!
• After settling in, Younger Kelly begins wearing a Union uniform. Based on the color and chest badge, she's apparently in the Science division. Hmm... Has Kelly ever demonstrated any kind of scientific aptitude or knowledge before this? If she did, I sure don't remember it. They really needed a line here to explain just what her area of expertise is in.
• In the Mess Hall, Younger Kelly tells John, Gordon and Talla a story about her wild & crazy Union Point days. Present Kelly calls her aside and sternly lectures her about over-sharing, fearing she'll lose the crew's respect after they hear embarrassing stories about her.
Thing is, in the opening scene Mercer and Gordon were telling equally embarrassing anecdotes about her, and Present Kelly didn't say a thing.
• THIS is the face one makes when one's younger time clone informs one that they've decided to request a posting on one's ship and live there permanently.
• Mercer and Gordon play a holographic fighting videogame, somewhat reminiscent of Mortal Kombat.
Thing is, the game characters look relatively primitive, complete with a crude and unrealistic glow around them. Plus the guys are using game controllers not unlike the ones we have now! It seems odd that they'd play an "old school" game like this when they have aholodeck, er, Simulator that can create lifelike characters indistinguishable from the real thing.
On the other hand, here in 2019 we have videogames that look like live action movies. Yet one of the most popular titles around is Minecraft, a game with primitive, blocky graphics. So go figure.
• At one point Younger Kelly visits Mercer and says she wants to go on a "second date" with him. Mercer immediately goes to Present Kelly, and asks one more time if there's any chance of them getting back together. When she says no, he says he's going to start a relationship with Younger Kelly.
Many fans have stated that the idea of Mercer dating Kelly's time-displaced twin "creepy" and "highly disturbing." Welp, that's because everything in our current politically correct hellscape of a society is now considered creepy and disturbing.
Others accused Mercer of taking advantage of the less sophisticated and emotionally vulnerable Younger Kelly. Some also saw the scene as Mercer attempting to blackmail Present Kelly into dating him.
Eh, I didn't see it that way at all. Mercer didn't come at her with an ultimatum, he came to her to ask permission to date Younger Kelly. Plus he gave Present Kelly every opportunity to say yes before pursuing Younger Kelly. If anything, his actions felt gentlemanly to me.
That said, I was getting a little fed up with Mercer constantly pestering Kelly to get back together with him. He asked her twice just in this episode, which in my opinion bordered on harassment. No means no, Mercer! She's just not into you!
• Fun scene: After his "second date" with Past Kelly, an ecstatic Mercer struts happily down a corridor, a goofy grin plastered across his face. He then encounters a random crewman and instantly switches to "Captain" mode.
• Talla needs to let her hair down more often. And uncover her poor right ear! At this point I'm starting to wonder if she even has two ears! As Security Office, maybe she lost one in the line of duty.
• Mercer and Gordon look about as miserable as I do any time I've ever been in a club.
• Yaphit's "dancing" looks exactly how I imagined it would!
• I enjoyed Bortus and Kylden's "dancing" as well. Plus it looks like Bortus has forgiven Klyden for last week's dickery. For now, at least.
• This is some over the top nitpicking and analysis, but whatever. At one point Present Kelly and Claire discuss Younger Kelly while getting good and sloshed. Take a look at their drinks here. Believe it or not, there's an online debate raging as to whether their drinks are made of multicolored, layered liquids, or if they're simply sipping out of striped glasses.
Unfortunately the effect kind of falls apart with their glasses. Here you can see Present Kelly holding her glass at a slight angle. If you look closely, the top layer of blue liquid is level with the floor, just as it should be. Yet all the layers beneath it are tilted at the exact same angle as the glass.
That means the lower layers are likely printed or painted onto the glass, and the blue liquid's the only real one. Either that or this drink is supposed to be some kind of futuristic Jello shot, and the lower layers are so viscous they're not affected by gravity!
• Mercer and the rest of the senior staff are called to a Bridge emergency in the middle of the night. Surprisingly, they report to their stations in their robes and other bedclothes!
I really loved this scene, as it was wonderfully realistic and humanizing. You'd never see a stiff like Captain Picard report to his Bridge in his jammies!
The scene made perfect sense too— why waste precious seconds putting on a uniform instead of dashing to the Bridge as quickly as possible!
• I was surprised to see the Kaylons pop up in this episode and aggressively pursue the Orville. I assumed they were still back on their home planet, licking their wounds after retreating during the Battle Of Earth.
• As the Kaylon ships approach, Younger Kelly suggests they head for Vandex II and hide the ship in the planet's covariant ring system. When the Orville arrives, we see the planet is surrounded by 2, count 'em TWO intersecting rings (!).
Take a look at the hull in the upper right corner! It's covered in dirt, grime and other assorted schmutz! Somebody run the Orville through a "ship wash," stat!
There's plenty of real estate to the left of Kelly's head. They started placing snipes a foot inward back in the late 1990s, back when the majority of viewers still 4:3 aspect ratio TVs. Those days are long past though, as 99.9% of the audience is viewing on 16:9 widescreen TVs. It's safe to move the snipe over to the edge of the screen, guys.
The Cone has a long history on the show, as we've seen it at least twice before. It first popped up way back in the very first episode, Old Wounds. If you'll recall, Dr. Aranov conned the Orville into visiting his research station on Epsilon II, in order to protect his "temporal field device" from the Krill. Mercer noted that with this new piece of technology, "We need no longer fear the banana."
It showed up again earlier this season in A Happy Refrain, where we saw that Isaac was screwing around with an Aranov Device of his own. It can't be the original one, as that was destroyed in the pilot episode. Apparently Isaac built this one himself. But if so, where'd he get the plans? Dr. Aranov was terrified the device would fall into the wrong hands, so it's unlikely he'd just email the plans to anyone who asked. Isaac wasn't on the away mission to Epsilon II, so he couldn't have seen it and built one from memory.
However he built it, I noted back then that there was no way the device's appearance was a fluke (Chekov's Time Cone!), and that it would end up becoming important later in the season. And it did!
• Kudos to Adrianne Palicki for her performance— make that performances— in this episode, as she portrayed two very different versions of the same character. It couldn't have been easy, as in addition to trying to act like two people she had to deal with wardrobe & makeup changes, as well as the doubling effects.
She effortlessly pulled it off though. I had absolutely no trouble believing I was seeing the currently Kelly interacting with her younger self.
Equally impressive was the fact that they somehow made the Kelly from the past look seven years younger. Obviously they used some clever makeup tricks, like outfitting Younger Kelly in a blonde wig with bangs and lightening her lipstick. But I'm wondering of they might have used some subtle digital de-aging as well? So far no one online's mentioned how they did it.
• Time travel stories are usually complicated, and this one's no exception. It doesn't help matters that the way time travel affects the past seems to fluctuate all through the episode.
When Younger Kelly first appears onboard, Mercer and Present Kelly discuss whether they should tell her anything that could alter the future (aka their present). Eventually Mercer decides that Younger Kelly's probably from an alternate timeline, so nothing they tell her will have any effect on them. He then tells Younger Kelly EVERYTHING.
At the end of the episode, the crew discovers a way to send Younger Kelly back to her own time. Before she goes though, they decide to do a memory wipe, to erase her knowledge of the future. Wait, what?
Why the change? Why do they give her future info one minute, then take it away the next?
To add to the confusion, the crew tells Younger Kelly that their method to send her back may not work. She smiles and says she knows it will, because Present Kelly doesn't remember appearing on the Orville seven years ago.
But if Younger Kelly's really from an alternate timeline, Present Kelly wouldn't have any of her memories no matter how the experiment turned out! See what I mean?
It's like the writers set up a method of time travel, but either didn't understand their own rules or ignored them for the sake of the plot.
When Younger Kelly first appears onboard, Mercer and Present Kelly discuss whether they should tell her anything that could alter the future (aka their present). Eventually Mercer decides that Younger Kelly's probably from an alternate timeline, so nothing they tell her will have any effect on them. He then tells Younger Kelly EVERYTHING.
At the end of the episode, the crew discovers a way to send Younger Kelly back to her own time. Before she goes though, they decide to do a memory wipe, to erase her knowledge of the future. Wait, what?
Why the change? Why do they give her future info one minute, then take it away the next?
To add to the confusion, the crew tells Younger Kelly that their method to send her back may not work. She smiles and says she knows it will, because Present Kelly doesn't remember appearing on the Orville seven years ago.
But if Younger Kelly's really from an alternate timeline, Present Kelly wouldn't have any of her memories no matter how the experiment turned out! See what I mean?
It's like the writers set up a method of time travel, but either didn't understand their own rules or ignored them for the sake of the plot.
• In the Mess Hall, Younger Kelly tells John, Gordon and Talla a story about her wild & crazy Union Point days. Present Kelly calls her aside and sternly lectures her about over-sharing, fearing she'll lose the crew's respect after they hear embarrassing stories about her.
Thing is, in the opening scene Mercer and Gordon were telling equally embarrassing anecdotes about her, and Present Kelly didn't say a thing.
Thing is, the game characters look relatively primitive, complete with a crude and unrealistic glow around them. Plus the guys are using game controllers not unlike the ones we have now! It seems odd that they'd play an "old school" game like this when they have a
On the other hand, here in 2019 we have videogames that look like live action movies. Yet one of the most popular titles around is Minecraft, a game with primitive, blocky graphics. So go figure.
• At one point Younger Kelly visits Mercer and says she wants to go on a "second date" with him. Mercer immediately goes to Present Kelly, and asks one more time if there's any chance of them getting back together. When she says no, he says he's going to start a relationship with Younger Kelly.
Many fans have stated that the idea of Mercer dating Kelly's time-displaced twin "creepy" and "highly disturbing." Welp, that's because everything in our current politically correct hellscape of a society is now considered creepy and disturbing.
Others accused Mercer of taking advantage of the less sophisticated and emotionally vulnerable Younger Kelly. Some also saw the scene as Mercer attempting to blackmail Present Kelly into dating him.
Eh, I didn't see it that way at all. Mercer didn't come at her with an ultimatum, he came to her to ask permission to date Younger Kelly. Plus he gave Present Kelly every opportunity to say yes before pursuing Younger Kelly. If anything, his actions felt gentlemanly to me.
That said, I was getting a little fed up with Mercer constantly pestering Kelly to get back together with him. He asked her twice just in this episode, which in my opinion bordered on harassment. No means no, Mercer! She's just not into you!
I think it's pretty obvious that the drinks are supposed to be made of colored layers, as demonstrated by the bottles on the table. If you zoom in you can see that the empty bottle contains a few drops of red liquid in it— which is the bottom color. That's exactly what would happen if the bottle contained different colored layers.
That means the lower layers are likely printed or painted onto the glass, and the blue liquid's the only real one. Either that or this drink is supposed to be some kind of futuristic Jello shot, and the lower layers are so viscous they're not affected by gravity!
I really loved this scene, as it was wonderfully realistic and humanizing. You'd never see a stiff like Captain Picard report to his Bridge in his jammies!
The scene made perfect sense too— why waste precious seconds putting on a uniform instead of dashing to the Bridge as quickly as possible!
• I was surprised to see the Kaylons pop up in this episode and aggressively pursue the Orville. I assumed they were still back on their home planet, licking their wounds after retreating during the Battle Of Earth.
OK, so The Orville's certainly never exactly pretended to be 100% scientifically accurate. That said, it feels like the show at least attempts to get most of its science right
This though... this planet is downright cartoonish. It looks like something from Third Rock From The Sun! I'd be very, VERY surprised to ever find out that such a rings system could actually exist
• Once inside Vandex II's ring system, we see it's composed of huge chunks of ice— many larger than the Orville itself!
Eh, that seems unlikely. Here in our solar system, Saturn's rings contain a few boulder sized slabs of ice, but the vast majority of particles are pebble-sized or even smaller. Even more amazing, the entire Saturnian ring system is only about 10 meters thick!
Eh, that seems unlikely. Here in our solar system, Saturn's rings contain a few boulder sized slabs of ice, but the vast majority of particles are pebble-sized or even smaller. Even more amazing, the entire Saturnian ring system is only about 10 meters thick!
Jupiter's rings are even finer, as its particles are mostly dust mote-sized!
I suppose we could cut the show a break here, and say that since this is a planet in a completely different solar system, its rings could have a radically different structure. So I'll give 'em this one.
I'm not even gonna ask why the Orville comes equipped with a series of extendable water jets...
For that matter, it's a good thing the enemy ships weren't scanning for any Kaylon "life signs" as they slowly floated overhead! Maybe they assume the Union disassembled Isaac, and don't know he's still onboard?
For a brief second, I was sure she was gonna look over, see Isaac standing there and ask, "Where am I," making the entire episode an infinite loop. It didn't turn out that way of course, but go back and watch that scene again. The way she looks around is identical to the beginning of the episode— it's obvious that they shot it that way to make us think that's what was happening!
So what do we think here? Did the memory wipe not work for some reason? Or did it work, but Kelly was still left with an uneasy feeling about her future with Mercer and decided to hang up on him?
Either way, this is a major change to her timeline. By not going on a second date with Mercer, they'll never get married and she won't cheat on him. She then won't feel guilty and call in a favor from Admiral Halsey to get Mercer appointed captain of the Orville. That means Mercer, Kelly, Gordon and Claire won't become part of the crew.
Whether any of this actually happens or not depends on which time travel theory you believe. If Younger Kelly really is from an alternate timeline, then her actions won't make any difference. If there's only one timeline and actions in the past affect the future, then she just radically altered the entire series.
I have a pretty good idea which it is. The official synopsis for next week's episode reads, "The crew must contend with the disastrous fallout from Kelly's decision." So yeah, I guess we can forget all the alternate timeline talk, as she obviously just changed the future.
I'm assuming we'll get some sort of Mirror, Mirror alternative timeline episode next week, that'll have to be undone somehow.
• This Week's Incongruous 21st Century (And Earlier!) References:
Eh, just a couple this week. Apparently they in the 25th Century they still have dance clubs that look identical to the ones in our time.
Mercer and Gordon play a holographic videogame with controllers that are very much like the ones we have now.
• This Week's Star Trek Swipes:
• This Week's Star Trek Swipes:
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, And Tomorrow is pretty much a straight up remake of the TNG episode Second Chances.
Sounds pretty darned familiar, doesn't it? Despite the fact that this episode's plot is lifted wholesale from Second Chances, it feels more emotionally resonant. The two Kelly's aren't separate entities, but the same person from two different times. This makes a huge difference, as Younger Kelly feels there's no point in doing anything, since her future self has already done it.
The episode also feels a bit like TNG's Tapestry, in which Captain Picard is killed, but is brought back to life by godlike entity Q. Picard then has the chance to change his past mistakes, but quickly makes a mess of things and realizes his failures make him the man he is as much as his successes.
It also reminds me very slightly of the TNG episode Time Squared, in which a time-displaced Captain Picard appears on the ship, from just six hours in the future.
• This Week's Best Lines:
Present Kelly: "Do you remember you called me at 9:00 a.
m.
the next morning?"
Mercer: "Was it that early?"
Present Kelly: "Oh, it was that early. 9:00 a. m. You had zero game. I almost bailed on you after that."
Mercer: "Really?"
Present Kelly: "Almost."
Mercer: "Well, I can see how a guy being excited to see you would be a major turn-off."
Present Kelly: "I don't know how the food synthesizers are gonna replicate enough wine for two Kellys."
Younger Kelly: "You have to forgive me, this is just a whole lot to process. We got married?"
Mercer & Present Kelly: "Yes."
Younger Kelly: "And then we got divorced."
Present Kelly: "That's right."
Younger Kelly: "And now we're serving together as captain and first officer on the same ship?"
Mercer: "That's correct."
Younger Kelly: "I.. I mean if you'd asked me to predict the next seven years of my life, this-this would have been guess number 9,000."
Mercer: "Are you okay?"
Younger Kelly: "Um, yes. No. I... I seriously have no idea what to think right now. What, um... I mean why did we get divorced?"
Mercer: "That's a multifaceted situation."
Present Kelly: "Well, it's a little complicated."
Mercer: "I was commuting to Epsilon Eridani for work every day."
Present Kelly: "And I was on Earth."
Mercer: "And I was working a lot."
Present Kelly: "He had trouble with balance."
Mercer: "A lot of trouble, actually."
Present Kelly: "I felt very alone."
Mercer: "And one night, after months of this..."
Present Kelly: "It was really bad."
Mercer: "There was a..."
Present Kelly: "There was an infidelity."
Younger Kelly: "Wait who cheated on who?"
Present Kelly: "Well, I wouldn't say cheated exactly..."
Mercer: "Uh, - that's kind of a... textured thing."
Present Kelly: "Because we later found out the Retepsian was in heat."
Younger Kelly:"Okay, I'm very confused."
Younger Kelly: "I just I feel like my whole life has already happened and I didn't even have any say in it."
Talla: "I feel like that sometimes, and I haven't even traveled through time."
Present Kelly: "It seems clear by now, for whatever reason, the timeline is intact. Nothing you do will affect the future."
Younger Kelly: "Wow. What a great thing to hear about yourself."
Mercer: (playing a videogame with Gordon) "Oh, come on. How are you doing that?"
Gordon: "Got to hit the left arrow, hold the top button down."
Mercer: "That's what I'm doing. I'm literally doing what you just said. Look, see?"
Gordon: "You got to hold the top button down."
Mercer: "Gordon, look at my hand. I'm pressing the top button."
Gordon: "Yeah, but you're not tapping the left arrow."
Mercer: "Oh, my God, this is so stupid. Wait, hang on. Wait, where's he...? Wait, how am I supposed to...?"
Gordon: "You got to back him up."
Mercer: "How do I back him up?"
Gordon: "Press the top left button, hold the red arrow down, tap the X button."
Mercer: "Gordon, I don't have 20 fingers."
Mercer: "You remember when you were dating Cassius, and I supported you guys, and I was totally cool about it?"
Present Kelly: "Eventually, yes."
Mercer: "And you still feel that we should not get back together because our jobs make it too complicated."
Present Kelly: "Where are you going with this?"
Mercer: "How would you feel about me going on a second date? With her. Look, I know it's out there, but she came to my quarters, and I didn't know what to say. All I knew was that I didn't want to say no."
Present Kelly: "And you're equating this with Cassius."
Mercer: "Well, yeah, you found someone and so did I."
Present Kelly: "Yeah, it's a little different."
Mercer: "Think of it this way. It's almost like it could be a second chance for us."
Present Kelly: "There is no 'us' without me. She's not me."
Mercer: "I know, but she was. And truthfully, I'd really just like to date somebody who's not a Krill."
Younger Kelly: "And I know you don't want to hear it, but you have to."
Present Kelly: "What"
Younger Kelly: "You're not married. You're not a captain. You maintain a distance from your crew. There were three things I wanted in life, and you haven't come close on one. You've made my future a disappointment."
Claire: "The young always dismiss the old. It's a way of pushing away the truth."
Present Kelly: "You just called me old."
(They laugh.)
Claire: "You're not old."
Younger Kelly: (as she prepares to go back to her own time) "I'm really gonna miss you guys."
Isaac: "That is incorrect, Lieutenant. You will not remember these events."
Claire: (as Isaac fires up the Time Cone) "You sure this'll work?"
Isaac: "Not at all, Doctor."
Mercer: "Was it that early?"
Present Kelly: "Oh, it was that early. 9:00 a. m. You had zero game. I almost bailed on you after that."
Mercer: "Really?"
Present Kelly: "Almost."
Mercer: "Well, I can see how a guy being excited to see you would be a major turn-off."
Present Kelly: "I don't know how the food synthesizers are gonna replicate enough wine for two Kellys."
Younger Kelly: "You have to forgive me, this is just a whole lot to process. We got married?"
Mercer & Present Kelly: "Yes."
Younger Kelly: "And then we got divorced."
Present Kelly: "That's right."
Younger Kelly: "And now we're serving together as captain and first officer on the same ship?"
Mercer: "That's correct."
Younger Kelly: "I.. I mean if you'd asked me to predict the next seven years of my life, this-this would have been guess number 9,000."
Mercer: "Are you okay?"
Younger Kelly: "Um, yes. No. I... I seriously have no idea what to think right now. What, um... I mean why did we get divorced?"
Mercer: "That's a multifaceted situation."
Present Kelly: "Well, it's a little complicated."
Mercer: "I was commuting to Epsilon Eridani for work every day."
Present Kelly: "And I was on Earth."
Mercer: "And I was working a lot."
Present Kelly: "He had trouble with balance."
Mercer: "A lot of trouble, actually."
Present Kelly: "I felt very alone."
Mercer: "And one night, after months of this..."
Present Kelly: "It was really bad."
Mercer: "There was a..."
Present Kelly: "There was an infidelity."
Younger Kelly: "Wait who cheated on who?"
Present Kelly: "Well, I wouldn't say cheated exactly..."
Mercer: "Uh, - that's kind of a... textured thing."
Present Kelly: "Because we later found out the Retepsian was in heat."
Younger Kelly:"Okay, I'm very confused."
Younger Kelly: "I just I feel like my whole life has already happened and I didn't even have any say in it."
Talla: "I feel like that sometimes, and I haven't even traveled through time."
Present Kelly: "It seems clear by now, for whatever reason, the timeline is intact. Nothing you do will affect the future."
Younger Kelly: "Wow. What a great thing to hear about yourself."
Mercer: (playing a videogame with Gordon) "Oh, come on. How are you doing that?"
Gordon: "Got to hit the left arrow, hold the top button down."
Mercer: "That's what I'm doing. I'm literally doing what you just said. Look, see?"
Gordon: "You got to hold the top button down."
Mercer: "Gordon, look at my hand. I'm pressing the top button."
Gordon: "Yeah, but you're not tapping the left arrow."
Mercer: "Oh, my God, this is so stupid. Wait, hang on. Wait, where's he...? Wait, how am I supposed to...?"
Gordon: "You got to back him up."
Mercer: "How do I back him up?"
Gordon: "Press the top left button, hold the red arrow down, tap the X button."
Mercer: "Gordon, I don't have 20 fingers."
Mercer: "You remember when you were dating Cassius, and I supported you guys, and I was totally cool about it?"
Present Kelly: "Eventually, yes."
Mercer: "And you still feel that we should not get back together because our jobs make it too complicated."
Present Kelly: "Where are you going with this?"
Mercer: "How would you feel about me going on a second date? With her. Look, I know it's out there, but she came to my quarters, and I didn't know what to say. All I knew was that I didn't want to say no."
Present Kelly: "And you're equating this with Cassius."
Mercer: "Well, yeah, you found someone and so did I."
Present Kelly: "Yeah, it's a little different."
Mercer: "Think of it this way. It's almost like it could be a second chance for us."
Present Kelly: "There is no 'us' without me. She's not me."
Mercer: "I know, but she was. And truthfully, I'd really just like to date somebody who's not a Krill."
Younger Kelly: "And I know you don't want to hear it, but you have to."
Present Kelly: "What"
Younger Kelly: "You're not married. You're not a captain. You maintain a distance from your crew. There were three things I wanted in life, and you haven't come close on one. You've made my future a disappointment."
Claire: "The young always dismiss the old. It's a way of pushing away the truth."
Present Kelly: "You just called me old."
(They laugh.)
Claire: "You're not old."
Younger Kelly: (as she prepares to go back to her own time) "I'm really gonna miss you guys."
Isaac: "That is incorrect, Lieutenant. You will not remember these events."
Claire: (as Isaac fires up the Time Cone) "You sure this'll work?"
Isaac: "Not at all, Doctor."