Season Finale Of The Orville: New Horizons Is A Deeply Moving Tribute To Life, Love, And The Pursuit Of Truth Wherever That May Come

All photos courtesy of Hulu.

I am confident this will be the most surprising season yet. It is not going where you think it is going.— Seth MacFarlane

And he wasn’t kidding.

Future Unknown is the 10th and final episode of Season 3 and it’s an entirely different animal compared to the previous 9. While there are still plenty of aesthetically beautiful scenes and soul-stirring music, complicated interpersonal relationships (sometimes between you and your inner self) and Ed and Kelly will they/won’t they moments, and lots of laughs, it’s the gorgeous storytelling that really pulls and holds it together. Written, directed, and starred in by Seth (alright, no one likes a showoff) Future Unknown subtly but brilliantly presents two possible outcomes for the future of the series so when the credits roll, you are ok with whatever happens. How often is a finale treated with such care?

Mark Jackson as Isaac

The show opens with a very cute intro of Isaac going about his morning routine to the tune of Bachelor In Paradise, a slightly deceptive but important piece to the episode. We also see the senior officers preparing to officiate a Moclan recoupling ceremony on the planet below, a ceremony that involves one of the best chase scenes I’ve watched in a long time. Once completed, the newly hitched couple lovingly embrace in the presence of their family and friends for what seemed to be an inordinate amount of time but still, it was a tender side of our two Dads that we don’t see often.

When the crew returns to the ship we see Isaac, inspired by the recoupling ceremony, researching earth marriage customs which prompts him to propose to Clair because that was the logical thing to do. Clair needs time to think and once the gossip about the proposal starts to spread throughout the ship, Isaac finds himself at the receiving end of some very cynical marriage advice, advice that causes quite the incident with Cmdr. Grayson. No damage is done, except to the ego of the fear-mongering commitment-phobe who couldn’t leave well enough alone. Not that I’m triggered by that. Moving on.

We also see the return of Lysella from S1 Ep7 Majority Rules who contacts The Orville via communicator begging for someone to come rescue her from the increasingly dangerous, repressive government on Sargus 4. Once she is aboard the Orville and sees firsthand the incredible technology on the ship, she begins to struggle with Survivor’s Guilt over her newfound freedom and makes a potentially lethal decision to illegally bring new tech back to old Sargus 4, that is until Cmdr. Grayson steps in and gently educates her in the fine art of the Prime Directive.

Once Isaac and Clair choose their best man and maid of honor, the wedding planning kicks into hire gear, promising lots of fun bachelor/bachelorette shenanigans for the soon-to-be bride and groom. Let’s just say the ladies got a party while the gents got a dead room at the Bellagio with an Elvis impersonator only a mother could love. Or a significant other. With the parties out of the way, the dress picked, and the guests accounted for (well most of them but who doesn’t love a surprise on their wedding day) the wedding goes off without a hitch, officiated by Captain Mercer, in front of dozens of family members, friends, and former enemies. Without Charly’s sacrifice, this day might not have ever happened. It will be interesting to see what future dominos fall or are diverted towards a different path, because of her death.

During the after-party, guests were treated to some laughs, some weird/some not-so-weird best man moments, a wonderful rendition of Secrete O’ Life by James Taylor sung by Gordon Malloy, a surprise visit by Alara, and a very solid Kelly/Ed moment involving sheepish looks and handholding. What an incredibly creative, warm, down-to-earth way to finish the series. Throughout this season, we have laughed, cried, argued, and unabashedly shared our stories of how the series has impacted our lives and it’s been an incredible flower of humanity to watch unfold. Thank you cast and crew of The Orville, for your tireless efforts in making this season a reality under the most difficult conditions and the harshest of expectations. We look forward with hope for a season 4. Cheers to the weirdest ship in the fleet!

Future Unknown, along with all previous episodes and seasons, are available to stream right here on Hulu and coming August 10th on Disney+.