I absolutely loved this episode, which given the concept could have easily turned out flippant and vulgar but is instead funny, smart, original and substantive. It marries comedy with drama better than almost any Orville episode so far while picking up a key storyline from one of season 1's strongest episodes and not taking easy choices in terms of the resolution. Bortus's inability to forgive Klyden for what was done to their child is compelling and completely understandable, and I was thrilled to hear him articulate it in the counselling session - and even more thrilled when the episode didn't neatly put the issue to bed in the last act, with Bortus believably saying that he's not sure he can ever forgive or understand but choosing to stay with Klyden out of pragmatism and thankfulness for his family. There is a lot of DS9's Sons Of Mogh and TNG's Hollow Pursuits in here yet the episode still feels so fresh and meaningful. It's also really well-directed.
Bortus's porn scenarios are hilarious, hot and relatable - they get the balance just right between being ridiculous and funny to the audience (especially in the context of Lamarr, Dan and Isaac trying to eradicate the virus while the simulation is running) yet being exactly what we imagine Bortus would be turned on by. I applaud the show for going there, and Gordon's masturbation line was hilarious, partly because there's such a realism and honesty to it - it's not a throwaway wank gag but part of the show's general acknowledgement that porn and masturbation are simply things that people do. Porn is not the joke here, neither is the same-sex relationship, and there is emotional truth to everything that happens in the episode - it's for those three reasons that Primal Urges truly succeeds. It's an excellent example of the show doing an episode that Trek could never do (and I'm not sure I'd want it to) and doing a great job of it.
I love The Orville's depiction of same-sex relationships, not just because it's an original sci-fi spin on the concept but because Bortus and Klyden feel like real people and the fact they're in a same-sex relationship isn't the point. This isn't a rights episode (like TNG's The Outcast), a doomed queer romance (like The Outcast and DS9's Rejoined and Chimera) or a superficial-only "look, they're gay" moment with little to no further substance or characterization (like Stamets/Culber on Star Trek Discovery, or the Sulu moment in Star Trek Beyond). It also has the courage to maturely tackle technologically facilitated sex addiction (a particular problem among gay men) and porn addiction (a particular problem among straight men) in a way that's relatable yet never a direct analogy. My only nitpicks are J Lee's continued weak line delivery, the fact Dr Finn conducts the couples counselling (instead of a ship's counsellor), and the rescue story - which is very well executed but disposable and doesn't really work, other than in terms of Bortus's story. Bortus's interaction with Isaac, and his little monologue in the shuttlecraft, were fantastic.
Bortus's porn scenarios are hilarious, hot and relatable - they get the balance just right between being ridiculous and funny to the audience (especially in the context of Lamarr, Dan and Isaac trying to eradicate the virus while the simulation is running) yet being exactly what we imagine Bortus would be turned on by. I applaud the show for going there, and Gordon's masturbation line was hilarious, partly because there's such a realism and honesty to it - it's not a throwaway wank gag but part of the show's general acknowledgement that porn and masturbation are simply things that people do. Porn is not the joke here, neither is the same-sex relationship, and there is emotional truth to everything that happens in the episode - it's for those three reasons that Primal Urges truly succeeds. It's an excellent example of the show doing an episode that Trek could never do (and I'm not sure I'd want it to) and doing a great job of it.
I love The Orville's depiction of same-sex relationships, not just because it's an original sci-fi spin on the concept but because Bortus and Klyden feel like real people and the fact they're in a same-sex relationship isn't the point. This isn't a rights episode (like TNG's The Outcast), a doomed queer romance (like The Outcast and DS9's Rejoined and Chimera) or a superficial-only "look, they're gay" moment with little to no further substance or characterization (like Stamets/Culber on Star Trek Discovery, or the Sulu moment in Star Trek Beyond). It also has the courage to maturely tackle technologically facilitated sex addiction (a particular problem among gay men) and porn addiction (a particular problem among straight men) in a way that's relatable yet never a direct analogy. My only nitpicks are J Lee's continued weak line delivery, the fact Dr Finn conducts the couples counselling (instead of a ship's counsellor), and the rescue story - which is very well executed but disposable and doesn't really work, other than in terms of Bortus's story. Bortus's interaction with Isaac, and his little monologue in the shuttlecraft, were fantastic.