‘The Orville: New Horizons’ Recap: ‘Gently Falling Rain’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 304 of ‘The Orville: New Horizons’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It wasn’t that long ago, that Americans across the nation watched in horror, as the United States Capitol lay under siege over the simple act of certifying a general election. One that was about to bring sweeping and welcome change to Washington, something the insurrections on that day, couldn't fathom, and well… it is definitely safe to say that all of us were harboring an important question on that dark day. Specifically… how did we get here? Because this wasn’t the America that any of us were taught about growing up and this wasn’t the kind of thing Americans are supposed to do when they fundamentally disagree. But alas, that horrible day was what we had to endure, and the lasting impact of it and the mystery of how America reached such a low point has haunted our nation since then.

To the point where now documentaries and stories are popping up to sort that mess out, so that we understand how the rise of a guy like Trump took place… in the hopes of preventing a repeat of that kind of wanton madness and lust for power in a nation designed to embrace change in leadership often. And it just so happens, that this week’s episode of The Orville: New Horizons can be added to the growing list of creative universes looking to make sense of such of madness. For ‘Gently Falling Rain’ is a tale that explored those root causes and offered advice on how we perhaps prevent it going forward, and it accomplished these grand and sweeping feats, by having a wondrous and beautiful moment in galactic history… be completely and utterly ruined by underestimated forces. 

For early on in this tale, it appeared as though the Planetary Union and the Krill were about to embark on a brave new future. One where peace prevailed amongst both people at last. A move that was decried by seemingly minority voices on the Krill home world, to the point where the Supreme Chancellor was free from worry about signing a peace treaty with the Union on election night. In fact, he was so secure in his return to power that he invited the President of the Planetary Union and an attaché consisting of Admiral Halsey and Captain Mercer to the home world on this night and well… that’s when things took a turn for the worse. For Teleya was the leader of these dissenting voices and her side won the election and immediately wrought havoc upon this world and well… that left Ed in quite the stunned place.

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Because he believed that he had reached her a year ago through the intimate and beautiful time they spent together as a couple. But in the end, she saw opening up to the galaxy as a threat to her people and opted to create a nationalist society above all else and she was so hell bent on having her voice and her beliefs heard after having them ‘suppressed’ for so long… that she shed the blood of her fellow Krill and was ready to start a war with the Union over it. And not even Ed and his discovery that they had a daughter together would shake her belief in the old institutions when there were obviously better ways forward and well… it is Teleya’s actions here and lust for power and her unfortunate path… that breaks down what happened to America.
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In that, the marginalized finally had enough of being ignored and not having their ideas heard and implemented so they rallied behind the worst possible people to give them what they desired. Out of a fear of change and a panicked realization their generation and its blasé ideals accomplished nothing lasting in a nation where history is prized. Which is a sobering answer to that question since it does put some onus on everyone who wanted to move forward. Because we didn’t communicate with those folks, nor did we help them to understand the world’s changes. Something that could have swayed some and made it easier to swallow. But alas, what’s done is done and going forward, the answer is simple. In that we have to figure out how to engage with one another once again and have quality discussions about the direction of the moment, while working to remove old concepts from the future. 

Which means it is imperative to educate the next generation, like Anaya on what the world should be and how they can impact it and make it a better place. So, when their times comes… they can do what the adults currently cannot and be objective and look at bigger pictures, and impact change without old ideologies and concepts weighing them down. Which is an answer that might not be ideal all things considered, but clearly, we are at a point where only discourse remains. But while that might not be what some want to hear as a solution… it is more than we’ve had in the past as a way forward and that answer, and that incredible analysis make this another brilliant episode from one brilliant show. One that is also bold in nature since it takes guts to address the insurrection in the room head on and it will be interesting to see what other burning topics The Orville: New Horizons intends to address as season three continues along. Until next time.  

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