‘The Orville’ Recap: ‘Blood of Patriots’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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I think it is safe to declare the last two episodes of The Orville as some of the finest that the series has ever put forth. For ‘Identity, Parts 1 and 2’ challenged the crew like never before, and pushed them to their absolute limits, and I suppose, if there is any ‘complaint’ to file over these action packed and breathtaking stories, it’s that the entire conflict with the Kaylon was devoid of the powerhouse commentary we’ve come to know and love from this show. It’s not a bad thing by any means, because let’s be honest, it’s tough to find a parallel to our world when the story involves three fleets of starships, blasting each other out of the sky, but when something is part of the connective tissue of a series, one definitely notices its absence.
 
However, it would seem that this oversight was all part of the plan when all is said and done. Because last night’s episode of the series, ‘Blood of Patriots’, had plenty to say about our world and the Battle of Earth and the Kaylon threat served as the springboard point to outright examine the nature of war and conflict, and the impact it sometimes has on people when conflict drags on too long and this sobering exploration was made possible by way of a surprise message from Admiralty. Because as it turns out, the Krill were ready to end hostilities with the Union and discuss a peace treaty, potentially ending decades of bloodshed and conflict and it was going to be up to Ed and his crew to secure signatures on the Lak’Vai Pact, a document that would signal good faith on both sides.
 
But of course, there was a slight complication in regard to the peace process, because shortly before the talks got underway, a shuttle carrying a pair of humans escaped the Krill delegation’s ship, and they immediately requested and were granted asylum, much to the dismay of the Krill. For they believed the man aboard that shuttle, a Union officer named Orrin Channing, was responsible for the destruction of four Krill ships, and they wanted Orrin back aboard their vessel immediately for interrogation and if Captain Mercer was unwilling to return him to the Krill vessel, then peace would be an impossible goal, and they gave Ed twelve hours to make a decision, putting him in quite the bind.

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For Orrin is a man who had seen some incredibly ugly things over the past twenty years. He lost his wife during a Krill attack, and he spent those last two decades in a Krill prison camp with his daughter Leyna, who escaped with him and well…it was hard to see how exactly Orrin could have caused trouble by just flying around in a shuttle with only his wits and his baby girl at his side. But some of the crew felt there was something amiss about him and it seemed for a while there, that this story was going to explore how and fear and paranoia can drive mankind to do questionable things since the Union was ready to hand Orrin over the Krill, provided Ed could find definitive proof of his crimes, because they were eager (and borderline desperate) to get a treaty completed with the Krill in order enjoy peace with an old enemy and also to bolster the Union’s military position against the Kaylon.
 
But in reality, this story was about the horrors of war and how it changes a man. Because eventually it was revealed that Orrin’s wife and daughter died twenty years ago in the attack that robbed Orrin of his freedom and the ‘daughter’ he was traveling with was actually a member of a unique race of aliens whose blood is explosive in nitrogen rich air, and they worked together to exact a little payback on the Krill, forcing Gordon to choose between his loyalty to an old friend or the uniform and his crew and thankfully he chose the latter. But despite his best efforts to stop Orrin from continuing his grand and sweeping vendetta, he lost his friend in a blaze of tragic glory and lesson here is that war can in fact, break a man and help to consume his soul in the fires of revenge and well, that’s quite the sobering message to say the least, when one applies it to our world and our lives.
 
For there are generations now being born in a world where conflict and war are commonplace, and they’re being taught that their enemy will forever be their enemy, and that’s dangerous and scary because that kind of lesson can create more men like Orrin, the kind who think that there can be no peace and if anything, this ended up being quite the bittersweet tale when all is said and done. For while Orrin may be gone, and peace negotiations between the Union and the Krill are underway, one has to wonder, just how many more ‘Patriots’ like Orrin are on both sides, wondering if peace is even achievable between these two species. Either way, this was, another brilliant episode, one that definitely gave me pause with its surprising message and one that once again proves that this show, is hands down the smartest science fiction series on television right now. Until next time. 

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