The Orville (TV Series) About a Girl (2017) User Reviews

You don't get it do you?

[bnevs18 · 9/10 · 22 September 2017]

I look at many of the reviews on here, and people don't seem to be getting it. It was more than Trekish, because Trek would never allow the change to be made...it was much more realistic like Babylon 5. On the other side, I think that its more of the problem of the hook that Fox used to get a lot of viewers. They were expecting Family Guy in Space...this is not that. Its obvious that the comedy is secondary to the Science Fiction.

Reviewers here have panned it for making fun of sex change operations...where did they do that? They made a great case of why such a thing is wrong, but they also kept it realistic by having the humans not "winning". Others on here are railing against its supposed proliferation of the 'leftist agenda'. Both sides are too blinded by their own real world biases to see that the beauty of episodes like this are that no one side is right. Its emblematic of our current political culture to not even consider the other side...and thats what good Sci-Fi does; challenge our own preconceptions by doing something that should envoke self reflection on BOTH sides.

Overall, I think that this series will probably be cancelled in short order as it tries to blend two very different constituencies; but would also have a small chance of becoming a transformative series. This series requires the audience to be both crude AND thoughtful...a tall order, but one that we should strive to be able to make.

I said it before and I'll say it again

[joekinplaya · 8/10 · 21 September 2017]

If you're watching this for laughs, you're not going to enjoy this. It uses humor as a complement but not as something that carries the show whereas any plot line that comes out of shows like Archer is driven out of humor.

This episode cements Orville trying to be a serious take at what Star Trek envisioned. And it did just that. People crying about this and that are literal clowns. Watch this episode or any other episode from Star Trek TOS or DS9 with serious ethical dilemmas. Not all of them end happily, especially when they try to uphold what's best in the long run. This episode is similar in fashion; it addresses some social issue that we might face today (as TOS has done) but approaches it so that you can ask questions and debate about it in ways that isn't so preachy but rather out of core ethics. The sense that we have the ability to choose what is best for us and not have things set in stone and dictated for us.

Obviously the writing is not as deep as Star Trek but they embody the same atmosphere of it. One problem I had with the ep was that a lot of the ways they showed that men and women were equal were superficial and you couldn't apply the same points IRL when seriously talking about the same issues. However it's not scared to tackle and confront these issues.

If you really go back and watch Star Trek TOS, it had a lot of bad tropes/poor writing/bad acting/poor plot lines/deus ex machina's too. Get off your high horse. Not to mention the technobabble. 90% of problems could be described by "There seems to be something interfering with the power relays or warp plasma injectors" and you can "bypass" a seemingly impossible to solve issue by saying "I can adjust the frequency which should force the power couplings to burst!" in Geordi voice.

Just enjoy it for what it is. There aren't many shows like this today.

Captures the essence of TOS & TNG better than the current Star Trek does

[Metal_Robots · 8/10 · 26 September 2017]

Been watching the first episodes of The Orville and I've seen enough to make some comment now, it's very watchable and reasonably amusing. Thank god it isn't just chock full of Seth MacFarlane's crass obvious comedy. Episode 3 was an attempt at a more serious one and it intentionally caught the essence of one of those frequent episodes of Star Trek TNG that tackled some great moral/cultural conflict between different planets, which was always an analogy to every day issues now on this one. Quite impressed that they are showing a genuine love for TNG which doesn't appear to be the case with the real new Star Trek show, which looks pretty dour and overly dramatic. Something TNG never was.

This episode is not about gender identity or gender preference, it's about gender inequality

[chrisjohnson-99800 · 10/10 · 23 September 2017]

A large number of reviews of The Orville episode "About a Girl" have been so off-base that I felt I needed to offer my perspective on the episode. This is as good of a place as any to do that.

First up, this episode is not about gender identity or gender preference. Most, if not all, of the negative reviews of this episode have objected to the tone-deaf handling of gender identity and gender preference, but this is like judging a fish on its ability to climb a tree. It may be a hot topic at the moment, but it's not what this episode is about.

It's about gender inequality.

To get some perspective on the issues in this episode, there are two big societal topics you need to be familiar with. Female genital mutilation (FGM)-- warning, potentially not safe for work and upsetting -- and the "Missing women of China". Once you are aware that not every gender issue is about what gender you identify as or what gender you prefer, you can shake off the mis-aligned perspective and enjoy the deft handling of gender inequality.

FGM is not something I'll go into detail about here. It's a non-medical modification akin to circumcision, but significantly more disruptive to the person's life. It's a highly charged issue, mixing up non- consensual body modification with religious freedom and gender inequality. The show, quite understandably, doesn't mention it directly, just the more common and less controversial male circumcision.

Missing women of China is a side effect of China's one-child policy and, again, a gender inequality issue that leads parents to wanting that one child to be a boy. For every 100 female births recorded, there are 113.5 male births. This is done by a variety of methods including sex-selective abortion and infanticide, the latter of which is touched on in the show.

Go Google these things. I'll wait.

Now that we have the actual issues nailed down, and we're not judging the show on the handling of an issue it wasn't about, we can look at the flow of the show itself. It followed a series of beats common in old-school Trek, particularly Next Generation. A holodeck scene where they actually acknowledge they're just playing a game that can be as silly as anyone wants. A medical scene poking fun at inter-species sex with the most human-sounding and least human-looking crew member. The change of heart of a single crew member through arguably the dumbest metaphor you could come up with, which is a satire of all the dumb ways Trek (and sci-fi in general) has changed the mind of an alien (see the scene about sneezing in My Step-Mother Is An Alien). A showdown in space that turns into a court drama -- and people criticising the court drama need to understand that the arguments are very rarely persuasive in this genre. The courtroom is a place for questions, not answers and the resolution of it is always through some big reveal.

To the show's credit, the human perspective does not win and there's no last-minute intervention that resolves it in the favour of the side you would expect. It's an alien culture that doesn't change its mind after one court drama or one small shock.

This was an episode worthy of Star Trek and has made me sad that a great show set in the future got stuck in the past. I hope The Orville gets a long run, not only because it scratches an itch for me that I'd long given up on, but because if half the reviews of this episode are any example, the world needs another perspective.

the most star trekiest of episodes yet

[kmaevers · 10/10 · 21 September 2017]

dealing with deep morale society issues, this was a very good episode, had a much slower pace and ran exactly like a TNG/ds9 episode would. the ending was extremely sad. this show is becoming much more like star trek than family guy, which in my opinion is a good thing.

Mcfarlen is doing everything right, if you are a star trek fan, if you are looking for slap stick comedy, south parks new season just started.

Glad to be Surprised

[pontram · 24 September 2017]

Here in the comments I see many reasons why this episode was good, or even great, and only a few why it was bad. I was very good entertained by this episode, and I felt from the very beginning (well, that interracial dating joke had to be, hadn't it ?) the sense of Trek as it should be. The ending may be unexpected, but for a show like this, it was simply brave and completely in line of what had to be said to this topic.

And the topic was a very sensitive one. It has multiple layers under the surface, it's, amongst others, about parents making the right decisions for their children. There are a lot of people who suffered from gender change in their early childhood, simply because doctors didn't realize their gender. But that's only one aspect. Another is the question, if one-dimensional thinking, especially when "life-changing decisions" are pending, can be harmful (though indeed well meant).

Everyone should ask him/herself, if in the situation of the baby, how should it be - would it have been better for him/her to be changed or to be let untouched, risking a childhood of being an outcast ? One could talk about this for hours, finding endless other related topics and arguments, therefore I consider this episode as inspiring and thought-provoking, furthermore unpredictable and unconventional (yes too many people think of too many conventions that this show should fit into).

And I am thankful for not being lectured by the morals of this episode but entertained by its thoughtful approach.

And, btw, I was NOT confused about Klyden and the 75 year-rate of born females. I thought it is to be expected that a society would make up this low rate, while in fact it is much higher.

Fantastic episode. The negative reviews are emotional responses

[bradleycarrington · 10/10 · 13 August 2021]

Initially I started this series for the comedy, but I found myself impressed by the deeper substance that the show had to offer. This episode explores social, cultural, and ethical issues with an interesting take from both sides of the aisle. What impressed me even more than that however was the outcome. Even though we may know what's right, life isn't fair, and often we have to deal with harsh realities.

This was not a feel good episode but rather a thinking episode. This is made clear by the negative reviews all clearly being emotionally driven or blinded by political bias and completely missing the point.

Orville is the best ST i have seen since DS9

[werkis2002 · 9/10 · 24 September 2017]

Orville is the best ST i have seen since DS9 i know its not officially but it is ! This was awesome ST:TOS / DS9 alike episode with some comedy elements but for comedy series it had dramatic and sad ending.I like that all characters on Orville are very like-able. Its great but this format may fail and it would have problems with target audience which obviously are Star Trek fans, i am sorry Trekkie's. I hope Orville will not become another Firefly or something like that.

The best episode so far

[pjgs200 · 7/10 · 9 December 2017]

I really enjoyed the first episode of The Orville. It was light, refreshing, and even though it was a little slow, it showed lots of potential. I found the second one to be okay, because it was a bit boring in some spots, but this episode, "About a Girl" is the best one yet. It dealt with mature, serious topics that are relevant to today's world in a way that didn't feel heavy handed at all. It was entertaining, and introspective at the same time, and the ending was surprisingly intelligent. The woman who appeared gave a good speech about her life, and her identity was a pretty big revelation, but even so, the crew of the Orville weren't able to persuade Bortus' husband to keep the baby a girl. It's a surprisingly realistic and impactful ending to a solid episode.

I want to give this episode an 8 because I thought the ending was great, but the rest of the episode was not at the same level as the final few minutes. About a Girl is a strong 7 out of 10 for me.

Better Than I Thought

[yanksa1 · 8/10 · 21 September 2017]

I thought the episode was better than I thought it would be, since Id read ahead of time about the plot. This was the episode the media had seen to review and tell the viewers how good they thought the series would be valued.

I thought the episode strengthened the viewers understanding of the characters. The episode helped me to understand and appreciate the backgrounds of the characters. There are parts of the episode that are like past Star Trek episodes and American culture.

My wife and I sit on the couch together and watch the series. It has been a show we can both watch and discuss. I have a stronger Star Trek background, watching all the past Star Trek series' and Galaxy Quest.

The episode caused us to seriously discuss issues we had with children we both had in separate marriages, but we could discuss. The episode this evening caused us to both laugh but have a serious discussion as well. That was good.

Two steps forward, one step back.

[ionisravell · 7/10 · 22 September 2017]

(Spoiler-light part)

Third episode of Orville throws us into familiar Star Trek territory with an ethical choice being a centrepiece of the show.

Comedy part of the episode was completely overshadowed by a dramatic story that despite strong ending, somehow doesn't feel complete.

It is another big step of Orville's crew away from the "Star Trek spoof" and into fully-fledged sci-fi drama of their own.

Those who expect comedy in space will be disappointed and some will feel that the episode tries to push, slightly too hard, certain political commentary relevant to our modern times.

For me, "About a Girl" is first really drama-focused episode of Orville, and one that takes itself seriously. The delivery however, is somewhat lacking.

(spoiler-heavy part)

This episode was written, as if someone asked a stand up comedian to direct Shakespeare's "King Lear". All the pieces are there, but it seems the writers couldn't grasp the essence of drama and depth of the topic they were asked to present.

Whole tribunal scene left me scratching my head in disbelieve how such a powerful and easy to relate plot, could be so poorly handled. Neither side delivered any hard-hitting and thought-provoking evidence, but the biggest shock was the fact the very position I held myself - to not alter child's gender at birth due to prejudice and bigotry - was presented so poorly by Cmdr. Greyson, that even I wouldn't agree with her.

End of the episode was a bitter-sweet conclusion that increased my opinion of the story. At the end of the day, Bortus was the character who delivered deepest and most heartwarming line in the show - despite such a crucial disagreement, he still loves his mate and doesn't give up on him, or the baby.

This is also the time to praise Peter Macon's role in this episode - similar to Miss Sage who carried "Command Performance", he was the focal point of the episode and achieved seamless blending of very reserved character with very strong emotions.

General feel of the episode was a big positive - it is also hard to imagine "About the Girl" is only two episodes away from a goofy pilot of the series!

Despite some shortcomings, Orville surprised once again by boldly going where Star Trek was before - for better or worse.

Perhaps it is time to ask the question about the elephant in the living room: do audience and creators want a light-hearted, goofy, version of Star Trek, or played straight dramatic space opera?

Roddenberry's vision is back!

[robinwalker-48533 · 10/10 · 7 March 2018]

These are topics incredibly close to my heart. Gender identity, gender inequality, medical choices being made on the part of a person who is not yet old enough to make that choice, and will have an effect on the rest of their lives.

And the worst part of some of the rest of these reviews? "Oh the Democrats are at it again... It's political correctness gone mad... What next..? Why do they have to shove this down our throats?"

When the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren" aired in 1968, interracial marriage had only been legal for one year. Attitudes were certainly not as they are today, and most would say that there's still a way to go... Star Trek was out there, challenging social prejudice that some people still held, providing a moral compass for those young minds - in the future, people understand how ludicrous it is to be judged by what colour your skin is. Star Trek held up that mirror, and made people see which attitudes were outdated.

The Orville is that mirror now, and Roddenberry and the other originators of Star Trek would be proud. Some people still think that your gender defines what you'll be capable of. That those born with female sex organs are somehow lesser than those born with male ones. That is the point of this! If you're a person giving this a one star review, you're the people this is aimed at, and you're not learning anything! "Oh it mentions trans people, it must be trying to tell us that being trans is ok" - yes, it is, bigots, but you're still somehow entirely missing the point... It's not about trans issues. It shines a light, sure, but it's about more than that. Making choices for babies just because you think it's best, based on how they'd be treated by others, based on whether they will be seen as lesser, and why that "lesser" is sometimes because their only crime is being a woman. Why are women STILL socially valued as less than men? Why are they still paid less? Why are they considered to be educated to a lower standard? This episode is holding up that mirror! And it's doing a fantastic job! It deserves 10 stars from all of you!

About a Girl

[bobcobb301 · 7/10 · 21 September 2017]

The third episode of The Orville and this one gave me hope that this could end up as a good story. At first I thought it was going to be a social commentary on transgender issues, but it quickly became a very Star Trek premise with a very Star Trek ending. It had comedy, it had a moral quandary, it was just entertaining TV.

I don't know if this was the episode to usher in the show's Thursday night time slot, but I enjoyed it.

Unentertaining and uncomfortable

[noorutin · 4/10 · 14 October 2017]

Honestly, McFarlane still lacks the depth and, quite possibly, intelligence to tackle this kind of subject matter. His attempts feel half uncomfortable, half embarrassing, and yet he just keeps on trying. Although I truly do applaud him for trying to do better than his usual affair of dick jokes and being mean to people, maybe just stick to something a bit easier for the time being?

This episode isn't entirely rotten, but uncomfortable and unentertaining, so 4/10

A mirror to our society

[HaraldSch · 9/10 · 31 January 2018]

The topic of this plot can be seen as a mirror to our current society, where 'the people' expect certain behaviour in spite of the wellbeing of the kids. Or where parents do fundamental decisions for their kids, as if they would 'own' their kids. Or where men decide about what women have to do or have to be. A very sad and serious episode indeed. Great SF.

Very similar to TNGs "The Outcast" episode

[phoenixnl-16647 · 8/10 · 23 February 2020]

This episode felt very star trek TNG like. In fact I'd say it is very similar to TNG's "The Outcast" episode (17 from season 5). Which it seems to me must have inspired it. Both are about a girl (though in TNG it's an grown up from an androgynous species who identifies herself as a girl) and both have basically the same ending in which the person is forced to undergo treatment to cure her of her "female affliction".

Thought-provoking and funny

[MrGoog · 10/10 · 23 September 2017]

******SPOILER ALERT******

Latest Star Trek connection: this episode was directed by Brannon Braga, who also is one of The Orville's Executive Producers.

I was happy to see Yaphit again. He (I assume Yaphit is male) could be a great comic-relief character. Now it's time to get semi-serious.

I expected this episode to trigger a wide range of opinions from viewers, anywhere from "appeasing the brickheaded conservatives" to "appeasing the brickheaded liberals" - and that can be a good thing. When the many versions of Star Trek were at their best, they made the audience think about what they were watching. That was why I was a Star Trek fan for 46 years (until J.J. Abrams took over). This episode reminded me of a Next Generation episode that had a similar theme: "The Outcast" (5th Season, 1992).

The other officers of the Orville tried to convince Bortus that having a female child is not a big deal. But it's easy to say that when your species has billions of females. Moclans have a female child about once every 75 years. A Moclan female baby is as odd as a human baby born with male and female traits (a hermaphrodite - look it up).

Seth MacFarlane injected humor into this serious story through boxing and Rudolph. Alara Kitan (I am becoming a big fan of Alara) literally knocked Bortus out of a boxing ring to show what females can do. Then Gordon and John showed "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" to Bortus, who saw that a supposed birth defect can be an advantage. Also, it was hilarious to see Gordon crying while watching the movie. (Was Gordon showing his sensitive side?)

During the trial on Moclus, Kelly showed the Moclans that males can be stupid by showing what a doofus Gordon can be. (Indeed, everyone knows that the capital of the U.S.A. is Amazon.com.) Then Ed had the great idea of bringing Heveena, a Moclan female, to the Tribunal, so the Arbitrator could see that a female Moclan is not ashamed to be what she is. To further prove that point, Heveena revealed that she is Moclan's greatest philosopher, even though Moclans assumed that the philosopher was male. (Up to and including the 20th Century, some of our nation's best female authors had to use male-sounding pseudonyms to get into the profession.)

It may have been disappointing to see the Tribunal rule against Bortus, but we can't expect any society - including our planet's societies - to change long-held beliefs in one day. Maybe, in the long run, Moclans will have different opinions of females because of this trial. But they need to form those opinions on their own. (Can you say "Prime Directive"?)

This was an excellent thought-provoking episode. I just wish it was possible for our current society to discuss an issue without hurling insults at each other (and I blame both sides for that).

Very strong science fiction, no matter the franchise.

[rj-cullen · 10/10 · 5 October 2017]

The plot, and execution, of this episode shows that this show is far more than a parody - and that Seth has a deep understanding of the type of writing that made Trek matter back in the day.

The central issues (whether parents have the right to make life changing decisions for their children and gender rights (for starters)) were dealt with in a mature, sensible and engaging way - without feeling "preachy".

An excellent episode, where the cast and crew of the USS Orville finally get to earn the right to stand beside those of the USS Enterprise as equals in narrative.

Not Expecting Comedy

[mack_jackson · 21 September 2017]

While I don't agree with the parent's decision it was an interesting story line. It was also representative of some actual earth cultures. In China when only one child was allowed per family females were aborted in favor of males. This is no different than Star Trek or any weekly program where political issues were explored that were reflective of Earth cultures. Even in America today most husbands want a male child to carry on their name. Americans believe in personal choice when they are making the choice. When another culture is making the choice we are quick to voice our opposition.

Political gender question in sci-fi turns cringe

[viccobra · 6/10 · 20 August 2020]

Seth MacFarlane is in this episode applying human logic to an alien species that have no living female people. I see what the episode is trying to do but it turns into a lot of cringe as we have no understanding of how and/or why there are no females on the aliens homeworld. Perhaps females need to feast on the blood of their enemies and only live to be 10 years old? These are things that should be included in a sci-fi adventure and since it is not it turns into a mock-fest of transgender identity rather than being hard-hitting as I am sure was intended.

I have nothing against HBTQ but the episode in itself is very cringe in how it is being handled. All the other people on the ship are just very judgemental without questioning the reasoning for it.

Could have been nice with a sci-fi show that doesn't try to put any agenda in the story line.

Wow

[nnom · 8/10 · 22 September 2017]

No spoilers here...just didn't think I'd see an Orville that was serious for longer than 45 seconds. But it was frickin' great...hmm...hard not to do spoilers without giving away the greatness. Okay...here goes...not what you expect, beginning to end. Enjoy!

Finding its footing?

[Fluke_Skywalker · 7/10 · 8 October 2017]

Plot; Controversy erupts when Bortus and his husband--who come from a traditionally all-male race--want to have a sex change procedure performed on their child, who was born a female.

The first two episodes worked in fits and starts--mostly fits--but here The Orville finds its footing. The comedic gags hit with more punch than before, but they take a back seat to the plot, which wouldn't feel out of place in a traditional Star Trek series. The story is handled with reasonable tact and intelligence, inspiring some debate between the characters that is surprisingly and refreshingly balanced early on. Only when it serves the plot does the hand begin to get a tad heavy. Some problems of logic arise from the fact that Moclan society and biology aren't quite fleshed out enough for the dots to all connect, but if you just go with it works, and certainly works the best the series has thus far.

Only girl in town.

[natepilarski · 9/10 · 8 March 2021]

I'll keep this short and simple. I'm a HUGE Trekkie. Always have been. And THIS is one of the most Trek episodes of anything that isn't Trek. It feels like TNG's Measure of a Man which is arguably one of the best of Trek. This is an IMPORTANT piece of media in today's world.

About a body being....

[zimmerblitz · 7/10 · 29 March 2020]

As good as some of it is I was really dissapointed by the way in which they plead their case in court. She is female- so what? Is this too much to bear for Moclan culture already? It surely is- as Klyden - and not only he-shows. He is increasingly hard to endure in his extreme views, that nonetheless are the ones prevalent on Moclus. So what to do abut it ?- we go to Court ! And as is known, there is nothing worse than a bad lawyer defending a good cause. Sorry to say that in this way the writers stumble over their own good intentions, as is the case in this episode "About a girl" where Kelly tries to prevent Bortus´child from having to undergo a sex-change-procedure- and the ship´s doctor in her testimony defends earth´s "custom" of male-circumcision as "something completely different". Well guess what? It is NOT ! This also - no matter how often it occurs- constitutes an unnecessary violation of physical integrity. It is a mutilation of a child´s body without cause. As plain as that. Some other comparison - a third leg, for example,as Ed and Kelly discuss- would have been better. But I guess this is America for you... They just don´t understand how much alike a lot of the things they do are to those that others- whom they dislike- do. Isn´t this what this show is about ?! So please- think harder, write better, take your time. Your show deserves no less.

this was a bad episode guys

[louiethepitt · 2/10 · 22 September 2017]

It didn't took long for the series to have its first really bad episode... I get that they are trying to relate this to our human universal ethics...but the episode falls apart when one group is trying to impose their views on an entire Species...it is dumb...creating a conflict where there is no conflict...child is born...member of an autonomous species...and then transfer to that species to fix a medical condition...simple...nope...the guy has to impose his own morals on an entire Species...at the end it fails in creating a controversy which I assume it was aiming at...it was simply bad and boring and tense since a conflict is being artificially created where there is non.