The Orville Season 3 Episode 7 Review: From Unknown Graves
The Orville is getting really good at telling stories that are important, with a sci-fi bent.
On The Orville Season 3 Episode 7, “From Unknown Graves,” the Kaylon origins are explored after the crew finds a Kaylon that is able to have empathy and feel. Meanwhile, the crew switch roles to impress a potential ally from a matriarchal society.
As Season 3 has progressed, The Orville has started doing a better and better job bringing multiple plots together into a more cohesive story. Though several of the stories on “From Unknown Graves” seem different at first glance, they all intertwine to form a powerful tale about the human condition.
“From Unknown Graves” contains multiple tales of romantic couples who like each other, but with things missing from the relationships. They aren’t obviously bad relationships, just imperfect and realistic.
This episode also features an emphasis on empathizing with those who are different from you. Timmas, the Kaylon who has learned to feel, feels remorse and compassion for those he has hurt as part of the battle. Charly, along with the audience, learns the history of the Kaylons being oppressed and mistreated prior to their uprising.
Charly Burke: An entire race can’t be evil
Even the society that elevated women above men were holding all men accountable for the actions of few. This story works as both a metaphor for our society (but with genders flipped) and meshes with the other stories on the episode. The crew tries to show their potential allies how, while their experiences are valid, men can be smart, capable, and valuable.
So what The Orville is really teaching here is the importance of empathy.
They’re teaching the importance of empathizing with a romantic partner, even if that empathy leads to a hard decision.
They’re teaching the importance of recognizing your mistakes, owning them, and working to move past them.
They’re teaching the importance of considering the context of someone’s life before making a judgement or trying to hold them accountable.
What really makes The Orville (and “From Unknown Graves” in particular) great is the way the stories all work together to illustrate the same points.
“From Unknown Graves” has a perfect crescendo, too, with Isaac and Charly reaching reconciliation. The build over the last few episodes to an eventual understanding between these two characters reaches its conclusion at just the right time and in just the right way. Anne Winters and Marc Jackson do a wonderful job giving the proper tone to the scene.
Like Charly says, humans tend to oversimplify. Much like a critic can oversimplify something as “good” or “bad” — so can humans with almost anything. The reality is, not everything fits those two categories neatly.
“From Unknown Graves” seems a bit scattered at first, but as all the stories intertwine it becomes a great lesson with a meaningful, emotional, powerful end.
A few stray thoughts:
- It’s always good to see Victor Garber, and to hear Norm MacDonald’s voice (RIP). Hopefully there’s more Admiral Halsey and Yaphit yet to come.
- “Are all your males so….slow?” “Yeah”
- I was rooting for John and Tala to make it — and I can’t help but wonder if coming clean to Dr. Finn might have helped just a little. Oh well, RIP TalaMarr.
- I didn’t recognize Eliza Taylor (seen here as Dr. Villka) at ALL. Her performance is wonderful, and this fan of The 100 is glad to see her!
What did you think of this episode of The Orville? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
New episodes of The Orville stream Thursdays on Hulu.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Nick Hogan
Nick Hogan is an experienced podcaster and writer (particularly on media topics), who loves discussion and analysis of TV and is always looking for new shows to watch. He is also a parent who loves buffalo wings, blowing raspberries, and his beloved Cincinnati Reds.
3 comments
Each Episode of New Horizons is better than the last. It really was such a great moment, even if it was short lived, to see Isaac experience emotions. To see him understand his lack of emotion to one of the most emotionally connected members of the Orville, Ty. It was great to finally see an origin story on the Kaylon. Disney really needs to see that this is one of the greatest shows in a long while with nuances to actual real life issues we all can relate to. We need more seasons!
You literally skipped the love story of issac and the Dr… a HUGE emotional arc but yes let’s focus on Charly and issac …
I wouldn’t say I was focused on Isaac and Charly, but their reconciliation for me illustrates the point of the episode. It’s not that it IS the point of the episode, just that it represents the culmination of that journey. An “in conclusion” statement, if you will.
Comments are closed.