TL;DR – A much more mature episode that we have seen in the past looking at the fallout of war and what that does to people

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

Review –

“War is hell” it is one of those phrases that gets thrown around all the time by people trying to sound profound, without a real understanding of what that phrase actually means. War means making difficult decisions, one that haunts you at night, ones where there is not clear right option, and ones where even if you are doing the right thing, it may have disastrous consequences. Today’s episode puts the crew in the middle of such a quandary where they have to weigh in the choice of saving a hero or protecting a peace.

So to set the scene, at the end of last week’s episode Identity Part 2, The Planetary Union barely fought off an invasion and only stopped it because the Krill, a mortal enemy, was convinced that there was a bigger threat at play. This week we start off with the news from Admiral Perry (Ted Danson) that after decades of trying the Krill are finally ready to start peace treaty negotiations. This is a big deal because the thought of peace after so many years of war is something everyone can feel. The Orville is sent to a neutral location to meet with a Krill ship to begin the opening prelude to maybe having a peace treaty. As they arrive, they give the Krill a bit of trust and approach with deflectors down only to discover that the Krill ship is firing on one of their own shuttles. The shuttle askes to land, and when it does the crew find Orrin (Mackenzie Astin) and his daughter Lana (Aily Kei) in the badly disabled ship with only basic survival rations left. The Krill demand that they return the man because he is a terrorist putting Ed (Seth MacFarlane) in a very difficult position. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

There is a lot going on here, but at the heart of it is a character piece as people have to come to terms with a no-win scenario. Do you send a man, a hero, who has suffered so much back to the very people that tortured him, and would likely kill him? However, if you don’t you risk reigniting a war that has taken countless lives. What complicates things further is that Orrin is an old friend of Gordon (Scott Grimes) potentially fracturing allegiances. The first part of the episode focuses a lot on Ed and him working out what the hell to do now that he has been given a 12-hour deadline. However, this episode shows just how far he has gone in becoming the captain he always could be. He works through the options, he consults with his crew, and takes a cautious approach rather than run in blazing, even when he was confronted with the fact that what he might be doing is wrong “Is this who we are now”.

The second half of the episode focuses more on Gordon and his internal struggle in discovering what is the right thing to do? Which is complicated when both options have merit. Do you betray your best friend that sacrificed so much for you, or do you betray your captain which you trust implicitly? Gordon is a character that has been in the show more for his comedic timing historically. So it was really good to see the show stop and give Scott the chance to flex his more dramatic talents. You really felt the pain he was going through as he had to choose two people he deeply respected. As well as this, while Orrin was engaging in deplorable actions, you can also completely understand where he is coming from and why he is doing it.

This was also an episode that showed more and more just how much of a team the crew of the USS Orville have become. The episode opens with Yaphit (Norm Macdonald) getting a medal for bravery and everyone was there for it. There is the banter between the crew, that does not have to be there but helps make the show a better place. There is the scene where Gorden goes to speak to Talla (Jessica Szohr) and as a security officer she already knows why he is there, but she lets him come to the point of saying what he has to say in his own time. It is these small touches that I am really enjoying on the show.

In the end, do we recommend Blood of Patriots? Yes, we do. It is another strong episode in what has been a really strong back half of the season for The Orville. And well given how strong it has been, I am really interested to see where we go for the rest of Season Two.                    

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen The Orville yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.    


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of The Orville
Directed by – Rebecca Rodriguez
Written by – Seth MacFarlane
Created by – Seth MacFarlane
Production/Disruption Companies – 20^th Century Fox, Fuzzy Door Production, Fox Network & SBS Viceland.
Starring in Season Two – Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, Jessica Szohr, J. Lee & Mark Jackson also Ted Danson, Mackenzie Astin, Mike Henry, Robin Atkin Downes, John Fleck, Aily Kei, J. Paul Boehmer, Jim Mahoney & Norm McDonald