The Orville season 2, episode 2 recap: Primal Urges

Only a few days after its season premiere, The Orville returns to its normal time, sending the crew on an adventure to save survivors from a doomed planet.

This episode of The Orville opens with the crew looking at a lone planet circling a star. The planet is the last one of its solar system. The other planets have been enveloped by the sun. They’re there just to watch the seemingly uninhabited planet go, a rare opportunity.

Bortus decides to leave early rather than stay and watch. Kelly speculates he may be pregnant again. But, as Bortus leaves, he takes a call from his partner where Bortus says that he has to work late. Rather than go back to his room, he goes to the simulation room.

The simulation is of him meeting up with and kissing another man by a campfire.

Later, Bortus returns to his room where he and Klyden argue. Klyden wants to make love, but Bortus is uninterested.

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The next morning, Klyden asks Bortus to make more time for him and their family. They again fight. Citing the failings of Kelly and Ed’s relationship, Klyden worries that their relationship is falling apart. They agree to talk about it later as Bortus storms out.

Back on the bridge, the crew discusses collecting the evaporating gas from the planet. Again Bortus asks to leave early, saying he is going to spend time with Klyden. Bortus once again heads to the simulation room.

In this simulation, he’s a prisoner and he winds up having sex with the mean guard who will let him go if he “complies.”

Bortus returns to his room and makes up a lie about an emergency he had to take care of for the captain. Klyden is furious. Klyden still wants to salvage the night and have sex, but Bortus says he’s too tired and immediately goes to bed.

As he sleeps, Klyden comes into his room and stabs Bortus in the chest.

This cuts to the medical room where Claire is working frantically to save Bortus. She’s able to stabilize him. But upon waking up, he says she shouldn’t have saved his life. Kelly and Ed say they have put Klyden in the brig. Bortus says they should let him go.

Apparently, it’s the Moclan tradition to kill the mate when they want a divorce.

In Ed’s office, he and Kelly talk about how difficult it is working around Moclan traditions they don’t understand. (They callback to the episode where Bortus and Klyden change the sex of their baby.) The two get a drink to deal with the stress.

Isaac calls them and lets them know that the gas they detected may be a sign of a former underground civilization. Ed wants to send down a landing party to see what’s down there. Isaac says it’s too dangerous and any artifacts down there will have to be lost.

Alara brings in Klyden and Bortus so Ed can discuss what will happen next. Since Bortus won’t press charges, Ed says Klyden must leave the Orville. But both Bortus and Klyden want Klyden to be able to stay. They say they’ll make the relationship work.

Ed reluctantly agrees. But he relives Bortus of duty until things are worked out and both Bortus and Klyden must attend counseling with Claire.

In a counseling session, Claire talks them both through what the goals are of the sessions. She positions herself as a diplomat between two warring groups.

As they talk through the issues, Klyden confesses that he thinks Bortus doesn’t find him attractive anymore and doesn’t want to be with him. Bortus sticks with the lie of him having to work a lot.

Claire has them create a “fun list” of things to do. Bortus also has to set aside one hour every day for Klyden.

Klyden thought the session was productive and Bortus agrees to work on the “fun list” over dinner. But immediately after the session, Bortus again makes up a fake work excuse and goes back to the simulator.

In this simulation, Bortus is visiting a Moclan doctor. However, this time, Bortus is unable to go through with the simulation and leaves.

He goes down to the engineering bay and talks to a lieutenant about creating a special pornographic simulation for him. Many Moclans. All at once. Ready to “be adventurous.”

Back on the bridge, Isaac lets Ed know that the underground civilization is still alive. Alara is able to make an audio communication link with them. They find out there are 75 people still alive. Ed says the planet has 24 hours before it disintegrates.

Unable to get a rescue vehicle from the union, the crew works on a plan to move the Orville closer to the planet and make dangerous shuttle trips to and from the planet to try to save the civilization.

Elsewhere, Bortus is able to get his new simulation from the lieutenant. This one is by a peaceful body of water, with multiple Moclans waiting for him. While he’s in the middle of being fondled by three Moclans, Klyden walks in and catches him in the act.

John and Gordon are in the cafeteria and discover the food synthesizers aren’t working properly.

Claire, in another counseling session, asks Bortus if he knows what a porn addition is. Klyden is mad, but Claire says they need to treat this disease with compassion. Bortus has apparently been using the simulator like this since the surgery to change their baby to a male.

Bortus reveals he resents Klyden for not fighting with him to keep their child female.

Ed calls back down to the planet to check on their progress, but the connection is lost. Apparently, there’s a virus in the system that affected the food synthesizer and now the communications.. The virus stems from the simulator and Bortus’ new pornographic simulation.

Ed and Kelly go to check out the program and are shocked by what they find. They bring the top officers together to find a way to stop the virus. Isaac has written a program to take out the virus.

John and Claire come in and say there’s a problem with upgrades to the shuttle. There’ll be too much radiation to send anyone other than Isaac and Bortus down to the planet. Ed is forced to put Bortus back on duty.

With Isaac and Bortus manning the shuttle, they head down to the planet. Of course, Isaac decides this is the best time to ask Bortus about his addiction to porn. Bortus equates the need to a call from deep inside himself, an urge he needs to fulfill. The only feeling he’s left with afterward is that of a death occurring.

The two land on the planet and go underground to find a scared group of people who have never seen anyone like them before.

Back on the Orville, Isaac’s virus didn’t work and the virus is still spreading. Adding to this drama, the planet is breaking up even faster and Isaac and Bortus will only have time for one trip. Isaac says the minister in charge of the colony must select 30 people to survive.

John and Dann work frantically in the simulation room to remedy the virus problem.

The civilization has decided to do a random drawing to select the 30 who will go. The minister in charge was not selected, but her husband and son were. Bortus watches as they have a touching moment saying goodbye.

Isaac and Bortus take off with the 30 survivors just as the planet is enveloped by the expanding sun.

However, once the shuttle is back on board, the virus takes Gordon’s ability to control the ship. The Orville starts being pulled in by the sun’s gravity. They have 6 minutes to fix the problem before they die.

Isaac shows up to the simulation room with John and is able to put in a counter-virus with less than 10 seconds to spare.

As a beat-up Orville floats, now safe, Ed and Kelly come to talk to Bortus in the medical bay. Ed is mad at Bortus for his selfish behavior. Though Bortus agrees and gives his resignation, Ed declines in light of how Bortus helped save the colony.

The episode wraps up with a conversation between Bortus and Klyden where Bortus confesses that he now realizes that he’s been a bad mate. What he witnessed on the planet showed Bortus that, despite how he feels about what happened to their child, he is fortunate to have Klyden in his life.

How did you like the episode? Are Klyden and Bortus going to be able to get back to a sturdy place in their relationship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.