History Recap / TheOrvilleSeason3E04GentlyFallingRain

* OnlyAFleshWound: The president of the Union is stabbed in the chest as a means of execution, yet he seems perfectly composed after running for his life shortly after.

* NoodleIncident: While telling the crew about his father's drinking exploits, Gordon mentions a historic event called the "Water Wars".

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The standard punishment for Krill parents that have been caught terminating their child in utero is to force them to interact with a simulated version of said child, who is programmed to say such things as "why did you get rid of me?" No doubt this was inspired by real-life anti-abortion legislation in place at the time of the episode's airing, such as the controversial "heartbeat bill" in the state of Texas. [[labelnote: note]]The bill requires that if a women seeking the termination of a fetus is far enough along into her pregnancy that the fetus has developed a heartbeat, she will then legally forced to '''listen to''' said beat via sonogram. The problem with this, aside from the entire practice being considered ''unbelievably'' cruel and is indiscriminate between simply unwanted pregnancies and those seeking to be terminated for reasons of medical complication, is that fetal heartbeats can develop as early as six weeks, which in many cases is before a woman will even realize that she is pregnant.[[/labelnote]]

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Teleya has evolved from a simple schoolteacher to the militant leader of her entire planet.

* PlanetOfHats: PlayedWith. While the Krill remain devoted spiritualists, we get to meet Krill both for and against ceasing hostilities with the Union, giving them some CharacterDevelopment beyond "religious fanatics who are beyond reasoning and hate anyone who isn't them".

* ShapeshifterGuiltTrip: In a sense. The punishment for abortion on Krill is having the genetic profile of the perpetrators extracted and then used to generate a simulation of the child that would have been, which then guilts them about terminating the pregnancy. Mercer is naturally appalled.

* WhamEpisode: And how.

* WhamLine: "She is yours."

* HiddenFirstActParallel: The titular main character of ''Theater/Annie'', the play that the Krill and Union delegates watch after the episode's opening credits, parallels Anaya's situation: a girl of a different complexion who is unwanted.

The ''Orville'' escorts a delegation of top Union leadership to oversee renewed peace talks with the Krill on the eve of the planet's general election. To say things don't go as expected is...well, a ''massive'' understatement.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Played for laughs. The Krill delegation is brought to a performance of ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'', with the song "Tomorrow" ("The sun'll come out tomorrow") naturally being horrifying to the light-averse Krill. Halsey muses after the fact that ''Theatre/{{Oklahoma}}'' would probably have been a better choice. A subtler insult is the Union officials talking about how it was a "dark time" of capitalism before the Krill point out they're a highly merchantile society.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The standard punishment for Krill parents that have been caught terminating their child in utero is to force them to interact with a simulated version of said child, who is programmed to say such things as "why did you get rid of me?" No doubt this was inspired by real-life anti-abortion legislation in place at the time of the episode's airing, such as the controversial "heartbeat bill" in the state of Texas. [[labelnote: note]]the bill requires that if a women seeking the termination of a fetus is far enough along into her pregnancy that the fetus has developed a heartbeat, she will then legally forced to '''listen to''' said beat via sonogram. The problem with this being, aside from the entire practice being considered ''unbelievably'' cruel and is indiscriminate between simply unwanted pregnancies and those seeking to be terminated for reasons of medical complication, is that fetal heartbeats can develop as early as six weeks, which in many cases is before a woman will even realize that she is pregnant.[[/labelnote]]
* DownerEnding: In the end, the hopes for lasting peace between the Union and the Krill are dashed for the time being, as Teleya's rise to power and attempted murder of the president leads to all out war. What's worse, is that with the two groups now at it again, both are vulnerable to the Kaylon.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Ed is surprised once Teleya's told him that their daughter would be viewed as an abomination by most Krill that she gave birth to her, asking why she carried the girl to term at all if she knew what the outcome would be. Teleya reacts angrily by denouncing the fact that abortions are frequently performed in the Union, saying the Krill loathe the idea. She then shows him that those who have abortions are punished through facing a recreation of the child they would have had as psychological torture, to Ed's dismay.

* InTheHood: Ed is dressed in a heavy, hooded cloak so he can be moved among the Krill without people paying much attention.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Invoked by Teleya as, if Ed hadn't let her go, she wouldn't have risen to become Chancellor, ruin the treaty and push the Union into a two-front war. Ed himself apologizes to Kelly for not listening to her when he sent her back to the Krill.

* PetTheDog: Teleya has no contact with her daughter, but sees to it that she is well cared for and wants for nothing. She is shown to watch footage of Anaya in private with a melancholic, yet proud look on her face. She'd also planned to let Ed go back to the ''Orville'' rather than executing him along with the rest of the Union delegation, and only goes through with it because Ed returned and left her no choice.
* PlanetOfHats: PlayedWith. While the Krill remain devoted spiritualists, we get to meet Krill both for and against ceasing hostilities with the Union, giving them some CharacterDevelopment beyond "religious fanatics beyond reasoning who hate anyone who isn't them".

** Krill itself is has an extremely thick atmosphere that blocks out nearly all light, and the average surface temperature is slightly above freezing.

* WouldHurtAChild: After the battle, Halsey suggests that they could still undermine Teleya's regime using Anaya. Mercer rejects the idea, as not only would it put a spotlight on Anaya that she never asked for, he's genuinely worried Teleya might make Anaya "[[DeadlyEuphemism disappear]]" to maintain her rule.

** Creator/SethMacFarlane in the western bar simulation is dressed almost identically to his character in ''Film/AMillionWaysToDieInTheWest''.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Played for laughs. The Krill delegation is brought to a performance of ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'', with the song "Tomorrow" ("The sun'll come out tomorrow") naturally being horrifying to the light-averse Krill. Halsey muses after the fact that ''Theatre/{{Oklahoma}}'' would probably have been a better choice.

* TheCoup: Downplayed. Teleya wins the election legitimately, but seizes power before any of the normal rituals so the Chancellor won't be able to contest the election (and so the Union delegation can be captured before escaping the planet), aided by sympathizers in his cabinet.

* InstantlyProvenWrong: The Chancellor assures the crew that he can legally challenge the election and until the Sanctification ritual, he is still ruler. Cue the guards coming in to arrest him on Teleya's orders.

* PublicExecution: After being elected Supreme Chancellor of Krill, Teleya has the previous Chancellor brought before him. She then stabs him to death in a public presentation and later has him beheaded, his head mounted in the capitol. She later attempts the same with the Union delegation on Krill, but only succeeds in stabbing the Union President non-fatally before a rescue team from the ''Orville'' arrives.

** All the progress in Union-Krill relations is undone as the incumbent pragmatic and moderate (by Krill standards) leadership is replaced by the populist Teleya, who provokes a large-scale military confrontation.

* LoveCannotOvercome: Teleya atill has feelings for Ed and obviously cares about their daughter despite being an abomination in the eyes of Krill society, but neither of these facts make her reconsider her beliefs.

* TheCoup: Downplayed. Teleya wins the election legitimately, but seizes power before any of the normal rituals so the Chancellor won't be able to contest the election (and the Union delegation can be captured before escaping the planet), aided by sympathizers in his cabinet.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Invoked by Teleya as, if Ed hadn't let her go, she wouldn't have risen to become Chancellor, ruin the treaty and push the Union into a two-front war.

* PetTheDog: Teleya has no contact with her daughter, but sees to it that she is well cared for and wants for nothing. She is shown to watch footage of Anaya in private with a melancholic, yet proud look on her face. She'd also planned to let Ed go back to the ''Orville'' rather than executing him along with the rest of the Union delegation.

* UnderestimatingBadassery: The Chancellor makes the mistake of dismissing Teleya as just a loudmouth demagogue and her movement as being an insignificant minority. Then, when she wins, he thinks he can legally challenge the election, not expecting her to have already won enough influence (including among his own council) to effectively pull a coup and publicly execute him.

** Teleya was pregnant when Ed sent her back to Krill. She gave birth to their child in secret and keeps her hidden.

* TheCoup: Downplayed. Teleya wins the election legitimately, but seizes power before any of the normal rituals so the Chancellor won't be able to contest the election, aided by sympathizers in his cabinet.

** The existence of Anaya by itself isn't enough to resolve the issue with Teleya. Simply embarrassing her and toppling her regime won't deal with the underlying issues that brought her to power, and someone else would simply take her place. The solution is to have Teleya acknowledge the child and her union with Ed, thereby appealing to the better nature of the Krill and defanging her movement.

* PetTheDog: Teleya has no contact with her daughter, but sees to it that she is well cared for and wants for nothing. She is also shown to watch footage of Anaya in private with a melancholic, yet proud look on her face. She'd also planned to let Ed go back to the ''Orville'' rather than executing him along with the rest of the Union delegation.

** They also have a seedy underbelly, with Ed observing erotic services and begging in the Grand Marketplace.