Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Orville episode "Primal Urges." Read at your own risk.
The Orville episode "Primal Urges" was certainly one for the books, as Bortus' relationship with his mate Klyden was put on the line. Things got brutal both physically and emotionally, as the two were commanded to get to the root of what their problems were as a couple. The therapy forced Bortus to reveal a painful truth to Klyden he'd had bottled up since Season 1: that he was still not over Klyden's decision to change Topa's gender at birth.
The Orville fans may remember the storyline in which Bortus and Klyden gave birth to a girl. This was an incredibly rare event for Moclans, who are a predominantly male species. Bortus is eventually swayed into wanting to keep his child as a girl thanks to the crew and a viewing of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. Klyden went against his partner's wishes and, with the help of a Moclan tribunal, successfully ordered the sex change of their child to male.
Despite the result, Bortus declared he was committed to Klyden and that he would raise their son Topa and ensure he had a good life. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case as "Primal Urges" found Bortus on bad terms with his husband. The Lieutenant Commander had grown distant from his mate, opting instead to find solace in pornographic holodeck simulations. His distance from Klyden grew until it reached a breaking point and he stabbed Bortus in the heart.
The stabbing wasn't an outright murder, but rather the Moculan ritual of divorce. Bortus was saved by The Orville's advanced technology, and Commander Mercer ordered the two attend therapy to work on their problems. It was there Bortus dropped the bombshell on his partner, along with the added information that he was unsure if he could ever get over what had been done to Topa.
The good news is Bortus was willing to try and make things work regardless, although it took a devastating event to realize how special his relationship was. As he embarked on a rescue mission with Isaac, Bortus was forced to watch a planet decide which members of its colony would get to leave the planet, and which would be left behind to die.
The leader volunteered to stay behind, even though the lottery spared the life of her family. The husband pleaded with her to change her mind, but she asked he just remember the moments they already shared. Touched by her actions, Bortus later told Klyden that he wasn't sure that he'd ever be "fully at peace" with what happened with their son. The events of the day made him realize he didn't want to lose him as a mate.
It was a surprising follow up to a Season 1 storyline and rather unexpected given The Orville's initial episode seemingly wrapped up the storyline. It's also welcoming, and another point of evidence that Seth McFarlane's Fox series is more than a parody of Star Trek. After all, it's hard to imagine the Enterprise crew tackling porn addiction or its effect on relationships, but folks don't have to now that The Orville exists.
The Orville Season 2 has only just begun, and viewers can catch it on Fox Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. For a look at what else is coming to television in the near future, visit our midseason premiere guide.
