The Orville got MUCH less satirical in season 2 and even more so in season 3. There are still jokes for sure but I would struggle to call any of it mean spirited. There’s even this old home video TOS skit that Seth MacFarlane and his friend’s did in high school. I assume Seth or someone let the writers off their leashes when they didn’t get sued by Paramount in Season 1.
If you’re particularly lazy and want to check how a plant is doing you can even just microwave to activate it. put it in a glass cup with a damp paper towl under it, cover with a second damp paper towl, cover in plastic wrap except a small gap like you’re making a microwave dinner. Cook for a minute at a time on 20-30% power and let the steam release between cooks. Do that 2-3 times then remove nug from container and let it sit a few minutes on a plate or something.