Solar Opposites Review – Brilliant and Full of Classy Crass

Solar Opposites Review – These extraterrestrials are more human than most humans are

Solar Opposites is making contact with its first season tomorrow (Friday, May 8th, 2020) on Hulu. I am here, of my own free will, no alien mind control, or coercion of any kind, to say that you should watch this show. It’s probably best to do it in one sitting to avoid spoilers. So about the show, it was created by Justin Roiland (co-creator of Rick & Morty) and Mike McMahan and stars Justin Roiland as Korvo, Mary Mack as Jesse, Thomas Middleditch as Terry, and Sean Giambrone as Yumyulack. It’s about a team of aliens, known as Shlorpians, who fled their homeworld after a world-ending asteroid ended their world. As a means of saving their species, 100 adult Shlorpians and their replicants were issued a pupa and escaped into space. In teams of 4 (1 scientist, 1 pupa expert, and their replicants) they search for new homes on uninhabited planets. However, this team crashed on Earth and have to deal with it until their pupa is ready to terraform the planet.

The Shlorpians are basically divided on their views of Earth. Half of them, Terry and Jesse, seem to love and adore Earth and it’s inhabitants, while Korvo and Yumyulack are irritated. Yumyulack is a bit more open to Earth and it’s “customs” but Korvo tends to carry a disdain for almost everything, with some traces of enjoyment; usually if it’s a situation he can take advantage of with his advanced technology. The pupa seems to love Earth, as it loves to eat just about anything, while also scarily showing a serial killer like mastery of society. But the pupa is cute and makes grotesque action king adorable, like a puppy tearing apart a stuffed animal.

Before getting into the content, the production specs alone are more than enough to entice viewers to watch. Aside from the main cast, the show has some very notable guests like: Tiffany Haddish, Kari Wahlgren, Tom Kenny, Carlos Alazraqui, Alan Tudyk, and Gary Anthony Williams to name a few. Some get recurring roles, others play multiple characters, all of them add to the incredibly rich lore of the show. I imagine everyone who is a part of the cast is excited to play in a world that can go from touching and heartfelt to obscene in an instant. Then there’s the art and animation style. Solar Opposites shares the same art and animation style of Rick & Morty, which seems simple at a glance, but is quite rich in detail and used masterfully for story. The sight gags and action scenes are where you really get to appreciate the artistic value and masterful film making the show’s team is capable of. Also, the shared style makes me believe in potential crossovers.

Now let me get to the nitty-gritty Solar Opposites review, the story. Solar Opposites, like Rick & Morty, is a masterclass of storytelling. Each episode works a one-off episode that you can watch without any context and still enjoy. The “theme song” does a great job of prefacing the situation and every episode brings the comedy. However, on top of that, each episode has a great B-Story that populates the world and builds upon each other to make a connected story. Then on top of the general progression, there is an underlying C-story that creates a long-running narrative and works as a stand-alone story. Without giving much away, “The Wall” is an incredibly intricate and compelling adventure that plays out like the McBain Movie in The Simpsons. I think what makes Solar Opposites’ story work so well, is the positive nihilistic perspective. While it definitely sees the pointlessness and general redundancies of society, Solar Opposites feels to be more hopeful and understanding of it all.

If you couldn’t tell, my Solar Opposites review is positive. Why I like it, and why I believe many others will like it, is that it is a very relatable show. The replicants are in their teens and deal with teenage/youth issues, while Korvo and Terry are adults. Everyone is trying to figure things out while also figure stuff out about themselves, which is pretty much everyone’s life journey. The Shlorpians being alien, for some reason, make them universally relatable. Their journey feels very much the “American” adult experience. It’s hilarious, poignant, and kind of horrifying. The show does go a bit extreme in their visual representations of things, such as Neo-Nazis and the appropriate regard of them, but it is eerily accurate and applicable. It also does a brilliantly tactful job of addressing issues such as race, gender, and social class. Subjects that many won’t touch and many others fail at covering, is always approached with respect, even if it is with a vulgar little monster or complete mutilation of a being.

Solar Opposites is poised to be the next big animation hit. The show has a distinct intellect and perspective on humanity that is expressed through brutal deaths, vulgar and sarcastic dialogue, and an acute way of relating to the audience. It is a masterclass in storytelling single episodes with solid A and B stories, as well as surprisingly intricate stories teased out throughout the entire season. The show is rife with meta-commentary, hilarious pop-cult references, and intricate sight gags and references that will guarantee multiple rewatches. Solar Opposites is a show that will inspire multiple subreddits, countless memes, and probably even more fan theories. It’s got something for cynics and hopefuls alike. My Solar Opposites review gets a 4.5/5.

The first 8 episodes of Solar Opposites will premiere on Hulu tonight/tomorrow May 8th, 2020 on Hulu.