RJ Writing Ink

Solar Opposites Valentine’s Day Special

I think Valentine’s Day is overrated. Growing up, it was (and still is) giving people you care about cards and candy. But you shouldn’t need a single day of the year to do something like that; you should try to show affection every day. And everyone makes such a big deal over getting a Valentine, like it’s the end of the world if you don’t. My favorite Valentine’s Day Special is “Ed Edd n’ Eddy’s Hanky Panky Hullabaloo.” Seeing Rolf snapping everyone out of the holiday-induced madness is fantastic! However, the Solar Opposites Valentine’s Day Special might be a close second.

Number three is the Spongebob special.

War on Valentine’s Day

The premise of the special is simple on paper: the Solar Opposites keep going to a restaurant to get their favorite dish, only to forget that it’s Valentine’s Day. That means a holiday-themed menu, which everyone (except Jesse) gets upset about. Their ultimate solution: eliminate love, and thus Valentine’s Day, from Earth altogether. 

This is the sort of thing that fans of Solar Opposites have come to expect from the series, and it doesn’t disappoint. The fact that they’re willing to get rid of love over the pettiest of reasons is enough to leave viewers in stitches. Their scheme of hitting the planet with an anti-love ray is taking the Valentine’s Day hate to its logical extreme. 

The special only gets stranger as things don’t pan out the way everyone expects. Instead of everyone being filled with hate or depressed or even apathetic, they do something weirder. Everyone starts drinking margaritas from tikis, listening to Jimmy Buffett, and buying parrots. It’s the kind of out-of-left-field result we should expect from Solar Opposites, but it is still unexpected and hilarious. That’s not even including the fact that the parrots later rise to overthrow humanity. 

It’s the kind of crazy, irreverent stuff we’ve come to expect from Solar Opposites, especially with its holiday specials. The difference is that this special ends in a way that will affect the status quo for Season Five. No spoilers, though!

Happy Valentine’s Day (or Not)

So, the big question is whether this special loves or hates Valentine’s Day? The answer is both. Like the other Solar Opposites specials, it makes fun of the holiday and everything that goes into it. At the same time, it doesn’t say that the holiday’s worthless, and I would have to agree. I may not be that big into Valentine’s Day, and I think it does put unecessary pressure on people to find romance. But there are other kinds of love, and ultimately, the other Solar Opposites come to see the value in the holiday. Plus, the end does include a tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett. 

So, whether you love the day or don’t care about, Happy Valentine’s Day!

“An Earth Shatteringly Romantic Solar Valentine’s Day Opposites Special” a 4.5/5

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Solar Opposites Season 4 Review

Last year, I forgot to write a review for the third season of Solar Opposites, or chose not to. Considering the fact that since then, Justin Roiland got fired, that might have been a mistake. However, I’m not making that same mistake. Especially since the show now has not one, but two interesting sub-plots going on. It’s no longer just The Wall that’s an interesting sub-plot for the series. Now there’s also the story of Glen and the Silvercops!

The Solar Opposites Can’t Stay Normal

At the end of the last season, the Pupa went berserk due to the lack of stability amongst the team. To keep them from doing that again, the Solar Opposites had to shun almost all their sci-fi stuff and live normal lives. They hated it, though, with a passion, and wanted nothing more than to go back to the sci-fi adventures they had. While they do try their best to keep that promise, by the end of the season, it’s for naught. Even when they try to avoid it, the sci-fi stuff keeps finding them. 

To the show’s credit, this season does make a concerted effort to have the Solar Opposites rely less on their sci-fi stuff. This results in them getting to get in and out of trouble on their own merits. It’s just that the stuff that keeps happening nessecitates their continued use of sci-fi. This lets the show keep its initial premise intact, albeit downplayed, a sign of it developing its own identity.

On that note, let’s talk about Dan Stevens replacing Justin Roiland as Korvo. At first, it felt jarring for me to listen to, but the way they do it is so clever, I had to respect how the show turned lemons into lemonade. After a while, Dan grew on me, too. Kind of like how the Wall grew on the fans.

Good Riddance to the Bowinian Church

Speaking of the Wall, that sub-plot continues to remain as entertaining as ever. When last seen, the Wall fell under the control of the Bowinian Church, a religion that worships Jesse as a god. In addition, their leader kidnapped Cherie’s daughter, Pezlie, to use as a messianic puppet by claiming she was a gift from Jesse. Naturally, Cherie’s furious at this, and willing to do anything to get her daughter back. Worse, the Church now controls half the Wall as this medieval cult, and their new leader, Sisto, is willing to freeze the whole Wall to gain control. 

Had the show been more daring, it could’ve had done a big timeskip into the future and had Pezlie grow up as this puppet of Sisto. That could then have her become an enemy of her real mother and create this dramatic conflict. Thankfully, the show didn’t opt to do that, instead having the Wall plot focus on Cherie getting her daughter back without that drama. While it shows that Cherie’s willing to lie and decieve her own allies to get what she wants, we should cut her some slack. Her daughter was kidnapped and going to be brainwashed by this cult, and her allies weren’t willing to help her. A parent will do crazy things for their kid.

The conclusion for the Wall plot this season winds up being open-ended. While it does end on a somewhat positive note, there’s enough leg room for it to continue in the future.

If this is the end to the Wall plot, then it would make room for the Silvercops plot.

Glen and Silvercops are the New Thing!

Last season dropped a bombshell with the reveal of the Green Lantern-esque Silvercops. They’re supposed to be an elite police force protecting the universe from people like the Shlorpians. However, as shown in their interactions with the human-turned-castaway Glen, many of them turn out to be corrupt and self-serving, leaving Glen to die. Against all odds, though, Glen survives and makes it back to civilization.

Much like with the Wall plot before it, the show dedicates an extended period of time to Glen and the Silvercops, albeit only an episode and a half. Glen ends up finding a new family in space and witnesses once more how corrupt the Silvercops are. It’s a direct reference to the growing distrust of law enforcement in the present day, with many growing to fear or act outright hostile to police, especially those who have been marginalized. When push comes to shove, Glen ultimately opts to leave his new and fufilling life to get revenge on the Silvercops that wronged him. 

This story has a lot of potential in the works. Considering the enmity the Silvercops have for the Shlorpians, this could also tie back into the main storyline down the line. At the moment, though, it appears to be taking things slowly. Which is fine, since they just started.

Solar Opposites Can Go on Without Justin

When Justin Roiland was disgraced in January, many feared that the shows he helped create would crash and burn. Howver, given how good it remains in this new season, I think Solar Opposites has done a lot to alleviate people’s concerns. It’s in good hands with Hulu. 

Once again, though, the season ends with an evidently major shake-up of the status quo, with the Solar Opposites moving to another world. Could this mean restarting many of the plots from before? A new version of the Wall? Will the original Wallians now take over their house? It should be interesting to see how this turns out!

I Give the Fourth Season of Solar Opposites a 4.5/5

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