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Solar Opposites Final Season Review

It was a fun ride while it lasted, but after five years, six seasons, and four specials, Solar Opposites has come to an end. It’s a bittersweet feeling knowing that one of Hulu’s best original animated series is over, but there comes a time when things have to come to an end. Given everything that it was up against, though, it’s kind of amazing that it’s lasted as long as it has. It started out being overshadowed by Co-creator Justin Roiland’s more famous show, Rick and Morty. Then, it was marred by the controversy brought about by the allegations against Roiland himself. Either one could’ve ensured Solar Opposites suffered a premature end, but I weathered both of them. Now, it’s got its own dedicated fanbase and identity and all the better for it. But did this final season manage to land on its feet?

Honestly, yes.

The Solar Opposites Took a Lot of Attention

In the past, I have normally spent the better part of my reviews focusing on the secondary plots, AKA The Wall and the Silvercops. However, a big part of this final season is also one that surprised me the most: the episodic plots felt better than the serialized stuff this time around.

Don’t get me wrong, I have always enjoyed seeing whatever it is the Solar Opposites are doing each episode. With the lion’s share of the serialized elements reserved for things like The Wall, though, most of the things the Solar Opposites do tend to be one-off. Story elements do carry over from past episodes, but everything still feels self-contained. Since this is the final season, though, it feels like the showrunners wanted to give everyone as satisfying a conclusion as possible. They requires character growth, and that requires more serialized storytelling. And the season starts off on a very strong note, with the first episode seeing most of the machines the Solar Opposites use to make money getting destroyed.

The Solar Opposites Grow as a Family

Without the ability to make diamonds and other forms of cash, the Solar Opposites are forced to buckle down and start making changes to their lifestyles. They have to sell most of their tech just to get by, meaning they can’t bail themselves out as much anymore, and have to adapt to Earth more than ever. This isn’t the first time that they’ve had to do so, but what makes this different from the Season Three finale is that this time, they really can’t fall back on their sci-fi tech. Ironically, by pushing themselves outside their safety net, the Solar Opposites are able to thrive like never before. Yumulack and Jesse have to start applying themselves at school, and they discover that they’re geniuses. So much so that they’re able to become the best students at school and co-student council presidents. Terry, after a stint loving romantasy novels (and meeting the fairies who write them), he starts writing his own, and they do so well, they become best-sellers! He even manages to get them made into blockbuster films by the end of the series!

Yet all of that pales in comparison to the character growth showcased by Korvo, and it starts with the return of their old CO, Commander Zarck.

Korvo Has Come into his Own

For those who don’t know, Zarck was the one originally supposed to be in charge of the mission, but to prove to everyone how badly they needed him, he used a machine to erase their memories of him. By the time they remember him and he returns at the start of the season, they’ve all but gone native. Yet Zarck’s return forces Korvo to step and prove once and for all that he’s the better team leader while Zarck doesn’t play much of a role afterwards. It shows just how much Korvo has come into his own as a leader and a character. Yet even that is overshadowed by what is the culmination of Korvo’s entire arc throughout the show. When the Pupa starts to prematurely terraform the Earth, Korvo makes the decision to destroy its means of doing so, making it so that they can never fulfill their mission. The Korvo of Season One wouldn’t have hesitated to let the process go through, but he’s grown to love Earth just as much as his adoptive family has. That’s some good character development.

It also turns out that Korvo made the right decision, not just for Earth, but for all Shlorpians everywhere.

What a Twist with the Silvercops!

Throughout the final season, one sub-plot that remains largely on the sidelines is that of Glen and the Silvercops. Last season, Glen joined the Goldcops to go undercover in the Silvercops to bring them down. This leads into the series finale where Glen (now called Dodge) returns to Earth with the Silvercops where we get the biggest twist in the entire series: the Silvercops created the Shlorpians!

For centuries, the Silvercops had been manufacturing Pupas and using them to create Planet Shlorps that they could then destroy. While the Shlorpians would go out and terraform other worlds, they would harvest the resources for money. It’s an intergalactic scam that’s killed countless people and made the Shlorpians the most hated beings in the galaxy!

This was a really good twist. Not only did it reveal that the Solar Opposites did the right thing by defying their mission, but it reframes everything that happens throughout the series. And in the end, Dodge and Goldcops are able to shut the Silvercops down for good, thereby freeing Shlorpians everywhere and the Solar Opposites to be a family. Even better, Korvo gets to travel the galaxy and tell other Shlorpians they can forget the mission and chill. It’s a happy ending for everyone!

At least until the Earth gets destroyed by the Wallians 90 years in the future.

The Wall Stumbled at the End there

From day one, I’ve kept saying that my favorite part of Solar Opposites has been the story of The Wall. For many fans, it was their favorite part of the series. The show took this silly idea of a bunch of shrunken down people living in a terrarium and turned it into this epic that spanned the entire show. At it’s best, The Wall felt like watching Game of Thrones at the peak of its writing. Ironically, though, I can’t help but feel that, much like Game of Thrones, The Wall stumbled on the last lap.

After the events in The Backyard from last season, Cherie decided to stop running from power and just take the reins of The Wall as its Queen. The implication was that Cherie was going to turn into the same kind of tyrant that she spent the entire show fighting against, but much to my surprise, that never really manifests. Especially since two big developments take place: Ringo, AKA the Duke, comes back, having been returned from the dead by the Solar Opposites, and the Wallians unite for the sole purpose of getting the shrink ray from Yumulack. But despite this interesting premise and getting to see Ringo come to terms with his past, none of the new characters from last season return or have any impact on what happens. Having grown to appreciate these newcomers for what they added, it feels a little jarring not to have them in this grand finale.

Cherie Continues to Make Mistakes

I will say this about the end to The Wall story, though: it’s final act shows us how much Cherie has grown as a character throughout the show, and not for the better. During their mission to get the shrink ray, in a moment of vulnerability, Cherie admits that she no longer cares about the other Wallians. All she cares about is protecting Pezlie. This leads to the saddest twist of the entire story; after blackmailing Yumyulack into restoring everyone to normal size, it’s revealed that doing so would end up killing Pezlie. Thus, her team decides to stay small and not tell anyone the truth while forcing Yumulack to make The Wall a better place.

Cherie. Good Intentions, but Doesn’t Think Things Through

This is some pretty good character development on the part of the show. After spending most of her story fighting against tyrants and deception, Cherie winds up becoming that what she fought against. She chooses to lie to everyone about being able to return to normal so that Pezlie won’t be alone in the world. It’s a selfish decision, and one that the distant epilogue shows will ultimately end in most of the world being destroyed. Yet at the same time, you can’t help but understand where Cherie is coming from. She’s just trying to be a good mom to her daughter and give her the best life she can have.

As is the case in real life, things like this can lead people to make selfish decisions that benefit no one but themselves. Yet this isn’t something that’s coming out of nowhere, either. It was shown back in Season Four that Cherie was willing to bend her ideals if it meant protecting her daughter, even if that could lead to other people getting hurt. And, as we come to see, it winds up destroying everything in the future. I don’t know about you guys, but knowing that the world winds up getting destroyed kind of makes the happy ending of the finale feel pointless. Not only do I not like downer endings, but I don’t like happy-ending overrides. In other words, Solar Opposites hit two of my pet peeves.

I’ll Miss You, Solar Opposites!

Despite all of this, though, I still think that Solar Opposites managed to end things on a high note. I think that the series was fun from start to finish, and I’ve already started rewatching some of the older episodes. It’s just that good! More importantly, though, this is the show that introduced me to the work of Mike McMahan, who helped to create my favorite Star Trek series, Lower Decks. I never would’ve gotten into that show had it not been for Solar Opposites! So for a show that started out in the shadow of Rick and Morty, I’d say that Solar Opposites has created something all its own. Not bad for a bunch of weird plant aliens.

I Give the Final Season of Solar Opposites a 4/5

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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Click here to go to the Solar Opposites Lessonalyzer. This is a real thing

Solar Opposites Season 2 Review

I never thought that I would see the day when a pair of unholy dog monsters would attack the guests at a dinner party, eat them, and then poop them out as bottles of wine. If that sounds like something I made up, it’s not. It’s a plot point from the new season of Solar Opposites. And it’s still hilarious!!

Debuting on Hulu last year and created from the minds of Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland and former head writer Mike McMahan, Solar Opposites is a sci-fi sitcom that is, well, completely bonkers. Four aliens and this little pupa-thing get stuck on Earth after fleeing their destroyed home world and get into misadventures using sci-fi BS. No, really, that’s the whole plot of the show. No matter what happens, the writers just pull some amazing sci-fi BS out their butts and solve problems. That’s the whole plot of Solar Opposites. It’s hilarious to watch.

Okay, maybe it gets a little repetitive at times. However, now that it’s in its sophomore year, Solar Opposites is not afraid to double down on what makes it funny: meta-humor and pop culture references.

The Wall of Meta-Humor. And An Actual Wall

Last year, the show was trying to find its own footing, so it had to be all over the place at times. While this meant the plots for the episodes weren’t always the funniest, it worked because of the power of sci-fi BS. This year, though, Solar Opposites is working with meta-humor at its primary weapon.

Right off the bat, the show’s not afraid to reference the various tropes and formulas that go into an episode. From acknowledging how everything occurred “last year” to blatantly stating that they can only use this amazing sci-fi idea once, Solar Opposites gets very meta. It also helps that they repeatedly reference and advertise Hulu. They’re not so much as breaking the fourth wall, as they are leaning on it.

Speaking of walls, the best part of the season remains the story of the Wall. The first season introduced us to this wall in the house where the kid aliens keep humans they shrink down for the pettiest of reasons. They built their own society in there, and then ended up fighting a civil war over the course of the season. Season Two takes us back to the Wall and keeps coming back to it as we continue to see things unfold inside this tiny, makeshift world. It’s both silly and dramatic at the same time, and I love. PS, the seventh episode focuses entirely on the Wall plot like last time.

Go Binge This Show NOW!

Last year, Solar Opposites came out in a world that ground to a halt thanks to COVID-19. Now that the world’s slowly starting to move again, we don’t have as much time to stream stuff. But that doesn’t change the fact that this is one of th best sci-fi dark comedies out there. Go watch Solar Opposites if you’re looking for the right kind of nonsensical stupidity.

I give the second season of Solar Opposites a 4.9/5 

Click here to see my other animation stuff. 

Click here to go to the Solar Opposites Lessonalyzer. This is a real thing