Summary
It’s more of the same, but that’s not such a bad thing in this silly, self-referential animated comedy.
I liked the first season of Hulu’s Solar Opposites, despite it being, let’s be frank, basically Rick and Morty with different characters. Created by Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan, it was very much in the same anarchic meta style as that beloved sci-fi animation, with only a few new ideas that weren’t really given much room to grow in the initial eight-episode season. With that in mind, then, and with no Rick and Morty in sight, a sophomore outing is welcome, especially since it largely builds on the groundwork laid by the first go-around.
The premise remains the same. Korvo (Roiland), Terry (Thomas Middleditch), Jesse (Mary Mack), Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone), and a lovable if potentially dangerous pupa form the dysfunctional family at the show’s center, trapped on Earth after fleeing an apocalypse on their home planet and hating – though also loving – every minute. That’s the basic setup, anyway. But the show’s best idea was “The Wall”, a hidden terrarium in Yumyulack’s bedroom that contained various shrunken, captured humans who began their own society. And that’s very much still present in Solar Opposites Season 2.
There has always been a meta flourish to this show, and it often manifests inside the Wall, where the list of pop-culture influences is plentiful. But then again, the whole show is a bit like that, constantly riffing on recognizable subjects – particularly other media – such as Aliens and The Lake House. The relentless fourth-wall-breaking “we’re in a TV show” stuff will be insufferable to those who don’t like that kind of thing, and honestly is frequent enough to mither those who do, but that’s the cost of doing business.
Ultimately, this is the kind of show with a built-in audience anyway, and that audience knows exactly what to expect. Solar Opposites season 2 offers few surprises, but it does provide a refinement of what worked about the first season and plenty of setup for a third. Established fans will be more than happy with that.
