Solar Opposites: Season 3 REVIEW – Alien Patchwork
Justin Roiland’s first season of his domestic sci-fi animation Solar Opposites was always going to be somewhat under the watchful eye of Rick & Morty. Although Dan Harmon cannot be there to guide Korvo and his misfit alien humanoids through their adventures, it wasn’t easy to talk about Hulu’s animated sequel project without mentioning the Adult Swim megahit.
Perhaps this is an issue that Solar Opposites has addressed as it moves into its third season. The sophomore episode of 2021 felt like an improvement over its debut. It expanded the story of the Shlorpian humanoids and explored the intricate ‘B’ plotline. The danger with the third season is that it fails to build on the momentum of the first.
This is both a blessing as well as a curse for Season 3. It’s a mix of great ideas, conflicting expectations, and annoying intra-show memes that this 3rd round hasn’t been able to overcome. The evolving family dynamics are back, which was a strength of Season 2. Also, the mind-bending sci-fi adventures and internal machinations courtesy of Yumlulak’s bedroom walls are back.
There are also some things you wish you could have thrown out when you had the opportunity: overreliance on ultraviolence, swearing as a joke, and endless cultural references. These references tread the line between irony and sincerity, but they don’t bring you many laughs. However, you decide to take them.
It is a shame that many of Solar Opposites’ most pressing issues have not been addressed between seasons 2 and 3. It is still a very confusing tonal.
Solar Opposites wears Jessie’s polka dot and bow outfit, the middle daughter of the family. They appear as innocent and colorful as any cartoon on Cartoon Network. However, they occasionally throw random instances of gore onto the screen. It can be as disturbing as watching a series of horrific murders on Sesame street.
Understanding the dissonance between aesthetics, content, and style is challenging. South Park was a popular show that combined juvenile aesthetics and excessive violence many years ago. Solar Opposites’ writing suffers from dissonance, making it feel like a constant duality between its creator and its writers. It tries to be serious at times, but it is stifled by Terry’s inappropriate comments about TikTok and Bad Bunny. We are left wondering who these remarks are aimed at.
This issue is a smack in the face episode by episode. Korvo falls ill since Terry, and his companions aren’t pulling their weight. Terry then complains that “We don’t have the right tools here” – a comment that is directed at either the under-15 crowd or the 35-year-olds with cynical minds who can laugh at such absurdities.
Terry is so fond of referring to pop culture that (to a certain extent, it is part of the joke), we are left wondering where the referential irony ends and Gen Z pandering begins. The Kardashian jokes are immediately followed by references 90’s film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. This doesn’t sit well together.
