From the creator of Rick and Morty comes another out of this world satire of life in America.
Same but different is certainly the flavour of this new series from creators Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan. The 4-person nuclear family approach is still in play, albeit while trying to distance themselves from it as much as possible. The series takes a more fluid approach to gender roles making it much more refreshing and interesting. Meet Korvo, Terry, Yumulack and Jesse from the planet Shlorp. Crashing on Earth after escaping their exploding planet they bring with them a Pupa, designed to eventually terraform the planet into a new Shlorp. The alien team has a shifting perspective of how great this new world actually is, set in Mid America there is plenty of targets for sharp witted satire.
Korvo, as the designated Mission leader takes his role incredibly seriously, he feverishly works to repair the spaceship, ever more agitated by his lack of support from his evacuation partner Terry. Terry is charged with the care of the Pupa and has a very relaxed approach to all things. The younger replicants along for the ride have their own interests and tend to have a relatively independent storyline. Jesse has a passion for kindness and social issues but often hasn’t quite grasped the human angle. Yumyulack spends most of his time shrinking the humans he deems irritating and feeding them into a terrarium in his wall. This tiny new world takes on a big part of the series as things spiral out of control.
The world within the wall is an incredible addition to the series and could be inspired by the micro worlds from Rick and Morty. Its sustained presence brings both opportunity for incredible pathos and some unexpected humour. You can often see the team members going about their life on the outside, or the Pupa looming up and taking a childlike interest in the tiny high drama.
The art style is similar to Rick and Morty but as a very comic book inspired narrative this does suit it. There is a more grounded and human feel to the series due to their being trapped on earth, there is still scenes out in the galaxy but for the most part the human experience is the core focus. The plethora of powers and space age gadgets certainly add a sci-fi spin, things regularly get weird but perhaps not quite as far out as a trip through Rick’s portal gun. This does make it a bit more accessible but if you were hoping for high octane Sci-Fi that does not seem to be the current angle.
Solar Opposites is certainly enjoyable and well written, it gets stronger as it goes and has great potential. If you found Rick and Morty a bit too much for you but enjoyed the likes of Futurama this might be more your cup of tea. It still has those memorable sparks of genius like Pickle Rick but they are certainly less frequent. If you are looking for a short form casual watch this is certainly a good candidate.
Author: Joe, Bath store
