
I think what’s most fascinating about Solar Opposites is how its outgrown the cynicism from the Rick & Morty genesis that crafted a new wave of adult animation. The DNA seems quite similar to the absurd aliens and their vicious sci-fi that is wielded with reckless abandon. But the show has evolved since its funny but familiar start, where the alien couple of Korvo (Dan Stevens) and Terry (Thomas Middleditch) have grown from mismatched partners to the ultimate queer couple. That’s quite the accomplishment for a show that still features grotesque violence, multiple side plots, and meta-humor so referential it launches a photon torpedo at the fourth wall.
The fifth season is comfortable enough to embrace more continuity while scrutinizing it beyond pointing out how they’re on Hulu. The opening episode picks up where the previous season left off, as the alien family attempts to live on another planet. Although the script is framed with a boss-coming-to-dinner sitcom plot, it’s mostly about Korvo learning to respect Terry’s agency and make their marriage more whole. This carries into following episode where Korvo and Terry go on the most enthusiastic and horny of honeymoons. They still end up toying with weird sci-fi logic to make their honeymoon last forever, but their affection is genuine, revealing as much of their vulnerabilities as they do their weird alien genitals. The two even have their own episodes where they get to shine on their own, as with Terry’s entrapment in a house of board games and Korvo’s Looney-Tunes-style revenge on a bullying parent.
There isn’t as much for the replicant children to do, as they’re more or less along for the ride with a few fun quips. That said, they do have their moments of further developments. Jesse (Mary Mack) has her own episode of creating her own boyfriends and then abandoning them on an island where they fight back against her. Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone) has a solid season-closer episode about how his existential crisis involving him being used for food. The Pupa continues being a cute mascot, but has some rivalry with the new robot companion J.K. Sevens, leading to childish yet cute battles over candy, crayons, and Harry Potter whistles.
In addition to the A and B stories between the aliens and their replicants, Solar Opposites has also fully embraced its C and D stories which have greater stakes. The C story continues to be the sub-plot of The Wall, where the humans shrunk by the replicants battle for survival, this time in the perils of the backyard. There’s real stakes for this plot favoring a Western genre, where Clancy Brown plays a cautious drifter and Charlotte Nicdao a plucky adventurer, braving sand traps and dangerous animals. Then there’s the D plot of SilverCops, which has slowly grown on me for evolving beyond being a parody of the 1980s cartoon SilverHawks. Though this space adventure of Glen (Kieran Culkin) has taken odd paths, the cautionary tale of a corrupt military and imperialism works rather well, even with the obvious Avatar references by casting Stephen Lang as the gruff sergeant who craves violence.
Where this season fully won me over was with its slightly delayed Halloween episode. Not only does this episode further continue the story of the past Halloween special, but it also further develops the Korvo willingness to accept his weirdness. There’s also a clever subversion for what starts as an episode about getting into a country club and then becomes a battle to save Halloween from Thanksgiving. It’s clever and imaginative while still bitingly hilarious for playing up the aspects of family and romance, further solidifying the sex-positive queer couple.
Solar Opposites remains one of the funniest animated sitcoms while still having a massive heart and hard-on for its central alien couple. The past season was a rough one with Dan Stevens trying to find his voice as Korvo and the humor becoming almost annoying referential about its Hulu placement. Thankfully, this season finds a firmer balance with its wry comedy, stern sci-fi subplots, and genuine displays of sweet and erotic queerness. It simultaneously has mastered a meaningful sitcom relationship with enough detours to feel like an Animaniacs-style variety cartoon. Few cartoons, adult or otherwise, have this level of playfulness and punchiness to be a show that can embrace its sci-fi stuff while still using phrases like “sci-fi stuff” throughout.