Solar Opposites was always the little cousin to Rick and Morty, the other adult animated show sharing the creator who shall not be named, but its inferiority has only grown worse over time. At one point, we were excited to see new episodes of Solar Opposites coming out, but season six lacks the creativity and fast-paced humor that made the show so special in the first place, resulting in an underwhelming end to the series.
What is Solar Opposites Season 6 about?
This season of Solar Opposites follows the continued adventures of the Shlorpians as they have finally begun to acclimate to Earth culture, causing them to realize that their mission might not actually be their true desire. While the creators of Solar Opposites have attempted to deliver more of the same, we have noted in our reviews of the past two seasons that the show’s narrative momentum and creativity were largely running out of steam. That decline has become painfully obvious with these final episodes.
Solar Opposites Season 6 Review
Perhaps the biggest shortcoming of this season is that its humor has become reductively juvenile and repetitive. Jokes about alien sex are funny at first, but when you have an entire 25-minute episode dedicated to that one gag, the charm of the raunchy humor dissipates rather quickly. Much of the season feels like it shares this problem: the episodes are primarily built around a single gag, and even when those gags work, they overstay their welcome.
In visual terms, this season of Solar Opposites also doesn’t shine particularly brightly. Although it’s very stylistically competent, in line with the rest of the show, it lacks the flair that a sci-fi based animation should have. When shows like The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy and Rick and Morty are around introducing new and wacky worlds and characters on a daily basis, it’s frustrating to see Solar Opposites recycle ideas that we’ve already seen the show do before.
While it is understandable that season 6 of Solar Opposites doesn’t really introduce any new major characters — it does have to wrap up all of its storylines in ten episodes, after all — it’s frustrating that the season feels like a “greatest hits” of callbacks to characters from past episodes that you probably don’t even remember. Even for someone who has been with the show since day one, these moments are nowhere near enough to inspire the level of excitement that a final season needs to have.
Ultimately, the only thing that Solar Opposites still has working in its favor at the end of its run is its family dynamic. Yet, even that doesn’t feel entirely original. It’s the same sitcom parody relationship that The Simpsons has been the epitome of for more than three decades. We still care about the characters and their love for one another — as well as their bickering — even if the show fails to put them in more compelling situations.
Of course, the voice acting is also as good as ever. Dan Stevens is operating in sicko mode here, and it’s always fun to watch him when he embraces the weirdness. Thomas Middleditch is very much doing the same schtick he’s always done, but he’s consistently the funniest part of the show. The remainder of the regulars — Sean Giambrone, Mary Mack, and Tiffany Haddish — are also all entertaining and charming.
Is Season 6 of Solar Opposites worth watching?
All in all, season 6 of Solar Opposites is a massive disappointment. While one would obviously hope that the Hulu animated series would go out with a bang, its steady decline over the past few seasons has ended with a whimper. It really is a shame — what was once one of the edgiest, most creative shows in the adult animated genre started to feel like an imitation not only of other, better shows but also of itself.
Season 6 of Solar Opposites streams on Hulu beginning October 13. All ten episodes were provided for review.
