Solar Opposites Season 5 Review – Another wacky, wild ride

Another wacky, wild ride

Following Justin Roiland’s dismissal from Solar Opposites, this adult animation has had a rocky ride. Season 4 felt like a step down for the sci-fi show, with the odd decision to add British actor Dan Stevens in place of Korvo’s voice. The explanation was fine(ish) narratively, but his comedy failed to match that of the show’s tone, and it brought everything down as a result.

Fast forward to 2024 and Solar Opposites is back. This time, there’s a clear desire to hit the ground running, throwing absolutely everything at this one and trying to pick the show back up again after a rather disappointing season of comedic shenanigans. For the most part, Solar Opposites does well and although it’s not as good as the early seasons here, it’s still a enjoyable ride across the 11 episodes available.

The first episode brings back the self-aware irreverent tone immediately. After the Shlorpians started to adapt to humans, they’ve now resettled on Clervix 3, where they’ve turned back into their old selves. The new atmosphere here allows their body to reset and as the human transformation only happens once, they eventually return to Earth and we basically get a soft reboot.

The format here though is largely the same as previous seasons. The run-time is split between the three predominant storylines so we get the family shenanigans, the excellent B-plot with the Wall (which has been revamped and feels more like a mystery-western now) and the Silvercop angle too. All of these work quite well together, although there’s significantly more time dedicated to The Wall People, for better or worse. Personally, this is the story that works the best and it’s nice to see more time dedicated to this throughout the 11 episodes.

The humour is largely the same as before, playing on a variety of gags, visual cues (like Terry’s array of T-shirt slogans) and American cultural quips. This is pretty standard for this series, and of course expect lots of cursing, shouting and insane plot points along the way.

This time though the episode structure favours a more serialized leaning rather than outright bottle episodes. There are relationship issues (like Korvo and Terry’s marriage) that are explored throughout the show, while the aforementioned Wall storyline continues to be the big talking point, ending with enough cliffhangers to really entice you in to watch more.

Ultimately, Solar Opposites season 5 is a welcome return to form. It’s a show that knows it took a step back in season 4 and sets out to right the wrongs, with episodes chock full of comedy and decent characterisation. Dan Stevens’ voice is still a bit of a sore point, especially as he doesn’t quite hit the same comedic level as the other voice actors, but that’s a minor quibble in what’s otherwise a decent season of sci-fi comedy.

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