'Solar Opposites' Season 2 may see a grown-up Pupa terraform Earth and Tim become dictator in terrarium
Judging by the fast-growing popularity of Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan’s new animated wacky sci-fi show ‘Solar Opposites’, fans should already be fretting over a second season. Well, there is some good news on that matter. Hulu has already greenlit season 2 of ‘Solar Opposites’.
According to ScreenRant, Hulu had initially ordered a two-season run for ‘Solar Opposites’ in August 2018. The report also says that the second season has now been confirmed and that it will be in the same format of eight 22-minute episodes.
While it’s unlikely that we will see a season 2 of ‘Solar Opposites’ any time before 2021, we can guess what it may be about! The show follows five aliens, who land on Earth (particularly a suburban neighborhood in the midwest U.S.) after their home planet Schlorp is destroyed by an asteroid. Terry (Thomas Middleditch), Korvo (Roiland), Jesse (Mary Mack), Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone), and the Pupa lead their lives in the midst of regular people who don’t seem to flinch at the fact that they have five aliens in their neighborhood.
Most of the series are unconnected adventures of all five. Terry and Korvo constantly argue over things because the former is too relaxed and the latter is anal about everything. Jesse and Yumyulack are also often busy with their own shenanigans in the James Earl Jones Highschool (no one knows why the school is named after the Darth Vader actor) as they try to find validation from the popular kids. Yumyulack is a malicious twit while Jesse is just naive. And all the while the Pupa, an adorable looking yellow-colored blob of an alien whose true purpose is to terraform Earth and turn it into Schlorp, wanders around on its own, getting into trouble here and there.
Season 2 thus should have a similar trajectory. Only one can hope that we do get to see the Pupa grow up to its true destiny and possibly destroy Earth. But there is one thing that we hope is there in season 2: The wall-terrarium subplot.
Being as malicious and evil as he is, Yumyulack often shrinks people for the tiniest of offenses (like wearing a shirt whose color he doesn’t like or farting in an elevator). And he adds these tiny people to a gigantic terrarium in his room. In a way, it becomes a new world for these unfortunate souls.
And Roiland and McMahan have built this world in the most excellent manner. While throughout the season, the life inside the terrarium is slowly unraveled, episode 7, ‘Terry and Korvo Steal a Bear’, gives us the full dose. It’s not a comedy episode. Rather, it’s an action-adventure film with themes that can be associated with anything from ‘Mad Max’ to ‘Snowpiercer’ to ‘A Boy and His Dog’.
It follows a resistance-leader named Tim who leads an army of rebels against the dictatorial government inside the terrarium. There’s a class divide, religion, oppression, and exploitation. As Tim leads his followers ahead, a huge war ensues and in the end, the dictator escapes from the terrarium through a tiny hole that leads to the outside world where they once lived in normal-sized bodies.
Tim, who could have helped others escape this prison, however, decides to hide this fact. He believes that the people would be better off inside the safety of the terrarium and he kills the only other person who sees the hole, his fellow rebel, and lover Sherry. Tim thus assumes the vacant role of dictator.
It was honestly one of the most enjoyable twists in a show that doesn’t have much of a central story, to begin with. One can hope that season 2 will focus on the life inside the terrarium. One can also hope that we see another full episode dedicated to this world, where we might witness the evil transformation of Tim, and a world that may not have changed much, from one dictator to another.
All in all, one can at this point trust Justin Roiland to know what he’s doing. He has seldom disappointed fans with a story ever. Meanwhile, 2021 and a second season of ‘Solar Opposites’ cannot arrive here soon enough!
‘Solar Opposites’ is available for viewing on Hulu.