Commentary: ‘Solar Opposites’ Honors Stories That Came Before

It’s extremely hard to have an original idea in the realm of storytelling. There have just been so many stories over the years that almost every conceivable plot and plot point has already been done. All writers can really do is try to take what’s already been done and use it as inspiration in their own story while twisting certain elements to fit their own needs. The key is for writers to understand the stories that came before and honor their contribution to the craft. Even though it’s an absolutely ridiculous and insane animated show, Solar Opposites, starring Thomas Middleditch, does this in a pretty straightforward yet meta way.

The series is about a group of aliens who crash land on Earth after their planet was destroyed. They ultimately hope to terraform the Earth and prepare it for more of their kind to take over. But until that happens, they are trying to enjoy Earth life while getting into ridiculous shenanigans. Each episode has a plot that’s absurd and all over the place. Yet, during these episodes, there are times when they have to perform certain tasks, and the character will directly call back to a film or TV show that preceded them which did exactly the same thing.

This admission even extends to the Solar Opposites itself. In one episode they had a chase scene which was an exact duplication of a chase that occured in a previous season. The characters mention how the animators were lazy by reusing the sequence right down to a dog attack that happens at the end of the chase. These moments might be hilarious and meta in nature, but they also say something about the world of storytelling in general. Plot points and premises can more or less be rooted down to a foundation. It’s from this foundation which stories are built. By acknowledging that their own stories often copy works that came before, Solar Opposites is making a very poignant analysis that other writers can learn from.

Solar Opposites is now streaming on Hulu.