Rick and Morty
Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2022 4:57 am
Wubba lubba dub dub! Pickle Rick!
And all that jazz. I'm tempted to do a dissection-style breakdown of every episode and see who joins me.
The main thing about the show, that I've never seen anyone talk about, is that it's existentialist humor. Existentialist. Humor. I can't think of anywhere else I've seen that done. If everything is infinite, then nothing is very unique (I usually hate it when people put those words together, but I think it's necessary here). Compared to the vastness of the cosmos, our instincts and usually our literature tell us that we're insignificant. But compared to infinity, so is a galaxy, a supermassive black hole, etc. Significance is something for us, by us, and by that logic, anything and everything can be significant. Or not. Rick knows this, and it's what makes him such an asshole to everyone except his family (even Jerry, when it comes down to it) or a couple close friends.
We care about Rick or Morty, but we've also seen them callously kill other Ricks and Morties, who in their own universes are just as real as the ones we like, and laugh about it. Entire inhabited planets are wiped out, and Rick's an asshole because he doesn't care. And we're sitting there laughing about it, even if those laughs usually start with, "Oh shit."
The only 'good' person on the show is Jerry. He's a loser, and everyone looks down on him, including the audience. Morty tries, but he also turns everyone on his original Earth into Cronenbergs or creates a giant incest baby because he can't control his teenage urges. And yet no matter how often Mortys moral reasoning proves to be hilariously misguided (law of unintended consequences in full effect on this show) Rick still needs him around because a stupid moral center is still better than no moral center
And all that jazz. I'm tempted to do a dissection-style breakdown of every episode and see who joins me.
The main thing about the show, that I've never seen anyone talk about, is that it's existentialist humor. Existentialist. Humor. I can't think of anywhere else I've seen that done. If everything is infinite, then nothing is very unique (I usually hate it when people put those words together, but I think it's necessary here). Compared to the vastness of the cosmos, our instincts and usually our literature tell us that we're insignificant. But compared to infinity, so is a galaxy, a supermassive black hole, etc. Significance is something for us, by us, and by that logic, anything and everything can be significant. Or not. Rick knows this, and it's what makes him such an asshole to everyone except his family (even Jerry, when it comes down to it) or a couple close friends.
We care about Rick or Morty, but we've also seen them callously kill other Ricks and Morties, who in their own universes are just as real as the ones we like, and laugh about it. Entire inhabited planets are wiped out, and Rick's an asshole because he doesn't care. And we're sitting there laughing about it, even if those laughs usually start with, "Oh shit."
The only 'good' person on the show is Jerry. He's a loser, and everyone looks down on him, including the audience. Morty tries, but he also turns everyone on his original Earth into Cronenbergs or creates a giant incest baby because he can't control his teenage urges. And yet no matter how often Mortys moral reasoning proves to be hilariously misguided (law of unintended consequences in full effect on this show) Rick still needs him around because a stupid moral center is still better than no moral center
