Ricky and Morty : Why You Should Be Watching
Fans of animated comedy are certainly spoiled for choice these days. As well as the enduring classics such as South Park and The Simpsons, we have more recently been introduced to the likes of Archer, Bobs Burgers, F is for Family and Bojack Horseman, all of which are incredibly funny and more than worthy of your time. One show you may not be aware of however is a surreal animated sci-fi showing on US cable network Adult Swim called Rick and Morty.
The show started life as a bizarre Back to the Future parody, focusing as it does on an elderly genius (Rick) who is aided in his experiments by an impressionable young teen (Morty). However other than this admittedly vague similarity, that’s really where the connection to the beloved family time-travel movie ends. Rick is an alcoholic scientist burdened by his insurmountable genius. His grandson Morty is roped into helping on his increasingly obscure adventures much to the chagrin of his parents.
Despite how it may appear at first glance with its low-fi animation and fondness for vulgarity, the show is actually extremely clever and uses its numerous Si-Fi influences to great effect. Rick’s seemingly never-ending array of technology means that any area of the galaxy, any dimension and any period of time is fair game for his adventures. To date there have been episodes about the murder of numerous other Rick and Mortys from alternate realities, a “fantastic voyage” parody involving an amusement park built inside a homeless guy and also an intergalactic high-stakes music competition where planets compete for survival. All this plus micro-verses, hive-minds, aliens, sentient dogs and Cronenberg-esque monsters aplenty. The show embraces sci-fi concepts such as causality, the butterfly effect and the multi-verse theory and seamlessly works them into its enjoyably chaotic storylines.
The shows is at the same time a gleefully geeky Sci-Fi comedy, and also an unremittingly dark and surreal show about a deranged alcoholic genius. Rick is regularly an unrepentant jerk to those around him on the show. Meanwhile the rest of the family suffer too with Morty’s parents Jerry and Beth seemingly permanently on the brink of separation. At one stage they also learn from a Virtual Reality device that they would have been happier had they never had their first child, Summer. Nothing seems off limits and this makes for an enjoyable edgy and unashamedly naughty show.
Rick and Morty was created by Community showrunner Dan Harmon and Adventure Time actor, Justin Roiland. Harmon’s witty, meta sense of humour shines through, and the whole show has a freewheeling, improvised tone to it. Harmon is happy to mine dark moments for big laughs, but he also ensures there is genuine warmth in there. There are definite emotional notes peppered throughout as Jerry and Beth question their marriage and Morty questions whether Rick truly cares about him at all. Along the way, each of the characters is fully fleshed out.
Rick in particular is an undeniably conflicting character. He is a deeply unethical and borderline sociopath who continually causes problems for those around him. However he also continually saves the day too and in doing so we regularly get glimpses of him being a decent guy underneath it all. You get the sense he is far from being beyond redemption, a fact which is backed up at the close of Season 2 which delivers an unexpectedly powerful ending.
Above all else though, the show is just unrelentingly funny. To provide quotes here to back this point up is difficult without an elaborate explanation of the context, but basically any given Rick line tends to be pure gold. A personal favourite being:
“Listen, Morty, I hate to break it to you but what people call "love” is just a chemical reaction that compels animals to breed. It hits hard, Morty, then it slowly fades, leaving you stranded in a failing marriage. I did it. Your parents are gonna do it. Break the cycle, Morty. Rise above. Focus on science.“
For anyone who enjoys the Sci-fi nuances of Futurama and the distinctly non-PG anarchy of South Park, Rick and Morty is the perfect combination.
(Photo Credit : Adult Swim)
