A mad scientist and his young apprentice, a common trope that's been done many times before in films such as Back to the Future and Young Frankenstein. But, never has it been done in a way so hilarious as Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon’s tv series, Rick and Morty. The animated show follows the adventures of Rick, a widely intelligent egotistical alcoholic scientist voiced by Justin Roiland, and Morty, Rick’s grandson, the dim witted awkward teenager who is also voiced by Justin Roiland. Other main characters also include Jerry Smith, Rick’s son in law and Morty’s father voiced by Chris Parnell, Beth Smith, Rick’s daughter, voiced by Sarah Chalke, and Summer Smith, Rick’s granddaughter, voiced by Spencer Grammer. Set in a universe where anything is possible with a little bit of science Rick and Morty cements itself as one of the funniest television shows on tv.
Following loosely connected plotlines one of the things that makes Rick and Morty great is that even though most episodes are standalones watching the series as a whole is incredibly rewarding. Throwbacks to previous episodes, along with developing character traits and themes allows the show to be very rewatchable to pick up on new things, or able to just throw on any episode for a good laugh.
One episode in particular highlights the genius of Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, the season 2 finale, The Wedding Squanchers. In this Roiland and Harmon showcase that they are capable of making the audience do much more than laugh. The episode takes place at Birdperson’s wedding, a recurring character known by the audience for a very dry personality. What makes this episode different from others though is it is the first episode to show true consequences and make the audience feel for the characters in their troubles. The wedding turned out to be a setup from the bride Tammy, a seemingly innocent character, who is revealed to be a member of the Galactic Federation. For some background the Galactic Federation is the government of the universe and has been mentioned many times in previous episodes along with Rick’s disdain for them and previous quarles. During the wedding Tammy shoots and kills Birdperson while the wedding is raided by the federation quickly turning the show into a gut wrenching moment for the audience as a beloved side character dies.
This is the beauty of Rick and Morty, many times the show can quickly change from its wacky comedic adventures to showing the dark troubling roots of characters. It shows the effects of substance abuse and depression in between the comedic tone of the show.
Roiland and Harmon expertly craft their show in a way that any episode is fun to watch but giving the audience something more than just laughs. It does in a great way what other animated comedies such as Family Guy or The Simpsons couldn’t do in where it makes the audience feel attached to the characters and the struggles that lie underneath the surface.
A thematic looks at Rick and Morty really shows this in that one of the main themes of the show is that dealing with overall insignificance of human life in the universe can have various manifestations in different people. Rick knows and has said that life means nothing to the universe and the audience sees how that manifests in Rick to the point where at the end of one episode he attempts suicide because of his perceived lack of meaning. On the other hand Jerry is willfully ignorant of this and as such lives his life as a naive father who's trying to do well by his family.
Rick and Morty is a fantastic show that continually impresses as one of the funniest shows currently on TV. I highly recommend watching it. Currently three seasons are out with many more on the way. I rate it good good.
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