Why We Love “Rick and Morty”: Aliens, Postmodernism, and Family Psychology

Samuel Edwards

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Rick And Morty Season 5

Is it possible to get rid of boredom with the help of the number 100? If you have no idea what to do in your free time, the answer to this question is worth seeking. We are talking about a hundred things to do – from trying out a good online casino using CasinoChan login to finger painting, which you can devote a few minutes, hours, days, and perhaps – a lifetime. In addition, exploring a list of activities, and choosing a particular option on your own, will entertain you for a while. So, is the magic number 100 capable of dispelling a bad mood, bringing back joy?

We offer you one of those 100 things – watching the cartoon series “Rick and Morty,” which turned out to be one of the best TV shows of 2021. We tell you why the series is worth watching for anyone who loves science fiction, cynical anti-heroes, and subtle family dramas.

This Is an Exemplary Postmodernist Series

There are plenty of layered postmodern shows on American television, from veterans like “South Park” to “Adventure Time” to “BoJack Horseman,” but “Rick and Morty” is perhaps the most layered and the most postmodern. To begin with, for one thing, it is a demonstrably secondary project that grew out of pure parody.

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In 2006, the young cartoonist Justin Roiland directed a short film called “The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti”, which, as the title suggests, parodied Robert Zemeckis’s sci-fi film trilogy Back to the Future. Seven years later, Roiland teamed up with the author of the sitcom “Community” Dan Harmon and came up with a series with similar characters – a brilliant, but cynical and destructive inventor Rick Sanchez, who travels through the animated universe in the company of his complexed grandson Morty Smith.

However, the show has many more sources: the series openly borrows ideas from popular movies – from “Jurassic Park” to “Mad Max” – and parodies entire genres, such as superhero movies, old-school action movies, and noir detectives.

The basic premise of “Rick and Morty” is an infinite number of alternate realities. Everything that could have happened has happened; everything that can be invented has already been invented. In short, non-uniqueness is a basic principle not only for the creators of the series but also for the world in which the characters live. The main character Rick, sarcastic, unprincipled, skeptical and licentious, knows this very well. In addition, the omniscient scientist is definitely aware that he is from a cartoon.

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This Is a Brilliant Science Fiction

Marvel Cinematic Universe producer Kevin Feige, head of Marvel Studios, once remarked in an interview that “Rick and Morty” is not all about one joke: “Every episode of this show has an amazing sci-fi concept on which you can build a separate movie.” The producer liked the ideas from the show so much he even asked Dan Harmon, one of the show’s writers, to help with the script for Doctor Strange; Harmon was the one who cooked up the mirror dimension concept, for instance.

Feige didn’t exaggerate: As sci-fi writers, Harmon and Roiland are terribly inventive. They managed to squeeze a dozen original ideas out of just the trivial concept of endless parallel worlds populated by alternate versions of the main characters – from interdimensional television, where you can find every conceivable show, to a kindergarten created by someone from Rick specifically for Father Morty (or rather, for all of his countless copies).

The permissiveness that reigns in the series is actually imaginary: Roiland and Harmon are not the types to sacrifice logic for a good story. For example, unlike their “Back to the Future” prototypes, Rick and Morty never travel through time. This rule protects the series from plot holes and logical inconsistencies like the “murdered grandfather paradox.”

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It’s Not Just Fun and Trashy, but a Serious Conversation About Family

“Rick and Morty” is not only a sci-fi adventure but also a sitcom about a family where everyone tries to solve their own problems. Rick’s daughter, Beth, is torn between dreams and household chores, Jerry, the dim-witted son-in-law, battles for influence with his charismatic father-in-law, and the eldest granddaughter, Summer, is going through a teenage crisis. Barely the best episodes are those that raise real questions about relationships with partners, children, and parents with the help of fiction.

For example, in the seventh episode of season two, Beth and Jerry undergo family therapy with an alien psychologist. His method is to show couples their ideas about each other, embodied in creepy physical forms. And instead of trying to eat each other as the other monsters do, Beth and Jerry’s projections unite and smash everything around them.

We hope we’ve convinced you to watch this animated series if you haven’t already. Trust us, you won’t regret it!

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