RICK AND MORTY SEASONS 1-3 review
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
Rick and Morty is a 2013- adult animated sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for [Adult Swim]. Featuring the voices of Roiland, Spencer Grammer, Chris Parnell, and Sarah Chalke, along with celebrity cameos as to be expected from a show this big. It started off as a short film for Channel 101, which satirized the Back to the Future flicks. Though it's been met with great critical acclaim in the past six years, and has become a gigantic media empire unto itself, portions of its fanbase have become increasingly known for being elitist and especially toxic for doing things like treating McDonalds workers as if they were dirt over a fucking promotional sauce. I binged the seasons that are out there back in January, and have finally got around to reviewing them here. So this is an incredible show.
Rick and Morty is an animated series that in stills can seem sort of hideous if I'm being honest, with its intentionally jagged, shaky lineart and gharish colors. But when you watch the show, you see how its aesthetic pairs well with what it's attempting to do. Plus the backgrounds and visual storytelling--aspects which may not be readily drawn to focus in stills or t-shirts and the like--are truly inspired often times. I've often criticized science fiction stories (ex. Star Wars) for having bland character designs when considering the possibility aliens bring as a concept. Those that inhabit the world of Rick and Morty do not suffer from this issue whatsoever, with certifiably eclectic imagery which takes everything that this theme can do to the next level. The music is wonderful, with a particularly excellent opening theme which tells prospective watchers what to expect from R&M just at a glance.
Sitcoms are often maligned for being a typically episodic format which doesn't give way to sweeping narratives. And while I am not averse to that style of television, that doesn't change that I appreciate the fact that Rick and Morty looks at all of its contemporaries and says, "You know what? I'm going to do my own thing, and it's going to be better than yours." While I can't say it always hits its mark in crafting something that so completely rebukes sitcom orthodoxy and tries to tell its own complicated story with emotional moments derived more from narrative build-up than forging such rapport with the characters that you feel them when they reach their peaks and troughs in any given episode, I can say that it does a near perfect attempt of things all the same. It's a genuinely intelligent show, ignoring all the elitist prickdicks who think enjoying a cartoon makes them better than anyone else, even if I do have my gripes with its plotting. While I recognize that lots of people try finding plot holes in works where story is not the focus (see: Beauty and the Beast), when something attempts to craft a tale of this type, it's welcoming this sort of increased scrutiny. And there are just some points which really don't make sense at this juncture, chiefly in season 3, which I thought of as I was watching the show, so it's not like I was trying to dig through for nitpicks. Of course, your mileage may vary and it may not even be a deal with you at all--it wasn't a huge one for me either, as you'll see, just something worth mentioning.
Sitcoms are, however, known for their characters being a major draw. And Rick and Morty has loads of absolutely brilliant ones that are fun, inventive (even if the Meeseeks are just Scud, the Disposable Assassin, which Harmon actually worked on, back in the day), and interesting. Rick is the type of character who all of the worst people were always going to glom onto, despite him being a scorching commentary on those exact kinds of dick heads, but he's still an excellent character no matter how he gets mangled by jagoffs. Funny, pathetic, fascinating. Morty plays a superb straight man to Rick's anarchist, and is easy to root for when you're meant to. The tertiary cast is uniformly excellent, with a surprise favorite of mine being the hilariously mediocre Jerry. Despite his being an utter failure on every conceivable level, the episodes where we are able to see more of him make him an interesting character even if he's not someone you're ever supposed to think of as being a proper good role model.
The voice cast does an excellent job in really giving these characters portrayals that feel all to their own. Lots of really funny delivery here, but they also do some truly great stuff in the talkier emotional moments. It helps that they are all given plenty to work with, thanks to superb dialogue.
But I know what you're thinking. "Comedy is literally one of the words in 'situational comedy.' Why aren't you talking about that yet?" Well, because I like making people read the rest of the review, of course. Without further ado, if you hadn't heard, this is an achingly funny show. It throws so many jokes at you so quickly, you have to have a very high IQ to... sorry, couldn't help myself. All memes aside, this is a seriously raucous watch regardless of whether you have a high IQ (something real intellectuals would know is entirely meaningless :v) or not. Because it's well written, even if some folks don't catch all of the dweebish lingo (something which is fair. I continue to believe elitism over fiction is profoundly wrong-headed and insipid), they're still gonna have tons of laughs regardless. Don't let gate-keeping morons ruin R&M for you like people ruined Star Wars for me, this is a great show worth watching which isn't really all that difficult to get into. My only issue with the jokes are some pretty weak fourth wall breaks that come in the very first episode and all of the season finales. These are basically mission statements for what to expect from the show in future, but I don't think they've been particularly well executed to this point. Self aware humor can be funny (I'm someone who still speaks the gospel of Marvel NOW! Deadpool), but there's a fine balance to be walked with it and I don't think these jokes come out unscathed in the same way that the meta jokes in R&M do.
Rick and Morty is terrific. A savvy series with a prickish protagonist who gets his just desserts all the time, while remaining an interesting character who doesn't make you just wanna stop watching. Whenever that season 4 comes out (late this year?), I'll probably be reviewing it in the same way I usually do my follow-ups. Until then, seasons 1-3 get a 10/10 from me.
Master-class
Summary:
An ambitious take on sitcoms that doesn't always stick the landing, but remains perpetually interesting and fun.
Rick and Morty is a 2013- adult animated sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for [Adult Swim]. Featuring the voices of Roiland, Spencer Grammer, Chris Parnell, and Sarah Chalke, along with celebrity cameos as to be expected from a show this big. It started off as a short film for Channel 101, which satirized the Back to the Future flicks. Though it's been met with great critical acclaim in the past six years, and has become a gigantic media empire unto itself, portions of its fanbase have become increasingly known for being elitist and especially toxic for doing things like treating McDonalds workers as if they were dirt over a fucking promotional sauce. I binged the seasons that are out there back in January, and have finally got around to reviewing them here. So this is an incredible show.
(art by Dieg Barcellos)
Rick and Morty is an animated series that in stills can seem sort of hideous if I'm being honest, with its intentionally jagged, shaky lineart and gharish colors. But when you watch the show, you see how its aesthetic pairs well with what it's attempting to do. Plus the backgrounds and visual storytelling--aspects which may not be readily drawn to focus in stills or t-shirts and the like--are truly inspired often times. I've often criticized science fiction stories (ex. Star Wars) for having bland character designs when considering the possibility aliens bring as a concept. Those that inhabit the world of Rick and Morty do not suffer from this issue whatsoever, with certifiably eclectic imagery which takes everything that this theme can do to the next level. The music is wonderful, with a particularly excellent opening theme which tells prospective watchers what to expect from R&M just at a glance.
Sitcoms are often maligned for being a typically episodic format which doesn't give way to sweeping narratives. And while I am not averse to that style of television, that doesn't change that I appreciate the fact that Rick and Morty looks at all of its contemporaries and says, "You know what? I'm going to do my own thing, and it's going to be better than yours." While I can't say it always hits its mark in crafting something that so completely rebukes sitcom orthodoxy and tries to tell its own complicated story with emotional moments derived more from narrative build-up than forging such rapport with the characters that you feel them when they reach their peaks and troughs in any given episode, I can say that it does a near perfect attempt of things all the same. It's a genuinely intelligent show, ignoring all the elitist prickdicks who think enjoying a cartoon makes them better than anyone else, even if I do have my gripes with its plotting. While I recognize that lots of people try finding plot holes in works where story is not the focus (see: Beauty and the Beast), when something attempts to craft a tale of this type, it's welcoming this sort of increased scrutiny. And there are just some points which really don't make sense at this juncture, chiefly in season 3, which I thought of as I was watching the show, so it's not like I was trying to dig through for nitpicks. Of course, your mileage may vary and it may not even be a deal with you at all--it wasn't a huge one for me either, as you'll see, just something worth mentioning.
Sitcoms are, however, known for their characters being a major draw. And Rick and Morty has loads of absolutely brilliant ones that are fun, inventive (even if the Meeseeks are just Scud, the Disposable Assassin, which Harmon actually worked on, back in the day), and interesting. Rick is the type of character who all of the worst people were always going to glom onto, despite him being a scorching commentary on those exact kinds of dick heads, but he's still an excellent character no matter how he gets mangled by jagoffs. Funny, pathetic, fascinating. Morty plays a superb straight man to Rick's anarchist, and is easy to root for when you're meant to. The tertiary cast is uniformly excellent, with a surprise favorite of mine being the hilariously mediocre Jerry. Despite his being an utter failure on every conceivable level, the episodes where we are able to see more of him make him an interesting character even if he's not someone you're ever supposed to think of as being a proper good role model.
The voice cast does an excellent job in really giving these characters portrayals that feel all to their own. Lots of really funny delivery here, but they also do some truly great stuff in the talkier emotional moments. It helps that they are all given plenty to work with, thanks to superb dialogue.
But I know what you're thinking. "Comedy is literally one of the words in 'situational comedy.' Why aren't you talking about that yet?" Well, because I like making people read the rest of the review, of course. Without further ado, if you hadn't heard, this is an achingly funny show. It throws so many jokes at you so quickly, you have to have a very high IQ to... sorry, couldn't help myself. All memes aside, this is a seriously raucous watch regardless of whether you have a high IQ (something real intellectuals would know is entirely meaningless :v) or not. Because it's well written, even if some folks don't catch all of the dweebish lingo (something which is fair. I continue to believe elitism over fiction is profoundly wrong-headed and insipid), they're still gonna have tons of laughs regardless. Don't let gate-keeping morons ruin R&M for you like people ruined Star Wars for me, this is a great show worth watching which isn't really all that difficult to get into. My only issue with the jokes are some pretty weak fourth wall breaks that come in the very first episode and all of the season finales. These are basically mission statements for what to expect from the show in future, but I don't think they've been particularly well executed to this point. Self aware humor can be funny (I'm someone who still speaks the gospel of Marvel NOW! Deadpool), but there's a fine balance to be walked with it and I don't think these jokes come out unscathed in the same way that the meta jokes in R&M do.
Rick and Morty is terrific. A savvy series with a prickish protagonist who gets his just desserts all the time, while remaining an interesting character who doesn't make you just wanna stop watching. Whenever that season 4 comes out (late this year?), I'll probably be reviewing it in the same way I usually do my follow-ups. Until then, seasons 1-3 get a 10/10 from me.
Master-class
Summary:
An ambitious take on sitcoms that doesn't always stick the landing, but remains perpetually interesting and fun.
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