Rick and Morty: The Rickchurian Mortydate
October 2, 2017 12:30 AM - Season 3, Episode 10 - Subscribe
A new terror is haunting the White House - the fear of breaking up with the people that really matter to us. (Special guest appearance by Beth's clone!)
This coda to a straight-A season of R&M is turning out to be harder to assess, although I certainly enjoyed its the follow-up to "The ABCs of Beth". Likewise, the sci-fi rigamarole was entertaining as always, and the pacing of the plot and jokes was as frenetic as ever. Nonetheless, afterward I felt as though something had been off.
Skimming over the reviews and reactions online, I think I'm picking up on an elephant in the room: This episode would be a lot funnier and crazier if Barack Obama were in the Oval Office instead of Donald Trump.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:49 AM on October 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
Skimming over the reviews and reactions online, I think I'm picking up on an elephant in the room: This episode would be a lot funnier and crazier if Barack Obama were in the Oval Office instead of Donald Trump.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:49 AM on October 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
I think I would have liked it a little more if they hadn't pressed down on the reset button so hard.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 8:33 AM on October 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 8:33 AM on October 2, 2017 [3 favorites]
"sugar chicken," lol.
posted by prize bull octorok at 8:51 AM on October 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 8:51 AM on October 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
jeez, i may be cranky but i found this one a real letdown. no followthrough on the evil morty thread, weakass reset to season 1 parameters (complete with a fourth wall break from beth), and generally low-stakes, low-pay off drama all around. it was telling that the main conflict from this episode started because R&M just couldn't be *bothered* to follow through on an adventure: this episode felt like Harmon and Roiland not being bothered to follow through on a finale to an otherwise strong season. Ah well. See you in 4 or 5 years I guess.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 9:22 AM on October 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by mrjohnmuller at 9:22 AM on October 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
Yeah. If this had been a standalone episode without the hard reset at the end, I would've loved it. I enjoyed the confrontation between the President and Rick - someone actually throwing down with Rick is always bonkers, and this was no exception - but I agree that it was a letdown after all the Evil Morty setup, and the interesting work they did with Beth and Jerry's divorce this season.
posted by mordax at 10:55 AM on October 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by mordax at 10:55 AM on October 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Next season will all be about Rick trying to hold himself in and not spoil it for the family and Evil Morty will play a big role in trying to break Rick.
posted by Pendragon at 11:01 AM on October 2, 2017
posted by Pendragon at 11:01 AM on October 2, 2017
I had similar feelings. As a stand alone episode dropped in the middle of the season, it would have been perfectly enjoyable, but as a season finale it was a bit of a let down (again for the reasons already stated). Perhaps it more accurately reflects the stress and tension that Harmon and Roiland went through writing this season and getting it done within a certain time period. An end of the road, let's just get this final episode done and worry about next season a few months from now. The fight between the President and Rick felt like it went on a little too long, almost like filler. When compared against the build up with Rick mouthing off in the Oval Office, it was almost extraneous.
I wasn't particularly satisfied with the Beth B-story, either, because to be honest, I don't think they cleared up whether she was a clone or not. The suspicion was laid down at the end of the "ABCs..." when she appeared super happy at the dinner table and that joy, which Rick claimed was attributable to Beth coming to the acceptance of her genius, flowed into this episode, too. It would have concluded the season with a big impact if everything Rick did, swallowing his pride and appearing as Fly Fishing Rick, letting Jerry back into the house, was revealed to be him doing everything he can not to screw things up for Beth, currently exploring the galaxy. It's those glimpses into Rick's character which play so well, such as the end of the previous season - where Rick makes an obvious sacrifice that cuts above and beyond his very self centric view on the world and his life. It would have also taken the fourth wall breaking reset and thrown it out the window.
posted by Atreides at 11:34 AM on October 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
I wasn't particularly satisfied with the Beth B-story, either, because to be honest, I don't think they cleared up whether she was a clone or not. The suspicion was laid down at the end of the "ABCs..." when she appeared super happy at the dinner table and that joy, which Rick claimed was attributable to Beth coming to the acceptance of her genius, flowed into this episode, too. It would have concluded the season with a big impact if everything Rick did, swallowing his pride and appearing as Fly Fishing Rick, letting Jerry back into the house, was revealed to be him doing everything he can not to screw things up for Beth, currently exploring the galaxy. It's those glimpses into Rick's character which play so well, such as the end of the previous season - where Rick makes an obvious sacrifice that cuts above and beyond his very self centric view on the world and his life. It would have also taken the fourth wall breaking reset and thrown it out the window.
posted by Atreides at 11:34 AM on October 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
I thought it was great, and that it definitely hints that it's Beth's clone. No way would Rick do all that at the end if it wasn't her. I feel like he stayed only to protect the real Beth's adventures, and to a point, the kids' feelings.
posted by numaner at 1:13 PM on October 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by numaner at 1:13 PM on October 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
for one day only, Oct. 7th, at 2 PM (not sure if that means any time after 2 or for a limited time started at 2), you can get the Szechuan sauce.
It's part of the a new promotion for their Buttermilk Crispy Tenders, and there's a bunch of sauces to choose from. But obviously I'm going for just one.
You can find out which McDonalds near you is participating on this site. The write up for Szechuan sauce is also definitely pandering to a segment of the population.
" "Whatever it takes."
Szechuan Sauce fans are typically incredibly motivated, born winners that combine a sweet disposition with a slow burning heat. When these people set goals (or make outright demands), they tend to achieve them. Sometimes, their impulsivity can get them into all sorts of hijinks, but their mad genius is their portal out of trouble. They truly put the “I WANT THAT SZECHUAN SAUCE” in “Buttermilk Crispy Tenders.” "
posted by numaner at 1:29 PM on October 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
It's part of the a new promotion for their Buttermilk Crispy Tenders, and there's a bunch of sauces to choose from. But obviously I'm going for just one.
You can find out which McDonalds near you is participating on this site. The write up for Szechuan sauce is also definitely pandering to a segment of the population.
" "Whatever it takes."
Szechuan Sauce fans are typically incredibly motivated, born winners that combine a sweet disposition with a slow burning heat. When these people set goals (or make outright demands), they tend to achieve them. Sometimes, their impulsivity can get them into all sorts of hijinks, but their mad genius is their portal out of trouble. They truly put the “I WANT THAT SZECHUAN SAUCE” in “Buttermilk Crispy Tenders.” "
posted by numaner at 1:29 PM on October 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Man, you all must be feeling pretty generous. That episode was weak and felt kind of half-assed, like they tossed together a couple of ideas that didn't make it into earlier episodes because they needed something to end the season.
And "Rick is always right and always able to beat anything" is getting pretty old. It's like they're trying to prove all of the critics of the show right.
posted by Sangermaine at 3:07 PM on October 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
And "Rick is always right and always able to beat anything" is getting pretty old. It's like they're trying to prove all of the critics of the show right.
posted by Sangermaine at 3:07 PM on October 2, 2017 [4 favorites]
1. I thought season 3 was supposed to be more than 10 episodes? Could have sworn I read that somewhere.
2. I am over R&M at this point. Dan and Justin do not operate well under the spotlight.
posted by grumpybear69 at 4:04 PM on October 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
2. I am over R&M at this point. Dan and Justin do not operate well under the spotlight.
posted by grumpybear69 at 4:04 PM on October 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
1. I thought season 3 was supposed to be more than 10 episodes? Could have sworn I read that somewhere.
You are correct:
Then with this episode it all just kind of stops and resets. I think they were going to flesh all of that out over the four missing episodes but didn't have time in 10. Maybe it was going to end with Morty finally standing up to Rick and calling him out on his shit? Hopefully they'll pick things up again next season.
Setting aside all of that, the weakness of the episode, and the anti-climax, the ending of the season actually does nicely bookend it. Episode 1 opened with Rick flaunting his power as a "fucked up god", destroying all of his enemies with ease, humiliating Jerry, and forcing him from the family. This episode ends with Rick in a pretty weak position, with the family returning to Jerry and Rick clearly deeply resenting it but unable to really do anything about it. Curiously, as the family points out, he doesn't just hop off to an alternate dimension where he wins like he could, which is another chink in his "nihilistic uncaring science god" armor. He wants this version of his family to want him, for whatever reason, but finds that for all his power and knowledge he can't have that.
posted by Sangermaine at 4:33 PM on October 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
You are correct:
[Entertainment Weekly]: About Sunday’s finale: Can you tease it up for us?This explains why this episode felt so weird. This entire season it felt like we were building up to something: Evil Morty takes over the Citadal, Morty's becoming increasingly disillusioned with Rick and in this episode runs away with his family putting him in a position where he has to defend his mother and father from his grandfather, Beth may be a clone, even Jerry's story seemed to be advancing.
[Dan Harmon]: I don’t want to poison the well but the finale is a great episode that we finale-ified when we realized we weren’t going to be able to make 14. It’s Rick in a conflict with the president of the United States. Keith David returns to reprise his role. And that’s the main story of that episode, Rick vs. the United States.
Then with this episode it all just kind of stops and resets. I think they were going to flesh all of that out over the four missing episodes but didn't have time in 10. Maybe it was going to end with Morty finally standing up to Rick and calling him out on his shit? Hopefully they'll pick things up again next season.
Setting aside all of that, the weakness of the episode, and the anti-climax, the ending of the season actually does nicely bookend it. Episode 1 opened with Rick flaunting his power as a "fucked up god", destroying all of his enemies with ease, humiliating Jerry, and forcing him from the family. This episode ends with Rick in a pretty weak position, with the family returning to Jerry and Rick clearly deeply resenting it but unable to really do anything about it. Curiously, as the family points out, he doesn't just hop off to an alternate dimension where he wins like he could, which is another chink in his "nihilistic uncaring science god" armor. He wants this version of his family to want him, for whatever reason, but finds that for all his power and knowledge he can't have that.
posted by Sangermaine at 4:33 PM on October 2, 2017 [6 favorites]
I, too, am disappointed by how Rick is God. Still thought it was a pretty funny and enjoyable episode.
posted by graventy at 6:10 PM on October 2, 2017
posted by graventy at 6:10 PM on October 2, 2017
I really liked it as a standalone episode and thought it was kind of an epic troll to end a season that way. I'm sad it's a monument to compromise rather than an on-purpose fuck-you to their annoying fandom. Because my closing thought as the episode ended was "cry harder, Rick and Morty fans". Sad because I'm definitely a card-carrying R&M fan, I own an in-jokey Rick & Morty t-shirt that I wear in public in broad daylight, but boyyy do I hate how the jerks make the rest of us look on the internet.
I'm a suburban working mom with a high-prestige job, an older daughter and a younger son, and a lot of daddy issues and existential angst, so the Beth situation in the last couple episodes was, shall we say, rather painfully on the nose. I don't think the show will ever resolve whether the Beth we have now is a clone or not; I certainly hope it doesn't.
posted by potrzebie at 9:43 PM on October 2, 2017 [15 favorites]
I'm a suburban working mom with a high-prestige job, an older daughter and a younger son, and a lot of daddy issues and existential angst, so the Beth situation in the last couple episodes was, shall we say, rather painfully on the nose. I don't think the show will ever resolve whether the Beth we have now is a clone or not; I certainly hope it doesn't.
posted by potrzebie at 9:43 PM on October 2, 2017 [15 favorites]
I don’t mind the season going out on an odd note and the supposed reset doesn’t trouble me at all. If they want to ditch the reset they’ll do it whenever they care to, one ep in or a dozen.
posted by phearlez at 10:10 PM on October 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by phearlez at 10:10 PM on October 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
I had absolutely no clue that this was the finale until somebody told me well after I had viewed it. Not sure if it matters to me; I guess I just see it as a comedy cartoon and you don't necessarily have to follow those too closely, plot-wise.
posted by destructive cactus at 10:35 PM on October 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by destructive cactus at 10:35 PM on October 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
So... did we actually get to see all of the scenes in the opening credits in episodes? I thought I was being especially vigilant for the one where Summer and cyborg-resurrected Cronenberg-universe Summer are tag-teaming a commando raid or something, but I may have been briefly distracted and missed it? Or maybe it's got to do with the aforementioned four-episode discrepancy.
posted by XMLicious at 1:19 AM on October 3, 2017
posted by XMLicious at 1:19 AM on October 3, 2017
So... did we actually get to see all of the scenes in the opening credits in episodes? I thought I was being especially vigilant for the one where Summer and cyborg-resurrected Cronenberg-universe Summer are tag-teaming a commando raid or something, but I may have been briefly distracted and missed it? Or maybe it's got to do with the aforementioned four-episode discrepancy.
Nope. But since you mention it, going all the way back to season 01, have we ever seen the Cthulu Baby episode?
posted by mikelieman at 4:10 AM on October 3, 2017 [2 favorites]
Nope. But since you mention it, going all the way back to season 01, have we ever seen the Cthulu Baby episode?
posted by mikelieman at 4:10 AM on October 3, 2017 [2 favorites]
THANK YOU. I've been dying for Cthulhu baby. That was one of the first things that compelled me to watch the show. Gimme.
posted by miss-lapin at 4:22 AM on October 3, 2017
posted by miss-lapin at 4:22 AM on October 3, 2017
It did seem a bit rushed, but seeing as this was originally supposed to be a 14 episode season but ended up being 10 because of how long it took to produce, I guess that makes sense. It was interesting to see Rick hoisted upon his own petard, and learning—maybe learning—that being the smartest person in the multiverse doesn’t actually help you understand how to deal with people.
I don’t think we’re going back to Adventure of the Week stuff like Season 1, I think we’re going some place more interesting. The family dynamic is the core of the show now, not Rick’s adventures. (And I include the Citadel as part of the family dynamic, as well.)
posted by SansPoint at 4:48 AM on October 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
I don’t think we’re going back to Adventure of the Week stuff like Season 1, I think we’re going some place more interesting. The family dynamic is the core of the show now, not Rick’s adventures. (And I include the Citadel as part of the family dynamic, as well.)
posted by SansPoint at 4:48 AM on October 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
but boyyy do I hate how the jerks make the rest of us look on the internet
Is this why everybody here seems so down on this show? I don't go to Reddit anymore or use social media, so I have no idea who the jerks are or what they're doing.
I agree with some of the criticisms here, but in general I thought this was another amazing episode. Literally: amazing. I can scarcely believe how they've kept the quality up, how innovative and unexpected the writing has been. I loved, loved, loved Rick's personal defense systems, and the Looney Tunes sat-strike bit. I think it's terrific how completely awful and full of himself Rick is, and how unstoppable he is. There were several scenes that filled me with glee. Boy, did this season go by fast.
This season has done two things that I don't like... In several episodes, there were sequences in which so many things happen so quickly that I don't know how you're supposed to be able to follow everything that's going on. It's kind of neat in that it's illustrative of the level Rick is operating at, and the amount of craziness they get into, but my eyes and brain aren't that fast. They're also throwing around the B-word a lot and I really wish they wouldn't.
posted by heatvision at 4:50 AM on October 3, 2017 [7 favorites]
Is this why everybody here seems so down on this show? I don't go to Reddit anymore or use social media, so I have no idea who the jerks are or what they're doing.
I agree with some of the criticisms here, but in general I thought this was another amazing episode. Literally: amazing. I can scarcely believe how they've kept the quality up, how innovative and unexpected the writing has been. I loved, loved, loved Rick's personal defense systems, and the Looney Tunes sat-strike bit. I think it's terrific how completely awful and full of himself Rick is, and how unstoppable he is. There were several scenes that filled me with glee. Boy, did this season go by fast.
This season has done two things that I don't like... In several episodes, there were sequences in which so many things happen so quickly that I don't know how you're supposed to be able to follow everything that's going on. It's kind of neat in that it's illustrative of the level Rick is operating at, and the amount of craziness they get into, but my eyes and brain aren't that fast. They're also throwing around the B-word a lot and I really wish they wouldn't.
posted by heatvision at 4:50 AM on October 3, 2017 [7 favorites]
Is this why everybody here seems so down on this show?
"I'm Pickle Rick!" is the new "I'm Rick James."
Also, Harmon hired i think like 50% women for his writing staff in response to the ongoing criticism that Adult Swim's staff, the more toxic elements of the fanbase didn't like that and started doxing them. This prompted Harmon to make some negative statements back towards these fans, and that's been continuing in circles.
The other aspect is that it seems to be going the way of a lot of popular shows, which goes from being a weekly episode of something funny to a season long arc that gets more wrapped up in keeping that story going than keeping the individual episodes tight and stand-alone. Season 3 of the venture brothers, for example, went from the wacky adventures of S1/S2 into a dense collection of backreferences and exposition that many of the episodes are incoherent without the other episodes. Archer has repeatedly tried to make full-season stories, and while they still have their moments, the appeal is the dialogue from having a bunch of idiots yelling at each other, and that's taken a backseat to the animation and action sequences. And, of course South Park is now walking back from that line, after the failures of the last couple seasons.
Or, yknow, the main plot of the X-Files.
posted by lkc at 6:24 AM on October 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
"I'm Pickle Rick!" is the new "I'm Rick James."
Also, Harmon hired i think like 50% women for his writing staff in response to the ongoing criticism that Adult Swim's staff, the more toxic elements of the fanbase didn't like that and started doxing them. This prompted Harmon to make some negative statements back towards these fans, and that's been continuing in circles.
The other aspect is that it seems to be going the way of a lot of popular shows, which goes from being a weekly episode of something funny to a season long arc that gets more wrapped up in keeping that story going than keeping the individual episodes tight and stand-alone. Season 3 of the venture brothers, for example, went from the wacky adventures of S1/S2 into a dense collection of backreferences and exposition that many of the episodes are incoherent without the other episodes. Archer has repeatedly tried to make full-season stories, and while they still have their moments, the appeal is the dialogue from having a bunch of idiots yelling at each other, and that's taken a backseat to the animation and action sequences. And, of course South Park is now walking back from that line, after the failures of the last couple seasons.
Or, yknow, the main plot of the X-Files.
posted by lkc at 6:24 AM on October 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
The link that Sangermaine posted above has Harmon talking about these toxic fans. Even reddit, at least parts of it, is getting kind of sick of them; /r/iamverysmart has banned a certain copypasta that's been going around, but still has plenty of posts about R&M fans.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:29 AM on October 3, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:29 AM on October 3, 2017 [2 favorites]
It was interesting to see Rick hoisted upon his own petard, and learning—maybe learning—that being the smartest person in the multiverse doesn’t actually help you understand how to deal with people.
Yep.
This is why Rick being a god not only doesn't bother me, but appears to be necessary for the show's overall plot: they seem to want to make the point that being smart doesn't make you better than other people. For that to really, really stick, it's important that Rick be the smartest smarty who ever smarted, or there's an issue of 'maybe it'd be different if he were only smarter.'
This is also why real threats to Rick always take the form of his own demons, IMO. We only ever really see Rick sweat when he's up against either another Rick or Evil Morty, and this is why: he's his own worst enemy. He can defeat any external threat, but he still creates a ton of problems all on his own. (The Citadel is maybe my favorite expression of that: it's an entire civilization of people with Engineer's disease, and their world is just like any other really shitty place full of normal people even though it's full of Ricks. Lacking anything else to prey upon, they just eat each other.)
Honestly, Rick being the most powerful person Rick knows is actually part of the fuck you his toxic fans are getting: he's everything they wished they were, and he's still a shitty person who struggles with being a better one. He screws up all the time, which doesn't go away when you're super smart.
I think that's hilarious myself.
posted by mordax at 9:45 AM on October 3, 2017 [39 favorites]
Yep.
This is why Rick being a god not only doesn't bother me, but appears to be necessary for the show's overall plot: they seem to want to make the point that being smart doesn't make you better than other people. For that to really, really stick, it's important that Rick be the smartest smarty who ever smarted, or there's an issue of 'maybe it'd be different if he were only smarter.'
This is also why real threats to Rick always take the form of his own demons, IMO. We only ever really see Rick sweat when he's up against either another Rick or Evil Morty, and this is why: he's his own worst enemy. He can defeat any external threat, but he still creates a ton of problems all on his own. (The Citadel is maybe my favorite expression of that: it's an entire civilization of people with Engineer's disease, and their world is just like any other really shitty place full of normal people even though it's full of Ricks. Lacking anything else to prey upon, they just eat each other.)
Honestly, Rick being the most powerful person Rick knows is actually part of the fuck you his toxic fans are getting: he's everything they wished they were, and he's still a shitty person who struggles with being a better one. He screws up all the time, which doesn't go away when you're super smart.
I think that's hilarious myself.
posted by mordax at 9:45 AM on October 3, 2017 [39 favorites]
I wish I could give you more than one favorite, mordax. So well stated.
posted by potrzebie at 12:01 PM on October 3, 2017
posted by potrzebie at 12:01 PM on October 3, 2017
Morty had a bit more confidence, attitude, and general swagger than usual this week.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:11 PM on October 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:11 PM on October 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
The other aspect is that it seems to be going the way of a lot of popular shows, which goes from being a weekly episode of something funny to a season long arc that gets more wrapped up in keeping that story going than keeping the individual episodes tight and stand-alone.
Well if you consider what is "popular", Family Guy, The Simpsons, and even Bob's Burgers (if we're trying to stay with animation for now, even though you tagged in X-Files) are still mostly episodic stories. But most shows in general have a weekly story coupled with an season-long story arc.
To consider Rick & Morty as needing episodic stuff, I think, is to want different things for the show. Since season 1 the formula seemed to have been that episodic stories are usually the A-side, but they merge with the B-side to show character development that extend through the season. I never saw any episodic story for the show as truly self-contained, they all have some residual effects that you can see later on (or even outright referenced). This is similar to most other shows, but this one is just so much better at keeping the plot/pacing/characterization tight and believable.
posted by numaner at 3:38 PM on October 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
Well if you consider what is "popular", Family Guy, The Simpsons, and even Bob's Burgers (if we're trying to stay with animation for now, even though you tagged in X-Files) are still mostly episodic stories. But most shows in general have a weekly story coupled with an season-long story arc.
To consider Rick & Morty as needing episodic stuff, I think, is to want different things for the show. Since season 1 the formula seemed to have been that episodic stories are usually the A-side, but they merge with the B-side to show character development that extend through the season. I never saw any episodic story for the show as truly self-contained, they all have some residual effects that you can see later on (or even outright referenced). This is similar to most other shows, but this one is just so much better at keeping the plot/pacing/characterization tight and believable.
posted by numaner at 3:38 PM on October 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
mordax, I think you're badly misunderstanding Rick's appeal to the toxic fans. They don't see a "fuck you" because they don't see Rick as a shitty person or someone who has problems. They aspire to be the know-it-all, non-feeling, "doesn't give a fuck" arrogant asshole that Rick is, which is why they're toxic. Rick always being the smartest and best and winning while being that asshole just reinforces their views. They don't get the message you're talking about, they just see that being like Rick always works out.
posted by Sangermaine at 5:13 PM on October 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Sangermaine at 5:13 PM on October 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
The disappointing thing about this season for me was how few genuinely funny moments there were-- I think I may have chuckled maybe once per episode on average. Part of it was of course the plotlines which moved everyone's issues from subtext into overt text, but also the delivery felt more scripted and less improvisational than in the previous seasons.
posted by Pyry at 6:59 PM on October 3, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Pyry at 6:59 PM on October 3, 2017 [2 favorites]
mordax, I think you're badly misunderstanding Rick's appeal to the toxic fans.
I'm really, really not. Their attitude is part of why this is funny.
Rick is a sad sack. Among the information I have to support this point:
* He tried to commit suicide after Unity dumped him.
* He was so insecure about Morty's disapproval during Vindicators that he got blackout drunk and nearly destroyed a solar system. Over the opinion of a 14 year old boy he could disintegrate with a thought.
* In case anybody missed subtle hints like that, Pickle Rick contained an extended takedown of Rick by the therapist at the end where the authors basically just come out and say a lot of this.
He's miserable. He also does not, in point of fact, always win - it's only that he loses through his own actions. His refusal to participate in the Citadel meant Evil Morty chumped him once, and is poised to do so again. His own family fled him in this episode because they thought he would literally kill Beth.
Despite this, we have people who want to be him, so dense they can't see that, so desperate for a taste of what real understanding is like that they'd be willing to be that miserable for it, and it's...
Well, it's gut-busting. Isn't it? If I can't laugh at them, who's left?
The creators of this show literally had their hero attempt suicide over a breakup, and that's who they wanna be. I'm not made out of stone.
*shrugs*
More broadly, I don't think it's all that helpful to worry too much about misaimed fandom because it's just a fact of life. We experience a crazification factor here, same as any other area people may have opinions. There were people who want to be Walter White or Rorschach. There are girls who want to be Bella or Belle or Ana.
Characters are viewed through rose-colored glasses all the time. Creators can take steps to deter them or not, (and I do favor not - I feel like Breaking Bad's series finale was pretty bad on that score, frex), but as a member of the audience, I'm content to point and laugh at them, especially when it's something as egregious as wanting to be Rick.
posted by mordax at 10:08 PM on October 3, 2017 [23 favorites]
I'm really, really not. Their attitude is part of why this is funny.
Rick is a sad sack. Among the information I have to support this point:
* He tried to commit suicide after Unity dumped him.
* He was so insecure about Morty's disapproval during Vindicators that he got blackout drunk and nearly destroyed a solar system. Over the opinion of a 14 year old boy he could disintegrate with a thought.
* In case anybody missed subtle hints like that, Pickle Rick contained an extended takedown of Rick by the therapist at the end where the authors basically just come out and say a lot of this.
He's miserable. He also does not, in point of fact, always win - it's only that he loses through his own actions. His refusal to participate in the Citadel meant Evil Morty chumped him once, and is poised to do so again. His own family fled him in this episode because they thought he would literally kill Beth.
Despite this, we have people who want to be him, so dense they can't see that, so desperate for a taste of what real understanding is like that they'd be willing to be that miserable for it, and it's...
Well, it's gut-busting. Isn't it? If I can't laugh at them, who's left?
The creators of this show literally had their hero attempt suicide over a breakup, and that's who they wanna be. I'm not made out of stone.
*shrugs*
More broadly, I don't think it's all that helpful to worry too much about misaimed fandom because it's just a fact of life. We experience a crazification factor here, same as any other area people may have opinions. There were people who want to be Walter White or Rorschach. There are girls who want to be Bella or Belle or Ana.
Characters are viewed through rose-colored glasses all the time. Creators can take steps to deter them or not, (and I do favor not - I feel like Breaking Bad's series finale was pretty bad on that score, frex), but as a member of the audience, I'm content to point and laugh at them, especially when it's something as egregious as wanting to be Rick.
posted by mordax at 10:08 PM on October 3, 2017 [23 favorites]
My wife has a theory, and I'm kinda sold on it as well.
Rick in this episode... well, he's a clone too.
Her evidence is that not once in the episode did he have the green drool around his mouth. I also felt like Rick was less... caustic? this time around.
posted by neilbert at 1:17 PM on October 4, 2017 [5 favorites]
Rick in this episode... well, he's a clone too.
Her evidence is that not once in the episode did he have the green drool around his mouth. I also felt like Rick was less... caustic? this time around.
posted by neilbert at 1:17 PM on October 4, 2017 [5 favorites]
Why are people surprised that Evil Morty didn't recur? We waited two seasons between appearances so far.
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:39 PM on October 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:39 PM on October 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
It didn't feel like a season finale, to the point where I would not have thought it was one if I didn't already know.
Exactly. It was like "and here's another episode and WELL WE'RE DONE FOR NOW PLAY US OUT MISTER POOPYBUTTHOLE!"
posted by grumpybear69 at 5:26 AM on October 6, 2017
Exactly. It was like "and here's another episode and WELL WE'RE DONE FOR NOW PLAY US OUT MISTER POOPYBUTTHOLE!"
posted by grumpybear69 at 5:26 AM on October 6, 2017
It was nice to see Mr. Poopybutthole again, and see that he's doing better now. Ooo-wee!
Also, now we know why Morty asked for the memory of Mr. Poopybutthole proposing to him to be erased: Mr. Poopybutthole wasn't proposing to Morty, he was practicing for proposing to the now Mrs. Poopybutthole!
posted by SansPoint at 7:11 AM on October 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also, now we know why Morty asked for the memory of Mr. Poopybutthole proposing to him to be erased: Mr. Poopybutthole wasn't proposing to Morty, he was practicing for proposing to the now Mrs. Poopybutthole!
posted by SansPoint at 7:11 AM on October 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
likewise, Tammy
I waited all season for Phoenix Person to show up again
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:08 AM on October 6, 2017 [5 favorites]
I waited all season for Phoenix Person to show up again
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:08 AM on October 6, 2017 [5 favorites]
I found the hard reset acceptable because
posted by Going To Maine at 2:39 PM on October 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
- The show might well do another reset at any time
- There’s no reason to believe that the characters have actually reset any of their attitudes.
posted by Going To Maine at 2:39 PM on October 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
What I got from this season is a feeling that the creators were just doing what they wanted. There was some fan service but it was pretty much them doing the show how they want to. And I'm totally on board with that. It still very entertaining, still better than most comedies and adult cartoons. This is their show, and for some reason I feel that they owe us less than some of my other favorite shows. As long as the show is still good I'll keep watching them do their thing.
posted by LizBoBiz at 6:54 PM on October 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by LizBoBiz at 6:54 PM on October 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
We need to see where the female Ricks live. Obviously they know enough to steer clear of the Citadel of Dicks.
posted by benzenedream at 9:45 PM on October 9, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by benzenedream at 9:45 PM on October 9, 2017 [6 favorites]
benzendream: On the one hand, I'd like to see Rick and Morty do the Gender-Swap Universe trope. On the other hand, the Gender-Swap Universe Trope is pretty solidly played out.
posted by SansPoint at 9:15 AM on October 10, 2017
posted by SansPoint at 9:15 AM on October 10, 2017
So, did any of y'all end up waiting in line at McDonald's for Szechuan sauce?
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 8:39 PM on October 10, 2017
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 8:39 PM on October 10, 2017
You literally could not have paid me enough to wait in line at McDonald's for Szechuan sauce. I would have paid big money to avoid that scene.
posted by potrzebie at 9:05 PM on October 10, 2017
posted by potrzebie at 9:05 PM on October 10, 2017
I can’t even fathom the appeal. It was a funny throwaway in a show I like. McDs sending the writers a jug of the stuff - complete with multiverse jokes on the label - was great. Having a packet of it myself? To... save unopened? Actually eat? I don’t get it.,
posted by phearlez at 9:08 PM on October 10, 2017
posted by phearlez at 9:08 PM on October 10, 2017
1. None of the McDonald’ses in Queens had Szechuan Sauce. Which means, in order to get it, I’d have had to drag my ass into Manhattan, on a day where all the subway trains were fucked up due to construction.
2. Waiting multiple hours in line for a fast food condiment? It’s nugget sauce, damn it. Life is too damn short, plus I’m trying to lose weight anyway. McNuggets don’t help with that.
3. Even if I’d bothered, I likely wouldn’t have gotten any sauce anyway.
So, no.
posted by SansPoint at 4:55 AM on October 11, 2017
2. Waiting multiple hours in line for a fast food condiment? It’s nugget sauce, damn it. Life is too damn short, plus I’m trying to lose weight anyway. McNuggets don’t help with that.
3. Even if I’d bothered, I likely wouldn’t have gotten any sauce anyway.
So, no.
posted by SansPoint at 4:55 AM on October 11, 2017
Good take on the sauce fiasco from Polygon.
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 4:58 AM on October 11, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 4:58 AM on October 11, 2017 [3 favorites]
Also an interesting look into the sauce nonsense from the perspective of someone who writes about extreme right wing factions.
I've been thinking a lot lately about what happens to society when demanding young men with a lot of their time on their hands connect with each other on the internet — especially when so much of that internet, from YouTube to videogames, is casually awash in right-wing politics.posted by phearlez at 12:34 PM on October 13, 2017 [2 favorites]
Now I think a glimpse of that future lies, of all places, in last weekend's bizarre Rick & Morty Szechuan sauce controversy.
This whole season felt slightly off to me, and now that it's over I'm going to double down on what I've thought since the start:
Rick. Needs. Killing.
Morty, Beth, and Summer are all coming into their own as people, and they're all growing to realize that Rick is a completely reprehensible piece of shit garbage person. Moreover, they're starting to learn that Rick's approach to being a piece of shit — specifically, his attitude that it's okay to be reprehensible so long as you're honest about it — is itself bullshit.
Moreover, they're internalizing Rick's great "insight" about the multiverse — that if everything that possibly can happen does happen in someverse, then there is no inherent value to any individual in any particular 'verse.
Moreover moreover, they're all realizing that their piece of shit Rick is making their lives worse, deliberately and shamelessly.
So they gotta kill him. And maybe find another Rick, or maybe not. The point is, Rick Sanchez has to die.
In a certain sense there is a broader real-world moral imperative that the showrunners kill Rick. The shitbag fans of the show — the ones that make me want to stop watching — idolize Rick. The lesson they've learned from Rick's solipsistic epistemological nihilism is that Rick is God and no one else matters. They believe that Rick is exempt from the law of universal meaninglessness; that he is the only real person in the world. And they want to be like Rick.
They need to learn that once Rick's victims internalize what Rick is about, that said victims will show Rick that he is precisely as disposable as every other individual in the multiverse.
This is necessary for the show to be a moral good in the real world. it is also necessary in narrative terms. Right now there are only two characters who have been with us from the start: Rick, and Morty. There is right now some ambiguity about which one of those characters is the protagonist. If Rick gets what he deserves — if Rick gets the everliving fuck murdered out of him — the show is a really smart subtle coming of age story with Morty as the protagonist. If Rick is allowed to live, it's a paean to the virtues of being a shitheel.
Kill the motherfucker.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:04 PM on October 15, 2017 [2 favorites]
Rick. Needs. Killing.
Morty, Beth, and Summer are all coming into their own as people, and they're all growing to realize that Rick is a completely reprehensible piece of shit garbage person. Moreover, they're starting to learn that Rick's approach to being a piece of shit — specifically, his attitude that it's okay to be reprehensible so long as you're honest about it — is itself bullshit.
Moreover, they're internalizing Rick's great "insight" about the multiverse — that if everything that possibly can happen does happen in someverse, then there is no inherent value to any individual in any particular 'verse.
Moreover moreover, they're all realizing that their piece of shit Rick is making their lives worse, deliberately and shamelessly.
So they gotta kill him. And maybe find another Rick, or maybe not. The point is, Rick Sanchez has to die.
In a certain sense there is a broader real-world moral imperative that the showrunners kill Rick. The shitbag fans of the show — the ones that make me want to stop watching — idolize Rick. The lesson they've learned from Rick's solipsistic epistemological nihilism is that Rick is God and no one else matters. They believe that Rick is exempt from the law of universal meaninglessness; that he is the only real person in the world. And they want to be like Rick.
They need to learn that once Rick's victims internalize what Rick is about, that said victims will show Rick that he is precisely as disposable as every other individual in the multiverse.
This is necessary for the show to be a moral good in the real world. it is also necessary in narrative terms. Right now there are only two characters who have been with us from the start: Rick, and Morty. There is right now some ambiguity about which one of those characters is the protagonist. If Rick gets what he deserves — if Rick gets the everliving fuck murdered out of him — the show is a really smart subtle coming of age story with Morty as the protagonist. If Rick is allowed to live, it's a paean to the virtues of being a shitheel.
Kill the motherfucker.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:04 PM on October 15, 2017 [2 favorites]
okay, that's rant #1. Here's rant #2:
This season has stepped back from interrogating the ontological implications of the many worlds interpretation, and fallen into examining on the one hand the Sanchez family drama, and on the other hand Rick's shitheel epistemology. Both the family drama and the bad epistemology are uninteresting unless they lead to the Sanchez family painting the walls of their house with Rick's innards.
So let's talk about the ontological implications that they edged toward in the season before this one, but never quite got at in this season.
We know that for all possible combinations of actions, at least one universe exists where that combination of actions actually happened. There are infinity universes.
Let's play like Cantor and use ℵ0 to designate the cardinality of the set of all universes before we take into account interactions between universes. We now see that the cardinality of the set of all universes is larger than ℵ0, because each individual universe in the first set splits off into an infinite number of universes, one for each possible action taken by each possible Rick and Rick-like interdimensional traveler from all universes in the multiverse. I will leave as an exercise for the reader how to construct an analog for Cantor's diagonal argument proving that the cardinality of the set of all universes taking into account multiple universe interactions is larger than the cardinality of the set of all non-interacting universes; in its details, though, this proof is shockingly similar to Cantor's original proof.
In plot terms, this can be explored through establishing that not only does the interdimensional Council of Ricks exist, but that there are actually an infinity of different Councils of Ricks, plus an infinity of every other possible arrangement of all interdimensional travelers. There is not one multiverse; there are infinite multiverses.
This is an idea that the most significant pre-R&M sci-fi cartoon has already nodded to (Futurama has a throwaway joke about going to see a movie at an aleph-noughtplex.) If Harmon and whatshisname are as smart as they think they are, this is where they need to go in future seasons.
All of this would serve a narrative purpose: if there are infinite councils of ricks, no one council of ricks is important — and if the infinite set of all ricks represented in a council of ricks is unimportant, how much less important must a single rick be?
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:27 PM on October 15, 2017
This season has stepped back from interrogating the ontological implications of the many worlds interpretation, and fallen into examining on the one hand the Sanchez family drama, and on the other hand Rick's shitheel epistemology. Both the family drama and the bad epistemology are uninteresting unless they lead to the Sanchez family painting the walls of their house with Rick's innards.
So let's talk about the ontological implications that they edged toward in the season before this one, but never quite got at in this season.
We know that for all possible combinations of actions, at least one universe exists where that combination of actions actually happened. There are infinity universes.
Let's play like Cantor and use ℵ0 to designate the cardinality of the set of all universes before we take into account interactions between universes. We now see that the cardinality of the set of all universes is larger than ℵ0, because each individual universe in the first set splits off into an infinite number of universes, one for each possible action taken by each possible Rick and Rick-like interdimensional traveler from all universes in the multiverse. I will leave as an exercise for the reader how to construct an analog for Cantor's diagonal argument proving that the cardinality of the set of all universes taking into account multiple universe interactions is larger than the cardinality of the set of all non-interacting universes; in its details, though, this proof is shockingly similar to Cantor's original proof.
In plot terms, this can be explored through establishing that not only does the interdimensional Council of Ricks exist, but that there are actually an infinity of different Councils of Ricks, plus an infinity of every other possible arrangement of all interdimensional travelers. There is not one multiverse; there are infinite multiverses.
This is an idea that the most significant pre-R&M sci-fi cartoon has already nodded to (Futurama has a throwaway joke about going to see a movie at an aleph-noughtplex.) If Harmon and whatshisname are as smart as they think they are, this is where they need to go in future seasons.
All of this would serve a narrative purpose: if there are infinite councils of ricks, no one council of ricks is important — and if the infinite set of all ricks represented in a council of ricks is unimportant, how much less important must a single rick be?
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:27 PM on October 15, 2017
you know what? going back and looking at that I'm wishing I could de-broify both rants by about 30%. I think the family needs to get rid of Rick-prime. I don't think it should be triumphant or whatever, and I'm okay with them not killing him — but there are at least three people (Morty, Beth, Summer) who would be well-served by going non-contact with Rick-Prime.
In any case, the show needs to do a better job of teaching its adolescent fanbase that Rick isn't a god; he's a sad man who never grew past emotional adolescence, and who hurts everyone around him because of that.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 3:27 PM on October 15, 2017
In any case, the show needs to do a better job of teaching its adolescent fanbase that Rick isn't a god; he's a sad man who never grew past emotional adolescence, and who hurts everyone around him because of that.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 3:27 PM on October 15, 2017
The thing is, at some moment I can't quite pinpoint early in this season, I became entirely disinvested in Rick's feels and whether he'll learn to feel more interesting feels that will let him stop baroquely torturing everyone around him and instead became invested in seeing Rick die.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 6:23 PM on October 15, 2017
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 6:23 PM on October 15, 2017
I LOVED the pirates joke.
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 3:14 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 3:14 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
The pirates joke was the first time I laughed out loud in, what, five or six episodes.
After finishing this season I’ve come to the realization that Rick Sanchez and Sterling Archer are two very good, and very different, examples of how to portray a character with very high INT but very low WIS.
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:56 AM on January 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
After finishing this season I’ve come to the realization that Rick Sanchez and Sterling Archer are two very good, and very different, examples of how to portray a character with very high INT but very low WIS.
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:56 AM on January 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
Rick and Morty won the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program for 2018
posted by numaner at 10:04 PM on September 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by numaner at 10:04 PM on September 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
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posted by AdamCSnider at 3:46 AM on October 2, 2017 [3 favorites]