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[Rick & Morty] and the Infinite Sadness

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    Knuckle DraggerKnuckle Dragger Explosive Ovine Disposal Registered User regular
    I have a theory about Evil Morty. He was in one episode, so tying every bit of mythology and lore from the series to him is dumb. The fans care WAY more about this concept than the writers do. That's my theory.

    It's a Harmon show, so apply this to literally everything in the show and realize its mostly adlibbed by the inebriated.

    Just wait until you find out that we've been watching Evil Morty all season. That's why he has had so little patience with Rick's bullshit and why he is suddenly so good with Rick's technology.

    Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion.

    - John Stuart Mill
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    Linespider5Linespider5 ALL HAIL KING KILLMONGER Registered User regular
    Harmon has openly admitted that they once had a big reveal/"lore" arc planned for the show, but apparently some fans figured it out, so they jettisoned all the plans for Rick and Morty to have any kind of long game.

    That's basically the real reason season 3 took so long to make.

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    AbsoluteZeroAbsoluteZero The new film by Quentin Koopantino Registered User regular
    I get the feeling season 3 took so long because they started over thinking it. It kindof shows. There's never a good stand-alone story anymore. You kinda have to have seen a fair deal of R&M to get what's going on. They never just go to an amusement park inside a hobo or try to fix a car battery anymore.

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    shoeboxjeddyshoeboxjeddy Registered User regular
    I get the feeling season 3 took so long because they started over thinking it. It kindof shows. There's never a good stand-alone story anymore. You kinda have to have seen a fair deal of R&M to get what's going on. They never just go to an amusement park inside a hobo or try to fix a car battery anymore.

    The last episode was an amusement park where you couldn't die. I disagree with this assessment quite a bit.

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    Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
    I dunno, the show is under more scrutiny than ever before. S3 has been just as good as any other so far, though interested to see if they do a Interdimensional Cable episode again.

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    Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
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    CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    Season 3 took long?

    Maybe Venture Bros. really distorted my sense of time when it came to how long a normal show takes to make seasons.

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    matt has a problemmatt has a problem Points to 'off' Points to 'on'Registered User regular
    Couscous wrote: »
    Season 3 took long?

    Maybe Venture Bros. really distorted my sense of time when it came to how long a normal show takes to make seasons.

    Yeah, season 2 was 14 months after 1 ended, season 3 was 18 months after 2, that's nowhere near "long".

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    AlphaRomeroAlphaRomero Registered User regular
    edited August 2017
    I want this

    Maybe NSFW
    20799352_237918880065042_3448173623271284489_n.jpg?oh=0badd98e1e25c46ea4e842636ac7ee78&oe=5A12C7BA

    AlphaRomero on
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    King RiptorKing Riptor Registered User regular
    Couscous wrote: »
    Season 3 took long?

    Maybe Venture Bros. really distorted my sense of time when it came to how long a normal show takes to make seasons.

    Yeah, season 2 was 14 months after 1 ended, season 3 was 18 months after 2, that's nowhere near "long".

    They have admitted there was a delay in the writing because Roikand was worried about a quality drop

    I have a podcast now. It's about video games and anime!Find it here.
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    GONG-00GONG-00 Registered User regular
    Is that a real shirt? If so, may I please have the link?

    Black lives matter.
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    SadgasmSadgasm Deluded doodler A cold placeRegistered User regular
    Couscous wrote: »
    Season 3 took long?

    Maybe Venture Bros. really distorted my sense of time when it came to how long a normal show takes to make seasons.

    Try being a Gravity Falls fan. It seems like the more critically praised a new show is, the longer new episodes take. Meanwhile, you have to live in a constant state of dread that the show will get cancelled by the network because it doesnt mesh with their latest idiotic attempt at a rebrand.

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    Ninja Snarl PNinja Snarl P My helmet is my burden. Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
    I get the feeling season 3 took so long because they started over thinking it. It kindof shows. There's never a good stand-alone story anymore. You kinda have to have seen a fair deal of R&M to get what's going on. They never just go to an amusement park inside a hobo or try to fix a car battery anymore.

    The last episode was an amusement park where you couldn't die. I disagree with this assessment quite a bit.

    This last episode doesn't seem to be the pattern for the season though. S1 and S2 were almost entirely a series of hijinx where we would sometimes have family involvement and sometimes learn something new about them. S3 has very heavily focused on the adventures being used as little more than a vehicle to keep exploring dull, mundane family drama; I loved a bunch of the Pickle Rick episode, but it still meant putting it up with seeing more of Beth shitting on her family (which is something we'd already seen a ton of).

    Now I think they've trapped themselves such that everything has to link back to the ongoing family drama now and they can't do one-off adventures anymore without involving family drama because that wouldn't link to the arc of the season.

    This last episode got way closer to being the (much better) standalone adventures we used to get; switch out Jerry being in his pathetic apartment to just being at home, and this episode could have actually fit right in with the prior seasons. And I really really hope that's the direction they keep moving in, because I'm pretty maxed out on more time spent seeing how horrible everybody is and having the core issue of every episode revolving around some petty family thing, instead of the family things just coming up as part of the adventures. Why the hell would I care about seeing Jerry being pathetic with Beth for the thousandth time instead of things like miniverse car batteries and Keeping Summer Safe?

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    Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
    I mean, they can't do the same loop of wacky stuff forever. Rick said it himself in ep 1 of season 3, darkest season yet. I'm down with it, I like that the characters are growing and changing, I like that Morty is becoming more jaded and hostile, Summer more assertive and adventurous, etc.

    In the end I feel it's a bit that people hyped season 3 up so hard for themselves that no matter what, some would feel let down. Rick and Morty also has become the coolest new thing to hate for people who love to go against the grain, at least on social media.

    I mean, this season has had:
    -A Pickle Rick Die Hard episode
    -A Mad Max parody
    -An Avengers parody and a Saw parody in one
    -An episode that made Jerry likeable

    I'm pretty happy with it

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    kedinikkedinik Captain of Industry Registered User regular
    edited August 2017
    I think season 1 generally had more and better jokes per episode

    But I don't think I've disliked an episode yet, either

    kedinik on
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    AbsoluteZeroAbsoluteZero The new film by Quentin Koopantino Registered User regular
    I get the feeling season 3 took so long because they started over thinking it. It kindof shows. There's never a good stand-alone story anymore. You kinda have to have seen a fair deal of R&M to get what's going on. They never just go to an amusement park inside a hobo or try to fix a car battery anymore.

    The last episode was an amusement park where you couldn't die. I disagree with this assessment quite a bit.

    The only similarity was an amusement park was involved. 90% of the episode was advancing the family problems arc, which has dominated season 3.

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    matt has a problemmatt has a problem Points to 'off' Points to 'on'Registered User regular
    Nothing changed about Jerry in the last episode. He's still an easily manipulated chickenshit.

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    AlphaRomeroAlphaRomero Registered User regular
    GONG-00 wrote: »
    Is that a real shirt? If so, may I please have the link?

    https://oltee.com/funpickle?s=hanes-5250&c=Black&p=FRONT

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    Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
    Meh, he's an accurate depiction of a lot of divorced fathers. Not to say it's every experience, but I've definitely identified with Morty's frustration with his dad. Jerry knows he has work to do for himself, but in reality almost all the adults in the show are bad people. Jerry, if anything, is the only non-alcoholic adult in the family. He stands up to Rick in his own wormy, spineless own way and that's something worthwhile. Beth ended the marriage, and because Rick wanted it to end. What's worse, being easily manipulated or being the manipulative one?

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    tbloxhamtbloxham Registered User regular
    Honestly the only problem for me in the recent episodes is how miserable everyone is. Even rick doesn't seem to be enjoying it very much any more. I'm still having fun watching, but they need to get the family emotional state back to frustration rather than despair.

    Summer is my favourite character this season because she's not miserable all the time!

    "That is cool" - Abraham Lincoln
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    matt has a problemmatt has a problem Points to 'off' Points to 'on'Registered User regular
    edited August 2017
    Summer's not "miserable" because Summer is turning into Rick. So she is miserable.

    "I got dumped because of my boobs so..."

    *science*

    *things go bad*

    *ruin some lives*

    *works out for me in the end*

    matt has a problem on
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    Magus`Magus` The fun has been DOUBLED! Registered User regular
    I mean, they can't do the same loop of wacky stuff forever. Rick said it himself in ep 1 of season 3, darkest season yet. I'm down with it, I like that the characters are growing and changing, I like that Morty is becoming more jaded and hostile, Summer more assertive and adventurous, etc.

    In the end I feel it's a bit that people hyped season 3 up so hard for themselves that no matter what, some would feel let down. Rick and Morty also has become the coolest new thing to hate for people who love to go against the grain, at least on social media.

    I mean, this season has had:
    -A Pickle Rick John Wick episode
    -A Mad Max parody
    -An Avengers parody and a Saw parody in one
    -An episode that made Jerry likeable

    I'm pretty happy with it
    FTFY.

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    Mr KhanMr Khan Not Everyone WAHHHRegistered User regular
    tbloxham wrote: »
    Honestly the only problem for me in the recent episodes is how miserable everyone is. Even rick doesn't seem to be enjoying it very much any more. I'm still having fun watching, but they need to get the family emotional state back to frustration rather than despair.

    Summer is my favourite character this season because she's not miserable all the time!

    It seems like this might come to a head with the next episode, that Rick and Morty aren't enjoying the adventures anymore and reach a breaking point.

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    Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
    Dunno, John Wick was a revenge plot. Pickle Rick felt like Die Hard. Talented hero is placed in a building full of armed guards while placed at a significant disadvantage, and still beating crazy odds to beat the bad guy with the help of a random person he does not know, all to get back to his family. Both show the hero sneaking around in air vents, dispatching guards with ease while improvising his own medical provisions, and even the endings are the same with helicopter escapes and a building exploding. Even the conversation between the head bad guy and Rick seems like a nod to McClane and Snape's first contact in Die Hard.

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    Magus`Magus` The fun has been DOUBLED! Registered User regular
    Fair. I meant more about how it was actionized (sp?). Perhaps a mix of both?

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    Dark Raven XDark Raven X Laugh hard, run fast, be kindRegistered User regular
    edited August 2017
    Nah, the phone call was totally John Wick! It was in reference to the Babayaga story.

    Also Pickle Rick sounds like Candle Wick. Hard proof.

    Dark Raven X on
    Oh brilliant
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    Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
    John McClane was in a pickle, Rick was a pickle

    checkmate

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    AlphaRomeroAlphaRomero Registered User regular
    I think what you need to remember watching this series is that Harmon got divorced fairly recently, and when Spielberg or Lucas did that, you end up with Temple of Doom. So I would not be surprised that some of thje misery/darkness is coming from a real life place, so Jerry is the sympathetic sad sack while Beth is kind of a douche about the whole thing.

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    AstaerethAstaereth In the belly of the beastRegistered User regular
    edited August 2017
    Dunno, John Wick was a revenge plot. Pickle Rick felt like Die Hard. Talented hero is placed in a building full of armed guards while placed at a significant disadvantage, and still beating crazy odds to beat the bad guy with the help of a random person he does not know, all to get back to his family.

    Except there's no theft/terrorism plot, and Rick's motivation is revenge. He asks to leave, and when the head guy says no, Rick says then I'm going to kill all of you, explicitly invoking the Baba Yaga-esque folklore. He murders them all because he wants to, even after he could leave. Also, he didn't need Jaguar's help, he just needed Jaguar to stop attacking him. Also, Rick doesn't want to get back to his family, he wants to get back to his anti-pickle serum.

    Astaereth on
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    firewaterwordfirewaterword Satchitananda Pais Vasco to San FranciscoRegistered User regular
    I dunno, the show is under more scrutiny than ever before. S3 has been just as good as any other so far, though interested to see if they do a Interdimensional Cable episode again.

    Yeah the alien cable one is easily my favorite. The 2nd one was good too but I'm not sure anything they ever do from here out will beat the Two Brothers trailer for me.

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    matt has a problemmatt has a problem Points to 'off' Points to 'on'Registered User regular
    Harmon got divorced in October of 2015 and is already dating someone else.

    Thank you, wikipedia.

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    AlphaRomeroAlphaRomero Registered User regular
    Really? Someone said it was more recent, hence the switch from the Harmonius claptrap happy family to the depressed guy.

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    nightmarennynightmarenny Registered User regular
    Really? Someone said it was more recent, hence the switch from the Harmonius claptrap happy family to the depressed guy.

    October 2015 is also the month that the season two finale aired so yes he did write The season in the throes of divorce and that is why the bumper thing changed. It is however worth noting that bath and Jerrys divorce isn't based on his divorce or anything so much as the pain of divorce is clearly on his mind. You can tell that by the way that Jerry and bath each get equal criticism. Also they had a pretty big writing team. Worth noting that it's not as if he wrote the whole thing.

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    Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
    Astaereth wrote: »
    Dunno, John Wick was a revenge plot. Pickle Rick felt like Die Hard. Talented hero is placed in a building full of armed guards while placed at a significant disadvantage, and still beating crazy odds to beat the bad guy with the help of a random person he does not know, all to get back to his family.

    Except there's no theft/terrorism plot, and Rick's motivation is revenge. He asks to leave, and when the head guy says no, Rick says then I'm going to kill all of you, explicitly invoking the Baba Yaga-esque folklore. He murders them all because he wants to, even after he could leave. Also, he didn't need Jaguar's help, he just needed Jaguar to stop attacking him. Also, Rick doesn't want to get back to his family, he wants to get back to his anti-pickle serum.

    I'm pretty sure it can and does reference both movies, but there's more similarities to Die Hard than you can dismiss. Maybe even that, Die Hars also influenced John Wick? The framing of the episode is still very clearly a nod to the former film.

    Rick and John didn't want anything to do with the bad guys, they just happened into the situation and reacted. Rick may not have noble intentions but in the end he doesn't want to die, not by someone else's hands anyways. The difference is, John wanted to see his family, while Rick does every thing in his power to avoid that.

    Film Crit Hulk did a review of the episode and specifically calls out Die Hard, and how the episode is there to subvert the trope of these action heroes. Rick makes himself a pickle, has to do gross and borderline psychotic actions to move forward, and eagerly slaughters many people on a thin premise; But, when confronted with the truth, that the really hard work for him would be addressing his issues and resolving them. Instead, Rick dismisses the idea of therapy and opts to drink, much like he'd rather be a pickle and kill people than look at himself seriously.
    Our inability to grasp our own capacity for fear, anger, disgust, sadness and joy is what so easily mars the engine of our selfhood. For the biggest truth always rests in our hearts and bodies. There is no outsmarting it. There is no outrunning it. And yet, we'd rather turn ourselves into pickles instead of facing the obvious darkness in our hearts. Which means, yes, this episode is about our broken emotional systems. It is about the way we come to value certain "positive" traits (like intelligence and power) that we believe will allow us to keep surviving, because we believe they have what allowed us to survive so far. But they will never be enough to make us whole, or even make us balanced. They are just broken systems we keep feeding again and again, confident our little band-aid solutions will fix things simply because they momentarily alleviate the guilt or anger. And that's how we go on, trapped in cycles, succeeding to our own crippling ends, and never addressing the ways we are broken. It is an episode about the ways we lie to ourselves and others. Especially because we know that, in the end, there is only facing the truth. And how we are utterly terrified to do it.

    And now, compare this:
    my favorite example of the perfect fusion of plot, story and operational theme is the film “die hard”. the entire movie is a metaphor for marital therapy, the operational theme is a husband trying to earn back his (for good reason, by the way) estranged wife.

    the terrorists in “die hard” are really a metaphor for what keeps john mcclaine estranged from holly: as with any person in marriage counseling, john mcclaine loses his metaphorical armor as he fights the barriers to the point of emotional exhaustion… he ends up blubbering to his “therapist,” having lost his weapons, shoes and clothes.

    he’s bleeding both thematically and practically.

    the bathroom confession in “die hard” could have just easily been an episode of “in treatment”: a man denuded through adversity of all the trappings of pride.”

    ...

    let’s say you are creating a series. unless you truly know what your protagnist’s operational theme is - the basic want that propels episode after episode, all the thematic intellectualizing in the world won’t help you or your series survive.

    many ideas have tap danced around a lack of an operational theme for a while - a pilot, maybe even a season of decompressed cable-style narrative. but at the end of the day, a stark, robust, and recognizable operational theme is the sun source of all televisual drama.

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    matt has a problemmatt has a problem Points to 'off' Points to 'on'Registered User regular
    Sometimes a terrorist is just a terrorist.

    And a rat-suit wearing sentient pickle murdering blacksite guards is just a rat-suit wearing sentient pickle murdering blacksite guards.

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    RehabRehab Registered User regular
    It should also be noted that Dan Harmon fucking loves Die Hard and proclaims it as one of his favorite movies, if not in fact his favorite.

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    KrieghundKrieghund Registered User regular
    Just realized that I have no cable or internet at the moment. Fuck me.

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    SadgasmSadgasm Deluded doodler A cold placeRegistered User regular
    I've seen people complain that the show keeps sinking all the "Rick redemption" moments whenever it looks like he does something redeeming. I dont understand why every new show has to be a Steven Universe-style sob fest where everyone hugs and sings songs about how much they love eachother all of a sudden. Also, have they not watched the past 2 seasons?

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    Kristmas KthulhuKristmas Kthulhu Currently Kultist Kthulhu Registered User regular
    Because it's easier to root for a flawed, broken man who pretends not to care about his family, or anything or anyone, who still breaks down and shows that it's just an act (as we've seen in the past two seasons) than an actual sociopath.

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    Ninja Snarl PNinja Snarl P My helmet is my burden. Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
    Rick secretly giving a shit now and again, even if it was in moments only known to the viewer, made him a lot better character than this totally soulless one who is pretty happy with fucking up Morty's family to run the show himself. An ending like him almost vaporizing his own head over the outcome of the Unity episode was shitloads better than him getting in Morty's devastated face and having an ongoing gloat about how he's the patriarch now and can do whatever the hell he wants with Morty because Rick just wrecked the family for his own sake.

    He used to be deeply troubled but still human, now he's just basic mustache-twirling evil.

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