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“Listen, Morty, I hate to break it to you but what people call ‘love’ is just a chemical reaction that compels animals to breed. It hits hard, Morty. Then it slowly fades, leaving you stranded in a failing marriage. I did it. Your parents are gonna do it. Break the cycle, Morty. Rise above. Focus on science.”
The very statement may sound like it comes from a dystopian sci-fi, but ‘Rick and Morty’ is way more than that.
This American science fiction sitcom was created for the nighttime adult streaming block of Cartoon Network ‘Adult Swim’ by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon. The show is animated and deploys a lot of themes starting from dark humour and comedy and has received a worldwide cult status after its release.
The show revolves around the adventures of Rick Sanchez, an egoistic and cynical scientist and his grandson Morty Smith, an awkward teenager who accompanies Rick in his intergalactic shenanigans.
The other important characters of the show also include Beth, Jerry and Summer; the immediate family members of Rick and Morty.
Although animated, Rick and Morty has inspected a lot of deep philosophical themes in the entirety of the 5 seasons which have been released so far. Rick, being someone who is entirely driven by his self-interest, has been mostly shown to lack empathy and use Morty as a tool to accomplish a lot of his missions.
Morty, on the other hand, is a naive and stereotypical American teenager whose interests are quite typical as well. He is very loyal to Rick in most of the instances which Rick exploits. But there have been deviations from this typical plotline where Rick is empathetic and Morty gets to understand the real intentions of Rick.
The entire series is full of references from popular culture and would seem very enjoyable to someone who is well aware of the tidbits of American popular culture.
Although the show has its fair share of R rated details and graphic scenes along with extremely inappropriate content, hence it might not be the best pick for a family gathering.
Rick and Morty goes to lengths to criticize popular cliches associated with almost every aspect of day to day life. The contextual subtlety of the humour makes it extremely hilarious and relatable. Also, Rick's cheerful nihilism is one of the main focal points of the show.
The other most significant character apart from these two might be Jerry, who is Rick's son in law and Morty's father. Jerry constantly gives his best to fit in with the whole family and tries to protect his family from all possible adversities, but is never taken seriously by any other family member, which would make the viewers sympathise a lot with the character.
Rick and Morty might be a science fiction by name. But it is one of those animated shows which has plots and subplots from every possible genre. Although extremely enjoyable, the dark humour in the show might not be everyone's cup of tea.