The concept of rick finding life meaningless after discovering the portal gun, is kind of like when you activate cheat codes in a game you've been grinding on and suddenly its boring because you have everything unlocked.
For me one of the problems is it feels like the characters are becoming too cynical yes they're supposed to be flawed but your still meant to care about them. This is a problem I had with family guy as well because every season the characters seemed to get worse
No, no, that's the point with Rick & Morty. As the show goes on, lamer & lamer versions of the Smith family are preserved throughout the multiverse as the ones more inspired to do something with their time & effort lose their lives. Their developing cynicism is the guilt that conflicts them over the matter of their own vain self preservation; if going to such selfish extremes to preserve ones life just makes you lame, then what are you even working to preserve? Lose a noble legacy & prolong a hollow existence, more like. Think of the back up clone family episode; the real family was safely vacationing in space totally uninvolved from the chaos that all the "fake" Smiths were going through. The only way the back up clones could operate as effective decoys was for the real family to be the lamest ones, selfishly hiding & clinging to life. Like the saying, "Why do the good always die young?", the bad (lamer, lesser versions) live on.
It's hard for people to maintain that same attitude about life when you become increasingly aware of your place in the universe as a whole and in this show the multiverse. It's hard enough in just our planet, our countries, our states and cities. Even worse when you think about the idea (and see proof of as they do in the show) of the more.
@@lucabaar1 that doesnt mean they should be assholes to each other all the time. Thats why theres a disconnect. Also by doing this it makes the “sappy” moments less inpactful
There is a reason why Gravity Falls never had more than two seasons. The original premise of the show and it's originality was pretty much drained out by the end of season two - it would've needed to go in a whole different direction for it to to still be interesting and innovative. I feel like Rick and Morty passed this point after season 3, and now the creators are trying to figure out in which direction the show should go in the future, hence the chaotic (from a narrative standpoint) and less intriguing last season (meaning in total, there were still some great episodes!). Let's hope for the best guys, I think the show can still have a bright future, but clearly some shift needs to happen.
You can see Archer struggling with this in its later seasons, the premise just got tired. So randomly changing direction to have Archer in a coma imagining each new season as a different setting and style with the same familiar humour refreshed the show for a lot of people. But this was necessity, without that complete shift of direction the show would have just died.
From what i gather with Gravity falls that's not entierly true. Apprently, Disney had wanted a season 3 and Alex had ideas and plans. But then Alex was approched by Fox to make a more 'adult' tv show and basiclaly flipped off Disney and told them he was out of there. But Fox pulled the old 'interested, but not THAT interested' thing and screwed him over and this left Alex in a real awkward spot as Disney was pretty angry at him for that. This explains why if you look into it, Gravity Falls didn't have any merchenside or marketing for it heavily until season 2, as Alex needed to get as much money out of it as possible as he basically burned his bridge to ever work with disney again. And as well the planned season 3 of gravity falls was dropped hard. Leading to season 2 feeling rushed and the ending not being the best. And of course how it basically put Wendy on the backburner after she made it clear she wouldn't date Dipper. Alex didn't have the time to explore the plots he had in store. Which was his own fault. Sure he's still able to work with disney on say Owl house. But he's not going to be given the same freedoms he did with gravity falls. It's a bit of a sad thing to think about. espcially given there WAS still more they could do if you really think about it. The Graivty falls COmics proved there was still good stories to be told and explored if you ask me with the current premise. It just needed to foucus on the characters and dig deeper into them. Which the comics did.
@@naciabell7903 none of that is true at all. He wanted to end gravity falls after two seasons, and the season 2 in my opinion payed off. But no, this rumor that Alex burned his bridges with Disney is false.
Yeah, let's all head nod to the writing guy on UA-cam. There's only a problem because you point out something that's a potential issue for you. Audience shifts you out of the circuit, show goes on. Don't let the door hit you on your ass whenever you die.
@@Choopytrags Adult Swim saw how popular it was becoming and decided to hijack it and make sure it would never have a concrete ending so they could milk it for money. Basically they turned a Bojack Horseman type show into a family guy type show.
The show was amazing in its two first season, problem is it got to the creatora head and it does not help that the shilling never stops no matter how bad the show gets. Even this guy is calling season 3 a "classic" when it was just bad.
One thing I noticed was season 1&2 they never called Rick the smartest mammal in the universe season 3 onwards they did. It’s almost like they heard the hype for the show and believed it themselves. In a similar way Rick went from dealing with problems to fighting them e.g. the giant heads in the sky “show me what you got” Ricks response was to sing a song as opposed to when he met Zeus and fought him. Rick went from depressed scientist to a god because of the hype Rick and Morty was getting and I think it’s all the worse because of it.
Dude so true! Remember the episode where he’s gotta fix his car battery and at the end he just fist fights the alien before leaving? If they episode was in S3-4 it would’ve been this over the top battle oozing with Rick fan service
I feel like this particular criticism is overstated. Rick was the smartest person in the universe in all but name those first two seasons. He was able to create his own universe just as a car battery. Plus we already knew he was the most wanted man in the galaxy. He's definitely a lot more OP in the later seasons, I'll give you that. But there really was NEVER that much tension that he'd ever lose or die in the first two seasons either.
@@BobtheX but he would be say shot in the purge episode, not even fight with the giant heads in the sky or try to screw over the devil. He is more powerful and in doing so they lost some of their creativity
One of the major factors that people don’t seem to mention enough is that Rick is too sober. Being a functioning alcoholic was a MAJOR part of his character but now seems to have taken a backseat
I think another issue is that Morty’s character arc is at odds with the show’s continued existence. In seasons 1-3 there is a really clear developing arc for Morty: he is slowly realizing that Rick is toxic and dangerous. That arc’s natural conclusion would be Morty either defeating Rick or doing something else to permanently end their partnership. This is most clear in Season 3 episode 1, where Morty tries to make it very clear to Summer that Rick is not a hero and that they’re better off without him. The problem is that the show then got an order for a ton of more episodes, and that arc had already gotten too close to its natural end point of Morty turning on Rick. They can’t go further with that arc because once Morty turns on Rick for good, the show is over. That’s something they’d have to do at the end of the entire series. So now the show is spinning its wheels because it doesn’t know how to meaningfully develop that core arc without forcing itself into a series finale.
This is a great point but one i think the show has chosen their way of dealing with and did so with the season 5 finale. The plot of it is basicly Rick and Morty officially breaking up. In that 2 parter Morty starts off in the habit of fixing Rick's mistakes until finally a fight about it leads to then being done with each other and replacing each other. Then after Morty's adventure being linked to a new person he's ready to go back to Rick and in the second episode goes to great lengths to trick him into coming back. Rick only agrees to come back after he is cheated on by his new "Mortys" the crows. Morty learns all of Rick's backstory and his faults but when given the choice still chooses to save him. Morty has officially left the arc of him challenging and moving on from Rick and instead has chosen to do the opposite and stick with him. The arc of Morty permanently moving on from Rick and defeating him wasn't thrown away however. Instead it was fulfilled by 'Evil Morty.' The one serialized plot the fans wanted to see the most. He completes the storyline and defeats Rick and moves on to a new side of the multiverse where he is free.
I agree completely. My impression watching was that it would end at season 3. That felt like the logical duration... But it didn't and suddenly the show felt very hollow.
I agree, and I would add that the final episode of season 4 actually continues this story. I was so hyped that by the end of that episode the whole family noticed how much of a piece a shit Rick is, and I thought this would be a amazing dynamic for season 5. And then all of that was thrown out of the window in the first scene of the first episode
i cringed so hard every time Rick said something like "hur dur lets not do this adventure because its canon" in s5, it felt so cheap and low effort. especially in the S5 finale where Rick shows us his backstory after saying something like "here you go, now everybody can shut the fuck up about it." im aware its a joke, but it felt both mean spirited and meaningless because Dan Harmon spent two entire seasons building up Rick as this enigmatic shadow figure who's an unreliable narrator with a mysterious past, then, without warning, paid it off in _three minutes worth of flashbacks_ after "cleverly" making fun of the audience for caring about it at all. it felt so condescending to the fans, getting rid of such a huge plot point in the show in such a disingenuous and uncaring manner.
I think that the season 4-5 Smith family could have been fleshed out, because those characters are as interesting as they were when the show started. It would have been really cool to see the now nihilistic family, completely desensitized to the existential horrors of the universe, interact with the society that they now knows doesn't matter. I wish we could have seen that as well, and maybe we will in season 6 after the season 5 finale.
I still think that the promise of season 2's finale still needs to be delivered on. We need a season where the family is separated from Rick. He's a toxic influence on everyone around him and a really shitty person. Even at the end of season 5, that has not changed. If Rick doesn't want his family, then he doesn't deserve to have them. Plus I think that shaking up the family dynamic that way would be a good way of getting fresh stories. Rick is just too damn cynical for his own good.
start of season 5 i had a theory that it wasn't Rick c-137 but now my theory is show is just going down hill. Season 5 ep 1 just a bad start to a bad season.
@@BobtheX I truly believe that the show fell off after season 2. Season 2’s finale had such a perfect setup for the third season. • Birdperson is killed by the galactic federation • Rick is revealed to be public enemy #1 • The federation takes over Earth • The family is forced to flee to another planet • Jerry wants Rick gone and calls Beth out on her emotional baggage • Rick feels remorse for putting his family in danger • Rick decides to leave their lives and turn himself in • The family returns to Earth but the status quo has changed in an interesting way • The finale ends with Rick in prison where he remarks that his crimes are worse than anyone can imagine So much potential was thrown out the window.
This is an interesting hook. Beth is the one who would be most affected, since she has a medical job and a clone/original who's out in space doing adventures. Does saving horses really matter to her anymore, when she's seen whole planets die? What does she dream about now, when there's another woman living her fantasy life? Jerry seems too shallow to become desensitized. He's probably the least affected because he didn't understand or care much to begin with, but he seems to prosper in dystopias like the cronenburged Earth and when Earth was taken over by the Galactic Federation. That could be the seed for something: Jerry tends to excel as a human being when everything around him is bad and everyone else is miserable. As for Summer, I don't know. She seems to have Rick's philosophy now, but it's notable that she's never seen her grandfather's dark side like Morty has. He's never altered or erased her memories, at least not to her knowledge. Out of all of them she's been Rick's greatest "success," in that she admires him and wants his approval. But how much is Rick's approval really worth in the grand scheme of things? Even he'd say it didn't matter.
All of the staff writers from the first 3 seasons are gone. Dan Harmon is fully in control of the series as Justin Roiland is largely focused on Solar Opposites. Harmon is a notorious control freak who doesn't like sharing the lead writer's chair and this frequently led to a lot of conflict between him and Roiland who have very different personalities. I think the two main characters of Solar Opposites and their relationship were partly inspired by Roiland's relationship with Harmon. At least that's my theory for which I have no evidence. In season 5 of Rick and Morty you can really feel the absence of Justin Roiland's surreal, anarchic brand of humor. But Solar Opposites has that familiar comedic tone of early R&M. So Roiland got tired of fighting with Harmon for control of his own show, created a new show with another experienced show-runner who is much easier to work with, and is putting all his creative juices into that while letting Harmon run R&M into the ground with his mastubatory approach to storytelling....clearly I have put way too much thought into this.
I always thought the idea of the season finale and next season premiere having canon and connecting was cool, while the other 9 episodes are just fun episodic adventures. It felt like season 3 broke that with the divorce and it’s never been the same since.
I agree with all of this as a whole, but there are still a few bangers in season 4-5 that I can rewatch just as easily as the episodes from season 1-3. Time traveling snakes, the thanks giving episode and mister nimbus are still really fun.
The whole "We just want to make episodic bullshit, stop asking us to follow continuity that we set up to be clearly followed" shtick got real old real fast.The new writers are honestly at their worst when it comes to the episodic stuff, especially in season 5 (wouldn't it be funny if we did an episode with Horse Semen monsters?) They're at their best when they actually follow continuity and the fanbase clearly agrees on this, as the Evil Morty stuff is the only thing that seems to get discussed at lengh at this point, especially after the season 5 finale.I understand that Dan Harmon thinks he's being really clever by using Rick to voice is distaste for continuity and fans wanting to see more of that, but if this is how you feel then don't fucking establish it in the first place or just stop telling fans how they're allowed to enjoy your show, just comes across as incredibly pretentious.
@@zonastarwars4397 Finally someone else who realise this. He might make good choices at some points but it doesn't mean he's a pure genius and doesn't half-ass through at sometimes and claiming it's amazing or actually better than something else he's already made. Not to mention he has a tendency to drag on meta jokes until they stop being funny. This is seen in Community and Rick and Morty multiple times.
I love when he shits on the fans, and personally I always liked the episodic approach. I just think fans are entitled, when did Rick and Morty become about the story? I like when they just improvise and throw zany shit at the wall.
I loved how much social commentary the show had in the earlier seasons. We haven’t had much of that of recent and that was one of the aspects that drew me to the show
There's a ton of social commentary in the later seasons. Maybe it's just normalized in your perspective, so you don't notice it's oddity. The same way you don't notice how you smell, or that thing you do all the time two hours after you wake up.
Oh, you'd love That's Amorte then. Right to die, monetizing life, factory farming, ethical consumption. It's very in your face social commentary in that season 7 episode.
Another theory: the original writers are replaced gradually and the subsequent new writers have a hard time grasping what made the show great or are left with already resolved plot points and can't build new ones.
Doctor Who suffers from the same. It's interesting how many parallels are between Rick and Morty and Doctor Who. People talk more about the influence of Back to the Future because it's more obvious, but DW influenced R&M even more IMO.
There's something to be said about the text of a show being explicitly antagonistic to its audience. I like all 5 seasons because they show a creative team's evolving opinions on what the aims of an animated sitcom are. Is the point of an animated sitcom just the situational comedy, the absurd situations which generate jokes and humor? Or is it the "character accumulation," the evolution of a character over time as events shape and reshape them? If it's the former, the show can plumb the depths of depravity and pop culture for truly heinous storylines, but never go anywhere. If it's the latter, we get payoffs, but those payoffs can fall into cliche pretty quickly. If I have a point, it's that a fandom that gravitates towards serialized storytelling will inevitably find itself wanting stories that emphasize key characters and arcs- a serialized RnM could essentially become little more than an animated Friends. The creators are clearly resisting the pull that "narrative arc" has on what they're creatively capable of showing, and I'm not sure how they'll resolve that tension going forward.
Venture Bros does the "poke fun at serialisation and continuity heavy stories" much better, mostly because the the show's theme is about failure; the universe is predicated on nerds trying to do the cool stuff they see in the media they consume, only to typically fail at sticking the landing. For a big example of this, take the Orb subplot of seasons three and four; The Orb was a millenia-old superweapon that would likely destroy the world if ever activated; Brock Samson, the Venture family's bodyguard and eventual father figure, was instructed to kill Doctor Venture if he ever found the Orb, due to be generally a disaster magnet. By the time season four comes around, a villain manages to steal the Orb and activates it, only to find out that it was a complete dud. Something so old would never come close to functioning, especially due to neglect and lack of maintance.
Great comparison. I love Venture Bros, but couldn't stick with R&M very long. The difference between a domineering psycho who always wins vs a brilliant serial-failure makes the former a slog, and the latter far more approachable. Even though both characters are otherwise conceived very similarly.
I feel like part of the problem is that at first, Rick's worldview was both a joke and a challenging question to the audience, and eventually, both the fanbase and the creators started to take it less of a theme or a joke but more as a cool persona. In the later seasons, I feel like Rick's mindset became the show's whole personality. Which is why I feel both compelled and weirded out seeing the show deconstruct Rick in the later seasons. As intelligent as they are at breaking down his character, it kinda seems ironic because it feels like the show's creators and writers are embracing his personality.
If this show started out knowing it had 5-7 seasons before a guaranteed end, I fully believe it would have been, without a doubt, one of the best shows ever created. The reason the first few seasons were so powerful is because they built all those plot lines up not knowing when they’d be cancelled. But then, Adult Swim basically said “this will never end without the death of a creator or something equally intense” and so they ditched the plot lines or else they’d run out of stuff to make. That being said, I am more than okay with episodic disconnected stuff because I have fun with the weirdness.
@@DrTranReincarnated right? With him it’s sadly almost a guarantee. I’d go as hard as they did with the emotion bombs if I didn’t know when I’d be done lol
Seriously, such a fantastic breakdown. I hope Justin and the writing team capitalize on that season five finale and maybe even give Rick a satisfying (whether good or bad), & deserved ending.
To quote Jenny Nicholson: "I think the worst thing a franchise ending can do is make you feel kind of stupid and embarrassed for being so excited for it in the first place." Rick and Morty isn't ending, but some of its storylines are and the show is going out of its way to make the audience feel like idiots for ever caring. Not even because the storylines themselves are bad, the show just stops every other episode to go like "Here, are you happy? We're addressing the storyline, cause you wouldn't stop whining." It kills any future excitement people might have, because what's the point if the show resents you for it.
One of the biggest problems I have with End of Evangelion is that it takes a frustration with a (not-inarguably icky) segment of a fanbase and just extrapolates that to hate everyone who liked any element of the original at all. It's a nasty, bitter, mean-spirited movie that just stomps around breaking everything it sees and then turns to the camera and screams BOY WASN'T THAT PROFOUND AND DEEP AND FULL OF SYMBOLISM? SATISFIED? It's why I semi-jokingly refer to Steven Universe Future as SU end of Eva - while not quite as cruel, it runs around kicking over every fandom comfort-point it can because Life Sure Can be Messy, Huh and then ends having dismantled the entire premise of the show - turns out you can't meaningfully find your place with a found-family of your own construction: trauma is forever, best get in a car and run away. In both cases the issue is a creator mad so frustrated or uncomfortably by fandom reception that they feel the need to 'correct the record' so that no one can ever try and Death of the Author their own interpretation on the work. With Rick and Morty - a show that already had an intrinsic nasty streak - it feels increasingly like creators who seem personally offended that viewers might emotionally invest in their Nihilism Funtime Hour and so they go out of their way to undercut any and all potential emotion. For me I walked away after season 3 so dismissively threw-out the emotional power of its second-season finale and seemed contemptuous of any decent reading you could take from it.
You've completely missed the mark when you assert that the show is about the meaninglessness of what we do in a multiverse. It's about Rick wanting to believe that what we do in a multiverse is meaninglessness and that he doesn't care about any of it. He had a tragic event in his past, and he compartmentalizes it by asserting that it couldn't matter, and that all things including his own family members are replaceable. He's got some deep scar tissue over that wound, but the show lets us see every once in a while that it DOES matter, he DOES care, and he despises himself when he slips. That is the nature of his self-loathing; he knows intellectually and rationally that his attachments are meaningless, yet he still has them. So when he catches himself, he'll usually double down by doing something even more evil and underhanded to those attached people in his life. This both punishes himself vicariously and doubles down on the intellectual notion that it doesn't matter.
The problem with the show is that nothing matters. It’s not ricks perception. It’s the shows reality. Anyone can die and there will just be another version.
There was a general drop in the quality of the writing in the last two seasons, the jokes became standard lazy sitcom jokes. Everything felt predictable.
The best and funniest writers left or were poached to work for Disney (Loki/She-Hulk). It just became over the top animation w pop culture throwback references and the usual sitcom jokes. Def lost some of the funk and absurdity where Justin Roiland would just do drunk improv jokes
It's a real shame. The first two seasons where some of the best TV I've ever seen (and I'm quite old - I've seen a lot of TV). There's been some very good episodes since then, but nothing genius-level good like there were in seasons 1 & 2. Either the best writers have left, or they used up the best ideas early on. Just my honest opinion.
@@markoantonio1765 There's no somehow about a thing like that. He's gotta bang his own grandma if he wants to be his own grandpa. See Futurama for reference!
The Rick and Morty creative team is basically that college student that can easily earn straight As across the board, but would rather take it easy and settle for B-minuses and C-pluses. When they want to sit and truly deliver a masterful episode, they get it done. But every once in a while they just throw in a random idea and stretch it as far as possible, which we've seen far too many instances of in the last two seasons.
honestly that it went from “haha look at Rick make fun of marty and his family” to “ damn I kinda feel like Rick is making fun of me” was spot on. As the audience starts connecting dots to their own lives in such a seriously negative way when the physical, verbal, and emotional abuse that’s portrayed in the show feels directed at themselves, is when you lose the fan base.
Arguing with the audience is one of the dumbest things a writer can do, especially through the medium in question. I just watch this stuff casually, as does everyone else I know. We're not in on the entire conversation, so if the show starts addressing some very specific points, it's kind of like standing there while your parents argue. You don't know what it's about, you don't care, and you just want to get back to the fun times. Rick & Morty always scratched a very specific itch for me: Science fiction comedy. Specifically, smart science fiction comedy. Which I can't really say anymore because of all the damn memes about the perceived self image of Rick & Morty fans (which was itself based on a satirical comment that everyone really, really wants to believe is genuine). The core of Rick & Morty was using its framing device (interdimensional travel) to make a lot of jokes about science fiction tropes, which is really kind of rare even in the subsubgenre of science fiction comedy cartoons. And for me, that's where the recent seasons have been flagging. They lost that initial edge, and fail to make use of the setting's tools even while a lot of the humor is now about the setting itself rather than science fiction as a genre. For instance, one of the poorest episodes of the recent season was the Voltron one, and it's characterized by two obvious things: The duplicate characters from other dimensions didn't drive any comedy on their own, and where essentially just props or one-off jokes. Yes, this Rick is a mafia boss. Very funny. Do we use that to comment on the character, or to lampoon butterfly effect type logic? No. He's just a mafia boss. Secondly, the episode failed to hang any real joke on either its Voltron stuff or the fact that the original pilots were supposed to be anime characters. It was right there, a shot at an undefended goal, all they had to do was look at that old South Park episode... and it never happens. Literally just "she talks funny". So what was there instead? The bickering with the fans, I guess? I can't tell, because I'm not in on the conversation. All I know is I spent my time on the comedy equivalent of a rice cracker. And that's half the episodes in the last two seasons.
I'm sure the post was satirical but the problem was ppl on both sides took it seriously and it kinda became a real thing. I completely believe that there are many people who don't understand the jokes but I'm also completely sure that most younger ppl with an average iq can understand it.
and the Rick that is a mafia boss doesn't even act like the smartest guy in the universe, he acts like a goddamn mafioso. Wtf writers? Are you that obtuse?
I think creators, and their audiences, can hide behind the whole “meta” it was written bad on purpose to prove a point. Most of the time bad writing is just bad writing.
Each time a piece of media turns bad, people start theorizing about secret episodes - secret ending to Lost, to Sherlock, to Game Of Thrones. It never happens. Like you said, no writer is going to make his own shown bad on purpose to prove a point. If he was capable of doing good, the show would just be good in the first place.
A lot of season 4 & 5 were meant to reflect ideas relevant to our modern culture. People trying to pass it off as bad writing are missing the point. It is NOT bad writing, it is RELEVANT writing for those with lame interests. I think a lot of people just didn't like their own reflection being shown to them through the shows final episodes. The creators basically conclude on the idea that the audience must be retardedly lame to be enjoying this kind of material.
Man, I'm so thankful that I am not the only one who thinks this. The R&M fanbase is toxic af. "So you didn't like the recent seasons? You found them to convoluted and over the top, yet bland and uninspired? Well, seems like you just don't understand them..."
@@Trevin_Taylor Not only that, you also need to at least know the basics of philosophy, physics, and pop culture. I know and appreciate that. But then there is a thing like bad storytelling, and I should be allowed to point it out without being called stupid.
I truly believe that Justin Roiland becoming less involved with the show is what caused the change. Roiland himself said for the first 2 seasons him and Harmon oversaw everything, but since then have stepped back to allow them to work on other projects. Harmon was always the guy who added that more serious part of the show with bigger plots and the show is still great at that, however the stand alone episodes suffer more these days and that was generally Roilands field in the first 2 seasons. The show needs his influence again to become what it was in seasons 1-2
This. Its the fall of most great shows. Watch when creators leave, writing teams change, that's the cause. Simpson's, family guy, futurama, American dad, south park, etc etc.
Well, duh. The show sucks since season 3 but idiots kept shilling for it. It got "Simpsons syndrome" (which means the creator stop being involved out of greed) so early on the show is dead and in auto pilot now. You literally can notice the drop in quality in the first 10 seconds of season 3 where it already feels like a different show.
The main problem I see is that the show has no idea what to do with its insane popularity. The show is supposed to just be a one-off gag by the creators - what if Doc Brown was an asshole? - that's now had to last 5 whole seasons, and they don't know how to deal with that. That's why the best episodes are the Interdimensional Cable and Story Train ones - it's Harmon and Roiland doing what they're good at.
The Story Train episode was so fucking good. I was hoping that episode was a signal that the writers had finally gotten their shit together, but the jury's still out on that. S5E1 is proof that they still know how to write a classic Rick and Morty episode, but I think the problem with the recent seasons is that there are too many obviously bad episodes. If Season 6 is just banger after banger, I think that'd do a lot to restore my faith in the show's direction.
Very insightful and an incredibly intricate explanation of the main philosophy of Rick and the repeated pretext to his actions and the episodes the series unfolds.
Since Rick & Morty first aired, we’ve gotten other adult animated shows that are more nuanced and, well, adult. Sometimes when I watch an R&M episode, I think it’s more for people in high school or college than a grown man with kids and a mortgage.
Is that what you think? Thank fuck for you tube comments otherwise I might have had to live my whole life without those pearls of wisdom. To think I grew up worrying about nuclear holocaust and now I have to suffer grown ass dudes dropping science earnestly about cartoons. Kinda makes you want the cold war back agn.
your analysis makes me appreciate the humanistic parallels the show shares with the audience. It's insecurities, shortcomings and obsessions sort of reflect and comment on ours. It's trying it's best, and I appreciate it.
Thanks for this perspective, you're hitting the nail on the head for how this show has been making me feel lately. I still, as you say, "enjoy" it but it doesn't feel as it did before. I think you're right, as the writers have always felt completely in control of what they're choosing to do (and still are); that is, I agree that this malaise is on purpose. I assume they have an goal with it (probably?), or at least a guiding principal. I just hope their goal is "worth it." Like, it's easy enough to understand the genre Shyamalan was riffing on with The Happening - it just wasn't an idea we needed. Good luck, R&M. I'm rooting for you.
Absolutely loved your thoughts on the show. You really went way deeper than many fans that just think that the show got greedy or lazy due to becoming so established, and your takeaways make so much sense. I'm really excited for future seasons within universes outside of the finite curve!
I wholeheartedly agree, the first season has so many great episodes (Lawnmower Dog, Love Potion 9, Meseeks and Destroy) whereas the newer season have maybe a few good episodes but nothing great.
I agree with you If we were talking about season 4, but i think that at session 5 they made some great changes. For sure it's different from the others, but in a good way. I'm suggesting the 5th season to a different kind of people that I think will relate much more with this last one. Maybe the last one is more about drama and empathy than "mind blowing" episodes, not sure.
We've already had shows where nothing mattered. Aqua Teen Hunger Force was a show literally about nothing and it's a classic. Rick and Morty has some elements of that but the writers don't go all the way. They tried to have their cake and eat it too by sprinkling in some continuity to get fans more invested without actually delivering on those promises. Aqua Teen Hunger Force never promised anything in the way of story so the fans were never disappointed.
Well said. If R&M is so anti-continuity then they should have avoided it all together. Music in TV shows enhance moods and increases the weight of the story delivered. When Rick broke up with Unity, music was added to the end of the episode to convey to the audience how his depression has affected him. The first episode of Evil Morty ended with some citadel Ricks worrying about who was controlling robot Rick while Evil Morty disappears into a sea of Mortys. Music was added there but unlike the Unity episode R&M left us with a mystery and a cliffhanger there about how it would play out. Just like the season 2 cliffhanger ended with Birdperson and Tammy still alive and of course that episode ended with a NIN song.
I think the season 5, particularly the finale, was their way of opening up the universe to new possibilities. It ended previous open ended storylines that possibly depended on the central finite curve (CFC), and then the perceived “big bad” (Evil Morty) destroyed the CFC; which can lead to possibilities of characters that are more intelligent (and dangerous) than Rick. I think this could lead to the Smith family reverting back to how they acted previously, because now Rick isn’t “strongest” around. There’s potentially threats that Rick can’t overcome. It’s arguable that Evil Morty isn’t necessarily evil, though still an antagonist. His goal was to knock Rick off his pedestal, and (as far as we know) succeeded in eliminating the main thing that perpetuated Rick’s god complex. I think S4 and S5 were setting up for the long run since the show got a long term contract around that time. There was episodic “fillers” while they got the serial plot in order. I’m hoping that’s the case, because I’d like it to go in a more serialized direction, akin to Venture Bros.
You know what that's not a bad idea. I hope they can nail it. I like Rick being knocked down a peg so now everyone is scared again. Although I very much enjoy the continuity when it's good
You know, after season 5 finale, I can't envision Rick and Morty without it's core concept completely changed. The show will literally have to grow up. The writers put themselves on the biggest thematic conundrum I have ever seen in any medium. I'm curious to see what they have in mind. Obviously there are a lot of smart people there and I genuinely hope that they will have balls to do what it's needed and take the show to next step, because the way it is right now... it sucks.
Yea but to be fair season 4 ended in a very similar way. It didn’t change anything and only reused Space Beth for a gag. So I’m hopeful but anticipating another reset like season 5
Well technically season 5 finale canned all of the previous seasons. Evil Morty is gone, Morty is just some factory mass produced sidekick designed by Rick, and the "finite curve" was destroyed adjusting the universe to entirely different settings. So really they could make it an entirely different show completely, every single episode cuz according to the writers fk continuity.
Yeah. This is true. For me personally, I feel like the show lost what made it engaging because all the characters changed. They were no longer the people that could make interesting conflict out of these types of stories, because they'd finally adapted to the new world that Rick had created by returning to family. So yeah, I think, either they find a way to create new conflicts that will terrify them again, or the show will continue to be a meaningless as Rick's existence
I'll be honest, I've rather enjoyed these last two seasons, however I've made similar observations to you, that the show was going in a direction that contradicted its earlier episodes, yet conciousely (sp?) so and as a further extension of its lovecraftian themes. However, it didn't leave me unsatisfied. I was hoping the show was going to go that direction, or at least interrogate that part of itself eventually. One interesting thing I'd like to ponder is if how we are consuming these seasons are making a difference in how they're being received? For instance, I watched seasons 4 and 5 by binging through them, while I watched the first three seasons as they aired. Does binging these seasons in one go kind of force me, as a viewer, to accept that these storylines and the lives of these characters can't simply exist individually, and thus prepare me for Rick's realization of the same?
I think that the point the show was trying to bring across is that each episode and it's structure have now become as familiar to the audience as it does to the characters. While in previous seasons we didn't know what was going to come next, in season 4 and 5 we have more of an idea, and thus our attention shifts more to character growth as opposed to what might come next as we are more familiar with it.
Thats interesting, for me its the opposite way, I binged the first 2 seasons, but 3-5 i watched as they aired, and I have liked the show just as much continuously
This is actually a really good analysis. Part of the fun was always about Morty and the rest getting traumatised by Rick's antics. I kinda doubt where the show became from something impactful to something that was good/passable. Last episode I clearly remember was Pickle Rick from season 3 and that episode really stoot out to me. So I guess season 3 is where is became less, but it could also be season 4. I am not sure.
I think a big driver of the change was that after a few seasons the writers were kinda horrified to find out that Rick, a guy written to be the worst person in the multiverse, was being seen as a hero by a portion of the fan-base. So they decided to deconstruct him, and that is the subtext of the following seasons.
I think this could have been the original intention anyway. Because in world that nothing actually matters then what would be the point of existence anyway. Life is valued because of death.
Rick is misrepresented here, because he is a someone with powers of a god, who, despite his nihilistic remarks, still cares about them, goes along with their irrationality, if only to teach them an important lesson. He has powers beyond any supervillain and does what? Just entertains himself doing weird stuff in his garage. And solving the horrible problems others have created when given a chance to abuse Rick’s powers.
*As a Rick & Morty fan: I still love the show. I think it’s developments have been interesting, engaging, and exciting. But this happens to me ALL THE TIME. I like old SpongeBob and new SpongeBob, old Family Guy & new Family Guy. I even dig both Teen Titans and Teen Titans: Go!* *It seems apparent to me that I’m not in the norm, which I’ve derived to be: Many people watch cartoons/ shows that they’ve fallen in love with hoping they’ll stay the same for eternity. I however embrace the evolution and enjoy the journey. The Planetina episode in season 5 is one of my favorite episodes in the series and it’s not even on formula. It’s Rick & Summer with an A-plot focusing on Morty. It’s heart touching and tragic, epic and goofy, adventurous and humane all in one. That’s what Rick & Morty is: whacky sci-fi adventures but always grounded in raw human experience. To me the show has continued to uphold that and I’m loving it!!!* *Side note: I STRONGLY recommend binge-watching Rick & Morty as opposed to a week to week episode release basis. I got into Rick & Morty somewhere after season 3 aired and had the pleasure of watching the episodes back to back. Then with season 5, I tried the one at a time approach and it just felt like the wrong way to take in this show and it’s overarching themes. So last month, my friend and I got high as all get out, and binge watched season 5 and loved it to death. We laughed to tears and held back the tears brought on by the more emotionally intense moments. I just love this show. My life is better because Rick & Morty exists and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the direction it’s headed in.*
I actually agree with u completely, I’m the same way in liking both things. I realize Rick and Morty has changed but I still really like it. I enjoy the joking earlier seasons (akin to solar opposites) but that doesn’t take away from how it’s still a great show
Very appreciated. I think it's the best analysis I've found of Rick and Morty so far. And illustrated my frustration with the train episode in a very eloquent way. And even more so, you just gave me a little hope that the show is going a direction I can get behind. I'm again looking forwards to next seasons of the show. As usual, great job.
Love it! Missed your insightful videos and glad you took the time to explain why Rick and morty has/is declining. Something I think people don't pick up on enough is the pacing. In the first three seasons I felt like the stories and jokes were happily digestible. S4 and 5 feel like they're on speed, skipping over jokes, plotlines, moments and meaning to get to the next joke or dialogue. Watching them becomes an effort in keeping up with the flow of the episode rather than an enjoyable absorption of a story well told.
feel like the writers (the new writers) were too afraid to give rick some PROPER character development. youll notice anytime they come close they immediately walk it back. other than that i love rick and morty, sure some seasons are better than others, but overall one of my top shows. although im not a big fan of them firing roiland BEFORE the case even finished (all charges were dropped). i mean rick and morty was literally justin roilands baby, sure there were other people working on it with him but if there was no justin roiland there would be no rick and morty. they hijacked the show from him and even tho season 7 was ok, its still just not the same.
Due to the meta nature of the show they are 'in syndication', a never ending hellscape, for both characters and writers. They are on the storytrain, and they taught you how it works. Guest star with lore connections to Rick's past, add Plot and B Story.
It's like they are just constantly churning out wackiness to meet some kind of quota now whereas the first 3 seasons were well written and well thought-out storylines.
"Hey, Rick and Morty writers! Who wants to make a deep, complex show with an ongoing story and character development?" "Me! Me! I do, I do! YAAAYYY!" "And who wants the complete opposite: a simpler show that's more joke-driven where anything wacky can happen every week and everything is wrapped up and reset at the end of the episode?" "Me! Me! That's the way to go! I do, I do! YAAAAY!" "So...you want to make complex series with an ongoing plot and character development driven entirely by jokes where everything is wrapped up and reset at the end of every episode?" "Um...yeah, sure, that sounds good. Yeah." "And also, we should win things by writing."
Does this mean that Rick and Morty is going to get a new character? I hope it's a character that you know is hip and cool off the bat. It should wear sunglasses and a baseball cap backwards.
Having only seen the first episode of Rick and Marty, whereupon I immediately realized it wasn’t going to be for me, this video was a fascinating, concise look into everything that I’ve missed, and definitely a confirmation of my initial impression. I tend to gravitate towards stories where everyone is actively trying to live meaningful lives and consequences are real and important (or else silly stories where everything is a big fun absurdist goof), so I wish this multiverse all the best, but I’ll continue to keep my distance!
That's what made the first two seasons great. Rick actively tries to outrun the consequences of his behavior, but he essentially continuously fails. Season 2 ends with him finally owning up to this... but then it's undone in Season 3 when the writers changed and the new theme of the show became "nothing matters" with the entire season 3 essentially resetting the show. Huge disappointment.
@@AbandonedVoid awww man! That’s sad because consequences make for an incredibly compelling way to drive a narrative, even within an essentially absurdist world!
@@AbandonedVoid It's more like a spectrum of potential responses to the initial theme that nothing matters. As the show continues novelty fades, disappointment grows, & the characters lose faith in their own values. If nothing matters then give it up & stop pretending, as was Ricks response in the season 2 finale. But if we keep it up, then what? Disappointment grows & novelty fades; thus, we have seasons 3 - 5. It sounds like an excuse, but it really was an intentional story progression. If nothing matters & you fail to respect that, then all you can hope to do is struggle to appreciate less & less meaningful things in the meantime. Refer to Ricks interest in Szechuan sauce from the first episode of season 3. Scraping more enjoyment out of the most menial, fleeting, little things just to carry on a little longer. End of season 2 was Rick unable to enjoy anything & everything he could do was just going to harm his family. Life was too lame so he surrenders to the lameness. No matter what, Rick would have been the selfish dick. End of season 5 was Morty willing to accomplish anything & everything he could do (with Rick) was just going to harm him (or others). Life wasn't "gross" (abundant) enough so Morty overcame the grossness. No matter what, Morty would have been the spineless wimp. It really is just a journey of personal transformation for these polarizing characters. Rick learns humility first by choice, then by force (dumped by crows). Morty learns confidence first by force, then by choice (destroys citadel).
Another change is that old Rick was, despite his genius, always ill-prepared and often out of his depth, basically drunk stumbling into things, whereas current Rick is near omnipotent and has a Swiss Army plotsolver for a body. Now I'm thinking that may be deliberate as well...
I'm pretty happy with where season 5 left us. Rick understands the need for empathy now and he'll likely struggle with that for the remainder of the show. They paid off things that the fanbase wouldn't shut up about. The slate feels relatively clean as far as obligatory serialized elements. I thought you'd go more into how the last episode addresses everything else you brought up. Anyway, good nuanced take, but there's always more to say.
The biggest issue for me was the writers started flying in the face of the fans. Kinda bought their own hype. Instead of producing a show for the fans and doing what they want, they choose to create a show for themselves and make fun of the people that watch the show. It feels like they think they’re better than us in a way. Idk.
Bojack Horseman is ten times more bold than Rick and Morty ever will be, unfortunately. Bojack could bring up dark themes and then not be afraid to fuckin *go there*
I wouldnt fixate on this too much. Im a big fan of LIsa the Painful (a supremely dark Earthbound inspired RPG) Its my favorite game. But the community is SOOO bitter about the success of Undertale, everywhere you look they will, unprompted, bring it up and get pissy about how big it got. The reality is Undertale is a game for everyone, Lisa the Painful is for people who can understand the specifically fucked mind of its characters. (and like very dark humor) The things that make it special ENSURE it would never succeed as big as Undertale. Its the difference between something so great it can be anyones favorite thing, and something so great its tailor made to be a few peoples favorite thing, of all time. Keep this in mind whenever you feel like comparing the two because I personally cant identify with the Lisa the Painful community because of their obsessive hate boner. We dont live in a meritocracy just because something is better, wont make it more successful. This isn't the fault of the creators of the rival product or it in of itself, or the fans of that thing, its just the nature of the beast.
@@BaneDane_JB a good and all audiences thing will always win more awards than a niche but great thing. At the end of the day, what audience you target matters more than quality, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. As long as the niche product *can* find it's audience, awards hardly matter
Ricks nihilism is just a way to justify his wrong doings and a way to find an excuse to br scared of having emotional attachments otherwise he would lose them the same way he lost his wife and Beth.There are multiple times we see Rick showing affection to morty and showing he actually cares for him since he is practically the same as ricks son .He uses intelligence to justify his statements acts like he always knows right just to run away from being a human at heart
This. Great video. They pushed the limits way too far way too quickly leaving them with less options. Also, not enough portal usage in recent seasons. The finale was good though.
I think a problem for me personally, is that they try and jam in 40 minutes of content during a 25 minutes episode. They feel so rushed and never have time to slow down so we can process them!
For the most part I enjoy both serialized and episodic episodes of Rick and Morty. There are going to be a shit ton more episodes whether we like it or not so if I can finish and episode and say "I had fun watching that" then it was a good episode
Idk. Season 4-5 imo isnt as consistent as 1-3 but it's still very strong. And my goodness the last few episodes are incredible. Rick is FINALLY challenged and confronted about his nihilistic world view to the point where it would be impossible to go on like this. Cant wait to see where they go with this
I feel the show's main storyline was going to evolve to the Smiths just getting used to it eventually, no matter what. After being exposed to it so often, you would get used to it too. Like we did.
I think the writers are hoping to remedy a lot of this stagnation by utilising the implications of the final episode. "Breaking down the barriers of reality" is a pretty ambiguous phrase which gives them a lot of room to look for new threats and conflicts and one of them, maybe even the main one could be that since all the universes where ricks the smartest are now back along side the universes where he isn't there will be beings smarter than Rick out there. Finally a real challenge. Maybe enough to force Rick into hiding and let the family develop on its own dynamics. Who knows. They've never failed to surprise me
omg thanks for making this awesome video essay! I've been trying to put my finger on why seasons 4 & 5 feel different/not as engaging! this really helps clarify things. GOOD JOB! I LIKE WHAT YOU GOT! ;-)
I struggled through season 4, didn’t even finish season 5…I thought episode one was a return to form and I was hopeful, but every episode is just a convoluted mess. I even thought s3 was something of a low point and more patchy than I was hoping for, but compared to 4 and 5 it’s probably borderline genius.. I’ve rewatched 1 and 2 so many times, haven’t rewatched 3, 4 or 5 even once..
Seasons 1 and 2 were definitely the golden years of Rick and Morty. I really wish they had continued the same format that made those first two seasons so great. I noticed a shift in season 3 that I didn't care much for. I'll rewatch seasons 1 and 2, sometimes I'll watch season 3, but seasons 4 and 5? Meh. There are some good episodes in the mix of them but most of them are just a mess. I'd love for them to reset back to seasons one and two. Forget all of the ways they've changed the characters and the style of the show and just return back to those golden days. Back to the wacky adventures through the multiverse. Back to Rick's drunken genius personality, who could still work their way out of a sticky situation but not in the fearless and bored Mary Sue way that seasons 3 onward felt. Back to Morty having less confidence. Back to having some episodes that just kind of fuck with your mind where it seems something is going one way but then it goes another and yet it still all works out and makes sense in the end. Truthfully the one episode I think comes close to holding a candle to seasons 1 and 2 was the Mr. Nimbus episode. I had high hopes after seeing that but the rest of the season just wasn't to that level at all.
I think there's more that makes the later seasons weird. I mean, season 1 Rick constantly screws up and is even outsmarted, but mostly he is not someone with various gadgets and appliances that basically make all risk null and void. Plus, most episodes have a B plot that is just as interesting as the main story (Summer is working for the Devil as Jerry is involved in politics in Pluto) while later seasons tend to drag a story way past the point it was funny (like A Rick in King Mortur's Mort, just to stay in one example).
As somebody who has never watched Rick and Morty, knowing the the later seasons are concerned about "doing fun things" just makes it all seem like a tremendous waste of time. The whole thing about "nothing matters" also makes it seem like a tremendous waste of time.
I mean every show is a waste of time, most messages in them you can just learn for yourself by living life, this show embraced that fact, that it was a time waster. That's why it's so fun.
Yeah it's hard to really lose yourself in a story if there are no real stakes for the main character(s). You hit the nail on the head there. Honestly I haven't watched the last two seasons... but maybe they are just waiting until they know the end is near and then create huge stakes.. Life or death of Rick, maybe Rick having to choose between life or annoying he cares about Morty and the rest of the family.
Here’s an idea- what if these one-off episodes/adventures were to drill the whole “nothing matters” bit to only end in the citadel, where the only way to escape the wormhole was for Rick to acknowledge and appreciate his need for Morty beyond being a shield? That was the point of this video, yeah?
I forget how popular this show is now and only really talk about it with my friends that like it. It’s still really good. Turkey episode is amazing I don’t get why it’s hated.
I think the part of this show that its most ardent fans miss is that it's not necessarily on Rick's side. The show itself feels very conflicted, both wanting to agree with Rick's worldview while also knowing it's the worst kind of narcissistic self-delusion. Rick's controlled reality, the central finite curve, ultimately can be easily read as a bald-faced metaphor for narcissism, and specifically, the narcissism of an addict who needs to believe that there's nothing wrong with them, because to admit otherwise would be to admit being powerless in the face of addiction. Rick inhabiting a carefully cultivated multiverse where he's always the smartest person in the universe perfectly symbolizes the fantasy of the addict. There is no one so smart as the person who refuses to admit he's wrong. Spend any time with addicts and you'll catch a glimpse of that universe through the lens of their own stubbornly maintained self-delusion. But you'll notice that whenever "the show" insists that canon is stupid and stand-alone episodes are all that matters, it's always the opinion of Rick himself. And here we have a perfect example of the unreliable narrator. It's easy to fall into the fallacy that if Rick says it, the show believes it. But this isn't necessarily the case. Of course Rick doesn't like Canon. Of course he doesn't like long-form storytelling. Long-form storytelling means he's going to grow, change, and face consequences. And Rick HATES that. Ultimately, the show is leading inevitably toward Rick being confronted with his faults, for better of worse. And because he's smart, he knows that. But because he's an addict, he can't bear to face it, because it would be admitting he's powerless, which is his greatest fear. So he will resist to the end, until he's hit bottom, naked in the face of his own reckoning with his demons. So yeah, it's possible the sorry R&M episodes of the last two seasons were part of the increasing meaninglessness of the stand-alone part of the show, expressing the emptiness of Rick's adventures. On the other hand, they also just sucked in ways I can't quite believe could be on purpose. I suppose we should have expected padding when the show was extended for 70 more episodes. It's too bad that shows this successful tend to go on till they've worn out their welcome.
It is impressive to witness how my pure joy of hearing "we will get another 7 seasons" dropped to where it is now just by watching a few of those new episodes and not even beeing abled to stand them anymore. Expectations subverted i would say.... Rian? Are you around here somewhere?
omgah THANK YOU! i have been racked with trying to figure this out, when you said the part about “are not supposed to like these episodes vs being in on the joke” sooo glad someone else thought that. so many youtubers just don’t want to dive this deep into analyzing. you made awesome theory and i’m hoping too after season 5 things can change and grow for the better….cause season 4 and 5 were terrible lol….with it all, also just think episodes were bad cause they lost their main writers and maybe they knew they needed to write in a reason why they were so bad lol
The only time I have seen the "I am smart therefore rude" work is in Doc Martin, his persona is shown as a failing and a condition he would like to sometimes change rather than just the, I'm cool because I pretend not to care. It is also shown in a positive light in other scenarios too and the main thing being it is very funny.
Makes me so sad… I COMPLETELY agree that the first 3 seasons are the greatest and completely rewatchable. But the show is not the same show. Someone in the comments mentioned something about how it used to just be kind of mindless entertainment that made you feel relaxed but now it’s not relaxing to watch. The characters are all just two different than what they used to be. Idk. Not the same and it makes me sad
The concept of rick finding life meaningless after discovering the portal gun, is kind of like when you activate cheat codes in a game you've been grinding on and suddenly its boring because you have everything unlocked.
I wish cheaters in Destiny 2 pvp would get bored... they took over the entire game.
Maybe people can then realize that life would be boring or meaningless if there never was evil in the world and actual consequences.
@@davidswanson5669 yes, no yin without yang
that's the point - life IS a game to him
@@Cicada3773 what we all wish for
For me one of the problems is it feels like the characters are becoming too cynical yes they're supposed to be flawed but your still meant to care about them. This is a problem I had with family guy as well because every season the characters seemed to get worse
No, no, that's the point with Rick & Morty. As the show goes on, lamer & lamer versions of the Smith family are preserved throughout the multiverse as the ones more inspired to do something with their time & effort lose their lives. Their developing cynicism is the guilt that conflicts them over the matter of their own vain self preservation; if going to such selfish extremes to preserve ones life just makes you lame, then what are you even working to preserve? Lose a noble legacy & prolong a hollow existence, more like.
Think of the back up clone family episode; the real family was safely vacationing in space totally uninvolved from the chaos that all the "fake" Smiths were going through. The only way the back up clones could operate as effective decoys was for the real family to be the lamest ones, selfishly hiding & clinging to life.
Like the saying, "Why do the good always die young?", the bad (lamer, lesser versions) live on.
That's the point of the show. As the show progresses, everyone anti-bonds with everyone.
It's hard for people to maintain that same attitude about life when you become increasingly aware of your place in the universe as a whole and in this show the multiverse. It's hard enough in just our planet, our countries, our states and cities. Even worse when you think about the idea (and see proof of as they do in the show) of the more.
Even from the start none of the main characters were likeable at all
@@lucabaar1 that doesnt mean they should be assholes to each other all the time. Thats why theres a disconnect. Also by doing this it makes the “sappy” moments less inpactful
There is a reason why Gravity Falls never had more than two seasons. The original premise of the show and it's originality was pretty much drained out by the end of season two - it would've needed to go in a whole different direction for it to to still be interesting and innovative.
I feel like Rick and Morty passed this point after season 3, and now the creators are trying to figure out in which direction the show should go in the future, hence the chaotic (from a narrative standpoint) and less intriguing last season (meaning in total, there were still some great episodes!).
Let's hope for the best guys, I think the show can still have a bright future, but clearly some shift needs to happen.
You can see Archer struggling with this in its later seasons, the premise just got tired.
So randomly changing direction to have Archer in a coma imagining each new season as a different setting and style with the same familiar humour refreshed the show for a lot of people.
But this was necessity, without that complete shift of direction the show would have just died.
From what i gather with Gravity falls that's not entierly true. Apprently, Disney had wanted a season 3 and Alex had ideas and plans. But then Alex was approched by Fox to make a more 'adult' tv show and basiclaly flipped off Disney and told them he was out of there. But Fox pulled the old 'interested, but not THAT interested' thing and screwed him over and this left Alex in a real awkward spot as Disney was pretty angry at him for that.
This explains why if you look into it, Gravity Falls didn't have any merchenside or marketing for it heavily until season 2, as Alex needed to get as much money out of it as possible as he basically burned his bridge to ever work with disney again. And as well the planned season 3 of gravity falls was dropped hard.
Leading to season 2 feeling rushed and the ending not being the best. And of course how it basically put Wendy on the backburner after she made it clear she wouldn't date Dipper. Alex didn't have the time to explore the plots he had in store. Which was his own fault. Sure he's still able to work with disney on say Owl house. But he's not going to be given the same freedoms he did with gravity falls.
It's a bit of a sad thing to think about. espcially given there WAS still more they could do if you really think about it. The Graivty falls COmics proved there was still good stories to be told and explored if you ask me with the current premise. It just needed to foucus on the characters and dig deeper into them. Which the comics did.
Well it seems like they already did
@@naciabell7903 none of that is true at all. He wanted to end gravity falls after two seasons, and the season 2 in my opinion payed off. But no, this rumor that Alex burned his bridges with Disney is false.
Yeah, let's all head nod to the writing guy on UA-cam. There's only a problem because you point out something that's a potential issue for you. Audience shifts you out of the circuit, show goes on. Don't let the door hit you on your ass whenever you die.
I miss the show that spent 2 seasons building up to Rick growing as a character and turning himself in. I doubt that show's ever coming back.
Season 3 had different writers which is why it felt different since then and went down in quality.
@@ZoddGuts To be fair to the writers that left after season 2, they were probably burnt out.
@@Choopytrags Adult Swim saw how popular it was becoming and decided to hijack it and make sure it would never have a concrete ending so they could milk it for money.
Basically they turned a Bojack Horseman type show into a family guy type show.
The show was amazing in its two first season, problem is it got to the creatora head and it does not help that the shilling never stops no matter how bad the show gets. Even this guy is calling season 3 a "classic" when it was just bad.
@@DeltaDW and they made fun of Netflix in the heist episode
One thing I noticed was season 1&2 they never called Rick the smartest mammal in the universe season 3 onwards they did. It’s almost like they heard the hype for the show and believed it themselves. In a similar way Rick went from dealing with problems to fighting them e.g. the giant heads in the sky “show me what you got” Ricks response was to sing a song as opposed to when he met Zeus and fought him. Rick went from depressed scientist to a god because of the hype Rick and Morty was getting and I think it’s all the worse because of it.
I definitely think they've made him physically OP.
Exactly. Way too OP. What are the stakes?
Dude so true! Remember the episode where he’s gotta fix his car battery and at the end he just fist fights the alien before leaving? If they episode was in S3-4 it would’ve been this over the top battle oozing with Rick fan service
I feel like this particular criticism is overstated. Rick was the smartest person in the universe in all but name those first two seasons. He was able to create his own universe just as a car battery. Plus we already knew he was the most wanted man in the galaxy. He's definitely a lot more OP in the later seasons, I'll give you that. But there really was NEVER that much tension that he'd ever lose or die in the first two seasons either.
@@BobtheX but he would be say shot in the purge episode, not even fight with the giant heads in the sky or try to screw over the devil. He is more powerful and in doing so they lost some of their creativity
One of the major factors that people don’t seem to mention enough is that Rick is too sober. Being a functioning alcoholic was a MAJOR part of his character but now seems to have taken a backseat
He was an alcoholic for like parts of season 1. Then quickly shelved it.
I think another issue is that Morty’s character arc is at odds with the show’s continued existence.
In seasons 1-3 there is a really clear developing arc for Morty: he is slowly realizing that Rick is toxic and dangerous. That arc’s natural conclusion would be Morty either defeating Rick or doing something else to permanently end their partnership. This is most clear in Season 3 episode 1, where Morty tries to make it very clear to Summer that Rick is not a hero and that they’re better off without him.
The problem is that the show then got an order for a ton of more episodes, and that arc had already gotten too close to its natural end point of Morty turning on Rick. They can’t go further with that arc because once Morty turns on Rick for good, the show is over. That’s something they’d have to do at the end of the entire series.
So now the show is spinning its wheels because it doesn’t know how to meaningfully develop that core arc without forcing itself into a series finale.
This is a great point but one i think the show has chosen their way of dealing with and did so with the season 5 finale. The plot of it is basicly Rick and Morty officially breaking up.
In that 2 parter Morty starts off in the habit of fixing Rick's mistakes until finally a fight about it leads to then being done with each other and replacing each other. Then after Morty's adventure being linked to a new person he's ready to go back to Rick and in the second episode goes to great lengths to trick him into coming back. Rick only agrees to come back after he is cheated on by his new "Mortys" the crows.
Morty learns all of Rick's backstory and his faults but when given the choice still chooses to save him. Morty has officially left the arc of him challenging and moving on from Rick and instead has chosen to do the opposite and stick with him.
The arc of Morty permanently moving on from Rick and defeating him wasn't thrown away however. Instead it was fulfilled by 'Evil Morty.' The one serialized plot the fans wanted to see the most. He completes the storyline and defeats Rick and moves on to a new side of the multiverse where he is free.
I agree completely. My impression watching was that it would end at season 3. That felt like the logical duration... But it didn't and suddenly the show felt very hollow.
why can't morty and rick both grow as people and in their relationship? ever think of that you PARAGON OF THOUGHT?
I agree, and I would add that the final episode of season 4 actually continues this story. I was so hyped that by the end of that episode the whole family noticed how much of a piece a shit Rick is, and I thought this would be a amazing dynamic for season 5. And then all of that was thrown out of the window in the first scene of the first episode
Be more fun in ur creative brain, n u will see how the complicated story doesn’t have to play out exactly how u think.
i cringed so hard every time Rick said something like "hur dur lets not do this adventure because its canon" in s5, it felt so cheap and low effort. especially in the S5 finale where Rick shows us his backstory after saying something like "here you go, now everybody can shut the fuck up about it."
im aware its a joke, but it felt both mean spirited and meaningless because Dan Harmon spent two entire seasons building up Rick as this enigmatic shadow figure who's an unreliable narrator with a mysterious past, then, without warning, paid it off in _three minutes worth of flashbacks_ after "cleverly" making fun of the audience for caring about it at all. it felt so condescending to the fans, getting rid of such a huge plot point in the show in such a disingenuous and uncaring manner.
Agree w/ so many points here. LOVE the show but s5 was not it for me aside from the first ep
It's actually you.
YO SWOOZ!
That time door felt like a classic ep from the first seasons
I love how this show isnt afraid to alienate its core or irregular audience just because they want freely explore ideas.
Didn’t expect to see Swoozie here! Hey SWOOZIE!!
R & M went from being refreshingly cynical to just cynical
being refreshingly cynical is an aesthetic trick though.
@@nachosanchez3623A cartoon is an aesthetic format.
I think that was the point
You mean pessimistic.
I think that the season 4-5 Smith family could have been fleshed out, because those characters are as interesting as they were when the show started. It would have been really cool to see the now nihilistic family, completely desensitized to the existential horrors of the universe, interact with the society that they now knows doesn't matter. I wish we could have seen that as well, and maybe we will in season 6 after the season 5 finale.
I love the Addams Family too
I still think that the promise of season 2's finale still needs to be delivered on. We need a season where the family is separated from Rick. He's a toxic influence on everyone around him and a really shitty person. Even at the end of season 5, that has not changed. If Rick doesn't want his family, then he doesn't deserve to have them. Plus I think that shaking up the family dynamic that way would be a good way of getting fresh stories. Rick is just too damn cynical for his own good.
start of season 5 i had a theory that it wasn't Rick c-137 but now my theory is show is just going down hill. Season 5 ep 1 just a bad start to a bad season.
@@BobtheX I truly believe that the show fell off after season 2.
Season 2’s finale had such a perfect setup for the third season.
• Birdperson is killed by the galactic federation
• Rick is revealed to be public enemy #1
• The federation takes over Earth
• The family is forced to flee to another planet
• Jerry wants Rick gone and calls Beth out on her emotional baggage
• Rick feels remorse for putting his family in danger
• Rick decides to leave their lives and turn himself in
• The family returns to Earth but the status quo has changed in an interesting way
• The finale ends with Rick in prison where he remarks that his crimes are worse than anyone can imagine
So much potential was thrown out the window.
This is an interesting hook. Beth is the one who would be most affected, since she has a medical job and a clone/original who's out in space doing adventures. Does saving horses really matter to her anymore, when she's seen whole planets die? What does she dream about now, when there's another woman living her fantasy life?
Jerry seems too shallow to become desensitized. He's probably the least affected because he didn't understand or care much to begin with, but he seems to prosper in dystopias like the cronenburged Earth and when Earth was taken over by the Galactic Federation. That could be the seed for something: Jerry tends to excel as a human being when everything around him is bad and everyone else is miserable.
As for Summer, I don't know. She seems to have Rick's philosophy now, but it's notable that she's never seen her grandfather's dark side like Morty has. He's never altered or erased her memories, at least not to her knowledge. Out of all of them she's been Rick's greatest "success," in that she admires him and wants his approval. But how much is Rick's approval really worth in the grand scheme of things? Even he'd say it didn't matter.
Great analysis. Seasons 1-3 had iconic episodes and every season since hasn’t felt the same.
All of the staff writers from the first 3 seasons are gone. Dan Harmon is fully in control of the series as Justin Roiland is largely focused on Solar Opposites. Harmon is a notorious control freak who doesn't like sharing the lead writer's chair and this frequently led to a lot of conflict between him and Roiland who have very different personalities. I think the two main characters of Solar Opposites and their relationship were partly inspired by Roiland's relationship with Harmon. At least that's my theory for which I have no evidence. In season 5 of Rick and Morty you can really feel the absence of Justin Roiland's surreal, anarchic brand of humor. But Solar Opposites has that familiar comedic tone of early R&M. So Roiland got tired of fighting with Harmon for control of his own show, created a new show with another experienced show-runner who is much easier to work with, and is putting all his creative juices into that while letting Harmon run R&M into the ground with his mastubatory approach to storytelling....clearly I have put way too much thought into this.
I like and appreciate this analysis or conspiracy theory.
@Roberto Vidal Garcia So after reading the comment and your response I'm thinking Rick and Morty was great because both Harmon and Justin.
seasons 1-2 are fantastic, id even argue it started to feel different when season 3 premiered
I always thought the idea of the season finale and next season premiere having canon and connecting was cool, while the other 9 episodes are just fun episodic adventures. It felt like season 3 broke that with the divorce and it’s never been the same since.
I agree with all of this as a whole, but there are still a few bangers in season 4-5 that I can rewatch just as easily as the episodes from season 1-3. Time traveling snakes, the thanks giving episode and mister nimbus are still really fun.
The whole "We just want to make episodic bullshit, stop asking us to follow continuity that we set up to be clearly followed" shtick got real old real fast.The new writers are honestly at their worst when it comes to the episodic stuff, especially in season 5 (wouldn't it be funny if we did an episode with Horse Semen monsters?) They're at their best when they actually follow continuity and the fanbase clearly agrees on this, as the Evil Morty stuff is the only thing that seems to get discussed at lengh at this point, especially after the season 5 finale.I understand that Dan Harmon thinks he's being really clever by using Rick to voice is distaste for continuity and fans wanting to see more of that, but if this is how you feel then don't fucking establish it in the first place or just stop telling fans how they're allowed to enjoy your show, just comes across as incredibly pretentious.
I think the new writers might just be... bad writers.
"incredibly pretentious" is the definition of Dan Harmon
@@zonastarwars4397 Finally someone else who realise this. He might make good choices at some points but it doesn't mean he's a pure genius and doesn't half-ass through at sometimes and claiming it's amazing or actually better than something else he's already made.
Not to mention he has a tendency to drag on meta jokes until they stop being funny. This is seen in Community and Rick and Morty multiple times.
I love when he shits on the fans, and personally I always liked the episodic approach. I just think fans are entitled, when did Rick and Morty become about the story? I like when they just improvise and throw zany shit at the wall.
@@kevina7576 I think it’s cause the fans really like what they’ve got. You can’t really blame them when the serialized stuff is _so good._
I loved how much social commentary the show had in the earlier seasons. We haven’t had much of that of recent and that was one of the aspects that drew me to the show
There's a ton of social commentary in the later seasons.
Maybe it's just normalized in your perspective, so you don't notice it's oddity.
The same way you don't notice how you smell, or that thing you do all the time two hours after you wake up.
Oh, you'd love That's Amorte then. Right to die, monetizing life, factory farming, ethical consumption. It's very in your face social commentary in that season 7 episode.
Another theory: the original writers are replaced gradually and the subsequent new writers have a hard time grasping what made the show great or are left with already resolved plot points and can't build new ones.
Doctor Who suffers from the same. It's interesting how many parallels are between Rick and Morty and Doctor Who. People talk more about the influence of Back to the Future because it's more obvious, but DW influenced R&M even more IMO.
There's something to be said about the text of a show being explicitly antagonistic to its audience. I like all 5 seasons because they show a creative team's evolving opinions on what the aims of an animated sitcom are. Is the point of an animated sitcom just the situational comedy, the absurd situations which generate jokes and humor? Or is it the "character accumulation," the evolution of a character over time as events shape and reshape them? If it's the former, the show can plumb the depths of depravity and pop culture for truly heinous storylines, but never go anywhere. If it's the latter, we get payoffs, but those payoffs can fall into cliche pretty quickly.
If I have a point, it's that a fandom that gravitates towards serialized storytelling will inevitably find itself wanting stories that emphasize key characters and arcs- a serialized RnM could essentially become little more than an animated Friends. The creators are clearly resisting the pull that "narrative arc" has on what they're creatively capable of showing, and I'm not sure how they'll resolve that tension going forward.
Venture Bros does the "poke fun at serialisation and continuity heavy stories" much better, mostly because the the show's theme is about failure; the universe is predicated on nerds trying to do the cool stuff they see in the media they consume, only to typically fail at sticking the landing.
For a big example of this, take the Orb subplot of seasons three and four; The Orb was a millenia-old superweapon that would likely destroy the world if ever activated; Brock Samson, the Venture family's bodyguard and eventual father figure, was instructed to kill Doctor Venture if he ever found the Orb, due to be generally a disaster magnet. By the time season four comes around, a villain manages to steal the Orb and activates it, only to find out that it was a complete dud. Something so old would never come close to functioning, especially due to neglect and lack of maintance.
Great comparison. I love Venture Bros, but couldn't stick with R&M very long. The difference between a domineering psycho who always wins vs a brilliant serial-failure makes the former a slog, and the latter far more approachable. Even though both characters are otherwise conceived very similarly.
Rick and Morty IS a poor man's Venture Bros.
Venture Bros is so underrated more people should watch it if they want a show that actually builds on its plot and world with ease.
"please no, don't activate a broken coffee mug"
@@nimpsonkinkson1924 "We are about to engage...the nozzle"
I feel like part of the problem is that at first, Rick's worldview was both a joke and a challenging question to the audience, and eventually, both the fanbase and the creators started to take it less of a theme or a joke but more as a cool persona. In the later seasons, I feel like Rick's mindset became the show's whole personality. Which is why I feel both compelled and weirded out seeing the show deconstruct Rick in the later seasons. As intelligent as they are at breaking down his character, it kinda seems ironic because it feels like the show's creators and writers are embracing his personality.
If this show started out knowing it had 5-7 seasons before a guaranteed end, I fully believe it would have been, without a doubt, one of the best shows ever created. The reason the first few seasons were so powerful is because they built all those plot lines up not knowing when they’d be cancelled. But then, Adult Swim basically said “this will never end without the death of a creator or something equally intense” and so they ditched the plot lines or else they’d run out of stuff to make.
That being said, I am more than okay with episodic disconnected stuff because I have fun with the weirdness.
Considering Dan Harmon is in this they probably did think it would be canceled lol
@@DrTranReincarnated right? With him it’s sadly almost a guarantee. I’d go as hard as they did with the emotion bombs if I didn’t know when I’d be done lol
@@averyeml wym what are you talking about guys?
@@DrTranReincarnated wym?
@@averyeml also nice pfp
Seriously, such a fantastic breakdown. I hope Justin and the writing team capitalize on that season five finale and maybe even give Rick a satisfying (whether good or bad), & deserved ending.
This aged like a forgotten carton of milk.
To quote Jenny Nicholson: "I think the worst thing a franchise ending can do is make you feel kind of stupid and embarrassed for being so excited for it in the first place."
Rick and Morty isn't ending, but some of its storylines are and the show is going out of its way to make the audience feel like idiots for ever caring. Not even because the storylines themselves are bad, the show just stops every other episode to go like "Here, are you happy? We're addressing the storyline, cause you wouldn't stop whining." It kills any future excitement people might have, because what's the point if the show resents you for it.
Right? Like, sorry for caring about your show I guess. I wont make that mistake again
What franchise is that quote referencing?
@ The Star Wars sequel trilogy, specifically The Rise of Skywalker.
One of the biggest problems I have with End of Evangelion is that it takes a frustration with a (not-inarguably icky) segment of a fanbase and just extrapolates that to hate everyone who liked any element of the original at all. It's a nasty, bitter, mean-spirited movie that just stomps around breaking everything it sees and then turns to the camera and screams BOY WASN'T THAT PROFOUND AND DEEP AND FULL OF SYMBOLISM? SATISFIED?
It's why I semi-jokingly refer to Steven Universe Future as SU end of Eva - while not quite as cruel, it runs around kicking over every fandom comfort-point it can because Life Sure Can be Messy, Huh and then ends having dismantled the entire premise of the show - turns out you can't meaningfully find your place with a found-family of your own construction: trauma is forever, best get in a car and run away.
In both cases the issue is a creator mad so frustrated or uncomfortably by fandom reception that they feel the need to 'correct the record' so that no one can ever try and Death of the Author their own interpretation on the work. With Rick and Morty - a show that already had an intrinsic nasty streak - it feels increasingly like creators who seem personally offended that viewers might emotionally invest in their Nihilism Funtime Hour and so they go out of their way to undercut any and all potential emotion. For me I walked away after season 3 so dismissively threw-out the emotional power of its second-season finale and seemed contemptuous of any decent reading you could take from it.
@ Star Wars, in her Rise of Skywalker video
You've completely missed the mark when you assert that the show is about the meaninglessness of what we do in a multiverse. It's about Rick wanting to believe that what we do in a multiverse is meaninglessness and that he doesn't care about any of it. He had a tragic event in his past, and he compartmentalizes it by asserting that it couldn't matter, and that all things including his own family members are replaceable. He's got some deep scar tissue over that wound, but the show lets us see every once in a while that it DOES matter, he DOES care, and he despises himself when he slips. That is the nature of his self-loathing; he knows intellectually and rationally that his attachments are meaningless, yet he still has them. So when he catches himself, he'll usually double down by doing something even more evil and underhanded to those attached people in his life. This both punishes himself vicariously and doubles down on the intellectual notion that it doesn't matter.
This is very true and is a key point that he missed
The problem with the show is that nothing matters. It’s not ricks perception. It’s the shows reality. Anyone can die and there will just be another version.
@@Wakamolewonder thats not a problem
@@Xyber7 there are no stakes.
@@Wakamolewonder because in the rick and morty world (everything relating to the show) things are different from ours...
There was a general drop in the quality of the writing in the last two seasons, the jokes became standard lazy sitcom jokes. Everything felt predictable.
The best and funniest writers left or were poached to work for Disney (Loki/She-Hulk). It just became over the top animation w pop culture throwback references and the usual sitcom jokes. Def lost some of the funk and absurdity where Justin Roiland would just do drunk improv jokes
I feel like that was the first 2
A good example of this was the dragon episode. Nothing but a bunch of cliche sex jokes. Probably my least favorite episode ever.
also, a weird uptick in incest jokes? like... literally every single episode now vs the ~2 in the previous 3 seasons combined
It's a real shame. The first two seasons where some of the best TV I've ever seen (and I'm quite old - I've seen a lot of TV). There's been some very good episodes since then, but nothing genius-level good like there were in seasons 1 & 2. Either the best writers have left, or they used up the best ideas early on. Just my honest opinion.
The classic: is it bad on purpose?
I still remember fondly the end of season 5. That pure cathartic moment for evil morty was amazing, even if he IS a monster.
I love evil mortt
My theory is Rick is Morty grown up and somehow becomes his own grandpa
@@markoantonio1765 There's no somehow about a thing like that. He's gotta bang his own grandma if he wants to be his own grandpa. See Futurama for reference!
You perfectly encapsulated my feelings on the show. Great job!
The Rick and Morty creative team is basically that college student that can easily earn straight As across the board, but would rather take it easy and settle for B-minuses and C-pluses. When they want to sit and truly deliver a masterful episode, they get it done. But every once in a while they just throw in a random idea and stretch it as far as possible, which we've seen far too many instances of in the last two seasons.
That's such a perfect way to phrase it!
To be fair, a lot of the people from the first couple seasons left to do other projects. It's more an incubator than a reliable TV show.
Politically too
@@mzaite exactly, it's kind of strange the amount of people who don't know the majority of the original team left after s3
It really started going downhill in season 3.
honestly that it went from “haha look at Rick make fun of marty and his family” to “ damn I kinda feel like Rick is making fun of me” was spot on. As the audience starts connecting dots to their own lives in such a seriously negative way when the physical, verbal, and emotional abuse that’s portrayed in the show feels directed at themselves, is when you lose the fan base.
Arguing with the audience is one of the dumbest things a writer can do, especially through the medium in question. I just watch this stuff casually, as does everyone else I know. We're not in on the entire conversation, so if the show starts addressing some very specific points, it's kind of like standing there while your parents argue. You don't know what it's about, you don't care, and you just want to get back to the fun times. Rick & Morty always scratched a very specific itch for me: Science fiction comedy. Specifically, smart science fiction comedy. Which I can't really say anymore because of all the damn memes about the perceived self image of Rick & Morty fans (which was itself based on a satirical comment that everyone really, really wants to believe is genuine). The core of Rick & Morty was using its framing device (interdimensional travel) to make a lot of jokes about science fiction tropes, which is really kind of rare even in the subsubgenre of science fiction comedy cartoons. And for me, that's where the recent seasons have been flagging. They lost that initial edge, and fail to make use of the setting's tools even while a lot of the humor is now about the setting itself rather than science fiction as a genre. For instance, one of the poorest episodes of the recent season was the Voltron one, and it's characterized by two obvious things: The duplicate characters from other dimensions didn't drive any comedy on their own, and where essentially just props or one-off jokes. Yes, this Rick is a mafia boss. Very funny. Do we use that to comment on the character, or to lampoon butterfly effect type logic? No. He's just a mafia boss. Secondly, the episode failed to hang any real joke on either its Voltron stuff or the fact that the original pilots were supposed to be anime characters. It was right there, a shot at an undefended goal, all they had to do was look at that old South Park episode... and it never happens. Literally just "she talks funny".
So what was there instead? The bickering with the fans, I guess? I can't tell, because I'm not in on the conversation. All I know is I spent my time on the comedy equivalent of a rice cracker. And that's half the episodes in the last two seasons.
I'm sure the post was satirical but the problem was ppl on both sides took it seriously and it kinda became a real thing. I completely believe that there are many people who don't understand the jokes but I'm also completely sure that most younger ppl with an average iq can understand it.
and the Rick that is a mafia boss doesn't even act like the smartest guy in the universe, he acts like a goddamn mafioso. Wtf writers? Are you that obtuse?
So basically what you're saying is Rick and Morty got too meta after s2
super well put
Imagine Camus watching Rick and Morty and realizing that this is where his "Myth of Sisyphus" has led.
I think creators, and their audiences, can hide behind the whole “meta” it was written bad on purpose to prove a point. Most of the time bad writing is just bad writing.
Each time a piece of media turns bad, people start theorizing about secret episodes - secret ending to Lost, to Sherlock, to Game Of Thrones. It never happens.
Like you said, no writer is going to make his own shown bad on purpose to prove a point. If he was capable of doing good, the show would just be good in the first place.
@@Th0cast It's a shame because the penultimate episode of Sherlock was an absolute corker.
They literally covered that with ice T in the show “overdeveloped, underdeveloped, a bad song’s a bad song” lol
pretty soon they will be complaining about the names of things/creatures
A lot of season 4 & 5 were meant to reflect ideas relevant to our modern culture.
People trying to pass it off as bad writing are missing the point. It is NOT bad writing, it is RELEVANT writing for those with lame interests. I think a lot of people just didn't like their own reflection being shown to them through the shows final episodes. The creators basically conclude on the idea that the audience must be retardedly lame to be enjoying this kind of material.
This analysis was spot on bro thank you for making this!
Man, I'm so thankful that I am not the only one who thinks this. The R&M fanbase is toxic af. "So you didn't like the recent seasons? You found them to convoluted and over the top, yet bland and uninspired? Well, seems like you just don't understand them..."
To be fair, you have to have a pretty high IQ to understand Rick and Morty…
@@Trevin_Taylor
Not only that, you also need to at least know the basics of philosophy, physics, and pop culture. I know and appreciate that. But then there is a thing like bad storytelling, and I should be allowed to point it out without being called stupid.
I truly believe that Justin Roiland becoming less involved with the show is what caused the change. Roiland himself said for the first 2 seasons him and Harmon oversaw everything, but since then have stepped back to allow them to work on other projects. Harmon was always the guy who added that more serious part of the show with bigger plots and the show is still great at that, however the stand alone episodes suffer more these days and that was generally Roilands field in the first 2 seasons. The show needs his influence again to become what it was in seasons 1-2
This. Its the fall of most great shows. Watch when creators leave, writing teams change, that's the cause. Simpson's, family guy, futurama, American dad, south park, etc etc.
Pff... I just use my portal gun and I go in a universe where Roiland and Harmon never stepped back to work on other projects.
Well, duh. The show sucks since season 3 but idiots kept shilling for it. It got "Simpsons syndrome" (which means the creator stop being involved out of greed) so early on the show is dead and in auto pilot now.
You literally can notice the drop in quality in the first 10 seconds of season 3 where it already feels like a different show.
@Razyr When did Matt and Trey left Souh Park?
this aged well
The main problem I see is that the show has no idea what to do with its insane popularity. The show is supposed to just be a one-off gag by the creators - what if Doc Brown was an asshole? - that's now had to last 5 whole seasons, and they don't know how to deal with that. That's why the best episodes are the Interdimensional Cable and Story Train ones - it's Harmon and Roiland doing what they're good at.
The Story Train episode was so fucking good. I was hoping that episode was a signal that the writers had finally gotten their shit together, but the jury's still out on that. S5E1 is proof that they still know how to write a classic Rick and Morty episode, but I think the problem with the recent seasons is that there are too many obviously bad episodes. If Season 6 is just banger after banger, I think that'd do a lot to restore my faith in the show's direction.
The other problem is that they also seem to bring in different writers every season now
Story train is a one of my faves out of the newer episodes
watch the first episode and tell me the show should've stayed as that improv style. The show has aged wonderfully I think.
@@MicahMicahel the first episode was actually pretty good tho
Very insightful and an incredibly intricate explanation of the main philosophy of Rick and the repeated pretext to his actions and the episodes the series unfolds.
Since Rick & Morty first aired, we’ve gotten other adult animated shows that are more nuanced and, well, adult. Sometimes when I watch an R&M episode, I think it’s more for people in high school or college than a grown man with kids and a mortgage.
It's still a fun time, it has its moments and episodes but it doesn't feel nearly as consistently raw, nuanced, and clever as say Bojack Horseman.
Is that what you think? Thank fuck for you tube comments otherwise I might have had to live my whole life without those pearls of wisdom. To think I grew up worrying about nuclear holocaust and now I have to suffer grown ass dudes dropping science earnestly about cartoons. Kinda makes you want the cold war back agn.
@@holdencaulfield8429 ok kid.
@@8bitmagic Bojack was exactly the show I had in mind.
@@holdencaulfield8429 do you role play Holden? This is perfectly in character you phoney.
your analysis makes me appreciate the humanistic parallels the show shares with the audience. It's insecurities, shortcomings and obsessions sort of reflect and comment on ours. It's trying it's best, and I appreciate it.
Thanks for this perspective, you're hitting the nail on the head for how this show has been making me feel lately. I still, as you say, "enjoy" it but it doesn't feel as it did before. I think you're right, as the writers have always felt completely in control of what they're choosing to do (and still are); that is, I agree that this malaise is on purpose. I assume they have an goal with it (probably?), or at least a guiding principal. I just hope their goal is "worth it." Like, it's easy enough to understand the genre Shyamalan was riffing on with The Happening - it just wasn't an idea we needed. Good luck, R&M. I'm rooting for you.
should update this with current episode knowledge.
Absolutely loved your thoughts on the show. You really went way deeper than many fans that just think that the show got greedy or lazy due to becoming so established, and your takeaways make so much sense. I'm really excited for future seasons within universes outside of the finite curve!
damm... this was a very good video with constructive phase and well production, very high quality I love that
I wholeheartedly agree, the first season has so many great episodes (Lawnmower Dog, Love Potion 9, Meseeks and Destroy) whereas the newer season have maybe a few good episodes but nothing great.
I agree with you If we were talking about season 4, but i think that at session 5 they made some great changes. For sure it's different from the others, but in a good way. I'm suggesting the 5th season to a different kind of people that I think will relate much more with this last one. Maybe the last one is more about drama and empathy than "mind blowing" episodes, not sure.
We've already had shows where nothing mattered. Aqua Teen Hunger Force was a show literally about nothing and it's a classic. Rick and Morty has some elements of that but the writers don't go all the way. They tried to have their cake and eat it too by sprinkling in some continuity to get fans more invested without actually delivering on those promises. Aqua Teen Hunger Force never promised anything in the way of story so the fans were never disappointed.
Well said. ATHF succeeded at being about nothing because it rarely tried to be more. R&M should have done four planned seasons, like The Good Place.
Mike Tyson mysteries
Well said. If R&M is so anti-continuity then they should have avoided it all together. Music in TV shows enhance moods and increases the weight of the story delivered.
When Rick broke up with Unity, music was added to the end of the episode to convey to the audience how his depression has affected him.
The first episode of Evil Morty ended with some citadel Ricks worrying about who was controlling robot Rick while Evil Morty disappears into a sea of Mortys. Music was added there but unlike the Unity episode R&M left us with a mystery and a cliffhanger there about how it would play out. Just like the season 2 cliffhanger ended with Birdperson and Tammy still alive and of course that episode ended with a NIN song.
Apart from the fact that the pool got worse in each episode.
Good point.
2reasons
1they fired justin roiland
2 they refuse to have an ending
I think the season 5, particularly the finale, was their way of opening up the universe to new possibilities. It ended previous open ended storylines that possibly depended on the central finite curve (CFC), and then the perceived “big bad” (Evil Morty) destroyed the CFC; which can lead to possibilities of characters that are more intelligent (and dangerous) than Rick. I think this could lead to the Smith family reverting back to how they acted previously, because now Rick isn’t “strongest” around. There’s potentially threats that Rick can’t overcome.
It’s arguable that Evil Morty isn’t necessarily evil, though still an antagonist. His goal was to knock Rick off his pedestal, and (as far as we know) succeeded in eliminating the main thing that perpetuated Rick’s god complex.
I think S4 and S5 were setting up for the long run since the show got a long term contract around that time. There was episodic “fillers” while they got the serial plot in order. I’m hoping that’s the case, because I’d like it to go in a more serialized direction, akin to Venture Bros.
You know what that's not a bad idea. I hope they can nail it. I like Rick being knocked down a peg so now everyone is scared again. Although I very much enjoy the continuity when it's good
It could be good just like you say, but the poor writing overall in Season 5 doesn't give me much hope.
You know, after season 5 finale, I can't envision Rick and Morty without it's core concept completely changed. The show will literally have to grow up. The writers put themselves on the biggest thematic conundrum I have ever seen in any medium. I'm curious to see what they have in mind. Obviously there are a lot of smart people there and I genuinely hope that they will have balls to do what it's needed and take the show to next step, because the way it is right now... it sucks.
Yea but to be fair season 4 ended in a very similar way. It didn’t change anything and only reused Space Beth for a gag. So I’m hopeful but anticipating another reset like season 5
Well technically season 5 finale canned all of the previous seasons. Evil Morty is gone, Morty is just some factory mass produced sidekick designed by Rick, and the "finite curve" was destroyed adjusting the universe to entirely different settings. So really they could make it an entirely different show completely, every single episode cuz according to the writers fk continuity.
Dan knows what hes doing
I can't think of another example of writers openly expressing contempt for their fans in the writing of the show.
Perhaps the standalone film The End of Evangelion that came out after the series ended
Calling the fanbase fascists is one of the dumbest, self centered and most disgusting things i have ever seen in media.
Yeah. This is true. For me personally, I feel like the show lost what made it engaging because all the characters changed. They were no longer the people that could make interesting conflict out of these types of stories, because they'd finally adapted to the new world that Rick had created by returning to family. So yeah, I think, either they find a way to create new conflicts that will terrify them again, or the show will continue to be a meaningless as Rick's existence
This was great - you didn't overly criticize anyone, just made a bona fide effort to understand and describe them.
I'll be honest, I've rather enjoyed these last two seasons, however I've made similar observations to you, that the show was going in a direction that contradicted its earlier episodes, yet conciousely (sp?) so and as a further extension of its lovecraftian themes. However, it didn't leave me unsatisfied. I was hoping the show was going to go that direction, or at least interrogate that part of itself eventually. One interesting thing I'd like to ponder is if how we are consuming these seasons are making a difference in how they're being received? For instance, I watched seasons 4 and 5 by binging through them, while I watched the first three seasons as they aired. Does binging these seasons in one go kind of force me, as a viewer, to accept that these storylines and the lives of these characters can't simply exist individually, and thus prepare me for Rick's realization of the same?
I think that the point the show was trying to bring across is that each episode and it's structure have now become as familiar to the audience as it does to the characters. While in previous seasons we didn't know what was going to come next, in season 4 and 5 we have more of an idea, and thus our attention shifts more to character growth as opposed to what might come next as we are more familiar with it.
wow thats a good research project right there
Thats interesting, for me its the opposite way, I binged the first 2 seasons, but 3-5 i watched as they aired, and I have liked the show just as much continuously
This is actually a really good analysis. Part of the fun was always about Morty and the rest getting traumatised by Rick's antics. I kinda doubt where the show became from something impactful to something that was good/passable. Last episode I clearly remember was Pickle Rick from season 3 and that episode really stoot out to me. So I guess season 3 is where is became less, but it could also be season 4. I am not sure.
I think a big driver of the change was that after a few seasons the writers were kinda horrified to find out that Rick, a guy written to be the worst person in the multiverse, was being seen as a hero by a portion of the fan-base. So they decided to deconstruct him, and that is the subtext of the following seasons.
People missing the point of a pure antihero has definitely been a trend, a lot like viewers taking up Walter White as an idol too.
I think this could have been the original intention anyway. Because in world that nothing actually matters then what would be the point of existence anyway. Life is valued because of death.
Rick is misrepresented here, because he is a someone with powers of a god, who, despite his nihilistic remarks, still cares about them, goes along with their irrationality, if only to teach them an important lesson.
He has powers beyond any supervillain and does what? Just entertains himself doing weird stuff in his garage. And solving the horrible problems others have created when given a chance to abuse Rick’s powers.
Rick is evil man
@@Liusila Or literally any movie with a male lead that deals with power struggle. lmao.
*As a Rick & Morty fan: I still love the show. I think it’s developments have been interesting, engaging, and exciting. But this happens to me ALL THE TIME. I like old SpongeBob and new SpongeBob, old Family Guy & new Family Guy. I even dig both Teen Titans and Teen Titans: Go!*
*It seems apparent to me that I’m not in the norm, which I’ve derived to be: Many people watch cartoons/ shows that they’ve fallen in love with hoping they’ll stay the same for eternity. I however embrace the evolution and enjoy the journey. The Planetina episode in season 5 is one of my favorite episodes in the series and it’s not even on formula. It’s Rick & Summer with an A-plot focusing on Morty. It’s heart touching and tragic, epic and goofy, adventurous and humane all in one. That’s what Rick & Morty is: whacky sci-fi adventures but always grounded in raw human experience. To me the show has continued to uphold that and I’m loving it!!!*
*Side note: I STRONGLY recommend binge-watching Rick & Morty as opposed to a week to week episode release basis. I got into Rick & Morty somewhere after season 3 aired and had the pleasure of watching the episodes back to back. Then with season 5, I tried the one at a time approach and it just felt like the wrong way to take in this show and it’s overarching themes. So last month, my friend and I got high as all get out, and binge watched season 5 and loved it to death. We laughed to tears and held back the tears brought on by the more emotionally intense moments. I just love this show. My life is better because Rick & Morty exists and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the direction it’s headed in.*
I think so too!! Condescending name, though.
I actually agree with u completely, I’m the same way in liking both things. I realize Rick and Morty has changed but I still really like it. I enjoy the joking earlier seasons (akin to solar opposites) but that doesn’t take away from how it’s still a great show
Very appreciated. I think it's the best analysis I've found of Rick and Morty so far. And illustrated my frustration with the train episode in a very eloquent way. And even more so, you just gave me a little hope that the show is going a direction I can get behind. I'm again looking forwards to next seasons of the show.
As usual, great job.
Would love to see your thoughts on the most recent two seasons, now that we're getting actual character development again...
Love it! Missed your insightful videos and glad you took the time to explain why Rick and morty has/is declining. Something I think people don't pick up on enough is the pacing. In the first three seasons I felt like the stories and jokes were happily digestible. S4 and 5 feel like they're on speed, skipping over jokes, plotlines, moments and meaning to get to the next joke or dialogue. Watching them becomes an effort in keeping up with the flow of the episode rather than an enjoyable absorption of a story well told.
feel like the writers (the new writers) were too afraid to give rick some PROPER character development. youll notice anytime they come close they immediately walk it back. other than that i love rick and morty, sure some seasons are better than others, but overall one of my top shows. although im not a big fan of them firing roiland BEFORE the case even finished (all charges were dropped). i mean rick and morty was literally justin roilands baby, sure there were other people working on it with him but if there was no justin roiland there would be no rick and morty. they hijacked the show from him and even tho season 7 was ok, its still just not the same.
Great video. This finally put into words what I've been thinking about this show too
because American television always has an issue with milking the shit out of any series to the point of ruining it completely.
Due to the meta nature of the show they are 'in syndication', a never ending hellscape, for both characters and writers. They are on the storytrain, and they taught you how it works. Guest star with lore connections to Rick's past, add Plot and B Story.
It's like they are just constantly churning out wackiness to meet some kind of quota now whereas the first 3 seasons were well written and well thought-out storylines.
"Hey, Rick and Morty writers! Who wants to make a deep, complex show with an ongoing story and character development?"
"Me! Me! I do, I do! YAAAYYY!"
"And who wants the complete opposite: a simpler show that's more joke-driven where anything wacky can happen every week and everything is wrapped up and reset at the end of the episode?"
"Me! Me! That's the way to go! I do, I do! YAAAAY!"
"So...you want to make complex series with an ongoing plot and character development driven entirely by jokes where everything is wrapped up and reset at the end of every episode?"
"Um...yeah, sure, that sounds good. Yeah."
"And also, we should win things by writing."
Does this mean that Rick and Morty is going to get a new character? I hope it's a character that you know is hip and cool off the bat. It should wear sunglasses and a baseball cap backwards.
@@jthwang Needs more attitude.
Not the only show suffering from the same problem these days.
@@mrblank-zh1xy All good shows have the same problem with the new direction the new writers were going except shows that only have 1/2 season.
The mr nimbus episode is genuinely a work of art man
Having only seen the first episode of Rick and Marty, whereupon I immediately realized it wasn’t going to be for me, this video was a fascinating, concise look into everything that I’ve missed, and definitely a confirmation of my initial impression. I tend to gravitate towards stories where everyone is actively trying to live meaningful lives and consequences are real and important (or else silly stories where everything is a big fun absurdist goof), so I wish this multiverse all the best, but I’ll continue to keep my distance!
That's what made the first two seasons great. Rick actively tries to outrun the consequences of his behavior, but he essentially continuously fails. Season 2 ends with him finally owning up to this... but then it's undone in Season 3 when the writers changed and the new theme of the show became "nothing matters" with the entire season 3 essentially resetting the show.
Huge disappointment.
@@AbandonedVoid awww man! That’s sad because consequences make for an incredibly compelling way to drive a narrative, even within an essentially absurdist world!
@@AbandonedVoid It's more like a spectrum of potential responses to the initial theme that nothing matters. As the show continues novelty fades, disappointment grows, & the characters lose faith in their own values.
If nothing matters then give it up & stop pretending, as was Ricks response in the season 2 finale. But if we keep it up, then what? Disappointment grows & novelty fades; thus, we have seasons 3 - 5.
It sounds like an excuse, but it really was an intentional story progression. If nothing matters & you fail to respect that, then all you can hope to do is struggle to appreciate less & less meaningful things in the meantime.
Refer to Ricks interest in Szechuan sauce from the first episode of season 3. Scraping more enjoyment out of the most menial, fleeting, little things just to carry on a little longer.
End of season 2 was Rick unable to enjoy anything & everything he could do was just going to harm his family. Life was too lame so he surrenders to the lameness. No matter what, Rick would have been the selfish dick.
End of season 5 was Morty willing to accomplish anything & everything he could do (with Rick) was just going to harm him (or others). Life wasn't "gross" (abundant) enough so Morty overcame the grossness. No matter what, Morty would have been the spineless wimp.
It really is just a journey of personal transformation for these polarizing characters. Rick learns humility first by choice, then by force (dumped by crows). Morty learns confidence first by force, then by choice (destroys citadel).
Another change is that old Rick was, despite his genius, always ill-prepared and often out of his depth, basically drunk stumbling into things, whereas current Rick is near omnipotent and has a Swiss Army plotsolver for a body. Now I'm thinking that may be deliberate as well...
I'm pretty happy with where season 5 left us. Rick understands the need for empathy now and he'll likely struggle with that for the remainder of the show. They paid off things that the fanbase wouldn't shut up about. The slate feels relatively clean as far as obligatory serialized elements. I thought you'd go more into how the last episode addresses everything else you brought up. Anyway, good nuanced take, but there's always more to say.
They blew their whole wad doing season five. They'll never be able to restart their growth curve unless they change the cast.
The biggest issue for me was the writers started flying in the face of the fans. Kinda bought their own hype. Instead of producing a show for the fans and doing what they want, they choose to create a show for themselves and make fun of the people that watch the show. It feels like they think they’re better than us in a way. Idk.
I will always be annoyed that this show stole BoJack Horseman's last chance to win an emmy
Bojack Horseman is ten times more bold than Rick and Morty ever will be, unfortunately. Bojack could bring up dark themes and then not be afraid to fuckin *go there*
I wouldnt fixate on this too much. Im a big fan of LIsa the Painful (a supremely dark Earthbound inspired RPG) Its my favorite game.
But the community is SOOO bitter about the success of Undertale, everywhere you look they will, unprompted, bring it up and get pissy about how big it got.
The reality is Undertale is a game for everyone, Lisa the Painful is for people who can understand the specifically fucked mind of its characters. (and like very dark humor) The things that make it special ENSURE it would never succeed as big as Undertale.
Its the difference between something so great it can be anyones favorite thing, and something so great its tailor made to be a few peoples favorite thing, of all time.
Keep this in mind whenever you feel like comparing the two because I personally cant identify with the Lisa the Painful community because of their obsessive hate boner. We dont live in a meritocracy just because something is better, wont make it more successful. This isn't the fault of the creators of the rival product or it in of itself, or the fans of that thing, its just the nature of the beast.
Lol bojack was a piece of shit show
@@daiselol Because Netflix didn't milked BJH so hard.
@@BaneDane_JB a good and all audiences thing will always win more awards than a niche but great thing. At the end of the day, what audience you target matters more than quality, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. As long as the niche product *can* find it's audience, awards hardly matter
Ricks nihilism is just a way to justify his wrong doings and a way to find an excuse to br scared of having emotional attachments otherwise he would lose them the same way he lost his wife and Beth.There are multiple times we see Rick showing affection to morty and showing he actually cares for him since he is practically the same as ricks son .He uses intelligence to justify his statements acts like he always knows right just to run away from being a human at heart
This. Great video. They pushed the limits way too far way too quickly leaving them with less options.
Also, not enough portal usage in recent seasons. The finale was good though.
I think a problem for me personally, is that they try and jam in 40 minutes of content during a 25 minutes episode. They feel so rushed and never have time to slow down so we can process them!
For the most part I enjoy both serialized and episodic episodes of Rick and Morty. There are going to be a shit ton more episodes whether we like it or not so if I can finish and episode and say "I had fun watching that" then it was a good episode
Idk. Season 4-5 imo isnt as consistent as 1-3 but it's still very strong. And my goodness the last few episodes are incredible. Rick is FINALLY challenged and confronted about his nihilistic world view to the point where it would be impossible to go on like this. Cant wait to see where they go with this
I feel the show's main storyline was going to evolve to the Smiths just getting used to it eventually, no matter what. After being exposed to it so often, you would get used to it too. Like we did.
I think the writers are hoping to remedy a lot of this stagnation by utilising the implications of the final episode. "Breaking down the barriers of reality" is a pretty ambiguous phrase which gives them a lot of room to look for new threats and conflicts and one of them, maybe even the main one could be that since all the universes where ricks the smartest are now back along side the universes where he isn't there will be beings smarter than Rick out there. Finally a real challenge. Maybe enough to force Rick into hiding and let the family develop on its own dynamics. Who knows. They've never failed to surprise me
Someone's been listening to Storytelling Deconstructed
omg thanks for making this awesome video essay! I've been trying to put my finger on why seasons 4 & 5 feel different/not as engaging! this really helps clarify things. GOOD JOB! I LIKE WHAT YOU GOT! ;-)
I struggled through season 4, didn’t even finish season 5…I thought episode one was a return to form and I was hopeful, but every episode is just a convoluted mess. I even thought s3 was something of a low point and more patchy than I was hoping for, but compared to 4 and 5 it’s probably borderline genius.. I’ve rewatched 1 and 2 so many times, haven’t rewatched 3, 4 or 5 even once..
Seasons 1 and 2 were definitely the golden years of Rick and Morty. I really wish they had continued the same format that made those first two seasons so great. I noticed a shift in season 3 that I didn't care much for.
I'll rewatch seasons 1 and 2, sometimes I'll watch season 3, but seasons 4 and 5? Meh. There are some good episodes in the mix of them but most of them are just a mess.
I'd love for them to reset back to seasons one and two. Forget all of the ways they've changed the characters and the style of the show and just return back to those golden days.
Back to the wacky adventures through the multiverse. Back to Rick's drunken genius personality, who could still work their way out of a sticky situation but not in the fearless and bored Mary Sue way that seasons 3 onward felt. Back to Morty having less confidence. Back to having some episodes that just kind of fuck with your mind where it seems something is going one way but then it goes another and yet it still all works out and makes sense in the end.
Truthfully the one episode I think comes close to holding a candle to seasons 1 and 2 was the Mr. Nimbus episode. I had high hopes after seeing that but the rest of the season just wasn't to that level at all.
I think there's more that makes the later seasons weird. I mean, season 1 Rick constantly screws up and is even outsmarted, but mostly he is not someone with various gadgets and appliances that basically make all risk null and void. Plus, most episodes have a B plot that is just as interesting as the main story (Summer is working for the Devil as Jerry is involved in politics in Pluto) while later seasons tend to drag a story way past the point it was funny (like A Rick in King Mortur's Mort, just to stay in one example).
As somebody who has never watched Rick and Morty, knowing the the later seasons are concerned about "doing fun things" just makes it all seem like a tremendous waste of time.
The whole thing about "nothing matters" also makes it seem like a tremendous waste of time.
@Alexis Sanchez Dan Harmon kicked my cat in the balls, I hate him.
I mean every show is a waste of time, most messages in them you can just learn for yourself by living life, this show embraced that fact, that it was a time waster. That's why it's so fun.
Yeah it's hard to really lose yourself in a story if there are no real stakes for the main character(s). You hit the nail on the head there. Honestly I haven't watched the last two seasons... but maybe they are just waiting until they know the end is near and then create huge stakes.. Life or death of Rick, maybe Rick having to choose between life or annoying he cares about Morty and the rest of the family.
Rick and Morty are still great, but the fandom is taking a nosedive
The fandom has always been shit. The show has just gone from good to shit.
@@UsernameCantGetMuchLongerCanIt yeah...
Here’s an idea- what if these one-off episodes/adventures were to drill the whole “nothing matters” bit to only end in the citadel, where the only way to escape the wormhole was for Rick to acknowledge and appreciate his need for Morty beyond being a shield? That was the point of this video, yeah?
I forget how popular this show is now and only really talk about it with my friends that like it. It’s still really good. Turkey episode is amazing I don’t get why it’s hated.
For real feel like it’s become that popular that now it’s cool to hate it.
every episode with the president is near the top of my favorites, but the Thanksgiving episode is *by far* my favorite.
Smiling friends comes out and ive already seen 4 videos about why rick and morty is falling, what?
I think the part of this show that its most ardent fans miss is that it's not necessarily on Rick's side. The show itself feels very conflicted, both wanting to agree with Rick's worldview while also knowing it's the worst kind of narcissistic self-delusion. Rick's controlled reality, the central finite curve, ultimately can be easily read as a bald-faced metaphor for narcissism, and specifically, the narcissism of an addict who needs to believe that there's nothing wrong with them, because to admit otherwise would be to admit being powerless in the face of addiction. Rick inhabiting a carefully cultivated multiverse where he's always the smartest person in the universe perfectly symbolizes the fantasy of the addict. There is no one so smart as the person who refuses to admit he's wrong. Spend any time with addicts and you'll catch a glimpse of that universe through the lens of their own stubbornly maintained self-delusion.
But you'll notice that whenever "the show" insists that canon is stupid and stand-alone episodes are all that matters, it's always the opinion of Rick himself. And here we have a perfect example of the unreliable narrator. It's easy to fall into the fallacy that if Rick says it, the show believes it. But this isn't necessarily the case. Of course Rick doesn't like Canon. Of course he doesn't like long-form storytelling. Long-form storytelling means he's going to grow, change, and face consequences. And Rick HATES that. Ultimately, the show is leading inevitably toward Rick being confronted with his faults, for better of worse. And because he's smart, he knows that. But because he's an addict, he can't bear to face it, because it would be admitting he's powerless, which is his greatest fear. So he will resist to the end, until he's hit bottom, naked in the face of his own reckoning with his demons.
So yeah, it's possible the sorry R&M episodes of the last two seasons were part of the increasing meaninglessness of the stand-alone part of the show, expressing the emptiness of Rick's adventures. On the other hand, they also just sucked in ways I can't quite believe could be on purpose. I suppose we should have expected padding when the show was extended for 70 more episodes. It's too bad that shows this successful tend to go on till they've worn out their welcome.
Great video. Couldn’t agree more. I have rewatched seasons 1-3 literally hundreds of times
Extremely well said. I could never put my finger on why I stopped caring about the show after S4 and S5, but this is spot-on 👌🏼
I know why I stopped caring about the show. It sucked and the episodes came out too slowly. That's why.
Thank you. Your explanaiton finally put to words what I felt.
It is impressive to witness how my pure joy of hearing "we will get another 7 seasons" dropped to where it is now just by watching a few of those new episodes and not even beeing abled to stand them anymore.
Expectations subverted i would say....
Rian? Are you around here somewhere?
omgah THANK YOU! i have been racked with trying to figure this out, when you said the part about “are not supposed to like these episodes vs being in on the joke” sooo glad someone else thought that. so many youtubers just don’t want to dive this deep into analyzing. you made awesome theory and i’m hoping too after season 5 things can change and grow for the better….cause season 4 and 5 were terrible lol….with it all, also just think episodes were bad cause they lost their main writers and maybe they knew they needed to write in a reason why they were so bad lol
The only time I have seen the "I am smart therefore rude" work is in Doc Martin, his persona is shown as a failing and a condition he would like to sometimes change rather than just the, I'm cool because I pretend not to care. It is also shown in a positive light in other scenarios too and the main thing being it is very funny.
Makes me so sad… I COMPLETELY agree that the first 3 seasons are the greatest and completely rewatchable. But the show is not the same show. Someone in the comments mentioned something about how it used to just be kind of mindless entertainment that made you feel relaxed but now it’s not relaxing to watch. The characters are all just two different than what they used to be. Idk. Not the same and it makes me sad
I absolutely love the new stuff, I love seeing character growth.
At the same time I can’t rewatch them as much without getting burnt out.