How Rick and Morty became the smartest show on TV

If you’re not watching it, start now. And that’s the waaaaaay the news goes!

Drunk, heartbroken and staring into a nihilistic pit of despair, the smartest man in the multiverse turns his back on his family and heads towards the only place where things make sense, the garage.

Drinking to null the pain of loss, Rick reaches for a device of unspeakable doom. After seeking comfort in the embrace of a disgusting alien, he tries to kill himself.

It doesn’t work. Life goes on.

Flashback to the ten minutes before this attempted suicide.

Rick is the happiest man in the universe after engaging in an orgy with thousands of redheaded aliens. To make things better, Rick wants this depraved sex act to involve”a hang glider, a crotchless Uncle Sam costume, and I want the entire field of your largest stadium covered end to end with naked redheads, and I want the stands packed with every man that remotely resembles my father.”

Welcome to the world of Rick and Morty, the smartest and best-written comedy on TV.

If you haven’t been watching Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland’s superb sci-fi cartoon then you’re in for a real treat because simply put, there’s nothing quite like it.

As Season 3 returns this week, we decided to pay delve back into the multiverse.

Ok, so what’s Rick and Morty about?

Fancy watching the inter-dimensional adventures of an alcoholic, narcissistic and foul-mouthed genius (Rick) and his incredibly dim-witted and constantly nervous grandson (Morty)?

In terms of pure pop-culture and sci-fi nostalgia, no other show can come close to holding Rick’s portal gun.

Films like Back to the Future (the show’s origins are filthy!), Total Recall, Jurassic Park, The Purge, Inception, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Planet of the Apes, Needful Things, David Cronenberg’s films and loads more are referenced.

Hell, even The Simpsons creator, Matt Groening, asked them to create a couch gag for The Simpsons. That’s how ingrained and popular the show has become in TV culture.

The real genius of Rick and Morty lies in the fact that it can somehow balance sci-fi conventions, pop-culture references, f**ked up absurdity, existential darkness and some genuinely touching moments of suburban family life.

Yes, there are dick jokes and planets that are entirely filled with testicle monsters, but if you look deeper than that, you’ll see scathing critiques of religion, government and an attempt tat answering the eternal question, what’s the meaning of life?

When you’re dealing with various universes and storylines where dogs take over the world and a supposed alien parasite that’s called Mr Poopy Butthole, you better have some good main characters for the audience to hang with.

In this case, Rick Sanchez is one of the greatest characters to emerge in recent TV history.

He’s a borderline sociopath that doesn’t think twice about pulling a knife on his grandson – it’s complicated – but like all great shows, there’s just enough humanity in Rick to make us root for him.

Yes, he’s an alcoholic genius that once forgot the word for ‘humans’, but that’s what makes him such a lovable bastard. In fact, this gag is best represented in the only memories that Morty can find of his grandfather.

Rick doesn’t give a f**k…expect he does.

Deep, deep, deep, deeeeeeep down, he does.

Clip via – 4you

Now we get onto Morty, a severely nervous and frustrated teenager that’s constantly being taken out on adventures by his grandfather. Ah, geez!

Truth be told, we learn everything about why Morty gets dragged out on these adventures in the very first episode. As Rick goes in search of some Mega Seeds, he tells his grandson that : “You’re young, you have your whole life ahead of you, and your anal cavity is still taut yet malleable.”

Basically, Morty is just a human punching bag/intergalactic mule/travel companion for the smartest man in the universe.

In later episodes, we’re actually told that Morty’s ‘stupid brain waves’ mask Rick’s ‘genius brainwaves’.

Still though, it’s the relationship between the two characters that makes the entire show.

As the series develops, you can clearly see Morty becoming more independent and authoritative. It’s obvious that Rick  cares for his grandson, but he’ll never say that.

As for Morty’s parents, Jerry and Beth Smith, they have the most f**ked up marriage in the universe, but they’re essential for the show to work.

Yes, they’re dealing with normal stuff like the pitfalls of raising children, the stresses of employment (or lack thereof), hormonal children and the problems of a troubled marriage, but things are a bit different for them.

While Rick and Morty are off travelling the multiverse, Jerry and Beth have to contend with things like an alien prisoner, alternate realities, the family dog taking over the universe and Mr Meeseks….look at me!

Despite his best efforts, Rick’s genius will ensure that Jerry is never the man of the house.

Truth be told, Rick and Morty is whatever you make of it – there are countless articles discussing its existentialism, pop-culture references, theories and more – but in simple terms, it’s just an incredibly funny and smart show that’s brimming with gags, set-pieces and memorable characters.

As Morty says:  “Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, everybody’s gonna die. Come watch TV.”

Make it Rick and Morty.