1 February 2014 | lcargill99

10 | Very solidly constructed television.

This is an extremely solid show. It is *dark*, but there are certainly moments that approach the limits of any sort of television style format.



The ending of "Rick Potion #9" is just amazing. Likewise, the end of "M. Night Shaym Aliens".



The strength of the show is just how amoral Rick may be; but there is a strong attachment to the "many universes" hypothesis within the show. Philosophers have long debated the moral implications of "many universes" ( while realizing it's a bit sophomoric and nerdy ) ; "Rick and Morty" picks at this as its stock in trade. Morty is our avatar, and works in that capacity extremely well.



The essential dyad at the center - the title characters - interact little with the more peripheral characters, who have mainly been used in B plots. This shifts of course, and with these sorts of shows they will always mix this for plot gain. There's a rich enough set of characters to provide ample space. The interaction between Rick and Morty hoists a bit from classic propaganda tropes without actually being propagandist; a heck of a trick. It must be hard to calibrate this.



The entire show is just chock full of nuggets and neither preaches nor deigns to condescend to the audience. Pacing is always even and feels right. The writers know where to push and where not to.



We will see how long this can be maintained. The writers show a gift for twisting & adding-to old plots into new shows. Hopefully that's a stable arrangement.



As an "agent of Chaos", Rick should serve us for many years. There are actual ideas underneath all the humor, and here's to them. This might well be the best thing on television right now.