Rick and Morty Series Review
Rick and Morty is one of the most unique cartoons on TV. Its co-creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland bring fresh ideas to a genre that often recycles plots and characters. The show balances cynicism with moments of family and societal warmth. Its characters have distinct personalities that drive the comedy into dramatic territory. The animation is also fantastic.
Characters
One of the best things about Rick and Morty is the characters. Unlike other sci-fi shows that tend to make their aliens and monsters seem like caricatures, the writers of this show have created fully rounded characters. From their crude manners and burping shtick to their anxieties, the main cast feels entirely real.
Beth Smith (voiced by Sarah Chalke) – Beth is a veterinarian who specializes in horse surgery, a field that she finds beneath her and is often defensive of when compared to human medicine. She is also a wife to Jerry and the mother of Summer and Morty. Beth frequently defies her obnoxious husband and tries to hold on to some form of normalcy for her children.
Snuffles the Dog (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – Snuffles is the Smith family’s pet dog who is an amplified version of his breed. He is a loving and spoiled dog who acts like a child, despite his intelligence. His behavior can be seen as a parody of the way humans treat their pets.
Zigerions (voiced by Dan Harmon) – A race of scam artists who smuggle Rick into their virtual simulations to steal his recipe for concentrated dark matter. They are very uncomfortable with nudity and create an extremely accurate model of his genitalia for their simulations. They are a constant threat to the safety of the Morty family.
Plots
Often, the best moments of Rick and Morty are those in which we can see characters’ inner workings. Beth and Jerry’s failing marriage gets a lot of time in the spotlight, as they put themselves through trial after trial to test their commitment. While some of these tests are hilarious, it’s hard to see them as anything other than a caricature of a shaky marriage.
Meanwhile, teenage Morty has to deal with a minefield of social traps as he navigates high school alongside his alcoholic grandfather. While he’s nigh unfazed by the craziness of Rick’s interdimensional shenanigans, he isn’t too happy about having to tag along and do his bidding.
The pacing of these episodes on movies123 is great, and the show manages to find just the right balance between zaniness and heart. We also like that the show doesn’t shy away from skewering other genres of science fiction, drawing inspiration from and lampooning Indiana Jones, Ernest Hemingway, Batman-esque acid vats, Akira, heist movies, and more.
The only real drawback is that the writing starts to fall apart by the end of Season 4. There are still some great moments, but they’re increasingly few and far between. The jokes start to feel less clever and more juvenile, and the chemistry between the cast is starting to fade. It’s a shame, because Rick and Morty is a show that had the potential to be an all-time classic.
Voice Actors
After a six-month search, Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden officially made their debut as the new voices of Rick and Morty in the season 7 premiere of the Adult Swim animated hit. It was a smooth transition, though true obsessives might pick up on slight differences in intonation.
The show’s co-creator and star Justin Roiland was fired from the series after domestic violence charges (later dropped) and multiple sexual assault allegations. But he left his mark on the characters, which is why it’s so impressive that the rest of the cast sound so much like their old selves.
Scrubs and Roseanne actress Sarah Chalke continues to deliver a dead-on version of Beth Smith, the emotionally vulnerable wife of Rick who has an unhealthy egocentricity and a superficial superiority complex. It was a wise choice to let her voice carry over into this new chapter of the series.
Jim Gaffigan is a wildly successful stand-up comedian who also dabbles in voice acting. He’s provided the voices for a handful of films and TV shows, including Hotel Transylvania 3 and Playmobil: The Movie. His kindly Midwest accent is perfect for the doomed Hoovy in this latest iteration of Rick and Morty.
Besides Cardoni and Belden, the other members of the Rick and Morty ensemble include Sherri Shepherd (The View), John DiMaggio (Bender on Futurama and Jake the Dog on Adventure Time) and Cassie Steele (Many Santos on Degrassi: The Next Generation). But it was the improviser Thomas Middleditch who stole the show as overmatched tech tycoon Richard Hendrix. He has a long career ahead of him as one of TV’s best character actors.
Overall
When you drop into Rick and Morty’s discussion threads on Reddit, Facebook or Twitter, you might be surprised to find that the show has a somewhat fractious fanbase. The show’s nihilistic, violent and occasionally disturbing humor has irked some viewers to the point of dismissing it. Others have even taken it upon themselves to impose their moral judgment on anyone who enjoys the series by accusing them of being inherently more intelligent than they are because they grasp the complexities of the scientific and philosophical references.
The show is not for everyone, but it’s a great example of how well an animated comedy can work when it has a strong supporting cast and a reliable catalog of recurring jokes. It also manages to push the boundaries of tried-and-tested genre elements and expand them in interesting ways.
The most important aspect of the show, however, is that it makes you think and reflects on your own beliefs and values. It’s not often that a TV show has this kind of impact on its viewers. It’s a shame that some people seem so afraid to take advantage of this opportunity. If you haven’t seen Rick and Morty, you should definitely give it a try. It may not be as good as season 1-3, but it still offers plenty of laughs and is a must-watch for any animation fan.
