by Jake McEvoy ’18

Fans of the hit TV show Rick and Morty welcomed the opening of season 3 with open arms this summer. The first episode of season 3 arrived in April to build up the show’s hype, and the rest of the season was released over 9 consecutive weeks starting at the end of July. The show has leaped bounds since its humble beginnings back in the end of 2013. Its TV viewer base has almost tripled since the season pilot aired on Adult Swim, but its main viewer base has always existed on the hard-to-track streaming websites online.

For those who have not yet tuned in to watch the so called “millennials’ favorite show,”[1] Rick and Morty follows the escapades and adventures of the super-genius Rick Sanchez and his dim-witted grandson Morty. The show balances the duo’s endless pursuit to save the universe and have a fun time, while also saving Morty’s troubled household and his parents’ marriage.

Along with their compelling plotlines, the 15 minute episodes of Rick and Morty draw in their supporters using a playful yet dark nihilistic sense of humor. The show takes on topics like the meaning of life and god with a flippant attitude, culminating in the show’s ironic moral: nothing matters. The show typically parodies well-known pop culture, including its own nods toward movies like Planet of the Apes, Nightmare on Elm Street, Love Potion No. 9, Jurassic Park and many, many more. After such critical and popular success with seasons 1 and 2, season 3 had high expectations.

The general consensus at Newark Academy is that Season 3 delivered. Benjy Berkowitz ’18 comments, “I think it was pretty good, definitely lived up to the hype.” His favorite episode was “Rest and Rickslaxation”, where Rick and Morty go to a space spa and use the “detoxifier” to get all of the bad parts of them removed. Rather than stripping the bad away from their bodies, two versions of each character are separated and stored in alternate dimensions; the bad versions determined to kill the good for revenge. Like many other episodes in season three, the plot is full of twists and the jokes make you left feeling like life has no meaning: a perfect combination.

While the show may be fun to watch, many have commented that an unlikely suspect ruins the show: its sometimes pretentious and obnoxious fanbase. Rick and Morty fans have become infamous for preaching the show’s “intelligent humor” that only a select few can really appreciate. Rebecca Slater ’18 describes the section of fans as “cringe.” One video has surfaced online of a Rick and Morty fan having a temper tantrum in a McDonald’s restaurant because they wouldn’t give him his ‘szechuan sauce,’ which, in the show, is Rick’s favorite McDonald’s dipping sauce – which they stopped selling in 2001. The crazed fan is seen screaming “I’M PICKLE RICK! REEEEEEEEE” as he jumps atop the counter.

This group, however, is “really only a small subsection of the fans,” according to Rebecca. For the most part, fans of this show are just like all others. In fact, most people like this show as much for its bathroom humor as they like it for its supposed “intelligent humor.“ I, for one, always find myself laughing at the kitchen appliance salesman Ants-in-my-eyes Johnson more than I do at the subtle scientific sarcasm or obscure 70s pop culture references. As long as you’re not a kid trying to emulate Rick Sanchez in every way possible, you’ve got nothing to worry about.

However, whichever type of humor you prefer more, I guarantee this show will have something for you; Lovable characters, a compelling storyline, Shyamalan-esque plot twists, and as much TV-censored swearing that anyone could ever hope for. Here’s hoping that season 4 will continue the current upward trend, and isn’t too far off in the future!

[1] http://fortune.com/2017/09/30/why-adult-swims-rick-and-morty-is-millennials-favorite-tv-show/