I feel that the first season was pretty neutral, maybe kind of left-leaning aesthetically, but it also aired way back in 2013.
The newer episodes are dropping more fashy lines. The Unity episode where Rick frames some minority alien group for something, and then says "sheesh, don't blame me it's the police who are racist"
Or the "future crystals" where rick keeps getting routed through fascist alternate universes with nazi morties, only to end up with a wasp rick where the entire wasp Smith family eats the (Black) math teacher larvae. Not exactly subtle.
The whole premise of the show also became even more over of a power fantasy in seasons 3/4.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMILvY_FJj8
Its the opposite. Rick is a deconstrution of a fascist Ubermensch as an anti-absurd-hero.
Yeah, he can do anything, and maybe at one time he used that in the service of an ideal with Bird Person et al, but he's also a profoundly broken person who cant connect with anything and anyone, and every-time he nearly does he veers away from it in fear. His not caring edgelord-ness is a symbol of his lack of control over the few things that actually matter to him.
He acts like the Ubermensch but he's actually The Last Man. That's what the pickle rick episode is about, he's so fucked up he'll literally risk his own life in an utterly stupid way to avoid talking with his family. He can't act authentically on his own real desires AT ALL
this. rick sanchez is fundamentally a tragic figure. the hive mind assimilator breaks up with him because he's toxic, and his grandkids endorse its decision.
I think Renegade Cut did a video on the fundamental thematic contradiction of the show, where its supposed to be this deconstruction of a nihilistic Nietzchean character but the text frequently goes out of its way to frame Rick's beliefs and statements as correct.
I mean Rick has his good points, has the vestiges of a decent person remaining, and he has to seem on the surface as this ultimately self-actualized being. The show couldn't work if he was pathetic on the outside as well.
I actually thought that was making fun of fascists and the liberals that side with them. Someone tell me why I am wrong, I usually am.
I'm not sure it's even really a joke. Harmon had a bit of a breakdown after Trump was elected. He's really freaked out by all of the people that are comfortable with fascism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKvsLLfRpLs
I mean satire can be honest and serious. That's really the best (and arguably only) form of satire.
he's also freaked out by people who are comfortable with trade unionism
That was more justin roiland, dan probably could have done a better job standing with the union, but I haven't heard about him working against his employees like that (could be mistaken though)
I don't remember the details of the wasp thing, but in general it seemed like the recurring fascist thing was a) a standard repetition to the point of absurdity comedy bit and b) representative of the experience many have had lately of finding out they're surrounded by fascists.
i think he said 'jesus fuck when did this become the default?' and the wasps say something like 'hey, we might (horrible things wasps do), but at least we're not fucking fascists.' when rick-prime comes in and unenthusiastically pretends to be one.
Yeah, the "no politics, just classic fun adventure" mortysounds exactly like the gamergate crowd, and him getting beaten up is portrayed as the correct thing
Yeah, thats what I took from that to. Rick literally killing the gamergate crowd, its not exactly high brow but it wouldnt be the first time CHUDs missed that an artist wasnt exactly endorsing them.
Isn't that the idea? Even wasps make me thing of W.A.S.P. and how they treat PoC.
Watching Rick and Morty gave me the impression that the creators are pulling their hair out going 'how obviously bad do we have to make Rick before chuds and edgy teenagers stop thinking he's meant to be good?' He's pretty much the most powerful person in the world (pretty much like superman where depending on the movie/comic he gets however much power he needs to win in the end), and due to being an all-around asshole he's incredibly miserable and makes everyone around him miserable too.
He tries to commit suicide at least once, a lot of episodes are basically 'can we fix <psychopathic thing> Rick did?', and plenty of plot threads resolve themselves as 'Rick succeeds at his stated goal but is still unhappy because of who he is as a person, and his unwillingness to change/grow from his nihilistic masturbatory smart-means-good worldview'.
You got me thinking about the episode where they cleanse the "toxic" side of themselves.
Rick's toxicity is his nihilism, ego, superiority complex, etc.
Morty's toxicity is the opposite: his lack of self esteem, anxiety, etc.They both come out a lot healthier, but Rick veered a bit more towards the "caring" side, and Morty a bit more towards the "selfish" side.
Their toxic selves were trapped in the chamber, and only healthy Rick wanted to get them back--healthy Morty didn't. In other words Rick was a liberal, a person whose heart is in the right place but his tolerance of intolerance always prevents him from growing. Morty was a moderate basically, looking out for himself at all costs but without the emotional dysfunction and seething of the altright.
The show is nihilistic like south park, it just manifests itself differently.
They also talk about how Israel is bad.
They also talk about how Israel is bad.
which doesn't really have any relevance in denoting a specific political side, since both sides have tons of people that are anti and pro Israel for different reasons.
It's making fun of them. Dan Harmon is definitely not a fascist. He's a lib that once got attacked by chuds trying to end his career. Now he makes it a sport to bully fash in every season.
I feel like the show post-season 3 is basically full of contempt for the audience and giving them what they want while insulting them for wanting it.
Dan Harmon is center-left (in our terms, not american vocabulary), and I don't think he has strong political views.
Lol that is a reach! This is the same level of analysis that says LoK is bad because some of the characters are cops. Funny bit
