Board 8 > so i watched episode one of rick and morty

(+) Yeah! (+)

The cable thing was basically Justin in a booth improvising random jokes by himself, with the writers observing and making notes and comments to adjust what he's saying. Then the animation was all created afterwards to fit whatever the hell they recorded.


The second version of this episode... they let Justin improvise by himself. Considering your feelings about the first one, adjust your hype accordingly!



I saw an interview with Dan Harmon and Justin, and Dan kind of summarized their two different styles of humour really well. I'll see if I can find it tonight, but it boiled down to Dan always needs a joke to be "going somewhere" to really follow through whereas Justin can just create something dark or absurd that leads nowhere and that's hilarious to him. It really shows through in these improv shows I think.
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The improv stuff is weird because it's just Justin and Dan's humor. It's going beyond breaking the 4th wall, acknowledging not only the viewer and the fact that it's a TV show, but also the fact that this TV show is written by 2 dumb dudes. And if you don't actually care about those 2 dumb dudes, you just want to watch their TV show, then the improv is pretty meaningless.

Personally I don't like Justin's comedy that much but I love anything to do with Dan and their combination is great so I enjoyed it. But it's definitely separate from the Rick & Morty part of the episode, which the Jerry and Beth stuff.
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foolm0r0n posted...

The improv stuff is weird because it's just Justin and Dan's humor. It's going beyond breaking the 4th wall, acknowledging not only the viewer and the fact that it's a TV show, but also the fact that this TV show is written by 2 dumb dudes. And if you don't actually care about those 2 dumb dudes, you just want to watch their TV show, then the improv is pretty meaningless.

Personally I don't like Justin's comedy that much but I love anything to do with Dan and their combination is great so I enjoyed it. But it's definitely separate from the Rick & Morty part of the episode, which the Jerry and Beth stuff.

yeah, well articulated. even when i do follow creators, i tend to prefer jokes that don't entirely rely on the viewers' knowledge of the creators. one of the most lauded supernatural episodes goes super-meta and i think it suffers for it, even though it is funny.

and yeah, love the actual R&M part of the episode, which mostly involves neither rick nor morty!
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MariaTaylor posted...

interdimensional cable 1 is generally well liked, while the second one is generally disliked. if you disliked the first one... man it's going to be interesting to see how much you hate the second one.

assuming you even get that far. it sort of seems like you're still not enjoying the show very much? or maybe I'm reading more into these write ups than you've intended.

I think I liked IC2 more, both the cable and episode.
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IfGodCouldDie posted...

MariaTaylor posted...

interdimensional cable 1 is generally well liked, while the second one is generally disliked. if you disliked the first one... man it's going to be interesting to see how much you hate the second one.

assuming you even get that far. it sort of seems like you're still not enjoying the show very much? or maybe I'm reading more into these write ups than you've intended.

I think I liked IC2 more, both the cable and episode.

sure, I'm just speaking in generalities. obviously there are exceptions.

myself I liked them both about equally.

also I don't think I've seen anything else from justin roiland but I still found the improv stuff to be funny.
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I think IC2 is my second-least favorite episode in the series. Close to the pilot.

I didn't know much about the creators going into IC1 but I still enjoyed the improv stuff. Don't think it entirely needs that meta knowledge.
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I really liked IC1, top five episode maybe probably
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It's just called Two Brothers
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Another thing that made IC1 (I guess we spoiled well enough there's an IC2...) work, for me at least, is that I starting watching R&M purely because I knew it was Dan's just-fired-from-Community show. So I was intensely aware of the Dan-ness of things and always comparing it to Community. Which made some simple or missed jokes land way better than they maybe should have.

That's another reason I should rewatch it. R&M is definitely its own thing for me now, not just "that thing Dan did between Community seasons". I think it took until the S1 finale for that to happen.
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As someone who had zero meta context for IC1, it's a top 5 episode for me. B plot is really great and the A plot is totally my type of humor. Real Fake Doors is A+.
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Like for pure laughs that improvisational humor destroyed me. Though it's the kind of thing I'm afraid won't be as funny on rewatch.
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I thought everyone loved IC1 but disliked IC2. Then again I thought everyone agreed Get Shwifty was the worst episode but I'm wrong on that front so maybe I'm out of touch. Then again it is real obvious which two episodes are regarded as the best.
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I remember watching IC1 again a few months after watching it the first time.

I laughed so hard at Gazorpazorpfield I nearly fell off the sofa
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Also I love Get Schwifty and I'm surprised there's apparently some kind of consensus against it? SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT seems pretty pervasive, for example. I like that episode a lot.

@OliviaTremor which are these two highly regarded episodes? I'm not sure if I have a favourite. Probably leaning towards the s3 opener, the microverse ep, s2 finale or the time episode. Or the purge. Or total rickall. damn
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The Ricks Must be Crazy and Total Rickall are the episodes I've never seen a single person not love.
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Finished Episode 9. Tale of two stories here - Rick's interference and Summer's collaboration with the Devil is vastly superior to Morty' and Jerry's trip to Pluto. Not that the latter is that bad - it's a nice look at anti-intellectualism, governments using charisma to cover for lying, and Jerry's coping with insecurities.

But man, that Rick/Summer plot is incredible, with Lucifer trying really damn hard to be sinister and not intimidating anyone, Rick managing to entertain himself by just fucking around with the Devil (complete with a local TV ad!), and Summer generally just wanting a job/not caring about who she's actually working for. This is what we deserved out of this pairing, not the sex-robot world.

And LMFAO at that steroid-revenge ending. I can't think of a single thing that hinted at that resolution but it was fucking hilarious.
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Oh yeah, have you been watching for post-credits scenes, btw? I don't remember if all do, but many have them.
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I think nearly every episode has had a post-credits scene. I've been watching them all, this was a great one.
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Just making sure. This one was definitely great.
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so no one cares about a writeup with no negative comments, which is cool

i didn't consult these notes for the writeup, so here they were for 1x09.

dog pic on the wall

'What is my purpose?' / 'You pass butter.' / '... oh my god.' / 'Yeah, welcome to the club, pal.'

oh never pays here... with MONEY. / NOTHING TO READ INTO THERE!

evil laugh-off

discussion of hte word retarded

'Please, call me the Devil.' / 'I'd rather not.'

commercial spot yesss

alluding to bugs bunny fucking with the opera for 20 minutes yesss

anti-intellectualism

lonely rick

'I can see you're confused. Plutonamo Bay is a military prison. Sort of a play on words.'

(index card: PLUTO = PLANET)

morty getting REAL on the case about bursting in when he's on the laptop


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The "you pass butter" exchange is one of my favorites on the show.
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the devil is soooooooo good but i kinda felt like the betrayal was a little weak, even if he's the devil
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butter and retarded are both top tier moments
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pluto is a planet
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The DMX ending is so insanely good. The best part is it's nearly 100% animation comedy, no dialogue at all.
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episode 10 beated and it's another hilarious one. this is like three great episodes in succession. nothing too specific to comment on here; i like the recurring alternate dimension lore. (if any of you have read the novel dark matter - it's a thriller predicated on a similar idea)

so i think rick and morty's relationship's not being *entirely* exploitative is a pretty important point for the series to function. 'when a rick stands near a morty, the genius waves get canceled out by... um, rick waves.' / 'umm.. because our personalities are so different?' / 'ooohhhhhhh shit dawg!' most of the stuff that actually happens here is fairly straightforward, but it's great fun.

the B-plot delivers, too. messed up rick finally gives jerry some positive reinforcement (which regular rick shits on), while beth soaks in the ricks' adulation and summer is completely indifferent.

also, the gag with dimensions of pizzas ordering sofas and then sofas using pizzas as phones is incredible

'maybe i don't connect because i'm the rickiest rick of them all!'
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i love how one of the things every Rick has in common is that they love Beth and think Jerry is an idiot.
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yes! rick doesn't always express it in words but he really cares about beth and that's clearly part of why he dislikes jerry so much
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So glad you finally watched this episode, I have a theory is kind of connected to something someone said earlier. I feel like the Morty behind that robotic Rick is either the original Morty for the Rick we see most of the time or he may just be an alternate version of Morty where he is just as smart as Rick, I'm not sure. Either way that is a plotline I am desperately waiting to see resolved.
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alright so i finished season 1 (1x11). it's a mostly good episode without gaping holes but that doesn't thrill quite as much of some of these others. the bird person's stoic attitude is pretty great (he's dead serious the whole time and takes off absolutely ridiculously), and i was half-bullish/half-apathetic at the blend of lincoln/hitler. jerry and beth's trip to titanic-land is mostly forgettable. in general, i'm happier when characters are reasonably human to one another, and this episode's split into jerry/beth and rick/morty/summer feels like a really nice blend.

rick and summer's high school drama annoys me overall. ironically i can really enjoy high school drama when it's done right/taken seriously, but in a series that clearly doesn't care much about it, it's hard for me to care about it either.

rick dancing is a nice gag, but it's not quite funny enough for how much time it takes up. pretty decent ending, celebrating season 1's completion though!
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I'm through S2E1 and am a convert now. I think Rick Potion #9 was the turning point. The first five episodes were more or less zany cartoon high jinks. Episode 6 took it to another level and I've been captivated ever sense. Gonna watch the rest and maybe marathon all the episodes one more time before the Rickmobile arrives in my town on July 18.
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IfGodCouldDie posted...

So glad you finally watched this episode, I have a theory is kind of connected to something someone said earlier. I feel like the Morty behind that robotic Rick is either the original Morty for the Rick we see most of the time or he may just be an alternate version of Morty where he is just as smart as Rick, I'm not sure. Either way that is a plotline I am desperately waiting to see resolved.

This. This is my favorite episode because the first time I watched it I was blown away. The entire time we're led to believe Rick > Morty and Evil Morty himself even throws in a red herring with his "It would be pointless, Mortys have no chance of defeating a Rick" comment, then the end comes and WOW. Really puts the "If there's any truth in this universe, its that Ricks don't care about Mortys" line in a whole new light.
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ffmasterjose posted...

IfGodCouldDie posted...

So glad you finally watched this episode, I have a theory is kind of connected to something someone said earlier. I feel like the Morty behind that robotic Rick is either the original Morty for the Rick we see most of the time or he may just be an alternate version of Morty where he is just as smart as Rick, I'm not sure. Either way that is a plotline I am desperately waiting to see resolved.

This. This is my favorite episode because the first time I watched it I was blown away. The entire time we're led to believe Rick > Morty and Evil Morty himself even throws in a red herring with his "It would be pointless, Mortys have no chance of defeating a Rick" comment, then the end comes and WOW. Really puts the "If there's any truth in this universe, its that Ricks don't care about Mortys" line in a whole new light.

Right?And after what we have seen in S3E1, I am kind of curious as to whether or not those happy memories of Morty were some what fabricated because C-137 already knew it was that Morty. Also the Rickpig that has seen that technology before.
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CaptainOfCrush posted...

I'm through S2E1 and am a convert now. I think Rick Potion #9 was the turning point. The first five episodes were more or less zany cartoon high jinks. Episode 6 took it to another level and I've been captivated ever sense. Gonna watch the rest and maybe marathon all the episodes one more time before the Rickmobile arrives in my town on July 18.

1x02 was the 'turning point' for me, but 1x05 for me was the first truly great episode imo!
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The bf and I just watched my favorite R&M scene in possibly my favorite episode (The Ricks Must be Crazy). I'm so glad he enjoys it as much as me! ^_^
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RICKS MUST BE CRAZY SPOILERS:

Stephen Colbert is a fucking legend
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I came around on episode 2 big time too. Rick was just mostly a bit to aggraviting in the first episode.

But it's mostly from the Scary Terry inception bits. I wasn't too crazy about the Dog storyline, except the very beginning when Rick says "I thought the whole point of a dog was to feel superior, Jerry. If I were you I wouldn't pull that thread."

I love when Rick makes casual comments like that which show how he clearly sees exactly where the situation is going, but barely gives a fuck. I find a lot of times when there's a "really smart character" in something, he's often not actually written to be as intelligent as the creator wants us to think he is, at least most of the time. But Rick is 100% believable as a complete genius, despite the fact that he's an asshole drunk who doesn't care about anything.
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everyone just loooves talking about future episodes here huh

there's another R&M topic for people who have watched the whole show! digi's working much harder on his topic than i am on mine

CoolCly posted...

I love when Rick makes casual comments like that which show how he clearly sees exactly where the situation is going, but barely gives a fuck. I find a lot of times when there's a "really smart character" in something, he's often not actually written to be as intelligent as the creator wants us to think he is, at least most of the time. But Rick is 100% believable as a complete genius, despite the fact that he's an asshole drunk who doesn't care about anything.

beyond being smart, rick is super-genre-savvy. he has the cultural lexicon/meta-insight of abed, but also science skills and no desire for empathy. the casual way he offers the meeseeks to solve morty's family's problems is amazing.
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On that note, watched 2x01! This series is full of what they call 'high concept' episodes, and while I've shied away from the phrase in the past, I suddenly find myself unable to describe what happens with the A-storyline without it. Love the strong continuity, love Summer getting involved here, LOVE Samuel L. Jackson's inexplicable entrance, love the gimmick in general (and how there are tiny differences that I'm too lazy to pause and point out).

As for the B-plot... Jerry needling Beth about being a horse surgeon is easily one of the least entertaining running gags of the series. I'm not particularly impressed by the romantic gesture in this episode, because that taunting never felt real. On the other hand, Beth herself gets some nice character development addressing her own feelings of inadequacy. She treats the snake vet with shocking contempt (and in a sly moment, believes that her male assistant is the real doctor), which pretty much shows exactly the way she personally feels.

My favorite gags from this episode that I haven't mentioned are almost entirely Rick's meta jokes/subversions of expectation:

* He references a Reverend Grumble that causes Morty and Summer to laugh, before telling them to shut the fuck up because the reference is fake.

* He is unconcerned with Beth and Jerry, probably living it up in some stupid marriage sideplot. (They are.)

* He complains that Morty and Summer are so indecisive they can't even figure out which chair to sit their asses in. (This is the cause of the first split not being able to merge.)

* He has four hours to solve major issues but instead takes the time out to tell Morty and Summer why they suck. He asks for a whiteboard for the full mathematical proof: 'This has been a long time coming anyway.'

* He uses the cliche, 'I don't expect you to understand this,' before saying something kind of obvious to the viewer... and then admits, 'Well, I actually do expect you to understand that, it's just basic mathematics.'

* He performs a Cabbage Patch Dance, which I thought was actually another fake reference.

* Oh, and this isn't about Rick, but I'm glad the opening theme changed, too.
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SeabassDebeste posted...

everyone just loooves talking about future episodes here huh

there's another R&M topic for people who have watched the whole show! digi's working much harder on his topic than i am on mine

Thanks for the link.
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literally a board with less than 200 topics AND a search feature
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SeabassDebeste posted...

literally a board with less than 200 topics AND a search feature

You are the one that brought it up, just pointing out that adding the link would have been ideal.
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SeabassDebeste posted...

everyone just loooves talking about future episodes here huh

yeah this is getting a bit rick-diculous
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Yeah let's talk about last episodes

Small note: I think you got a few charnamed names mixed up in your 2x1 post.
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MajinZidane posted...

Yeah let's talk about last episodes

Small note: I think you got a few charnamed names mixed up in your 2x1 post.

It was a constant struggle. Did I catch everything? It's super-hard to remember that the two kids are Summer and Morty.
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I will mess with time
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Are you kidding me? Two dots? This never needs to be more than one dot!
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That's probably one of my fav episodes of the ones I've seen.

16 ricks: Hand me that phillips
Other 16 ricks: Hand me that flat-head

16 ricks: Actually, make it a flat-head
Other 16 ricks: Actually, make it a phillips

*Splits into 32 more ricks*
All 64 ricks: Ohhhhhhh ****
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IfGodCouldDie posted...

SeabassDebeste posted...

literally a board with less than 200 topics AND a search feature

You are the one that brought it up, just pointing out that adding the link would have been ideal.

Let's just keep talking about 3x01 here!
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You fixed it and I had a disgusting typo that you understood
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