MovieChat Forums > Rick and Morty (2013) Discussion > Becoming too cartoony

Becoming too cartoony

posted 2 years ago by greenvelvet (167)
1 reply | jump to latest

I know this is a weird complaint to have about an animated show, but I feel like the quality is declining as they keep giving Rick infinite powers, weapons, and fighting abilities. Nearly every episode now ends in a fight and it's boring as we know it's never going to mean anything. Any issue that occurs is immediately solved by Rick pulling a magic machine specific for the situation from inside his lab coat with no set-up and never for the machine to be seen again. It feels very shallow.

Compare the pilot and Rattlestar Ricklactica. In both episodes, someone breaks their legs. In the pilot, Rick has to go through a portal to get the cure but this causes his portal gun to lose charge. He's able to do something incredible but there is a downside. In Rattlestar Ricklactica, Rick immediately pulls a device from his lab coat and is able to immediately fix Jerry's leg (as much he wants it to be).

The pilot also opens with Rick explaining how he built his spaceship out of garbage and bomb that seems not to work. The ship looks home made which gives it some charm yet Rick seems proud of it. Now it feels incongruous with Rick the God, Smartest Man in the Universe. In the season one episode, Rick Potion #9, Rick screws up making the love potion and can't fix it. Other episodes from that season involve Rick making mistakes or being in over his head (dream device in Lawnmower Dog, the park in Anatomy Park, trying to make something from the sex robot parts in Raising Gazorpazorp, and Abradolf Lincler in Ricksy Business).

In newer episodes, everything is amazing gleaming scifi tech that Rick seemingly has endless supplies of and never fails because he made a mistake. It's boring. I suspect that the writers are aware of this and that's why Rick's portal gun stayed broken for part of season 6.

Morty, in the pilot, is also hesitant to shoot anyone but now the whole family regularly tears aliens apart like nothing. It's meaningless. My favourite pair up is now Rick/Jerry as Jerry maintains that naivety that Morty lost.

I hope they reveal that Rick has been taking Mega Seeds like crazy but that the plant is now extinct so they have a reason to dial things back a bit.

[–] NoEasyBuckets (349) 2 years ago

It's a pretty common criticism that I think the writers took on board for season 6. As you pointed out they took away the portal gun but I also think they tried to have other characters solve problems without Rick a little more. As for Morty and the family being different, well yeah, they've seen and done everything at this point so it doesn't make sense for them to act like they did at at the beginning. These are mostly just problems you get when a show goes on past its prime.

Personally I think people are too hard on the show. It's a once great show that I now think is pretty good on average, but some viewers take it being only pretty good as some kind of personal insult.