Wub-a-lub-a-dub-dub Wisecrack, Jared here. You've probably noticed the internet has blown
up talking about the season 3 premiere of Rick and Morty: The Rickshank Redemption. But rather than focusing on the fact that
Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon pulled off quite possibly the greatest anti-April Fool's prank
of all time, everyone can't stop talking about that sweet Szechuan dipping sauce. Is the show doing something more profound
than invoking a totally random promotional condiment from the Clinton era? Absolutely. And we’re here to break it down for you. Welcome to this Wisecrack Edition on the Philosophy
of Szechuan Sauce. We’ve talked about the existential themes
in Rick and Morty before. Between Rick's creations despairing over their
existence a persistent resentment towards one's creators and Morty's unique life philosophy they’re not exactly hiding it. The show has also dabbled in a sort of relative
to existentialism known as “Absurdism.” According to French philosopher Albert Camus,
we live a cruel and absurd existence. Humans are cursed with seeking meaning in a universe
that will remain forever silent, and the image of a guy pushing a boulder up a mountain for
all eternity is the perfect metaphor for the human condition. In the spirit of Camus, Rick and Morty paints
an absurd, meaningless multi-verse. Rick, accordingly, has a long history of trivializing
everything. He doesn't believe in things like love or
tradition. Rick's companionship with Morty is, allegedly,
only a means for Rick to hide his genius brain waves from the government. In the Rickshank Redemption, we see similar
themes: the arbitrary nature of our social systems, mocking sentimentality and the pointlessness
of it all. That we live in a meaningless world is an
idea held by both absurdism and existentialism, but the transition from the end of season
2 to the premiere of season 3 really solidifies Rick and Morty as an "absurd" work. It does so by dangling meaning and hope in
front of us, only to rip it to shreds Something notable happens at the end of season
2. Rick takes a break from his sociopathic shenanigans
to have an authentic, heartfelt moment at Birdperson's wedding. But the show undercuts it when we learn that Tammy
is a spy. What makes this part special is that Rick's
flirtation with being a normal, caring, person is undercut by an outside force, not his own
cynicism. This is further explored at the end of the
episode. After the family is forced into hiding from
the Galactic Federation, Rick overhears the hardships he has created for them. In a moment of seeming anguish, Rick turns
himself over to the federation, and will likely spend the rest of his days in prison. In sacrificing himself, The finale suggests
Rick is wrestling with something he's never dealt with: living with meaning. Given complete knowledge of the meaninglessness
of love, life, etc, he chose to do right by his family regardless. The cliffhanger teases a possible shift in
the show’s existential themes. This idea, of creating meaning in a meaningless
world, is one championed by many existentialists, but firmly rejected by Camus. This crossroads for the show parallels a beef
Camus had with a particular thinker, one who regularly contributes to my angst boners - Fyodor
Dostoevsky. Camus writes that authors, like Dostoevsky,
often propose absurd worlds with characters who understand the frivolity of life, only
to chicken out and retreat to the comfort of meaning- like religion n' shit. Dostoevsky's problem, for Camus, is that he
offers a reply to the absurd - some form of meaning - whereas "an absurd work, on the
contrary, does not provide a reply." Existentialists like Jean-Paul Sartre or Dostoevsky
may realize the absurdity of existence, but their analysis fails by resorting to hope,
or trying to create meaning. Camus said of them: "they deify what crushes
them and find reason to hope in what impoverishes them." At the end of season 2, we may have thought
the the show would make a similar retreat into meaning and sentimentality, but with
the release of The Rickshank Redemption, we now know this is not the case. Instead, it doubles down on the absurd. Not only was Rick's imprisonment a ploy but
the show replies to our prospect of a humanized Rick with a journey that will be darker than
ever. And if just to fuck with us even more, much of Rickshanks's comedy is not derived from joking about life's meaningless like
previous episodes, but rather, the jokes are largely derived from our ATTEMPT to draw meaning. For example, when Rick explores the memory
of him creating the portal gun, we learn that Beth and Diane were brutally murdered - turning
Rick from a family man to a deranged loner scientist - your typical tragic Walter White-style
anti-hero origin story that would give meaning to his madness. This baits the audience to empathize with
Rick - But the joke's on you- it's all a ruse. So it's not just that Rick and Morty evades
meaning. The writers seem to get a perverse joy in playing
with our desire to search for hope and meaning, as if Camus was making his point in the style
of an internet troll. In another instance, Rick saves Earth from
the Brave New World-inspired Galactic Federation. We may be tempted to say that Rick for a greater
good- to liberate earth from their alien oppressors. However Summer's comment suggests that the
new world order doesn't sound too good either. In other moments, the idea that Rick cares
about Morty and Summer is also toyed with. First, Rick seems to care, as he rushes to
rescue Morty and Summer after learning they’re imprisoned by the council of Ricks. Rick then exhibits a casual disregard for
Summer’s life in his stand-off with another Rick, but we learn it was all part of a well-crafted
strategy. Finally, the whole Rick-caring-theory disintegrates agai
as he explains he only saved them so that Beth doesn’t kick him out of the house. Which finally brings us to the Szechaun Sauce. Rick isn’t motivated by family, or justice,
or love, but only that Mulan mcnugget sauce. The show, undercutting even the most promising
attempt to give Rick a sense of morality, doubles-down by suggesting that his entire
series arc will be his quest for a forgotten promotional food item. But is this really what drives Rick? No. The only thing Rick's love of Szechuan sauce
means, is that it means nothing. The quest for Szechuan sauce isn’t creating
meaning, it’s a reflection of the absurdity of being driven by, well, anything. Given the utter void of meaning in the world,
why not dedicate yourself to an absurd quest for plum-flavored McNugget sauce? Why not spend 9 whole seasons doing it? Why not 97 years? The quest for mcnugget sauce is meaningful
only in that its a joke about meaninglessness. Camus say that any figure who understands
and finds happiness in the pointless of it all is an "Absurd hero." The absurd hero must not only be happy with
life’s absurdity, but fully comprehend the cosmic indifference that surrounds him - he
calls it “lucid indifference.” And this all seems a lot like Rick. A man who's knowledge of the vast multiverse,
where everything terrible and good can and has happened, defines his existence. A man who reduces our basic morals to genetic
programming. A man who, in spite of being able to accomplish
anything, only yearns for Szechuan sauce. There’s also one important difference between
Camus’ absurd hero and Rick Sanchez: absurd heroes find happiness in the absurd. But as we know, Rick is in great pain. Maybe Rick’s actual arc will not be to give
more shits, or be nicer to his family, but actually to enjoy the absurdity of it all. So is the April fools joke the fact that they
actually dropped the episode exactly when they said they would? Or is the real joke the prospect of Rick finding
meaning- aka the Szechuanuahn sauce. Essentially- if you thought Rick's self sacrifice
was an indication of a belief in family, justice, or anything, for that matter. You've been had. Wub-a-lub-a-dub-dub Wisecrack. And to check out our other Rick and Morty videos, click the links here.
Every the philosophy of x video or book is about existentialism. They need to talk about something else already.
I like this video, but the conclusion seems a bit too simple when I think about Dan Harmon and his previous work. He often has characters grapple with existentialism but his character arcs never end with "nothing matters so I'm just gonna keep being a dick." One reason most likely being... that's not very compelling storytelling.
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Listen to the creator's podcast. He makes his views VERY clear, and they incorporate hichschool level philosophy at best. -I don't say that as a negative, he is still very smart, and he is a writer not a philosopher.-
Edit: the podcast will change your life though
It's written to make you overthink it as a joke. That's the real mind blower.
As much as I love Rick and Morty, it isn't even the best example of existentialism and absurdist comedy on Adult Swim. For that you'll have to watch The Eric Andre Show. One of the best, and most forward thinking shows on tv
[Abstract] Since the pilot, I have been enthralled both with the series' dark humor, yet more so in its musings on key philosophical issues. Within this video, evidence will be presented to support the claim the show has ultimately transitioned from one characterizing a philosophical world view based on existential thought into a show more closely resembled by the philosophical school of thought of Absurdism popularized by the late Albert Camus.
Let's not get carried away here. I love Rick and Morty too, but it's hardly any absurdist philosophy worth mentioning.
Doesn't matter how many times I watch it.. I get a nerd/philosophy/fuckwhatyouthoughtyouknew boner every time