November 6, 2017
The third season of science-fiction show ‘Rick and Morty‘ has come to an end after ten well-crafted episodes. In this show, the two main protagonists, Rick and Morty, embark on countless, highly entertaining adventures across the universe, exploring incredibly unusual circumstances and worlds only accessible to them.
Rick, the apathetic, nihilistic old man, possesses the genius that allows him to partake in these absurd adventures with his 14-year-old grandson Morty. The technology he invented allows the two to do remarkable things, such as travel time, enter others’ dreams, create universes, and teleport.
The show features the life and affairs of their family, which includes Morty’s parents, Beth and Jerry, and his sister Summer as well.
Beth, being Rick’s daughter, is generally frustrated with husband Jerry, who she views as limp-wristed and weak. Rick also unsurprisingly resents Jerry since he sees him as unintelligent and annoying. Both Summer and Morty are heavily affected by the actions of the older members of the family. Since the unity and happiness of the family is largely dependent on the older character’s actions, Morty and Summer are negatively impacted as relationships worsen among them. For instance, Beth and Jerry’s feud is a primary source of grief for them.
Season 3 takes a darker turn than previous seasons, as nihilism and apathy are major themes/motifs that became increasingly apparent. Many of the events and situations that occur impact the viewer in way that it is often necessary to take time to absorb the content, since the comedic overlay is often so humorous that understanding the severity of a given situation takes time. However, this is indicative of the excellent job the makers of the show (Dan Harmon & Justin Roiland) have done towards maintaining the show’s humor even during morbid parts. After all, Rick and Morty is intended to be a comedy show.
The show does a remarkable job portraying the development of relationships between characters through its quality plots, which are always rich with comedy. In this season, Rick’s empathetic side is slowly revealed throughout the course of multiple episodes.
For example, in episode 3, Pickle Rick, Rick is originally adamantly against attending a family therapy session so he turns himself into a pickle. However, by the end of the episode, he decides to attend the session after going through an absurd series of events in his pickle form. The season features this type of character development for many of the major characters. For instance, Jerry starts to realize the importance of standing up for himself and not being fearful all the time, and Beth begins to understand what truly matters to her.
Season 3 proved to be greatly enjoyable with quality plots and comedy. Although it focused on more serious topics than those from the past seasons, the writers still maintained humor and also kept the show interesting, which is typically rare when shows progress through seasons.
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