Really interesting interview with Justin Roiland.
http://www.rollingstone.com/glixel/features/rick-and-morty-creator-interview-w493420
Holy shit so I rarely go by the games journalism thread and when I do I’m pretty much in the disinterested camp where we say “whatever, writers are writing dumb crap, makes sense.” But here is an article by Ben Kuchera running on Polygon, who I’ve seen flagged before as sort of a “WTF is this guy doing” writer. And I rolled my eyes so hard they popped out.
The joke, which plays with the show’s theme that Rick is empty, alone and despondent despite having everything he could ever ask for, is that all that work was done for a silly, arbitrary reason. There is no plan, and there is no meaning. It may as well be a dipping sauce.
This flew right over the heads of some of the show’s biggest fans, and McDonald’s stepped right up to take advantage of this fact.
“Oh my god guys I am so smart I GET it. I like, REALLY GET IT. And you guys, wow, you only think you get it but you totally don’t GET get it. You are just too dumb and you are ruining this for us.”
The irony being that is the exact stereotype of the archetypal Rick and Morty fan. Chapo Trap House touched on the Rick and Morty sauce thing the other week and used almost those exact words.
I love the show, but I can’t help but feel that some of the dialogue orbiting it is crazy. I’ve no idea where this whole ‘smart people’ thing came from. One minute I’m like ‘Yeah, Rick and Morty is amazing and brimming with creativity and ideas, sharp writing and some stellar voice work’ next minute all I’m seeing is ‘Rick and Morty is for smart people’ and ‘Rick and Morty fans are the worst’. What happened? I suppose popularity happened but it feels like some sort of Kessler cascade of bullshit.
We finished season 3 last week and, oooooo eeee, either I’m getting even slower or the show is getting faster because I felt like I was a few steps behind all the time. It’s blisteringly snappy now. Still, what a great show.
I’ve no idea. Until this whole Szechuan sauce thing I had no sense that R+M had any real cultural valence beyond Community fans.
Yes, when any group of fans comes out and says that they are the one true fan and they really get it and you don’t… they are stupid.
But you get bonus internet stupid points when you write an article saying “you guys who are saying you get it don’t get but I get it and you are dumb because I am the one who gets it.”
Because now all sides of this argument sound the same. If he wrote an article talking about how ridiculous these particular superfans are (mostly those from the rickandmorty subreddit?), especially for posting all the memes and diatribes about how smart they are, then it would be fine. But no, instead he used their own dumb, divisive language, called himself the arbiter of what the show is about, and made everything worse.
TBH, the /r/rickandmorty subreddit has gone full meta and now mocks the neckbeardy /r/iamverysmart type fanboys relentlessly, too, sooo. . .
The internet is a confusing place. I might give up.
McDonald’s gets a do-over. They even made a 3-part podcast talking about the Szechuan sauce ordeal.
R&M have some of the best Science Fiction ideas on TV right now… but they’re still assholes.
:(
Hey, this guy just called Morty an asshole!
Thanks for this heads up. I stopped by my local McD today and got some of the SAUCE.
It’s fine. I’d take it over Sweet and Sour on pretty much any day. But given how it tastes I think the best followup would be for Rick to break the fourth wall a little with a “HAHAHAHa I GOT YOU ALL TO DO MY BIDDING! ENJOY YOUR SHITTY SUGAR SAUCE, SHEEP!”
Ultimately it’s a sauce in a plastic cube. Produced by McDonald’s. How good could it be?
OTOH Popeye’s Mardi Gras Mustard Sauce is amazing.
Better than the other McD sauces, not as good as the teriyaki sauce at Panda Express (although that is sweeter than this so it’s a little apples/oranges).
Their Hot Mustard sauce is surprisingly good. I’d never buy their nuggets again if that sauce went away.
I guess I get where he was coming from, now that I think about it.
The Sweet Chili sauce McDonalds had for a little while was pretty good, although nothing you can’t buy in any grocery store.
Got me some schweet Szechuan Sauce last night! It was pretty good. I’m thinking it’s about 3 parts Sweet & Sour, 1 part Teriyaki, and 1 part BBQ.
This makes the second time in 20 years I have eaten chicken mcnuggets, with the prior time being right after S3E01 aired.
Think I’m probably good for another 20 years.
I know the feeling.