What’s Behind Rick and Morty
There’s a famous Netflix TV series called Rick and Morty. Many believe that it is the best sci-fi cartoon for the recent years. The visual effects are astonishing and the story is mind-blowing containing sarcasm on different social phenomenons. I would like to discuss about season one analyzing some interesting perspectives that Rick and Morty take to reflect certain injustices and identity problems.
The background setting of Rick and Morty is also very important. Rick, the smartest man of all universes while Morty is his grandson. They go on different adventures in different world and universe. These stories look crazy and ridiculous but they always give you something to think about.
In Season 1 Episode 5, Rick and Morty go on a relaxing adventure. In the bathroom, Morty meets a molester, forced to beat the molester up. This scene is designed to make the audience feel “frightening, uncomfortable, disgusting”. Later on, Rick and Morty help a poor village solve their problems and the villagers are very thankful. Then, Rick and Morty find out that the molester is actually the king of the village. Both of them are in shock so Rick shoot the molester dead before they leave. After the death of the king, his servant finds the photos of king molesting other children. He asks the minister what he should do with the photos. The minster asks him to burn the photos instead of presenting to the public. The minister believes that it is better for the king to be a symbol, the idea that the king represents, not who he actually is.
This episode gives me a lot of thinking. Justice and injustice seem are two opposite concept. However, one man’s justice can be another man’s injustice. It seems to be unfair for people not knowing the truth. This can be considered as injustice. However, the minister knows that people need faith in their king to carry on. It’s better to leave the glory character of king in people’s heart. When people talk about injustice, it’s a matter of different perspectives. Murder is injustice. However, soldiers fighting for their countries killing enemies is justice. That’s where I start to realize that the determination of justice is not a problem of right or wrong, black or white. Your justice might be someone’s injustice while your injustice might be someone’s justice. There’s a saying in China, “your bottom decides your head”. It means that the your position, your identity, your knowledge decide how you think of a matter. That’s the reason why I like Rick and Morty so much, it provides an alternative perspective that allows me to see things in different ways.
Citation:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2861424/