The Adult Swim show Rick and Morty has a lot to say on who we are as a species, our beliefs, and our purpose–that is, our lack of one. The show centers around two main characters: a crotchety old scientist named Rick Sanchez, and his pubescent, dim-witted grandson, Morty Smith. The show has focused their adventures in different dimensions, timelines, and even different universes, whilst throwing in the occasional fart or penis joke. But looking past the crude nature of the show, what lies beneath is something that is unlike anything we have seen in a television show before.
In the first season, Rick’s catchphrase, “Wubba lubba dub bub,” can be heard in almost every episode. While it may sound like nonsense, it represents something we all fear. In the episode "Ricksy Business," Bird Person tells Morty that what Rick is saying translates into: "I am in great pain, please help me." And what is Rick’s pain, exactly? What we all fear: that our lives have absolutely no meaning at all. Hints of existentialism and our meaningless existence is dropped on a constant basis throughout the series, such as when Rick and Morty die and are simply replaced by a Rick and Morty from another universe, or when Rick builds a robot with self-awareness, who laments the fact that he was only built for the purpose of passing butter. Yet, none of this appears to affect Rick–to him, the universe is full of incalculable possibilities where one universe makes as much sense as the others–that is, none at all. This could be best summed by up what Rick says towards the end of "Rick Potion No. 9":
“What about the reality where Hitler cured cancer, Morty? The answer is: you don’t think about it.”
As if existential crises weren’t enough, the show also has some colorful commentary about the nature of humans. Nobody best represents this quality more than Rick’s stepson (and Morty’s father), Jerry. Jerry is the archetypal human of the show, as he lives in blissful ignorance, struggles with his marriage, and is a pushover, yet still thinks he is the ideal human. But as was shown in "Mortynight Run," Rick and Morty drop Jerry (from universe C-137) off at daycare for Jerrys across different universes, as if he were nothing more than a pet. Later on in the episode, Jerry is not the only human to find out his life has no meaning. After Rick and Morty sell arms to an alien assassin, they go into the arcade "Blips and Chitz," where they play Rick’s favorite game, "Roy: A life well lived." The game is a simulation of the human life of a person named Roy, and can be played an unlimited amount of times with numerous outcomes. When Roy dies at the end of each game, his death is only highlighted as a "Game Over" screen, giving no significance to his life whatsoever.
Another prime example of the show’s mockery of human nature comes into play during the episode "Auto Erotic Assimilation." In this episode, Rick’s old lover, an alien life form called Unity, has taken over a planet and enslaved its civilians. But Unity has done much to help the planet along with its troubled people and has created a near-utopian society. Rick’s granddaughter, Summer, does not like this idea and tries to convince Unity to let the people be free of their own accord. She succeeds, only from Unity spending too much time with Rick, and the people are free once more. But things quickly take a turn for the worse when a race riot ensues between aliens with ring nipples and aliens with cone nipples. The show demonstrates how petty people can be–even if represented by aliens–and serves as a cruel reminder that freedom does not always have good connotations. Yet, it is this same freedom with our ability to make stupid choices that makes us the humans we are, and the kind that Rick hates.
The show is not only smart and funny, but also brutally honest about our existence and our place in the universe. It reminds us that we are not all we think we are, and basically gives the middle finger to everyone who thinks that we have a purpose in life. But it also reminds us that it’s okay, and that we had no choice in being where we are in existence, if not for the little things.
As Morty himself says it best:
“Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, everybody’s going to die… Come watch TV.”
