When asked about VR, Shonda Rhimes describes the possibility of intimate engagement with a character. Totally fits the vision of metafiction. Great to watch.
Ten Reasons Why Rick & Morty is a fine piece of MetaFiction (and poetry)
Photo by Tommy Tang on Unsplash
- Multiple Ricks and Mortys indicate an awareness of mass production as well as multiple dimensions. This means that the Morty on your screen is (and isn't) the same as the Morty on my screen. To quote Rick at the end of the first episode, "Rick and Morty dot com forever!"
- Rick Sanchez sure loves to talk to us. His infamous catch phrase at the end of the episode, "wubba dubba dub dub" ("I am in great pain, please help me,") is also addressed to us, reinforcing the notion that he wants us to rethink the archetype of the asshole-genius.
- Jerry and Beth's tour based on the Titanic film is such delicious commentary on fiction; and obsession with it. Ironic when you consider the obsessive behaviors among fans of shows like Rick and Morty....(this blog post included)?
- Jerry: "Sound like our stories were connected by a theme." // Rick: "Not really. probably a cosmic connection your mind mistakes for thematic." // Jerry: "Oh." // Rick: "Old Rick! Ruining everything!"
- Interdimensional cable! Absurd animated improvisations mimic the YouTube tradition.
- From the episode "Look Who's Purging Now," Rick explains Morty's violent outburst by assuring him that it's due to the candy bar he ate "from the first act." We are worried that Morty may have acted inconsistently, but Rick assures us both: "your character is totally protected."
- (After a slow motion moment) "Knock it off, SlowMobius."
- Jerry about James Cameronion rings on the Titanic tour: "Great. Not only is the ship not sinking, but the fourth wall has been broken."
- Rick: "I don't want to be the 'a little help' guy, but, a little help?"
- Morty's response to the movie trailer about Jan Michael Vincent: "Is it important that we know who Jan Michael Vincent is in order to get this?" No, Morty. No, it isn't. We both know it.
I'll leave you with a question: If Rick and Morty are from Earth C-137, where are we?
Characterization and Emmy Nomination
Still battling that carpal tunnel, but all the time I've spent away from the blog has still been well spent on things to update you with! I did my first writing seminar/workshop since graduating this past week. It went extraordinarily well, thanks in part to Zaria Dukes, who planned, promoted and helped me host the event in conjunction with KCWIFT ! Glad to be a member. It's truly been a wellspring for me.
That said, I'm excited to tell you that Beyond Belief, the documentary I worked on awhile back (while I was in production for Real Boy, an Allegory), has been nominated for a regional Emmy! You can watch our promo here:
That's not all; my aforementioned original film, Real Boy, An Allegory, has been preselected for the Vancouver Filmdance Festival!
But WAIT:
If you've gotten this far, I can tell you about Say Your Sorry, my first self-published story about a woman who teams up with her brother-in-law to to exact revenge against her husband's abductor. Out of all the shorts I've written, it's my personal favorite.
Well, it's National Novel Writing Month so I've really got to get going; lots of typing to do. Thanks for reading!