Where to begin with Rick and Morty? Its quality? Its mass appeal? Szechuan sauce? Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland's pop culture darling is so popular that it's got folks like yours truly starting Facebook groups just to discuss it with friends and like-minded fans. I actually can't believe we haven't written about it for FSF yet.
This week's scene - the last in this year's Escape-athon series - is the start of the "Keep Summer Safe" bit from Season 2's "The Ricks Must Be Crazy". It starts innocently enough. Rick, Morty, and Summer are in an alternate universe to catch a Ball Fondlers movie and eat some of the multiverse's best ice cream. Their ship is dead however, and it's definitely not the quantum carburetor.
This scene almost plays like a Rick and Morty greatest hits album. Alternate realities. Rick insulting Morty. Burping. The setup for an insane, sci-fi adventure. And that setup definitely pays off - "The Ricks Must Be Crazy" is one of the show's best episodes. But what this scene really sets up is the amazing B plot. Rick doesn't want to leave Summer unattended (due to the giant, telepathic spiders of course), so he instructs the ship to "Keep Summer safe." It goes to some insane lengths to do so.
Some of the smaller details of this scene really shine. The mention of "11 9/11s". The fact that flashlights are taped to the ship in lieu of headlights. "That was my daughter's pediatrician!"
This bit is truly the tip of the iceberg, as the ship's actions to keep Summer "safe" progressively lead to worse scenarios. It gets real dark. Summer becomes a party to murder and mayhem in the name of safety and she probably would have been better off with the spiders.
What's your favorite scene from Rick and Morty?
Would the best ice cream in the multiverse make up for giant, telepathic spiders?
Dare I say it, but this year's upcoming TV is just as tantalizing as its upcoming films. Between broadcast TV and online services like Netflix, there's so much for fans to enjoy these days. I've got a couple of honorable mentions listed first, and then we jump into my Top 5. Read on, and don't forget to tell me what you're looking forward to!
10. Black Mirror: Season 3 (Channel 4 - ???) 9. Veep: Season 4 (HBO - April 12) 8. Sherlock: Christmas Special (PBS - Winter) 7. Orphan Black: Season 3 (BBC America - April 18) 6. Community: Season 6 (Yahoo Screen - March 17) Top 5: 5. True Detective: Season 2 (HBO - TBD)
I think its safe to say that HBO's True Detective was the biggest thing to happen to TV last year (it certainly affected us around here). The show about two Louisiana detectives (Woody Harrelson and a career-best Matthew McConaughey) searching for a killer was both emotionally and technically amazing. Since True Detective is an anthology series, Season 2 will follow new characters in a new setting. After a lot of speculation online, Rachel McAdams, Colin Farrell, Taylor Kitsch and Vince Vaughn were announced as starring. Even though director Cary Fukunaga isn't returning to the director's chair (hurry up with that IT adaptation), writer Nic Pizzolatto is back, so I'm hoping that lighting strikes twice.
Marvel has given us ten films and two TV shows already, but they're not done by a long shot. The company has partnered with Netflix to produce a number of TV shows, one of which is Daredevil. I could take or leave Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and I haven't really gotten into Agent Carter but I'm very intrigued by Daredevil and its titular "Man Without Fear" (played by Charlie Cox). I recently enjoyed the heck out of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, so I feel it's safe to keep the faith in Netflix. One thing to keep in mind with Daredevil is that the entire first season will be available at once on Netflix. Binge-watchers rejoice!
3. Rick and Morty: Season 2 (Cartoon Network - Summer)
It's crazy how much I enjoyed the first season of Rick and Morty. Like, nuts. Nick alerted me to how funny the show was and told me to check it out. The show follows mad scientist Rick (voiced by Justin Roiland) and his grandson Morty (voiced by Justin Roiland [yes, he voices both characters]) as they get into all sorts of crazy scientific adventures, a lot of which involve alternate dimensions. If you need any other reason to like this show, Dan Harmon executive produces it, having co-created it after being fired from Community. The second season's supposed to air sometime this summer.
2. Ash vs. Evil Dead (Starz - TBD)
Well, despite the fact that I absolutely loved the 2013 reboot of Sam Raimi's horror franchise, it looks like the director has (hopefully temporarily) abandoned the entire thing in favor of a TV series. But that's okay with me! Ash (played by the one and only Bruce Campbell) will obviously be front and center in the show, and I'm anxious to see what's happened to him in the years since he woke up in a post apocalyptic London returned to the present after fighting medieval deadites in Army of Darkness.
I've been missing so many things about Showtime's Penny Dreadful. The atmosphere. Its use of classic monsters and literary figures. The amazing Eva Green and the under appreciated Timothy Dalton. In fact, I could probably go without any other TV for the rest of the year if I just get me some more Penny Dreadful.I've unfortunately fallen out of love with The Walking Dead but, between Penny Dreadful and Ash vs. Evil Dead, I think I'm set.
