One of the most popular contemporary discourses is that of movies and TV shows. A media consumed daily, these visual outlets especially allow for mercurial rhetorics, something particularly seen within the adult cartoon Rick and Morty. Based around a fusion of Back to the Future, Doctor Who, and Futurama, with copious amounts of violence and absurdity added, this young institution has gripped the masses rapidly with its ridiculousness. I propose that the entire show itself is a game, wherein the acceptable parameters of society are tested.
The comedic aspect inherent to adult cartoons is obviously a staple of Rick and Morty, however, it breaks the tropes often assumed within this denomination, thereby creating a whole new trope onto itself. When one exerts agency by deciding to watch this show, it is with a certain understanding (for those who are familiar with it), that the end goal of said watching is to observe pure childishness ground into adult humor; its simply the way that goal is reached that play comes into question. Each episode is a maturely ad-libbed adventure only a child could conceive, often creating more questions than any other twenty minute show ever could. The actual act of viewing this series parallels the game played when one enters a maze, as aforementioned ridiculous juxtapositions create a myriad of rhetorical labyrinths. Therefore the overall game is trying to find ones way to the end of this rhetorical maze, sifting through the self created tropes and expectations, to arrive at an end goal of excited confusion and dazed acceptance.
