7. ((FULL)) Full Meta Jackrick
Writing reviews of television programs is, all things considered, a good job. I\u2019ve never been able to make a full-time living at it, and I\u2019ve watched a lot of garbage, but I get paid to put my thoughts into sentences, and as a great lover of both my thoughts and English grammar, I can\u2019t really complain. It can be hard, though. Reviewing, at least for me, is a process of translating intuitive reactions into coherent expression, taking a collection of half-considered responses and vague notions and making them into, if not a thesis statement, than at least something concrete enough that it can be read by others and provide them with some kind of\u2026 clarity? Amusement? Reason to get mad at a stranger on the Internet? Or maybe a mix of all three.
7. Full Meta Jackrick
It can be easy, and it can be difficult, but the weirdest times for me are when I really enjoy something (like last night\u2019s \u201CFull Meta Jackrick\u201D)\u2014whoever bet \u201CZack will get to the episode by the second paragraph,\u201D collect your winnings now\u2014but I can\u2019t quite get a handle on how to express that enjoyment. You take, say, an episode of Voyager; rare that one will blow me away, but at the very least, by the time I hit credits, I have some kind of angle. There\u2019s an almost tactile feeling to it\u2014when I use the word \u201Chandle,\u201D I\u2019m not just being metaphorical or trying for an obscure pun with my last name. I\u2019m looking for a way in, something that I can grip and tug and pull away. It\u2019s usually not that hard, but every so often, you end up staring at what looks like a mansion made of glass, wondering how you\u2019ll ever manage to get through the front door.
So why did this episode work for me? Because I'm a sucker for fourth-wall-breaking, meta encounters, found-footage films, and anything else that blurs the lines between the creative work and our reality. And what Harmon & Roiland's animated series offered us with its return episode was about ten tons of pure, uncut meta. But what it did by doing that, even more so than in "Never Ricking Morty," is to educate the viewer on the complexities (and anxieties) that exist in the storytelling process. Perhaps the biggest compliment that I can give the episode is that it will be required rewatching to make sure that none of the references were missed because this was a well-crafted adventure. So far, the sixth season is seven-for-seven when it comes to episodes rating an "8" or higher with our ratings. That leaves three to go until we have what could be the animated series' best season yet.
Leave it to "Rick and Morty" to make an episode of television so dense that it seems to be daring recappers to explain it. Fresh off its mid-Season 6 hiatus, Episode 7 is entitled "Full Meta Jackrick." It serves as a follow-up of sorts to the Season 4 episode "Never Ricking Morty," which avid fans will recall as the episode parodying showrunner Dan Harmon's Joseph Campbell-inspired story writing process. But if fans thought that episode was meta, "Full Meta Jackrick" is here to make it feel grounded by comparison. Jesus Christ makes a return, as does Story Lord, but this time Joseph Campbell himself (voiced by Harmon) shows up to push everything way past its logical breaking point.
"Full Meta Jackrick" opens on what appears to be a "previously on" segment, which is itself a meta-commentary on the show's refusal to embrace continuity in an era of serialized television. The sequence starts out with clips from earlier in the season, but becomes progressively weirder until it reaches total surrealism. Rick (Justin Roiland) asks Morty (Justin Roiland) to marry him, and at their vows suggests a sealed chamber as a honeymoon destination. And here is where the episode reveals its conceit: Rick and Morty are under the influence of an alien named Previous Leon (Justin Roiland) a giant, green mosquito-esque creature with the power to affect narrative structure.
In the garage, Morty starts to have an understandable freakout. Previous Leon escapes through a portal that Rick describes as a hole in the fourth wall that leads to the metanarrative layer. Yep, it's about to be that kind of episode.
Of course, being that the entirety of "Never Ricking Morty" took place inside a toy train sold as a piece of "Rick and Morty" merchandise, Rick has no recollection of either Jesus or Story Lord. Morty, however, has played with the toy train and recognizes them as characters from it. Story Lord explains that he used the Bible story he was locked in at the end of that episode to transcend reality and enter the metanarrative layer. Jesus tears out Previous Leon's wings, then beats the crap out of Rick and Morty, ending with what Rick calls "the Bane," as Jesus drop-slams Rick onto his knee, shattering Rick's spine.
Regardless, Campbell explains to Rick and Morty that all characters are meta, all nourished and consumed by chaos. He gives them "a map to a region rich in narrative ore." In montage, Rick and Morty build a machine to bring them back into their main reality, all of which is revealed to have been a "previously on" from Previous Leon. When they enter the portal, they're dumped back through the title card.
In any case, Morty tells the writer that Joseph Campbell wants him to kill Story Lord, and the writer complies, suffocating Story Lord with a Rick plushie toy. Morty burns the story machine, and the writer returns to his sad office, where he has a new idea for a movie. Campbell's ghost tries to stop him from writing it, but the writer can't see him. It feels a lot like a metaphor for Harmon's own self-doubt. Would his hero approve of his work?
Everybody's favourite sociopathic scientist and his long-suffering grandson are back for more dimension-hopping adventures as Rick and Morty season 6 lands on Earth. The whole season is now available to watch in full with 10 episodes ready to stream online from anywhere. Rick and Morty season 6 is available on Netflix in Australia and New Zealand. Aussie or Kiwi away from home? Follow our guide to find out how to watch Rick and Morty season 6 for on Netflix from anywhere wherever you are in the world. 041b061a72