Time for Anchovies

[on:]

So, I know you’ll all disagree with me but I’m mad about Rick n Morty ripping off the whole of Meanwhile despite the episode being good. I sent the creators a few cans of anchovies and I hope you join me, for old times’ sake at least? 

[Reply #1 on:]

It'll probably be thrown out. Why waste perfectly edible food?

If you consider anchovies to be edible, that is.

[Reply #2 on:]

Then they can pay for their crimes with the guilt of wasting food. Or they can eat them.

Also, I’m homesick for the past. Timesick? http://www.peelified.com/Futurama-Forum-1/Topic-10055-0-The_official_AFF_thread_R.html

If they’re real fans, they’ll know it’s us.

Edit: Omg Winna your post on that linked thread, yeah TLZ had a message board; it was called The Hip Joint and it was great!

[Reply #3 on:]

I don't watch Rick and Morty, so I haven't seen the episode of which you speak, but it seems worth mentioning that the plot of "Meanwhile" itself wasn't a terribly novel concept. As The Infosphere notes, the episode is not dissimilar from the series finale of Stargate SG-1 (another show I haven't seen, so take this all with a grain of salt).

I guess my point is that shows riff on concepts from other shows all the time, and it's not necessarily a rip-off. Hell, sometimes it's fun to see how a different creative team executes a similar story line (there's no such thing as an original idea, art is always in conversation with other art, etc.). No harm no foul, is what I'm saying.

[Reply #4 on:]

The R&M episode wasn't a rip-off. It made a nod to a similar concept having been explored in Futurama, but ultimately went with a very different set of consequences and set up nothing approaching a wholesome resolution (in typical R&M style).

I don't watch Rick and Morty,

You'd enjoy it, I think. It's a fair mix of writing jokes, toilet humour, and the quick devolution of high-concept sci-fi into the other two. There's some real heart to some of the episodes (masked by toilet humour pretty often), some real intelligence to the treatment of certain concepts (masked by gore, toilet humour, and occasional 3edgy5me moments), and it's got some real fucking gems.

R&M's fanbase is toxic, but so is the entire fucking internet. You should do yourself a favour and watch the first three episodes - if you don't enjoy those, you won't enjoy it overall. If you do, then you'll want more (and it's worth sticking through the slow decline that follows the first three episodes to get to the end of Season Two and the opening of Season Three).

I guess my point is that shows riff on concepts from other shows all the time, and it's not necessarily a rip-off.

Indeed. It seemed more of a sly nod than a rip-off, especially considering the self-aware reference by Rick to having "seen this on Futurama".

I sent the creators a few cans of anchovies and I hope you join me, for old times’ sake at least? 

Buy Futurama, Simpsons, or Disenchanted merchandise instead - this will impact the creators far more positively than sending them cans of fish. Not that they need it - DXC and MG are doing pretty well for themselves.

[Reply #5 on:]

I should clarify; I've seen all of Rick and Morty and have a love-hate relationship with it really. Eyepatch Morty is a fantastic creation (I don't know where is he lately, aside from in "Never Ending Ricky Morty" which I loved. Meta humor is my scene). I agree about the fanbase but we're just as bad  

Good points, Gorky, and I know, taking inspiration and nod to the same concept are fine, even appreciated - it's homage in that case. Just like how R&M burying their own dead bodies to take care of the time paradox is from The Late Philip J Fry, but played out very differently, with Fry finding it darkly funny whereas Morty is traumatised for a long while, leading to that beautiful talk with Summer about her birth being an accident. It's great to have different angles of these concepts explored - almost like having more Futurama in a way.

I see elements of Futurama (and The Simpsons) in many cartoons, because it's so iconic (the newsreaders in Harley Quinn the Animated Series are homage to Futurama, for instance), the commercial for the Story Train was real Futurama-esque in Second 4 episode 6 of R&M. It brings about a nice, warm, nostalgic feeling, and can add depth for the viewer because it's already building on ideas we already hold from The Simpsons or Futurama.

But that's not what I'm talking about here. I think the reason they felt the need to actually name Futurama was that that entire epsiode was taken from Meanwhile, aside from the vat of acid (hilarious btw), every single thing in that episode can be traced to Meanwhile. It's like they were doing their whole, take and idea from Futurama and have your characters interact with it differently angle but took it too far. It was a Meanwhile reworking, even to the point of giving Morty a very long time with that girl he fell in love with, and showing their relationship progress via a montage (just like Fry & Leela), again obviously done differently as is customary, with Morty eating some human flesh.

However, Morty getting a do-over with Jessica after screwing up asking her out was exactly what happened when Fry was proposing to Leela at Elzar's - he screwed up and got a do-over. Watch 'The Vat of Acid Episode' again with Meanwhile in mind (or watch back-to-back) that's all I'm gonna say. Although, the ability to have infinite do-overs just to try stuff without consequences wasn't explored by Fry, who was preoccupied by his personal life and he's too much of a thrillseeker to want the no-consequences part of the do-over button, plus Fry tries whatever he wants in life anyway.

I won't send more anchovies to Dan Harmon, TotalNerdCanada, you're completely right about buying Simpsons, Futurama & Disenchantment merch instead (we couldn't do that the first time we sent F*X all that fish; we were just helpless, it was troubling but made us feel better). I really appreciate the inclusion of Disenchantment in what you said (it's vital to support because we might get a crossover / more new content). The more money with give them, the more Futurama we get, and I'd be so hyped for new comics! Then I can finally stop substituting it with Rick n Morty... just kidding