piece of cake a simple google search for
Rick and Morty and Bojack horseman will
bring up tons of results comparing the
two shows some even making grandiose
claims about how they've changed adult
animation whether or not that's true is
something only time will tell but in
this video I'm going to explore a
unifying trend I see between the two
shows which plot wise have very little
in common that trend is how they each
deal with subtext in similar ways
revolutionizing the way a story can
interact with its own unconscious
subtext can be defined as an underlying
and often distinct theme and a piece of
writing or conversation it's basically
just all the little dynamics going on
underneath the surface of the show in
this video I want to show how in Rick
and Morty and Bojack horseman the
writers reach beneath the surface and
throw material that usually stays latent
in the subtext right into the text
itself in other words characters really
say what they're feeling and we have one
conversation that isn't about you I
don't understand why you need me to like
you so much I don't need you like me it
would be fun if you like me because then
I could prove to myself and my parents
were wrong to never support me because I
now earned the admiration of a circuit
authority figure thus proving I have
intrinsic worth but it's not like it's a
big deal or I think geez I don't respect
therapy because I'm a scientist because
I invent transform create and destroy
for a living and when I don't like
something about the world I change it
Tommy I'm sorry you think you deserve an
apology oh my god and my father
essentially what these scenes are doing
is taking what used to be the quiet
unspoken underlying themes of stories
and made the characters plainly aware of
them to get an idea of how this marks an
evolution and animated television let's
see how subtext is dealt with in the
classic Simpsons episode Lisa's
substitute here they used some not so
subtle looks and expressions to hint at
the fact that Lisa is more excited to
see her teacher than her own father but
they do keep it under the surface and we
as viewers need to read that dynamic in
their expression hook and stuff the
insides were sawdust tonight across
pretty creepy still I'd rather have him
chasing me than a wolf man
[Music]
compare this to how Beth and Rick and
Morty deals with her divorce and her own
relationship with her father in an
episode in season 3 first she blatantly
states the subtextual motivation for her
new hobby for Christ's sakes Morty women
going through a divorce needed creative
outlet and then when things start to go
wrong with summer in the episode she had
first denies that there could be some
underlying motivation only to subvert
that denial moments later like you want
to prove yourself
it's not about anything Morty how dare
you good then I'll just call hey Morty
I need this another important
distinction to make is that slapstick
subtext a name I'll explain further in a
moment it's not a simple outpouring of
emotions from dynamics that have been
apparent for a long time like in this
scene from the show insecure the common
denominator and all your can't find a
man [ __ ] is you the next minute he's
too distant the next he's too gay and
then when you do find someone that you
actually like you promote it by doing
too [ __ ] much often TV shows creates
subtextual dynamics that bubble over
near the end of a season but Rick and
Morty and Bojack horseman offer these
moments much more casually and scenes
without much tension or emotion at all
I think this is stupid and a waste of
everybody's time but you're my
girlfriend and I care about you so I'm
here it's your house whatever you say it
is how it is but I think a blind man
could see that Beth is looking for the
door now before I analyze the effect
this has on a story let's get a little
background on why I refer to this as
slapstick subtext for those who don't
know merriam-webster defines slapstick
as comedy stressing forest and horseplay
the word originally comes from a wooden
device in the Italian commedia dell'arte
but that's not all that important here
I'm using slapstick in a slightly
different sense for me slapstick is the
most obvious and basic way of getting a
laugh it's a fart joke Gore Chris Farley
getting hit in the back of the head with
a sail
it's a way of just the roaming comedy in
the viewers face without forcing them to
think all that hard in a similar sense
the easiest and most obvious way to
create a profound and intricate subtext
in a TV show might be to just literally
talk about it like this so now that
we've got a sense of what slapstick
subtext means the question is what
effect does it have on an animated show
or on a story in general and why might
we as viewers be attracted to this sort
of thing well first and foremost these
two shows at least establish themselves
as stories that are layered in that way
I'm not going to name names but
sometimes animated shows seem to get off
on having absolutely no subtext while
others pioneered the ways in which
animated television can portray family
dynamics and moral philosophies but what
effect does it have on the two worlds of
these shows and how does it change the
viewing experience to be spoon-fed
subtext for one it does modernize the
show's in an unprecedented way many of
the psychological and philosophical
concepts stated in these shows have
become in certain spheres pop culture in
a world in which Eastern religion
Western philosophy and armchair
psychology have all filtered down into
relatively mainstream media outlets it's
not surprising that Rick the smartest
man in the universe might be familiar
with basic existentialism welcome to the
club or that Bojack horseman a horse who
certainly has enough money for a
therapist would know that Layton
childhood dynamics might influence
current behavior nobody gives a damn
what you feel you got an audience out
there and they want to hear you sing
infusing these elements into the culture
of the show's modernizes them in the
same way it would to have a character
using an iPhone the problem with that
idea though is that Bojack and Rick and
Morty go much further than me
these characters aware of their own
psychologies they go as far as to have
the characters blatantly analyze
themselves and each other right to their
faces the only reason you want Kelsey to
like you was because she's cold and
distant any time someone tries to love
you you shove them away what no I don't
stupid you're stupid don't be such a
dumb stupid idiot Todd in the real world
people don't bear their wounds or
explain their value systems in the way
Rick and Bo Jack and everyone around
them does on a regular basis like any
good cartoon both of these shows rely
heavily on surreal or exaggerated
elements in order to create their own
worlds and completely suspend the
viewers disbelief it feels as if these
shows have used their surreal worlds to
normalize or even cloak the strangeness
of these slapstick moments for me this
hyper frank psychoanalytic and
existential banter didn't even feel all
that surreal at first because it was
literally coming out of a horse's mouth
but when birds can fly with human arms
biceps can remember forgotten vendetta's
and dogs can marry humans
why wouldn't subtext be tossed around in
casual conversation the way it really
hits me though the way it really moves
me in a show like Bojack horseman is
that his awareness of his own psychology
continually makes me believe he can
change then when he ends up sabotaging
himself again mistreating the only
people in the world who care about him
even slightly it stings a whole lot more
or Rick who continually boasts about his
ability to fix any problem in the
universe and who literally confronted
his own worst qualities personified
can't figure out how to change and
improve himself as a person can't figure
out how to be happy it seems like
knowing the subtext should help the
characters escape this text and yet they
always fall victim to their own
downfalls but whatever it is after all
just a cartoon
[Music]
piece of cake