Rick and Morty

Work Title: Rick and Morty
Medium: TV Episode
Episode Title: Rixty Minutes
Year: 2014
Writer(s): Tom Kauffman
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): Justin Roiland
"Original" Writer: Own work?: Yes
Summary:

After being bored with watching The Bachelor on TV, Rick decides to hook up the TV so that it can receive channel from other dimensions and alternate realities. Rick also brings out an inter-dimensional headset that allows people to see alternate realities of what their life could've been like. Jerry, Beth, and Summer use the headset and learn a lot from there alternate realities. Jerry sees himself as a successful movie star doing drugs with Johnny Depp. Beth sees herself operating on a human instead of a horse. Beth doesn't see many alternate realities for her and eventually realizes that she was an unwanted pregnancy. This causes tension between the family and Jerry and Beth decide to spend some time apart. While watching the alternate reality TV, the family watches Jerry's movie star reality and sees Jerry running from the cops. Jerry ends up at Beth's doorstep and confesses his love for her and says that he wished they continued there relationship. Beth and Jerry get emotional after watching this and they make up.

  • Self-Written?: 1
  • Source Name:
  • Source URL:
Era/Year of Portrayal: present_day
Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

There are infinite dimensions and realities
Presence evoking technology

Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: Inter-Dimensional Headset
  • Description of the technology: It is a headset that allows the user to see their own alternate realities in real time. There is an infinite amount of realities that the user can use.

    The technology is mobile because it is small and light enough that it can fit comfortably on the users head.

    The headset gets placed over the users eyes so they that they are visually immersed. The user can switch between realities by switching a button on the headset.

    The quality is good because the users felt as if they were actually real.

    This technology is a neutral medium that is controlled only be the user.
  • Nature of task or activity: The user can see their own alternate realities in real time by looking into the headset.
  • Performance of the Technology: The headset functions properly throughout the episode. Beth can't see many alternate realities because in many of those she wasn't born.
  • Description of creator(s): Rick Sanchez is a genius scientist that has experience with alternate realities. He is elderly, skinny, white, and usually drunk. He is Beth's father and is close with her family.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): Rick's goal was to entertain the family. He was tired of watching The Bachelor with them so he knew this technology would keep their attention instead.
  • Description of users of technology: The users of this technology were Jerry, Beth, and their daughter, Summer. Jerry and Beth are in their mid-30s. Summer is in high school. They are all easily entertained and were excited to use the headset.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: both
  • Description of presence experience: The user gets to experience live what their life would be like in alternate realities.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: The users recognized that they were using the technology while wearing the headset. In one scene, Beth is seen wearing the headset and talking to herself while drinking wine. It seemed the less distracted she was on the outside, the more presence she experienced.
  • Valence of experience: The users seemed to enjoy the technology as a form of entertainment. However, some of the users started to regret things in their life because they saw how great their alternate realities were.
  • Specific responses: Jerry is obsessed with the idea of him possibly being a successful movie star because he saw it in one of the alternate realities.

    Beth gets emotional while wearing the headset because she sees Jerry in it and he says that he wants to get back together.
Long-term consequences:

The technology showed the family what their lives could've been like if they had done something different. This made the family question their existence and even made them regret some of their life choices. In the end, the technology brings Beth and Jerry back together because they see that they wanted to be together even in their alternate realities.

Other:

Rick and Morty features many other examples of presence evoking technology throughout the series.

Coder name: Sean Coleman
Coder email: tug57703@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University