This week we’re reposting some old articles.
Yesterday we dug into Dan Harmon’s Story Circle and how it’s used in Rick and Morty. Today we’ll be digging deep in one specific episode – The Ricklantis Mixup – and how it executes the Story Circle in both micro and macro ways.
Making Use of the Fractal Nature of the Story Circle
Grasping the nature and science of the story circle is one thing, but it’s another thing entirely to master it.
There is perhaps no better demonstration of this than the Season 3 Episode 7 episode of Rick and Morty – The Ricklantis Mixup.
The Ricklantis Mixup is the highest rated episode of Rick and Morty so far, in part because of how expertly it makes use of the story circle to juggle multiple storylines to a satisfactory and impacting conclusion – all within 22 minutes.
1. A character begins in their comfort zone
2. But they have something they want
3. So they enter an unfamiliar situation
4. Have to adapt to it
5. Claim what they wanted
6. Pay a heavy price in exchange
7. And return to their familiar situation
8. Having changed.
The episode begins with the show itself in its 1. comfort zone: Our Rick and Morty prepare to go on an adventure as usual, until an encounter with another Rick and Morty leads our Morty to want to know:
2. What is it like on the citadel?
And then the show itself enters 3. An unfamiliar situation, as we cut to the characters we’ll be following this episode…
Campaign Morty, Police Rick, the School Morties, Worker Rick, and The Citadel itself.
With each storyline/character completing an arc through the story circle.
Stage 1. Comfort Zone
· A montage serves to introduce us to the norm of the society – aka the comfort zone of The Citadel. Ricks are kings, Morties are cattle. The same montage also establishes the comfort zones of:
· Campaign Morty, as he’s immediately passed by a taxi that opts to pick up a Rick instead.
· Police Rick, at a shooting range taking down targets and being praised by his superior.
· School Morties, being taught at school by Professor Rick.
· And Worker Rick, on a bus, watching enviously as a high class Rick cruises past.
Stage 2. Wants
Via the Citadel Morning News Program – we learn about the Simple Rick powered wafers and that a presidential race is ongoing.
· The Citadel wants to elect their first ever President.
· Campaign Morty wants Candidate Morty to stop his campaign.
· Police Rick wants to connect with his Morty and play things by the book.
· The School Morties want to reach the Wishing Portal to celebrate graduation.
· Worker Rick wants to be recognized – and promoted – at his job.
Stage 3. Unfamiliar Situation
· Police Rick is shown the drug-filled underground of the citadel and learns that his partner is corrupt.
· The Ricks and Candidate Morty have a debate, and Candidate Morty wins over the crowd, to Campaign Morty’s surprise. Campaign Morty is then fired for his lack of faith.
Additionally, during Candidate Morty’s speech, we’re treated to a montage that establishes the unfamiliar situations of:
· The School Morties – who sneak out of their school, and –
· Worker Rick, who kills his boss before trapping himself in the same room as the mesmerized Simple Rick.
· At this point, the story of the Citadel itself has reached an unfamiliar world, with Campaign Morty successfully winning over the skeptical and belittling Ricks despite the established social hierarchy.
We’re about 10 minutes in, at the first commercial break, and we’re effortlessly juggling 5 storylines nearing their halfway point – all thanks to the story circle.
Stage 4. Adaptation
· Worker Rick demands the cops deliver him a portal gun so he can escape “this goddamn prison”.
· The Citadel has changed attitudes towards Candidate Morty, showing more interest in him and who he is, though he deflects their questions.
· Campaign Morty drinks and watches from the TV, but is delivered “secrets” by a mysterious Rick that changes how he views Candidate Morty.
· Police Rick’s trusting nature almost kills him, and he decides to stay quiet when Police Morty kills all of the criminal Morties.
· The School Morties get scared off a farm and stop at a campfire to talk, leading Slick Morty to open up to them.
Stage 5. Get What They Wanted
Now, things get more loose. Working within the constraints of the format, Harmon moves through the stages of the Story Circle more quickly. Some of the storylines immediately progress to the next stage (or even through to the final stage) of the story circle before we cut to the other storylines.
For consistency’s sake, I’ll keep going through each storyline as it progressed, but it’s important to note that Harmon was not afraid to disrupt the flow of the storylines – until now, each storyline progressed through the story circle at a similar pace.
· The citadel has gotten what they wanted – a president – with Candidate Morty being regarded as the clear lead.
· Campaign Morty gets what he wants – to stop Candidate Morty’s campaign – by shooting him.
· Police Rick gets what he wants – connecting with his partner and doing things by the book – when Police Morty helps him beat down Big Morty and the gang members.
· Worker Rick gets what he wants when he’s saved by Willy Wonka Rick, and given recognition and status.
· The school Morties get what they want when they reach the wishing portal.
Bonus: the concept of the portal itself has elements of the story circle built in: It grants a wish, but you have to pay a price in return. Speaking of which…
Stage 6. Paying A Price
· Campaign Morty is captured after shooting Candidate Morty.
· The Citadel has lost their leading presidential candidate as Candidate Morty bleeds out.
· Police Rick kills out-of-control Police Morty and is subsequently arrested.
· Worker Rick is knocked out and captured by Willy Wonka Rick.
· Slick Morty sacrifices himself to the wishing portal, paying the ultimate price: his life.
Stage 7. Return to Comfort
· Worker Rick is once again dedicating his life to the factory.
· Campaign Morty is thrown into a compartment.
· The School Morties return to their school.
· The Citadel is now under new management.
· Police Rick is freed due to “new departments, new codes” and “a new citadel”.
Stage 8. Having Changed
· Worker Rick is now the most important cog in the machine, powering the wafers as an unconscious prisoner.
· Campaign Morty is killed – another person paying the ultimate price, though not of his own volition.
· The School Morties no longer have to be assigned to Ricks, and are free to live as farmers.
· Police Rick is now prepared to be an officer under the new regiment.
· The Citadel is no longer under the control of the Ricks that have been running the show behind-the-scenes, and is instead fully lead by Candidate Morty…
Who is revealed to have been Evil Morty all along.
In the post-credits scene the show cuts back to our Rick and Morty, who had their adventure off-screen. The show has returned to comfort, the galaxy has changed… but our heroes don’t know it yet.
Wielding The Power of Structure
The lesson here is that the rules that govern the story circle – drawn from the very lives we lead as civilized human beings, are so powerful, so affecting, that they can enable someone to juggle 4-5 storylines in a span of 22 minutes.
And blow their viewers away.
The power of the story circle enabled writers Dan Guterman and Ryan Ridley to create the highest rated episode EVER of Rick and Morty. And the best part is that anyone can put in the time to understand and master it to achieve similar feats in their own stories.