Last Sunday night was a pretty big night for a lot of TV fans, as Game of Thrones closed out Season 7, its penultimate season, with an extended episode that changed the game for just about every single characters. There was also a brand new episode of Rick and Morty that got absolutely toxic, which was immediately followed by a scathing Adult Swim text bump -- "The Writing on Game of Thrones [2011-2016]" -- that stung some viewers. It also stung Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon, who took to social media for a run-on tangent. Check it out.
People keep asking me about that tragically tacky card Adult Swim aired after Rick and Morty that insulted the writing on Game of Thrones so I keep thinking I should say something but I keep waiting for the time I'd need to write something worth saying because rule number one in talking shit is you better talk way better shit than the shit you're talking about but then I remember the truly frustrating thing about that card is that it breaks that rule, being a lazy, craftless jab at the WRITING on my favorite show that some pointlessly jaded teenage intern in Atlanta just left like a fart in my show's space so why wait for the muse to strike before disavowing them...
Anytime "tragically tacky" shows up in the first ten words of a sentence, you know that sentence is going to be one worth reading. Both co-creator Justin Roiland and Rick and Morty's social world had previously made it clear that the animated sci-fi comedy had nothing to do with that harsh bump card, but Dan Harmon took a little more time in getting his feelings out on the table. And that table needs some extra supports now, since Harmon just body-slammed that Adult Swim intern on top of it.
It's definitely true that lots of Game of Thrones viewers were also critical of Season 7 for such things as the quick pacing via rapid traveling, with many thinking the show's bigger moments were more fan service than serving the story. But only one of those viewers had the access to succinctly make that opinion public on cable TV in such a sarcasm-laden form.
Below, you'll find the rest of Dan Harmon's rambling Instagram post, in which he acknowledges this situation's place within the big picture.
...but then I figure I'm a hypocrite to judge anyone's tone deaf overstepping, especially in an instagram about an affront to some TV writing code while entire cities fight for their lives so I'll leave it at, hey man, wasn't me, I just work on Rick and Morty and love the Thrones, sorry if that anonymous unearned snark bummed you out but I'm the one that has to spend the next TV Guide Showrunner's Dinner checking his vodka for Essence of Nightshade.
If he only drinks that vodka out of a flask kept in his jacket, he should be good. But absolutely no opaque goblets.
Rick and Morty has been doing better than ever in the ratings during Season 3, partly thanks to the growing anticipation that came during the extended hiatus between seasons. So that particular placement for the Game of Thrones-bashing card was almost definitely intentional, so that the largest number of people would end up seeing it. Smart strategy, perhaps, but it's all about the execution.
While Game of Thrones may be gone from our lives until 2019 or so, there are thankfully more Rick and Morty episodes to enjoy in the coming weeks, as it airs Sunday nights on Adult Swim at 11:30 p.m. ET. Come on Morty, let's head to our fall premiere guide to see all the new and returning shows heading to TV.
