It is Friday night. You’ve got the lights dimmed. Maybe there’s a specific smell in the air—something herbal, perhaps. You click play on Adult Swim and that frantic, synth-heavy theme music starts. You aren't just watching a cartoon; you are participating in the specific, slightly chaotic ritual of watching high Rick and Morty.
It’s a thing. A huge thing.
If you look at Reddit threads or Discord servers dedicated to Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland’s creation, the "stoner viewer" isn't just a stereotype. They’re a core demographic. But why? Is it just because the colors are bright and the sci-fi is trippy? Honestly, it’s deeper than that. The show’s entire structural DNA—its nihilism, its frantic pacing, and its obsession with theoretical physics—aligns perfectly with an altered state of mind.
The Science of the "Stoned" Viewer Experience
When you're watching high Rick and Morty, your brain is doing something different than when you're soberly analyzing the plot. Most people think "being high" just means you’re easily amused by Rick’s burping or the weird creature designs in the background of Blips and Chitz. That’s part of it, sure. But the real draw is the "flow state."
Rick and Morty is famous for its "interdimensional cable" style of writing. It’s dense. It’s fast. In a 22-minute episode, there might be forty jokes you missed because you were blink-reacting to a gruesome death or a complex philosophical monologue about the heat death of the universe. Cannabis, for many, slows that perceived time down. It allows the viewer to dwell on the absurdity of a character like Mr. Poopybutthole without losing the thread of the "vat of acid" plotline.
Think about the episode "Mortynight Run." You’ve got the "Roy: A Life Well Lived" sequence. To a sober viewer, it’s a funny, dark bit about the futility of life. To someone watching high Rick and Morty, that three-minute clip becomes a profound existential crisis. You start questioning if you are currently in a simulation at a cosmic arcade.
That’s the magic.
Why the Nihilism Hits Different
"Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody's gonna die. Come watch TV."
Morty’s famous line from Season 1, Episode 8 is the unofficial anthem of the fanbase. When you’re in a heightened state of awareness, that brand of cosmic nihilism doesn't feel depressing. It feels liberating.
Dan Harmon, the show’s co-creator, often talks about the "Story Circle." It’s a rigid structural tool he uses to ensure every episode feels satisfying. But inside that circle, he stuffs the most chaotic, non-linear ideas imaginable. This creates a weird tension. Your "sober" brain tries to track the logic. Your "high" brain just accepts the chaos. This acceptance is what makes the show so re-watchable.
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The Visual Language of Adult Swim
Adult Swim has a history. From Aqua Teen Hunger Force to The Eric Andre Show, the network has always catered to the late-night, "under the influence" crowd. But high Rick and Morty elevated the aesthetic.
We aren't just talking about "trippy" visuals anymore. We’re talking about fluid animation that mimics the way thought patterns work when you’re baked. The "Goodbye Moonmen" sequence featuring Fart (voiced by Jemaine Clement) is a literal David Bowie-esque hallucination. It uses shifting colors and melting geometries.
It’s intentional.
The animators at Bardel Entertainment and Green Portal Productions know exactly who is watching at 11:30 PM on a Sunday. They lean into it. They use a specific color palette—lots of purples, neon greens, and shifting blues—that "pops" under certain conditions.
Exploring the "Rick" Perspective vs. the "Morty" Perspective
Usually, when you’re watching the show, you identify with Morty. He’s the audience surrogate. He’s confused. He’s stressed. He just wants to go to prom or talk to Jessica.
But when people engage with high Rick and Morty, they often find themselves slipping into Rick’s headspace. Rick Sanchez is a man who sees through the "curtain" of reality. He knows nothing matters because there are infinite timelines. Being high often produces a similar—if much milder—sense of detachment from everyday social norms. Suddenly, Rick isn't just a jerk; he's the only one who's "awake."
It’s a dangerous trap, though. The show spent years (especially in Seasons 4 through 7) trying to deconstruct this "Rick is a god" mentality. The writers, including newer voices like Heather Anne Campbell and Albro Lundy, have pushed back against the idea that Rick’s nihilism is a superpower. If you’re watching while elevated, you might miss the subtle tragedy of Rick’s loneliness because you’re too busy laughing at his portals.
Common Misconceptions About the "Stoner Fan"
Let’s get one thing straight: you don't need to be high to get the jokes.
In fact, some of the most complex puns—like the "Heist-o-Tron" versus "Rand-o-Tron" logic in Season 4—require a lot of focus to actually follow. If you’re too far gone, you’re just going to be staring at the screen wondering why the robot has so many arms.
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There’s also this weird idea that the writers are always high in the writers' room.
Not true.
Writing a show this tight requires incredible discipline. Dan Harmon is famously meticulous. The scripts are polished until they’re airtight. The "high" energy comes from the concepts, not necessarily the sobriety level of the people in the room. They’re playing with high-concept sci-fi tropes from Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, and The Twilight Zone. They’re doing the heavy lifting so you don't have to.
The Cultural Impact of the "Trippy" Episode
Every season has "that" episode.
- Season 1: Rick Potion No. 9 (The one where they leave their original dimension forever).
- Season 2: Total Rickall (The memory parasites).
- Season 3: The Ricklantis Mixup (The Citadel of Ricks).
- Season 6: Night Family (The John Carpenter-style horror vibes).
The Citadel of Ricks episode is a masterpiece of world-building. For a fan watching high Rick and Morty, this episode is a labyrinth. It’s a political thriller, a police procedural, and a coming-of-age story all wrapped into one. The sheer volume of "Ricks" and "Mortys" on screen creates a dizzying effect. You start to lose track of which one is "our" Rick.
That disorientation is a feature, not a bug.
Practical Advice for the "High" Viewer
If you’re going to do this, do it right. Don't just put on any random episode. Some are better suited for this specific vibe than others.
- Check the Audio: The sound design in this show is incredible. Use headphones. The squelching noises of the aliens, the ambient hum of the spaceship—it’s all mastered in a way that feels immersive.
- Avoid the "Heavy" Ones First: If you’re in a vulnerable headspace, maybe skip "Auto Erotic Assimilation" (the one where Rick almost kills himself at the end). It gets dark. Fast.
- Watch for the Background Gags: There are entire stories happening in the background of scenes. In the "Get Schwifty" episode, look at the posters in the background of the high school. Look at what the background characters are doing during the Cromulon invasion.
- Hydrate: Rick drinks a lot of "mega-seed juice" (or whatever is in his flask), but you should probably stick to water.
The Evolution of the Show’s Tone
As the show moved into its later seasons, the "high" appeal changed. It became more meta.
The episode "Never Ricking Morty" (the Story Train) is a literal attack on the audience’s expectations. It’s a critique of "canon." For a casual viewer, it’s confusing. For the dedicated fan watching high Rick and Morty, it’s a hilarious, fourth-wall-breaking mind-bend. It challenges you to stop caring about "what happens next" and just enjoy the ride of the narrative itself.
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This shift has polarized some fans. Some miss the simple adventures of Season 1. But the evolution was necessary. You can only do "Wubba Lubba Dub Dub" so many times before it becomes a hollow catchphrase. By getting weirder, the show actually stayed more "true" to its psychotropic roots.
The Legacy of the High Fanbase
Let’s be real: without the "stoner" culture, Rick and Morty might have just been another short-lived cult hit.
The fan art, the glowing tapestries, the "Get Schwifty" remixes—these all came from a community that likes to engage with media in an altered state. This community kept the show alive during the long breaks between seasons (remember the two-year wait for Season 3?).
It’s a symbiotic relationship. The show provides the complex, multi-layered fuel, and the fanbase provides the intense, obsessive engagement.
Moving Forward: How to Engage
Next time you sit down for a session of high Rick and Morty, try to pick an episode you’ve seen ten times already.
You’ll notice things you never saw before. You’ll hear a line of dialogue that sounds like a completely different joke. You’ll see a character in the background that looks exactly like a different character from three seasons later.
The show is designed like a fractal. The closer you look, the more detail you find. And sometimes, a little bit of "help" is what you need to see the patterns.
Next Steps for the Rick and Morty Enthusiast
- Deep Dive into the Comics: The Oni Press comic series explores dimensions and characters the show never has time for. It’s a great way to stay in that world without re-watching the same episodes.
- Explore the Soundtracks: Ryan Elder’s score is genuinely brilliant. Listen to the "Solar Opposites" or "Rick and Morty" soundtracks on high-quality speakers to appreciate the synth work.
- Analyze the "Philosophy of Rick": Read up on Albert Camus or Jean-Paul Sartre. Understanding "The Myth of Sisyphus" makes Rick’s constant struggle against the universe feel a lot more grounded and less like "just a cartoon."
- Host a Theme Night: Pick five episodes that follow a specific theme (like "The Council of Ricks" or "Interdimensional Travel") and watch them in order to see how the animation and writing styles have evolved since 2013.