Unlike traditional mentors (like Doc Brown from Back to the Future ), Rick is toxic, self-destructive, and often the villain of his own story.

How do the characters find happiness despite knowing they are insignificant? It argues that if nothing matters on a cosmic scale, the only thing that does matter is how we treat the people right in front of us. 2. High-Concept Sci-Fi as a Metaphor

The show uses complex tropes—like the "Multiverse" or "Microverses"—to explore very human psychological states.