'Rick and Morty' Season 4 Writers Fixated on '27 Dresses'
In 2008's 27 Dresses, Katherine Heigl plays a woman who has been a bridesmaid 27 times, but finds an opportunity to turn around her "always a bridesmaid, never a bride" fate when she meets a marriage cynic, played by James Marsden. It ends at their wedding, with all 27 brides appearing as her bridesmaids, each in one of the 27 dresses.
So, what does this have to do with Rick and Morty Season 4? We're asking ourselves the same question after the official Rick and Morty Twitter account revealed just how much the rom-com has meant to the writers working on new episodes.
Dan broke out the story circle to take a look at the twists and turns of 27 Dresses. pic.twitter.com/OgWoen8kVZ
— Rick and Morty (@RickandMorty) November 15, 2018
The "story circle" mentioned in the tweet is a reference to Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon's preferred method for visualizing story. It's essentially his own version of Joseph Cambell's monomyth, or hero's journey, divided into eight steps around a circle, including crossing a threshold into an unfamiliar world, overcoming a crisis and returning home, having changed ( for more on Harmon's story circle ). There's even a Simpsons joke about it:
— Arturo Pérez-Retrete (@lobito666_) November 15, 2018
Since Heigl's character starts the movie with all 27 dresses in her closet, this Rick and Morty story circle doesn't actually map 27 Dresses well, since there is no progressive acquisition. It is, in other words, some sort of… joke.
But here's where the Rick and Morty / 27 Dresses crossover gets strange. Because this isn't the first time 27 Dresses has been held up as the paragon for Rick and Morty storytelling. Back in July, Rick and Morty writer and producer Mike McMahan ( whose animated Star Trek comedy was just greenlit by CBS All Access) tweeted a photo of the Season 4 writers room "story breaking":
Story breaking pic.twitter.com/t0jkjWBKPb
— Mike McMahan (@MikeMcMahanTM) July 11, 2018
A forensic examination of the picture reveals a startling truth: these two story circles, though posted months apart, are identical. So either the 27 Dresses story circle remains, intact, on the Rick and Morty writers room whiteboard (the angle of the Rick magnet demonstrates the photos, though of the same subject, are not the same photos), or the official Rick and Morty account is posting old content.
Either way, a 27 Dresses sequel set on Gazorpazorp is all but confirmed. As for that Rick and Morty Season 4 release date… keep waiting.
