You’re not gonna have fun if you analyze everything." With season three's record so far, it was almost inevitable that Rick and Morty's finale might suffer an anti-climax. It has been an incredibly dark, consistently sarcastic and self-aware season with a number of very notable moments that will not be forgotten quickly. The finale may not be up to the standard of the season premiere, Pickle Rick or Ricklantis Mixup, but it is not hindered when it comes to the comedy and heart. First and foremost, the characters are always addressed, and that is the key point in this finale. We've experienced a lot with these characters, and we've seen them progress from hilarious caricatures, to meaningful people with multi-dimensional personalities. This finale wonderfully addresses how Rick's long-winded machinations can sometimes backfire on him. In the premiere, he revealed his intention to ostracise Jerry from the family, but in the end, it's Rick's lack of mutual perspective that brings them back together again.
The episode starts with a request from the President of the United States to rid the White House basement of a nuisance creature. Realising their almost totally-obedient situation, Rick and Morty decide that they will pretend to continue the job, but actually return home to play virtual minecraft. This spirals out of control when the President, who has kept them under supervision, accuses them of dereliction of duty. The whole scenario is brilliant realised, and allows for a rapid succession of jokes both against the President and Rick. I particularly enjoyed Rick's subtle joke passed on by the Gargantuan species. It's amazing that this show can still produce very funny material from previously established storylines. As the mayhem of the White House invasion unfolds, the main storylines continues as Beth starts to have reservations following her adventure with her father last week. She is juggling perplexingly with the thought that she might be a clone and her real self is adventuring far and wide. Whilst the episode doesn't explicitly answer that question - leaving a gap open for a future reveal perhaps - it does ironically lead Beth back to Jerry as she relives her past emotions when they first met. So, inadvertently, Rick actually gives Beth the motivation to go back to her husband. It's interesting to point out also that Morty and Summer are quick to support their parents in protecting their reunion - regardless of whether Rick can find them or not. This addresses early on in the season as both kids suffered greatly in the wake of the separation of their parents. I like how the in-characters address the new situation in which they have returned to their 'Season One' selves. Rick may have attempted to separate the family because he feels Jerry interfere's too much in his voracious adventures. Even though Rick sometimes offers him respite, as in the Whirly Dirly Conspiracy, it still transpires that Rick and Jerry are both at each other's throats. This new setup may just be an old picture, but I imagine the tensions are going to be higher than ever, especially now that external forces could be attempting to attack their already complicated lives. The aftermath of episode seven certainly points to a darker future in which they could be in jeopardy from their own parallel personae. This season promised a lot, and delivered a lot more. As the fourth season wait begins for what could possibly be the longest hiatus yet, as Mr. Poopybutthole mentions, we look back at the open storylines that could be making a return appearance. Evil Morty is definitely top of the anticipation list as his takeover at the Citadel means everything in this Rick and Morty Universe. But there are also other small references , such as Tammy's resurrection of Birdperson as Phoenixperson; Jerry's possible hidden agenda; whether Beth is a clone or not and so on. Questions that may purposely be misleading, but connected to possible future concepts nonetheless. As always with shows like this, it's a matter of being patient and giving the writers enough time to create intelligent work. The finale may suffer by allowing the action to take a back seat to emotion, but this is still top quality television with extra sass. 8.5/10 Season Overall: 8.5/10
0 Comments
Smart people get a chance to climb on top, take reality for a ride, but it will never stop trying to throw you, and eventually it will." This penultimate episode feels a lot more like a Season One episode, especially as we're delving into the background story of Rick's own daughter, Beth. The tone is far more vulgar and depressing this time around too, giving us another serious look at how Rick's miraculous creations have caused real-life distress and disaster. But, this time, it seems Beth has made the biggest faux pas - Rick may be indifferent to his daughter's mistakes, but we see an element of her father in Beth here, which is more revealing than anything else. Perhaps, his influence on her is more far-reaching than we first assumed. Unfortunately, as the writers decided to feature a more subdued, life-is-unfair narrative, they lost a lot of momentum early on.
The premise is brilliant as always, introducing us to Froopy land, a place designed by Rick for his daughter's perpetual enjoyment as a child - a place that regressed in her mind to imaginary. But, there's also a dark story behind the place, which was catalysed by Beth's abandonment of her childhood friend, Tommy. This resulted in him creating his own society after mating with a local sentient species - spiralling into a cannibalistic civilisation that worships Tommy as its ruler. Vulgar and blatant though it is, the story mirrors that of real life in which his actual father is accused of eating him in explanation for his disappearance. Rick and Morty has touched on dark plot lines before, but this may take the biscuit as the most disturbing conundrum yet. What Beth does to resolve this incredibly complicated and seemingly impossible predicament is beyond words. It's clear that she commits genocide in Froopy land, including killing Tommy, and returns his finger for Rick to create a clone. What ensues is a particularly savvy sequence of events that leads up to Tommy being returned to his family and his father being saved from execution for a crime he didn't commit. in typical Rick and Morty style, it tells a million stories in a short minute clip. This is where the integrity of the show lies, in which the writers merely need a few expressive scenes to describe conclusions. It's the final father and daughter discussion that has the most meaningful content though - with Beth considering cloning herself in order to escape the humdrum of life. Rick's openness to performing the cloning is typical of his indifference to the normality. Perhaps the most meaningful conversation they've had in the entire show, and yet it contains the most disturbing tease yet, in which we will now question whether Beth is the original her or just a clone in disguise. The main plot line was coupled with a return to form Jerry, who is at his old tricks again, making a mess of the Universe with his incompetence, cowardice and severe lack of consideration for his own kids. Shacking up with an alien known as Kiara (something like that), in a semi-revenge against Beth, who is also an obsessive huntress, Summer and Morty finds themselves dragged along in the flawed relationship, in which they perform ritual hunts in order for Jerry to train his telekinesis and perhaps form a decent relationship in the process. The jokes may be a recycled form of Jerry's complete ignorance to boundaries and his capacity for the extreme, but the revelation in which Kiara was actually using Jerry as rebound hit the nail on the head regarding Jerry's entire existence. The show has definitely become more self-aware this season, and I liked the fact that Rick mentioned his tendency to have an adventure with Morty more than anyone else. Also, this episode had one of the best post-credits scenes yet, in the simple form of messages on an answering machine. But, because it has touched on many of these themes thoroughly already, it can seem repetitive of the writers to revisit past narratives for derivation in new ones. The concept beyond Beth's imaginary world was originally conceived, but the reliance on both Rick and Jerry's opposing personalities as the catalyst for the stories was less than inspiring. Nevertheless, the effort that goes into creating this hundred mile-an-hour script is always at the forefront, and it is consistently a joy to watch and hear. 8/10 We shouldn't take things for granite." Whilst I'm disappointed that the show hasn't already picked up where last week's left off - concerning evil Morty and his dastardly plan to take over the society of Ricks and Mortys - this week's self-contained adventure gave us a lot of laughs and a lot more exposition surrounding the lives of Rick and Morty that we haven't seen in its plethora of parallel universes. Cleverly, the writers developed a way to show that these scenes are actually forgotten memories, removed because either Rick or Morty decided it needed to be. The Morty's Mind Blowers concept takes heed of Pixar's recent success of Inside Out, but it also has a lot of original content going for it that is typically connected to this wonderful show. The anthology style that takes Interdimensional Cable's place is just as successful as its predecessor.
The idea itself is triumphant in that it is capable of analysing how these two characters' minds work. Rick has obliged Morty by using his invention to remove memories that have possibly psychologically haunted Morty for whatever reason. However, there's the hilarious opposite where Rick has removed memories deliberately because he has either made a big faux pas or embarrassed himself irreparably in front of his grandson. Morty's reactions to these once-owned memories are priceless, especially ones such as Rick's confusion between 'granted' and 'granite'. Not to mention mercilessly slaughtering a harmless creature because he mixed up the names of planets. The opening memory was a great way to start this little collection as Morty mistakenly thinks a man is on the Moon, which coincidentally leads him to meeting the same man the next morning at school. Due to some notable snippets of dialogue, Morty informs the headmaster about the man's presence on the Moon, which indirectly leads the man to killing himself, as the headmaster mistakenly believed Morty's accusations were code for him being a pedophile. It turns out that Summer was right all along and that Morty's telescope lens merely had a smudge on it. A dark and twisted story that you can understand why Morty had it erased from his mind. However, an even greater faux pas, and far more hilarious predicament, has to be Morty's attempts to converse with the wildlife of the world, which accidentally leads to overhearing a squirrel colony's worldwide dominion template. I can hardly think of a more hilarious scene as the head squirrel attempts to get Morty's attention. This unwittingly leads to Rick deciding that this reality is just as dangerous as the one caused by the potion back in Season One. It leads one to question how many times Rick and Morty have switched realities. Amongst all the dark short stories, the religion who believes in the afterlife included, there's a definite sense that the relationship between grandfather and grandson has reached the pinnacle of its development. They have experienced so many horrific and unprecedented events together, that it's hard to pull them apart. And yet, as Rick and Morty unexpectedly remove all their memories (apart from Rick's haunting memory of Men in Black 2), there's a moment of surprise as we see how these two brand new templates of the characters learn about each other all over again. It's a scenario we haven't really predicted could happen, but it's a tense one at that. It's like going all the way back to the beginning of their adventures and reliving their bond again. Thus, the truth comes out. After reliving all those memories, Rick and Morty are ready to kill each other. It's testament to the creation of these characters that we can believe that despite their family relations, they would be cutthroat enough to end each other. So, despite not getting a resolution to our Rick and Morty discovering the hell that the Citadel has fallen into, we get a glimpse of what could be the incoming future. Thank god for Summer, who's selflessness gives Rick and Morty a chance to live a little longer. It's nice to see that Rick has informed her of contingencies for just such an occasion as this. Whilst diverting from this season overarching story, Morty's Mind Blowers doesn't falter its characters. In fact it expands on them and gives us a chance to explore a different possible avenue of the main characters' dynamic. This stash of memories could hold many interesting and unseen moments in time that could mean the difference between cooperation and separation for our main characters. There's no doubt that Rick can sometimes be incredibly careless when it comes to his emotions and intentions, but Morty is just as emotional in his reaction. On a side note, I'd like to commend the writers on their ability to ridicule Jerry once again in a mere forty seconds at the denouement. Poor E.T.-equivalent. 8/10 This seems like a good time for a drink, and a cold, calculated speech with sinister overtones." Game of Thrones has a rival, in the form of Adult Swim's madcap, unconventional and paradoxical Rick and Morty. This little animated gem has always been known for successfully parodying other shows and recurring dark themes. Its prominent staple is to bombard the audience with a string of hilarious banter before dropping the ball on an unexpected revelation. These revelations have come uncommonly in the past, but this season has proved to have more than one surprise waiting around the corner. Indeed, this season has concentrated on character study - particularly how Morty and Summer have been affected by their parents' separation and the resulting emotions. This episode, however, looks to the wider universe of the show and explains what consequences Rick's actions have had on the Citadel of Ricks.
The thematic essence of the episode is all based on diversity - simple a world of Ricks and Mortys and how they are perceived in society. It's incredible how the writers can construct an entire reality based on the relationship between a man and his grandson. This unusual template for relationship is the basis for this new, confusing society, following Rick's demolition of the Citadel of Ricks. We get liberal glimpses of different members of society - Morty schoolchildren, police partners Rick and Morty, a Rick employee at a wafer factory and a Morty presidential candidate. All these storylines converge to make up this wonderful world of Ricks and Mortys without much effort, and everything is in such semblance that it's easy to jump from one storyline to another. The overall breakdown of society is incredibly clever and each element contributes to the big climax in which an old character returns to make his mark. All the stories seem to work so well together - probably because they are parodies of cult fiction. The school Mortys traveling to the Wishing Portal is, I believe, a parody of Stand By Me, and demonstrates the still childish side to Morty where he's seeking independence from Rick. The whole story around one Morty being assigned to many Ricks is a great way of reintroducing and analysing that relationship that we know so well, where society is built and given foundation by the cooperation of both characters. His sacrifice for change at the end is meant as symbolism for Morty's fall into darkness. The wafer factory storyline gives us Simple Rick again, with a noir storyline involving an employee fighting back against an institution. This is a jab at Rick's character, one in which he can't be suppressed and constantly needs to be the best of the best. Self-indulgent as it is, the idea of wafers coated in the happy emotions of a Rick being distributed throughout the society is both creepy and haunting. I also enjoyed the jibe that Rick is always considered to be a terrorist, and that is his basic function. The police partnership story is an interesting story, seeing as it is opposite to what we're expecting in the character's relationship. Here, Morty is the wiseman and Rick is the cautious, rulebook persona. Clearly parodying The Wire, this is an exercise in definition for the two characters. Morty seems to have little regard for his own characterisation, and yet Rick has full compassion for it. There's a hint of an upcoming confrontation as Rick makes a terrible decision to stop cop Morty and his tyrannical nature. The final storyline covers the presidential race as an underdog Morty comes from being ridiculed live on stage to being the most preferred candidate above the rest, simply because he understands the gaps in society - places where effectively their characterisation is flawed. There's a great buildup in the middle of the episode as it is hinted that this Morty is perhaps not what he seem, and the Morty who was fired discovers some unpleasant secrets. Indeed, this solidifies the connection to Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind, where the Morty who controlled Evil Rick, now loose in the Citadel, has risen to the most powerful position in the society, on the basis of lies. The accompany music wonderfully ushers in the conclusion as we're left with a revelation that could mean a major turning point in the show. One where our Rick and Morty are in mortal danger, either from exterior forces or from each other. Hands down, this is the greatest episode of Rick and Morty yet - tying together a number of storylines that have been left hanging and also teasing us with an Atlantis trip, when actually it was all a decoy. In a mere twenty-two minutes, this show has covered a number of heavy-going themes and succeeded in preparing the audience for a big conclusion this season. The writers continue to show-off their skill for the unexpected and have thrown a curveball that could be the defining moment in the show, one that is almost a parody of itself, but one that is so successful that the jokes are less funny, but more poignant and dark. There's a distinct shift into darker territory as the true enemies are highlighted. I for one am intrigued to see the final three episodes, and I expect a lot of cameos and surprises. 10/10 Hey listen, you know, if we're all bored over here, wouldn't the common denominator be you?" In what is a clever premise and dark denouement, perhaps suffers because of its over-complicated plot. However, this does not deter the writers from including some wonderfully meaningful jibes at their main characters and continuing to expand on the complex personalities. Morty takes the limelight this time as his detoxed body takes control of his love life in unexpected fashion. It's clear that this is the perspective of Morty that doesn't climb to the surface very often - overconfident, passionate and downright weird. In contrast, detoxed Rick loses his unpredictability and becomes a shadow of himself - someone with barely the guts to question his Morty. A change for the ages indeed, and one that is sometimes steeped in twisted, dark humour.
Following a rather raucous adventure, Rick and Morty decide to give rest and relaxation a chance, and make use of an alien spa. They are offered the use of a detox chamber, which unfortunately results in - with brilliant irony - the trashing of the personalities that we adore about our two main characters. We recognise clearly that these personalities are their darkest sides, but these flaws are the quirks of these characters - this is why we watch them. Banished to a trash heap full of detoxicated junk and monsters, this version of Rick and Morty are forced to defend themselves and attempt to contact the safe versions. In the real world, Rick and Morty seem oblivious to their change of characters and continue with their lives accordingly. Hilariously, this leads Morty on a love rampage in which he seduces women and becomes the head of a stockbrokers - despite his age. If we'd been given more time to appreciate this version, it might not have felt so rushed. Instead, it's coupled with new Rick's attempts to save their other selves. This results in a battle between versions in the real world - one that is seemingly incredulous. I did appreciate the body-swapping abilities that both Rick's incorporate into the battle and shows how capable the character is of messing with himself. The best part, as always, is the show's darkest moments. When detoxed Rick rejigs an aerial to transform everyone into detoxed versions of themselves, the ensuing chaos has some brilliant moments of comedy - particularly the goings-on inside a local church. Seeing a detoxed Morty was pretty helpless - he resembled more slime than himself - it was sad to think that he hadn't returned to his body for a long time before Rick rediscovered his true body, in a new apartment financed by his new job as a stockbroker. The main lesson to learn from this, perhaps, is that even though Morty's lack of confidence was ostracised in the detox process, Jessica still didn't fall for him - well, who would with that goofy obsession with organic food. However, when it's revealed that Jessica helped Rick locate Morty in the last moments of the episode, perhaps there's an inkling of something to come. This episode stumbles slightly because it loses its main thread somewhere in the middle, but it has some great ideas and dark moments, continuing the trend of Season 3. It's clear that the writers are preparing something for Morty's character, as he appears to be suffering a mental transformation with the amount he's being influenced on Rick's adventures. This new side to Morty is bloody terrifying and could be a foreshadowing of things to come - could Rick be facing the wrath of his own grandson? 8.5/10 Mama's coming and she cares about your titties." It has been common knowledge from the start of Rick and Morty that Jerry is a character that struggles to fit in with his often eccentric, often open-minded family. His pathetic lifestyle and work ethic have always been the butt of the joke. Just looking back to M. Night Shaym-Aliens, you can understand why Rick considers him to be a bit of an idiot. His complete lack of perception when it comes to seeing malfunctioning code is laughable. Nevertheless, this characteristic makes him invaluable to the cast of this wonderful show. He is a consistent and well-nourished source of instant comedy, thus the writers naturally decided that this would be a "Rick and Jerry episode!".
Indeed, the Whirly Dirly Conspiracy is very 'whirly dirly'. Subconsciously, I imagine Rick is trying to show Jerry a bit of kindness as he was partly (or mostly) responsible for ostracising Jerry from the family. He takes him to a rich theme park which has an immortality field, a nice touch on a science-fiction standpoint, but one that provides a lot of dark comedy later on. As Rick and Jerry start bonding over a drink at the bar, it all seems quite quaint and tranquil, and you may start to wonder whether the two characters will actually start to understand one another. Of course not. That wouldn't be right. Unfortunately, Jerry is embroiled in an assassination attempt with the local staff at the restaurant. They've discovered a blip in the immortality field at the top of the Whirly-Dirly ride, where they can kill Rick. This is of course easier said than done, and you can see Jerry contemplating the thought of killing his father-in-law, just as they were about to bond. Naturally, things get out of hand, and Rick soon discovers Jerry's deceit. It's difficult to see what might be going through Rick's head at this point, as he used to seeing Jerry as the submissive person, not any way inclined or brave enough to attack him. Rick turns unusually angry - I mean properly angry. But, Jerry finds a newfound freedom to belittle Rick when his father-in-law's synapses are rendered useless. It may be short-lived, but Jerry is given a chance to have revenge on all the insults that Rick has ever sent his way - naturally he's terrible at rebuttal, but what else can we expect from him. The masterstroke of the episode, however, comes from the dream-state that Jerry experiences while traveling through a wormhole. Simply through rather vivid imagery, we are given a collage of insanity at how Jerry sees Rick in his deluded and rather untempered mind. Despite his prolonged animosity towards Rick, we get some wonderful character development for someone we thought would be out of the picture by now. Back on Earth, Summer has been having some trouble with her boyfriend. I didn't realise she was so obsessed with vanity, but she decides to use her grandfather's size-changing machine to increase the size of her breasts. She accidentally resizes her entire body into a giant. The consequences are left for Morty and their mother to solve. Possibly the funniest parts of the episode, I was particularly tickled by the customer service joke as Beth unwittingly allows the internal operators of the machine to escape. But, it's Morty who much watch closely as he seems to be heading into darker ways. What he does to Ethan, Summer's boyfriend, is perhaps not the worst he could have done, but you can't help feeling that Morty is developing some anger issues, a side-effect of his continued association with Rick. A brilliant episode to reintroduce Jerry and continue to set out the unbalanced relationships between the Smith family members. It consistently amazes me how this show can meld both hilarious comedy and dark emotional resonance together in one episode. Morty shouting at his neighbour for interrupting his conversation with his mother, put together with a young boy accidentally killing his sister after the immortality field was disabled. This is a delicate skill that the writers have possessed since the show began and it never fails. 9/10 Rick says good and bad are artificial constructs." There's always a sense of impending darkness with Rick and Morty. Just when rick finds himself revealing his emotional side, and confesses his deep affection for his family, there's a major turnabout and we're reminded that Rick is possibly the most selfish character in existence...and the funniest. Vindicators 3 is know exception as its title suggest a Guardians of the Galaxy parody, and is a self-confessed take on Saw. Unfortunately, the story suffers from trying to introduce too many new characters, each with their own outlandish agenda and quirky personality, but the adventure itself is a another successful jaunt in the twisted mind of Rick Sanchez, and the consequences of his often unconventional actions.
The loyalty card makes a return in which Morty declares his right to one in every ten adventures. His suggestion of joining the Vindicators perhaps doesn't go according to plan, as he soon learns that they went adventuring without him for their second mission, and Rick seems to be causing trouble at every turn. It's always struck me how brutally honest Rick can be about his feelings, and yet seem so disconnected from them at the same time. In the earlier sections of the episode, his character keeps the story afloat with some wonderful insults once again as we are gradually introduced to the Vindicators team. Vance Maximus seems to be the stereotypical heroic figure, but with an almost pedophiliac nature - hence why his limelight is short lived for the episode. Supernova doesn't get enough screen time in my opinion, and as such, her absolute power is not explained. I liked the fact that Alan Rails seemed to be the consistent butt of the joke as Rick ridiculed his ghost train. Million Ants, funnily enough, appeared to have the most development as it is revealed he's involved in an affair with Supernova. Crocubot is barely mentioned. It may be possible that the Vindicators' stories were just simple overshadowed by Rick's drunken rampage. Indeed, Rick was the highlight of the episode, as he should be - a mad scientist so in love with himself that the only element of the Vindicators that he liked was the only member who laughed at his jokes. In effect, he sets up an entire Saw-based experiment to slaughter the Vindicators and then place Noob Noob on a pedestal - much to Morty's bewilderment. It frustrates Morty even more when Rick questions why Logic is singing about someone called Noob Noob. The Vindicators have practically been eradicated for no reason whatsoever, other than for the amusement of Rick in his drunken state. The overall mission to stop Worldender may have been quickly shunted aside, but the dark side to the episode is that Rick so easily orchestrated this psychotic trap and even involved himself and his grandchild in its implementation. Jokes aside, the writers have certainly painstakingly ensured that this season is its darkest. It seems every decision Rick has made so far has resulted in close contact with death. On the topic of Rick's character, it's always great to see him returning to old locations and old friends. Gearhead makes a return in Rick's celebratory party for Noob Noob. As he makes an important appearance in the after credits it makes me wonder what the writers are preparing for the upcoming overarching storylines. Seeing as we still haven't heard anything else of Tammy and new Phoenix Person. Understandably, Jerry's circumcision from the family seems to be the main topic of the season, but I can't help seeing something bigger on the move concerning the mountain of enemies that Rick has made along the line of adventures. This was an exciting romp with a great, dark twist in the middle, but its supporting characters didn't live up to their names. 8/10 I think it's possible that you and your father have a very specific dynamic. I don't think it's one that rewards emotion or vulnerability. I think it may punish them. I think it's possible that dynamic eroded your marriage and is infecting your kids with a tendency to misdirect their feelings." This was a twist for the ages. Rick, in attempting to skip therapy, transforms himself into a pickle and devises an elaborate contraption to get himself out of it, once the family has left for the appointment. Unfortunately, this doesn't go as planned as Beth decides to ensure her father's incapacitation by taking the syringe containing the potion required for Rick's reversion. Events spiral out of control as Rick embarks on a journey to the therapy room to regain his Human form. On the way, he fights an underground infestation of rats, infiltrates a European top secret base and saves a prisoner - Jaguar - from incarceration for the sake of seeing his daughter again. Meanwhile, the Sanchez family are enjoying a somewhat less-than-convivial chat with Dr. Wong, their therapist, as they rapidly get to the bottom of their problems.
Bolstered by Roiland's wonderfully wacky voiceovers, and a decidedly star-studded cast of other voices including Susan Sarandon and Peter Serafinowicz, this was quite a funny episode. Rick especially had a few wonderful zingers that rolled off the tongue with nary a second thought - reinforcing his insulting expertise. One of the best moments though, has to be its darkest, as Rick absent-mindedly mentioned how he abandoned his daughter in an alternative Universe, and when Jaguar comes to question whether his own daughter could be infinitely distributed in other dimensions, Rick backtracks. It's incredible how the writers have easily infused another likeable character into the pathos of Rick and Morty that has an emotional back story and an authentic motivation. Hopefully we'll see more of Rick and Jaguar's relationship prosper, especially now that Rick has been saved from Concerto by his newfound friend in the after-credits scene. The journey to friendship, however, is paved with madness. I love Rick's natural compatibility with the science around him and how he can use his environment to his advantage. The fact that he has the capacity to build an entire laboratory underground to build himself a super-suit with weapon attachments may seem a bit far-fetched, but I particularly liked the fact that he used his mouth to control the brain and nervous system of a cockroach - that was genius. Everything following may seem like nonsensical violence, but it's just Rick enjoying his time as a pickle, decapitating, dissecting and disassembling rats to his delight. But even in the short space of twenty minutes, the show managed to introduce another B-plot, which was the old-wives tale about 'Solenya', the Pickle Man who steals the dreams of wasteful children. This concept was the basis for yet more hilarious gags and gave Rick the chance he needed to escape. Honestly, Rick needs to transform into a pickle more often - the possibilities are endless. The most important part of the episode, I suppose, is the actual therapy session. Less active than the other parts of the story, indeed, but just as funny. The return of Mr. Goldenfold offers another joke as we learn that Dr. Wong is also an expert on helping people with coprophagia - making the gag with the picture frame seem even more meaningful. But there's a darker tone to this part of the story as we learn that Beth has an unnatural relationship with her father in that she ignores his complete disregard of family. In truth, Rick does not like to show his loving side, not that there's much of it. But this disregard is indirectly causing her kids to be affected as well. This small, yet significant, detail gives a final note that could be the darkest of the series. Summer and Morty want to go back to therapy again, but Rick has convinced Beth that it is unnecessary. The overall arch is coming together in brutal fashion, as we would expect from this ridiculous show. Darkness comes before light and Rick would rather pain and suffering than boredom as it leads to an exciting adventure. However, there's evidence that his adventures are taking their toll on his grandchildren as they go through a period of sombreness with the absence of their father. Therapy sessions seem to be what's needed, and even Rick was taken aback with Dr. Wong's words of wisdom, but the kids may not get another chance. 9/10 The longer you wait, the more it’s going to feel like committing a whole murder. I think your arm just called it too early because it wasn’t the arm of a paramedic." Following on from such a high-calibre, clever and hilarious premiere was always going to be difficult, and yet this show somehow manages to maintain its reputation as a free-flowing, bad-mouthed torrent of burps, insults and wild diversions. Rickmancing the Stone is a comparably low-key episode than usual, but it balances both the ramifications of Jerry's departure from the family and a new world (parody of Mad Max) with skill. Indeed, all the characters have certainly changed, although Morty continues to exhibit long bouts of undignified distress. Summer is the character who has changed most of all - maturity has hit her full in the face as she attempts to compensate for the loss of her father by shacking up with a bucket-headed, bare-bottomed nihilist with a vanity problem. Rick, concurrently, seems to be the most stressed of the trio as he attempts to keep his daughter happy with robotic replicants of her children and himself, whilst attempting to acquire a natural source of power inside glowing-green minerals. In brief, a typically bonkers episode of Rick and Morty with many a dark twist.
Despite being ejected from his home and his family, Jerry plays a big role in the episode, as the catalyst for the numerous feelings his family exhibits. He has never quite been in tune with Grandpa Rick's unconventional way of life, but in this Universe at least, that's what being Jerry constitutes. Father figure or not, he is still the nincompoop who dared to ask a Meeseeks to improve his golf - sheesh. However, despite Summer's sudden meandering into a post-apocalyptic society, when she returns to her own dimension, she has thought to give her father a visit - even if it is to teach him a lesson in moving on. Character-building aside, I am interested in the ghostly voice that seems to be following Jerry around the place, every now and then whispering 'LOSER'. Our role model and searcher of Szechuan sauce, Rick himself, was on top form as usual. Disregard for the societies he joins continues to be a staple in his life diary. The concept of a society powered (and controlled) by a naturally-occurring mineral is intriguing, but this is not the most original part of the episode, and neither is it the story under the spotlight. Whilst he does love to compliment Summer for her rapid progression into psychopath, he does feel slightly burdened in knowing that his daughter will not be pleased to see her daughter with a penchant for violence. His laughable attempts to convince her of her children's safety is hilarious. Never have there been truer words spoken by a robot than that of Morty's replicant as he attempts to spill out his unwavering love of living a real life. This is Rick and Morty at its darkest. Summer's transformation can only be described as sudden as she impulsively joins a band of ragtag warriors who have nothing better to do than drive around an endless desert in their underwear. One of the funniest scenes is the leader of Death Stalkers unmasking to reveal an impromptu moustache. If there's one thing that writers team of Rick and Morty are good at is making the smallest detail explode with laughs. Later in the episode, the parallels with real life are uncanny as Summer has married her new lover and is living in a nice suburban house with a council that has great thought for its recycling. However, divorce is imminent as her marriage has reached the point where bucket-head is mesmerised by the television and hasn't moved all day. Quite suddenly, Summer decides to get a divorce, and simply escapes the dimension with her grandpa and brother while stealing his only source of power. In my opinion, Morty's story is the most meaningful as he grows a close relationship with...wait for it...an arm. A heavily-muscular arm at that. In the darkest turn of the episode, a reawakened arm, infused by Rick into Morty, intends to exact revenge on the soldiers and King who massacred his family. The metaphorical message here is that the arm represents Summer and Morty as they independently act regardless of their ties with the family. As his new companion attempts to strangle the (rather hateful) man who gave the order for his family's death, Morty realises that by constantly leaving the house, they are merely making things worse and causing their family cohesion to be irreparable. Rick's gizmos are there to save the day once again as they return home with a new power source, but there's something amiss here that I suspect the writers are hinting at, but not telling us as of yet. This was a rather isolated adventure with a subtle lesson for Morty and Summer - and Summer quickly learned from her mistakes. The question now is: will they continue to join Rick on his adventures through the multitude of dimensions, or have they finally learnt and understood its imminent danger? It will probably be the former. 8/10 |
AuthorA very passionate Welsh nerd... Archives
October 2017
Categories
All
|