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
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