After YEARS of seeing the ubiquitous clips of the ADULT SWIM animated series "Rick and Morty", I finally got around to sitting down and actually WATCHING to entire series starting from episode one, and holy HELL are they great!!!! Using the template of the "Eccentric Genius Scientist" and "Wide-Eyed Naive Kid" as per the "Back To The Future" parody short it originated from, this show skewered and paid homage to just about every sci-fi set-up, send-up and tried and tested trope, from time traveling, dimension hopping, multiple universes and evil clones, this show showcased 'em all!
Encapsulating the ideas/tropes into single episodes have made for some incredible shows, some of them off the top of my head include:
"Lawnmower Dog"
Taking on both the Stephen King story "The Lawnmower Man" and the movie "Inception", this second episode set the groundwork for the series, balancing goofy sci-fi shenanigans with sweet and touching moments as Morty's dog gains intelligence and creates an army of canines to take over the world. Only the love of a boy and his dog can stop it!
"A Rickle in Time"
After freezing time in the last episode of last season, it's time to set things going again. But a minor altercation between Morty and Summer creates a rift where there are two timelines. Attempting to fix the situation, the gang keeps creating new timelines over and over until the Time Police themselves have to step in!
One of the first clips I saw of R&M and one that never fails to entertain!
"Total Rickall"
Parasitic aliens multiply and take over households by infesting the hosts minds and creating false memories of them as loving members of the family. Rick is the only clear headed one but is slowly taken over as well, until they realize the parasites can only create happy memories and thus the dysfunctional family is able to identify the "real' people from the parasites- by their bad memories of tormenting each other!
"Auto Erotic Assimilation"
First appearance of "Unity", an assimilating hive mind that is revealed to be Rick's ex. An interesting character that is purportedly a featureless organism but mostly shown as a female woman resembling Tina Fey. Really dig this character and all the subsequent episodes with her(?).
"The Wedding Squanchers"
A wedding invitation to the union of Birdperson and Tammy leads to the entire family transported to an alien world for the festivities...only to find there is a conspiracy underfoot and the wedding becomes a bloodbath between Rick, his co-horts, and the Galactic federation!As olid storyline to wrap up season2 and a bonafide cliffhanger of an end!
"Pickle Rick"
The Smith family get counseling!
Already knew the images from this episode long before I ever watched the show, enough that I thought Rick turned into a pickle was a common occurrence! But it was the clips featuring family psychiatrist Dr. Wong online that really intrigued me and made me want to explore the show more! Like others, I really love the Dr. Wong character, as voiced by Susan Sarandon she exudes a real calm even when the story is going haywire!
“Morty’s Mind Blowers”
Hilarious take on the Inter-dimensional Cable episodes, this one featured Morty revisiting some of the times Rick has wiped him memory via a recall helmet. While reliving past moments, his frustrations at what he learns escalates til Both he and Rick have lost their own memories, leading to Summer's classic “Oh Man, It’s a Scenario 4” quote!
“The Rickchurian Mortydate"
When snubbed by the President of the United States when asked for a selfie, Rick and Morty, (who are revealed to have been heretofore assisting the White House with all manner of extraterrestrial crises) turn their backs on the POTUS, and become enemies of America!
All this happening while Beth deals with the fact that she may be a clone created by her father while her true self roams the universe!
Another awesome season closer.
“Star Mort: Rickturn Of The Jerri”
Explosive conclusion of several arcs including the Tammy/Birdperson Galactic Federation Manhunt and the Beth/Clone storyline. Like most of the best ones, this episode had its highly dramatic parts mixed in with the absolute silliness!
"Solaricks"
A re-setting on the Portal Gun sends all the characters not of the current timeline back to their source of origin, revisiting past story arcs and showing what happened since. One of the more serious Rick and Morty stories as we once again delve into the tragedy of past Rick and his beloved but ultimately doomed original family.
"Night Family"
In much the style of the excellent series "Severance", Rick creates a machine that activates the mind at night where your sleeping body does all the work that the person does not want to do while awake. Exercising to develop muscles, practicing to master musical instruments, these are all tasks where the family wants the benefits but not the work. And when they even make the sleeping selves do the chores like wash dishes, the night versions of themselves eventually rebel and try to take over.
“Analyze Piss”
Under orders from his therapist, Rick tries ignoring his enemies, giving to the rise of Jerry as Town Hero when he defeats "Piss-master" in duel. But as Jerry rises in stature, Rick discovers the underside to the villain’s failures. Also a commentary on the ups and downs of viral trending!
Another thought-provoking well-written episode!
"Air Force Wong"
The return of Unity and her Hive-mind and also Family Psychiatrist Dr. Wong make for an excellent episdoe, this time with Rcik fighting off Unity’s invasion of Virginia while at the same time dealing with the possible romance between Dr. Wong and the President!
The Smith family take a back seat for this one and the entire episode is given to the always intriguing ongoing dynamic between Rick and Unity!
R&M already poked fun at David Cronenberg in an earlier episode, but I think the Fear Hole counts as a true homage to the genre: existential crises and psychological trickery are all on the plate here as Morty and Rick jump into a door to their deepest fears only to find that their worries are deeply layered and multifold!
