An all-new Rick And Morty treads comfortable, entertaining ground
Civilizations rise and fall while Morty tries to get to first base
TV Reviews Rick and Morty
It’s funny that Rick has never had a nemesis before. I mean, I’m assuming. This is, as far as I can remember, the first time Mr. Nimbus, lord of the sea and sexual bon vivant, has come up. And it’s the first time we’ve heard Rick freak out about Morty touching the ocean. I could go back through all the show’s previous episodes and try and confirm this, but I’m not going to do that, because it would take a lot of time; also, it’s not really in the spirit of the show. Rick And Morty’s take on continuity has always been flexible—it’s useful when it can lead to better jokes and interesting character turns, but it has no inherent worth on its own. So when Rick yells at Morty about the ocean, and when he calls Mr. Nimbus his “nemesis,” my guess is that we’re supposed to take the ideas at face value while also recognizing the absurdity of both “never touching the ocean” and “the universe’s most brilliant mad scientist has never mentioned having an arch-enemy before on a show that repeatedly riffs on genre convention.”
Hey, we’re back—welcome to another round of Let’s Make Jokes Less Funny By Analyzing Them. I’ll be your host, as ever, and I’m pleased to report that Rick And Morty’s fifth season premiere is a good time, a fun riff on sitcom farce and “Narnia” shit. Rick spends most of the half hour trying to avoid all out war with Mr. Nimbus, a pansexual Namor-type who rules the sea and bedroom with equal aplomb; Morty tries and fails to get closer to Jessica; Jerry and Beth embrace a “sex positive” lifestyle and wonder if they’re ready for their first threeway; and Summer, well, Summer sits most of this one out, although she does get some good lines before heading off to the Mariana Trench to retrieve the seashell that is the sort of all of Mr. Nimbus’s power.
After a tease of a cold open that has Rick and Morty running through a field of crystals showing their alternate reality adventures (I remember this being featured in the pre-air promo material, and thinking “Oh that’s going to be a really cool meta episode,” when in actual fact it’s just a tossed off gag that’s never mentioned again), our heroes find themselves with a dilemma. Because Morty crash-landed Rick’s ship in the ocean, Rick has to have Mr. Nimbus over for dinner, so they can sign a treaty and make peace again. But wouldn’t you know it, Morty also has a date with Jessica on the same night, which means… well, not quite as much awkwardness as you’d expect, but a fair number of shenanigans. One of the things that keeps this from being a classic is that it never manages the manic energy that you get from the best farces. It’s absolutely well-paced and never drags, but the actual “farce” part (Morty running back and forth to another dimension to get wine, desperate to please Jessica while Rick keeps yelling for his help) is more clever than really funny.
Thankfully, the high-concept part of the story makes up for the difference. Rick drops a few cases of wine into an alternate dimension where time moves faster (the “Narnia” shit) in order to age it to Mr. Nimbus’s liking. He tasks Morty with grabbing the wine as needed, which leads to some problems when Morty gets help from one of the pleasant, vaguely humanoid cow-like blue aliens who live on the other side of the portal. Through a series of escalating misunderstandings (I guess this really is a sitcom), Morty creates an entire culture obsessed with killing him. It’s a fun bit, building humor out of some of the show’s usual obsessions, and while there’s a certain degree of familiarity to the gags—juxtaposing the depth and lore and complexity of a group, only to have them die with comical abruptness, is maybe the closest thing Rick and Morty has to a well, return-wise—it’s still got that gratifying mix of stoned philosophy and nihilistic carnage we’ve come to expect.
There’s no one single factor preventing “Mort Dinner Rick Andre” from being a stone cold classic; if I’m lukewarm on it, it’s only because it feels extremely safe on a show that prides itself on being the opposite. The Beth and Jerry jokes could’ve been plucked out of the first season, apart from the reference to Dr. Wong. The biggest difference is that the two seem to be largely on the same page, even ending up at Mr. Nimbus’s apartment for a threesome in the post-credits sequence (doing the classic “But I thought you wanted to do this!” “So it was all just a big misunderstanding!” before Mr. Nimbus opens the doors and sucks them in with his irresistible sexual charisma). They’ve settled back into the closest thing to stability they’re likely to get, with Beth getting drawn into Jerry’s well-meaning doofus energy, and if it isn’t the most unexpected turn, it does, as mentioned earlier, set us into the current status quo.
Honestly the biggest flaw in the episode is the return of Jessica, who continues to have no character. This week tries to lampshade that by the end, and her exit (after spending apparent eons frozen in a time cube, able to perceive the true scope of the universe but unable to act on it) at least makes her more interesting than “well the writers definitely had a crush on somebody in high school, I guess.” But up until that point, her behavior makes sense only as an excuse for making the rest of the story happen. Morty has come into his own over the past couple of seasons, but he’s still kind of a whiny weird looking nerd, and Jessica’s decision to show up at his house for a date doesn’t really track. It gives Morty something to get worked up about, as he comes close to once again having a shot at the girl of his dreams, only for Rick’s plans to get in the way, but apart from being interested in having wine, it’s impossible to know what Jessica’s deal is. That’s usually not hugely important, but here it was distracting because I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Really, though, it’s not a huge problem. “Mort Dinner Rick Andre” is a pleasant start to the new season, and a good reminder why we enjoy having these weirdos around.
Stray observations
- “Being nervous is sort of selfish sometimes.” Maybe I’m resistant to this storyline because I’ve literally never had a crush on someone where it turned out they were actually interested in me the whole time? I dunno. At this point, it is absolutely a cliche on TV shows for crushes to lead somewhere positive (mostly because showing people getting rejected all the time and never learning from it can make for dull television), and Rick And Morty does spend a lot of time skewering cliches, so… again, I dunno.
- “Mr. Nimbus is an ice-cold dick killer, Morty.” Congrats to the show on just nailing what Rick’s nemesis would be like—the guy’s vibe is perfect.
- “I’ve seen you fuck a planet, and this is the guy you’re afraid of?” -Jerry
- “We now return to Nintendo 69.”
- “Where’s the wine?” “Dad was horny and I dropped it.”
- “Goddammit, you see this whisper kitchen Frasier shit you’re making me do.”
- “I liked your other one more. What was his name? Kyle?”—Mr. Nimbus, throwing down a bit of mindfuck on Morty. (There’s an exchange earlier on where Nimbus mentions a dead “Donna,” and Rick gets pissed at him establishing continuity. It’s great, I just couldn’t get the exact wording of what Rick said down.)
- It’s easy to overlook, but I like the fact that Rick spends most of this episode getting his ass kicked. Morty has to save him at the beginning, and Mr. Nimbus has to save him at the end. Even his plan to thwart Mr. Nimbus’ powers goes awry. (Although seriously, Summer, just destroy the shell, don’t blow into it.)
- “Fuck off, I’m a time god.”—Jessica, ascendant.
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(There’s an exchange earlier on where Nimbus mentions a dead “Donna,” and Rick gets pissed at him establishing continuity. It’s great, I just couldn’t get the exact wording of what Rick said down.)Actually he mentions “Diane” Beth’s mom IIRC. Rick spends most of the half hour trying to avoid all out war with Mr. Nimbus, a pansexual Namor-type who rules the sea and bedroom with equal aplomb; I mean that’s just Namor…
Also Space Beth is mentioned as an enemy by Rick. I feel like they need to rewatch this episode.
Yeah the Fantastic Four shout-out was pretty obvious, right down to Mr. Nimbus calling Rick “Richard.” I’m all for it. Apparently shirtless fish-men that exude sexual charisma are natural enemies of super-geniuses that master interdimensional travel and take part in wacky family adventures.
Hindsight, I’m amazed Sue and Richard never just had a threesome with Namor. If they were creating the character today, he’d totally go for both of them, not just Sue.
Might as well add in Ben Grimm for a *dons sunglasses*… fantastic foursome.
Who says they haven’t? Reed always seemed like he’s up for trying anything at least once.
Goddamn, the man can romance Sue Storm and creatures of the deepest oceans…
Nobody is safe.
Late to the party on this season, but I’m surprised no one mentioned that the scene of Morty interacting with older Morty seemed to be a direct Homage to Captain America’s time-jumping meet-up with Franklin Richards in Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers run, right down to the tree.
I really liked the Narnia stuff with Morty and the dog people. It was the kind of absurdist shit the show likes to do and it was pretty funny.
That being said, the Mr. Nimbus stuff fell flat for me. The guy had one joke, which isn’t all that funny to begin with, and just kept going on and on and on.
When I saw clips of these in the promos, I thought Jessica was going to be “let in” on the adventures and be a more active character, going on adventures with Morty. Kinda sad that she’s essentially been written out of the show instead.
The one thing I’m absolutely shocked wasn’t brought up in the episode is the glaringly obvious point that Rick DOES have a nemesis. One who’s been in the show from the start. Rick’s greatest nemesis is Rick himself. How the show did not actually come to that conclusion is shocking.
I really liked the Narnia stuff with Morty and the dog people. It was the kind of absurdist shit the show likes to do and it was pretty funny.
The Narnia Dogs is what fell flat for me because they felt like a retread of the snakes from last season.
This. I’m more B tipping back into B- on this one. Biggest laugh was Nintendo 69. Three or four solid chuckles. Pre-show promo shit is never helpful. Here and all over the place, with this show and others , someone slips a tidbit to CinemaBlend or ScreenRant, blah blah Easter eggs in the promo, “it could be about this – it could be about that” … screw that noise. Rick & Morty works best coming out of a total black box. “Rick has a Nemisis!” So the advanced word leaked. Who? Eye-patch Morty doesn’t count? Spy-convention guy? The President of the United States?? Rick offs a Nemisis once or twice a season. And the thing with sex jokes… The weird sex has to be pretty inventive on this show to make an impression. Once they introduced the Dragon with the Philly accent who likes to bang Wooly Mammoths, the show kinda reached its limit. Not to mention the Morty/Summer/Grampa shared Slut-Phoenix. Maybe a low-stakes three-way is kind of the point. We would have to see the “after” to get a good gag out of it.
“Fight, fuck, flee” with the police was pretty funny though.
“I dont know why this should matter, but we’re white”
“He CONTROLS the POLICE, Summer, God!”
both those episodes were written by the same guy, jeff loveness. and i thought they were two of the weaker episodes, but that’s just me.
The weird sex has to be pretty inventive on this show to make an impression. The weird sex has to be pretty inventive on this show to make an impression.How many times can a tall, hot alien lady telekinetically choke you and your grandson? 3 or 4?How many intelligent aliens have heads or bodies shaped like human genitals? Only 60% or 70% of them?How does a good rip on fantasy genre turn in to a raging, red-eyed wizard beating dragons with whips calling them sluts?I picture that AS’ HR department has a remote shock collar on Harmon whenever he enters the studio.
You know nemesis and enemy are two different things. Though the former can fall into the latter category much like a Great Dane is a dog but not all dogs are Great Danes kind of way.
Jerry and Beth are like super vanilla so it seemed crazy to them
Damn here I go doing Snake Jazz again.
Exactly
I wonder how many more times the show will do this gag
Except nothing like it.
I didn’t really see them that way — they didn’t have a “Dog Pentagon” or “Dog Hitler” the way the snake people had theirs. On the other hand, I can see a comparison with the cat people that had a Purge civilization though.
I much prefer the bits of R&M that take the piss out of spec fic tropes, retread or not. It’s weird you mention that, because literally everything else is a retread of…well, pretty much every other R&M ep:* Morty tries to get with a girl, gets cockblocked by Rick’s bullshit.* Someone from Rick’s past has a vendetta against him that he drags the family in to. * Rick can’t handle his past decisions or come to terms with who he is.* Beth and Jerry keep trying to save their marriage.* Summer gets to do some cool shit off-screen. * Morty tries to do the right thing by everyone, doesn’t stick up for himself.
True, but I’ve developed a basic theory of story construction from the Harmonverse (R&M and Community – I’ve watched alot of it as this comedic and narrative style hits perfectly for me). They take the Overly Long Gag concept and enlarge it to the story scale and stretch it out over seasons versus the typical vignette within a single episode.But I could be over thinking, projecting and trying to ‘excuse’ a lack of imagination on the part of the creatives.Although, Harmon and the creatives he typically employs appear to be excellent and perceptive entertainment polymaths/synthesiers and know exactly what they’re doing.Regardless, I getting amazing entertainment for free or very little real cost, so I’m happy as a clam…just not that clams currently in the Puget Sound.
Rick’s greatest nemesis is Rick himself. How the show did not actually come to that conclusion is shocking. The show has come to that conclusion many, many, times over the years and seasons and is pretty self-aware of that. Some episodes, particulary ones where the continuity gets tossed aside, it gets sidelined and ignored.
The best and hardest episode to re-watch is the one with Unity, and Rick tries (and fails) to kill himself at the end. Rick is his own worst enemy. Screw genius. If you’re not happy, then fuck it. Personal aside, I had somewhat of a similar conversation last week, and they were like, you’re not happy, but you’re content. I’ve been thinking about this for days, and I think I really would rather be content than happy.
And that’s the thing this show has been very good at showing, but not good at exploring, is that beneath the contrarian, know it all, persona, Rick is not at all very content and happy with the way his life has been and going, and realizes and admits that he’s a terrible father/grandfather, lover, and friend.
I try to make the distinction in emotions as Climate and Weather. Weather is fleeting from moment to moment, but Climate is more long term. Happiness is Weather, contentment is Climate. The people chasing happiness are only going to end up disappointed; it’s like asking for hot, sunny days every day.
Right? I don’t get where he’s coming from. That’s literally what came into fruition by the last episode of the first season.
the glaringly obvious point that Rick DOES have a nemesis.I mean, even without going all philosophical, hasn’t the Council of Ricks been established pretty strongly as his nemesis?
I thought Jessica was going to be “let in” on the adventures and be a more active characterWho wants more Jessica, she has the depth of a sex doll and terrible design. It’s Summer the character we should hope to see more of. This show never morphed into Ricky and Morty and Summer like it briefly seemed to plan to in its early seasons, and that’s part of what’s holding it back for me.
Mainly because Jessica has been the primary driver and motivation for a lot of what Morty does and wants. He destroyed his home/native dimension/planet because of her. If they’re gonna make her such an important character and symbol for the Morty, at least give her some character and personality.
Time god who is now forever out of his reach is pretty good. I’m guessing we’ll see here in a sort of Tammy role instead of generic hot girl sitcom crush.
I don’t know that I agree with this. Morty’s motivation for wanting her is that he’s a dumb kid who wants to have sex with the hottest girl in school. He doesn’t like her because she’s been shown to be smart or kind, or funny. He likes her because she’s hot an he’s a teen boy. That’s pretty much the depth of Morty’s feelings for her.
That doesn’t change the point i’m making though that Morty has made her so central to his life and motivations, that she’s one of the more important characters on the show because she drives a lot of the plot in some episodes.
So. That doesn’t mean that she has to be a real interesting, involving person. People fall heads over heels for plenty of people that are just not worthy or interesting and Jessica is possibly a take on that.
Exactly.
Why? Is everybody you ever been interested have those qualities or did you just think they did. I think that’s kind of the point. Morty’s in love with somebody that isn’t really much of anything except maybe pretty and he will do anything for her. That happens all the time with people.
The writers look down and whisper, “no.”
at least give her some character and personality.Or don’t, and stop making her a motivator. Which…Jessica has been the primary driver and motivation for a lot of what Morty does and wants.Not really true. She’s been a motivator whenever she appeared. But she appeared in a speaking role in 9 episodes out of 42. In the vast majority of the episodes, Morty’s sole motivator has been winning Rick’s respect, or her family’s respect, or his own self-respect.Jessica has been used as a reminder that Morty is a hormonal teenager. As such, she’s more of a symbol of any pretty girl Morty would lust after and consider unattainable. Her specificity as a person is irrelevant to Morty and the stories. They could have changed her name and design every time and it would work the same way.
As such, she’s more of a symbol of any pretty girl Morty would lust after and consider unattainable. Her specificity as a person is irrelevant to Morty and the stories. They could have changed her name and design every time and it would work the same way.Except that he hasn’t, and doesn’t go after other pretty girls despite him having access to technology that could easily make that happen, he specifically goes after Jessica. In this episode, his last dying wish is to call Jessica over his own parents. In a past episode, he got access to glimpse into his future and it wasn’t to see how Rick, his parents, or Summer turned out, its to see if he ever got with Jessica.And speaking of Rick, back to my initial point, instead of using Rick’s god-like tech and intellect to make him get any girl he desires, over and over and constantly, he instead only uses it to go after Jessica. And in that sense and saying again, he did destroy his home planet/dimension because he wanted to use Rick’s tech to trick her into liking him. One of the major things Rick hates and doesn’t understand about Morty is this single minded obession over Jessica. One of the many things that Morty hates about Rick is him not understanding and accepting his crush over Jessica and helping him win her over.She’s gone beyond being just a motivator, but his sole motivation, more than getting Rick’s respect because, he doesn’t give a shit what Rick thinks about Jessica and how he doesn’t like it when Morty uses his tech to get at her. And if teen/high school obessive crush/unattainable goal is the trope they’re going with her, at least give us a reason more than just a pretty face and have an episode glimpse into her life and personality to see if shes worth it.
“Except that he hasn’t, and doesn’t go after other pretty girls despite him having access to technology that could easily make that happen”
I have to disagree with that. In The Ricklantis Mixup, Morty had sex with a mermaid and wanted to see her again. In Auto Erotic Assimilation, he has Rick buy his a sex robot. Rest and Ricklaxation has Clean Morty dating an adult woman, and he was uninterested in Jessica until Rick shows up with her. Look Who’s Purging Now he has the hots for the cat girl. The Vat of Acid Episode he dates another girl. I am pretty sure the point is that he is just an average straight teen boy.
I agree. Bad-ass Summer in Rickmancing the Stone was awesome.
It’s the first episode and now she’s a time-god. If that looks like a closed door instead of loads of opportunity, I don’t know how you think.
I thought they were cows. The first ones were named Bova and Hoofy.
I have so many issues with the current era of the show. You speak truth.
For me, it was the exact opposite. I loved the Mr. Nimbus stuff, but found the Narnia Cow stuff to be not as funny and compelling.
>The Mr. Nimbus stuff fell flat for meI actually thought the opposite. I loved Mr. Nimbus, but felt that the Narnia Cow stuff was played a bit too straight.
“That being said, the Mr. Nimbus stuff fell flat for me. The guy had one joke, which isn’t all that funny to begin with, and just kept going on and on and on.”Here’s why it works for me: because if Mr. Nimbus were actually interesting, he might be a rival for whom Rick held a grudging respect. But Mr. Nimbus is one-note and boring in exactly the ways most likely to irritate Rick.
Because it’s not really the same thing – is it?
I also hoped that this might be leading to a place where Jessica had at least a Summer-like role where she was involved in adventures at least some time. (And I also wouldn’t totally rule it out) But I disagree with Zack about the whole Jessica character and the Jessica subplot in this episode. Of course it’s ridiculous that she still wants to hang out with Morty, especially with all the weirdness she’s seen connected to him. And it’s weird that she’d want to hang out with Morty at all because he is a kind of dorky kid. The absurdity of that is the point. Despite everything Morty still has a shot with his dream girl but he can’t act on it because of Rick.
“Kinda sad that she’s essentially been written out of the show instead.”I mean, you thinking making her a time god is the end of it??
Yeah, I didn’t have any major issues with this episode, which was a relief. The past season was its rockiest to date (and I had some problems with S3 as well), but at least it found its footing by the end. You pretty much nailed it—Jessica’s meh, and I’d wish they’d find a new angle for Morty, but there weren’t any major flaws with it.Harmon claims he’s got the working environment under control (imagine that, a Dan Harmon show with a stable, healthy working environment). Hopefully that bears out in the episode quality.
I lament that the show just lacks any interest in having any sense of character progression but doesn’t seem to mind baiting the audience with it. I still like the show but the show’s brand of nihilism makes it hard for these characters to actually grow. And that’d be fine if the show was more like Solar Opposites or ATHF, but the show seems interested in baiting the audience with the idea of character development only to pull the rug out.
It’s a funny cartoon. I don’t know why people feel the need to connect with the joke machine characters. None of them even resemble people, they all talk like Dan Harmon writes. The show is for jokes, not characters. If you’re watching this show for characters, let me suggest literally any other show on television. These are cartoon characters, in every sense of the word cartoon.
The characters in Looney Tunes are “joke machine characters”, Rick and Morty stopped being a joke machine in “Interdimensional Cable” but probably as early “Rick Potion No. 9″.
You can’t ask your audience to emotionally invest itself into your characters and lore (which Rick and Morty often does) and then get pissy when they want some sort of development one those fronts.
Dan Harmon wants to have his cake, then reset everything to an hour earlier and have his cake again but eventually that’s going to wear on the viewers who at this point have invested almost a decade into the show. The cracks are starting to show in the whole “you guys are taking this way to serious it’s a show about fart jokes in space, now watch Rick have a moment of self-realization for the 30th time and maybe we’ll include a stinger that teases more evil Morty” thing.
Rick and Morty is definitely more than just a joke machine, but I don’t think you can judge the amount of character growth on the show by focusing on Rick. He’s central to the show, but he’s also the most narcissistic and unlikely to evolve. Characters are going to change around him (and they have), but he’s not really capable of doing much with his self-realizations beyond just having them.It’s the same structure as Community, where Jeff Winger was wrestling with simple life changes until the very final episode. His friends continually developed around him, little by little, and he freaked out every step of the way because of his fear of abandonment. I assume both Jeff and Rick are stand-ins for Harmon, who is himself (it seems) a sort of emotional gravity well. He’s good at keeping people in orbit around him, but often in a negative or toxic way (until recently?).
Arguably that’s the nature of comedies, though. The characters are always joke machines first and foremost.
The pairing of “Rick Potion No. 9″ and “Interdimensional Cable” is basically the emotional heart of the show. No matter how much the characters claim nothing matters, they know it is not true.
Harmon made a whole episode about the continuity train and when the community went collectively ‘ok, so, you’re an asshole, now what?’ he really had no comeback for that. It feels like the other writers sat him down to explain how that episode sort of turned the corner on their shit and hopefully S5 makes good on that promise.
I don’t know — it’s pretty standard for the entire family to be fed up with Rick’s selfishness at this point. That’s some growth, especially for Beth who used to crave his approval. Summer has gone from naive teenager to jaded badass. Beth and Jerry’s relationship has gone from bad to worse to pretty good. At least we can understand why they’re together at this point.It’s slow growth, but I think that’s the way with families in general. Also, what’s the time scale of this show? Morty’s been in the exact same math class since season 1 — either the entire show so far has happened over the course of a single year of high school or the time frame is basically static like the other shows you mentioned.
This is my biggest issue with this show. It could have been great if they let time pass naturally.
They’ve had 2 Christmas episodes, so it’s static.
“Also, what’s the time scale of this show? Morty’s been in the exact same math class since season 1 —”
I think they lampshaded that a bit in this episode with his “I haven’t been at school for a full week in years” line.
These characters exist in the same comic book time scale, where Steve Rogers was frozen during WW2 and was first rescued in the 60’s (?) but is still in his 20’s-30’s
The thing is that, past of Season One, the characters don’t have any growth. The show’s thesis that the universe is a cruel place and nothing matters basically means that the characters are stuck in this state of nihilism where nothing can change because nothing matters, not even lore or continuity.And that would be fine if the show didn’t keep teasing deeper lore and repeatedly ask the audience to have some emotional investment in the characters. You can’t keep having episodes where Rick keeps feeling sad about himself in the last 30 seconds without some form of forward momentum or it just comes off as repetitive.
I genuinely don’t understand this stance. Beth alone has massively changed over the course of the last couple of seasons. She’s claimed her own power by admitting that she’s like her father, she’s called Rick on his selfish tendency to abandon his children, and she’s rejected any need for his approval. That’s a tremendous amount of character growth.But if you’re looking for growth from Rick, you’re not going to find it. He’s an alcoholic and a narcissist. He keep having the same revelations about his life because he’s incapable of learning from them.
Totally agreed, and interest in the show has dropped off big time. The first season is one of the best first seasons of any show in recent memory, though.
lol the second and third seasons were way better than the first
I wouldn’t fight you too hard on that. Season 2 is great, and S3 has many great ones in it, I’m just not a fan of the final two.
I just feel like season 2 and season 3 were where the show really achieved the level of insanity and complexity that it became known for while Season One was still RELATIVELY straightforward and grounded
Season 3 is, so far, the best imho.
The characters have changed since Season One, as someone described above. Morty is far more assertive and independent (as can even be seen in this episode with him dealing with most of the “Narnia” situation by himself). Summer is also more assertive and independent and not interested in her normal teenage life. Jerry and Beth’s relationship is in the best place it’s ever been. Jerry is still a loser but is more self-aware. Beth isn’t pining for approval from her dad anymore. The issue is with Rick, who keeps having the same realization that he’s really a terrible person over and over again. But the thing is if he really dealt with that realization the show would end because without his hubris, his need to settle scores etc. he wouldn’t need to constantly be going on his “adventures”
Yeah some concrete character progression would be nice.It’s possible both to skewer sci-fi tropes and have legitimate characterization as well.
Futurama managed it. But I maintain that Rick and Morty has Futurama-envy.
It’s very much an Angry Teen Nerd fantasy: obvious great kid is stifled by his loser family and would totally be awesome if not for these outside circumstances, and nothing to do with himself or personal growth.
Harmon claims he’s got the working environment under controlIt’s this code for “nobody I have to interact with on a daily basis hates me enough to have recurring fantasies in which they dismember me now”?
Probably, yes. Could also refer to the fact that he said he had trouble keeping up a consistent schedule in prior Rick and Morty seasons.
“I replaced the competent, qualified people with the guys who I met at AA and were sick of the ‘drinking problem’ bullshit they kept trying to get me to cop to.”
Yeah my fear was that it was going to continue the Harmon thing of being so meta and up its own ass it’s not funny or enjoyable. I like that it was a relatively straightforward and funny story an didn’t feel the need to be some big statement on the show Rick and Morty itself (though of course there were some self-referential moments)
That angle can easily get repetitive and dull. Let’s hope they dial back on that going forward.
– Nintendo 69: I wonder what the Rumble Pak’s for…- I’m a little more hopeful on Jessica’s angle. Making her a “time god” might add some dimension to her and bring her in to the adventures. Fingers crossed.- Yes, the secret requited crush does occasionally happen. When I was in 8th grade, I crushed on the cute sophomore in the apartment next door to me. We moved out eight months later, and I learned two days before we left that she was into me, too. It’s rare, but it does happen.- Beth and Jerry entertaining the idea of a threesome, and yet no mention of Space Beth whatsoever? (she’s name-dropped in the preview for next week) It’s kind of up this show’s alley to make that the ultra-weird first pitch for Jerry.- Why do they keep going to Dr. Wong? Isn’t she a specialist on coprophagia? I mean, for “Pickle Rick” it made some sense, as Goldenfold already was seeing her, so the school had a contact, and Morty peeing his desk was at least in her ballpark, but as a couple’s therapist? I don’t get it. Not that I want to hear less of Susan Sarandon on this show, but it’s an odd callback.- Because Rick’s nemesis is an ocean god named Mr. Nimbus, I now want him to have a sky nemesis named Mr. Puddles.- I don’t think Rick has ever “directly” touched the ocean, but he and Morty have been to Atlantis for some of that “mermaid puss,” which gets a brief callback through dialogue here.- Given their conversation on the phone, I thought Jessica was inviting Morty to her place, or that they would go out to a movie. Having her come over doesn’t make logical sense for what they said, and obviously, it catalyzes a lot of the action, which wouldn’t have been possible if they did the normal thing.- Also, Jessica has been at Morty’s house several times. She would know if she was in the right place.- “Not that it matters, but yes, we’re white (*cops show up instantly*).” Timely. Much funny.- One of the opening sequence quasi-teases appears to be just Morty sinking a putt with no other shenanigans. How many Meeseeks did that take?
Making her a “time god” might add some dimension to her Time is literally a dimension, so it’s kinda inevitable.
That very truth is probably seen as a challenge to Harmon, so we can never be entirely sure.
I don’t really think she’s an actual time god, she just believes she is because she went through some weird shit. It’s more in line with an R&M joke.
Regarding the “time god,” does anybody else remember the end of The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy?“Cosmic apotheosis wears off faster than salvia.” 50/50 odds that next episode Jessica is back to her old self and this is never mentioned again beyond a jokey offhand reference.
This.I’m quite sure she’ll return to normal soon, but maybe she’ll stick around Morty to get some more “time high”.Cheers
dr wong also specializes in Family counselling it’s why she flips the photo when she greets the smiths
– One of the opening sequence quasi-teases appears to be just Morty sinking a putt with no other shenanigans. How many Meeseeks did that take?Given all of the stupid “theories” that click bait sites will produce from the opening credits, I hope this is one of the red herrings!
Perhaps this episode doesn’t take place in C-137?
Dr. Wong was both a couples therapist and an expert in coprophagia.
Maybe it’s just me being a comic book nerd, but am I the only one that paid attention that this actually EXACTLY what the feud is between Namor and Reed Richards?
Like for all his smarts, Richards is constantly being shown up by Namor and for the same reasons as this episode: He has incredible influence, a sexual magnet (As shown by Sue Storm who always falls for him), and usually manages to still end up staying in his position of power by the end of the story.
And Richard’s is so smart that he can be as overbearing and insensitive as Rick, so I thought it was nice to see this version of the feud without requiring Marvel’s permission.
…if I’m lukewarm on it, it’s only because it feels extremely safe on a show that prides itself on being the opposite. And therein lies the rub, doesn’t it? I kept waiting for a big twist. For Morty to wake up in some kind of matrix machine, or, i don’t know, any acknowledgement of the previous finale.
I’m going to be honest, this is the first time I’ve been out-and-out disappointed by a new Rick & Morty.
Great to get new Rick and Morty again. I’ll echo other sentiments that I wish Jessica had been brought into the fold, but at least she’s left in an interesting place if the show uses her again?As much as I enjoyed the Morty plot it does seem like something that’ll blend together in my memories by the time next season rolls around, and the Mr. Nimbus stuff isn’t compelling enough on its own. But in the here and now, it’s a fun time.
Hey just a quick note you might want to edit this part:
the seashell that is the sort of all of Mr. Nimbus’s power
I assume you meant source
Very briefly in the first season they tried to make Jessica’s “thing” be that she was actually secretly super intelligent and into all of the crazy sci-fi gadgets and inter-dimensional space adventures Morty was surrounded by. It only came up in two episodes and one of them was the pilot and has never been referenced or alluded to since.
What happened to Space Beth? Seems odd for this show to just drop that thread entirely without mentioning it.
that seems entirely on brand for the show though
*Evil Morty*Birdperson/Phoenixperson (don’t you redline me spellcheck, blame the Gromflamites!)*Squanchie (seriously, where is Squanchie? Did he really die? Say it isn’t so!)*”Original recipe” Beth and Jerry, along with Hunger Games SummerYeah, this show has a long history of introducing characters, then said characters dropping out of site for a long time. Hell, Gearhead has made more appearances than any of the above!
They’ve been doing more long-game story arcs in the past couple of seasons. (Citadel. Evil Morty.)Mark my words: They’ve set up Jessica to evolve into a Big Bad this season. Mark them!
Rick’s greatest nemesis is Rick himself. How the show did not actually come to that conclusion is shocking.
The show has come to that conclusion already, but the trailer has shown a battle between two identical Ricks so it will likely enforce that point again this season.I liked the episode, it was fun, tho i wanted to see more of summer’s adventures in the Mariana Trench.Nimbus is kind of meh as a nemesis tho. His gag didn’t really landed with me.
I guess that was Dan Harmon doing his best Patton Oswalt doing an animation voiceover. Thought it was Gaffigan at first.
After a (relatively) weak fourth season, I was very unsure going into this one. I’ll need to see a few more episodes to see this direction of this series, and only then can my concerns really be put to bed, but indications are pretty good after this first episode – because I enjoyed this a hell of a lot, more than any episode for a long while. Every part of this episode clicked for me, even Mr. Nimbus, who was in it just long enough for the one-note-ness of his character to be funny but not overdone for me (as Rick and Morty is sometimes inclined to do).
I think traditionally R&M likes to come back on a low note, at least compared the previous season finale. Any threads usually get picked up later in the season. It’s a good way to remind the audience the show is episodic as well as serialized. I think if the season opener picked up where it left off it would change the whole tone of the show. So I was expecting a one-off.Nimbus should have been funnier.Also… “Let’s lick tits!”
“whisper kitchen frasier shit” is a very funny line
That got an audible laugh from me.
I thought one of the jokes was that Jessica does have a personality – she’s rarely standing around waiting for Morty. She’s usually active, has friends, has been on dates… The joke is that we see her through Morty’s eyes, so we, the viewer don’t see that.
Yeah I figured if they ever did a Jessica episode, it’d show the rich life she has independent of Morty’s crush and how viewing someone just through that lense is very limiting.
I hope Dan Harmon or one of the writers reads this because that would be an amazing episode, and just the kind of left turn this show is best at. Especially now that she’s a time god.
doesn’t the Stephen Colbert voiced mad scientist Zeep Xanflorp from season 2’s “The Rick’s Must Be Crazy” count as a nemesis? Because I think he should
If a guy is trapped in your battery making you electricity, I think he’s closer to a slave than a nemesis.
oooh lah lah somebodies gonna get laid in college
It’s been what, more than a year since the last season? I think starting off with a “comfortable” episode was the right move. Especially since it both gave Morty a win (sort of, maybe) and Rick a loss. I laughed more than once. That’s what I wanted from a new season premiere. Reminded me why I liked this show in the first place, which I tend to forget between seasons due to, uh, a lot of the fans.A couple notes:-If this is the new Beth and Jerry dynamic, I’m into it. I’d rather them try things together than just like, have them snipe at each other for a full A, B, or C-story.-Where’s Space Beth?-The Mr. Nimbus joke was one-note, sure, but it worked for me. Namor is a ridiculous character, but it works. -I like the show trusting us to know that Summer would get her job done. Jessica’s decision to show up at his house for a date doesn’t really trackI dunno. They’ve shown that Jessica’s always found Morty kind of interesting to have around, bordering on “well, if this dweeb makes a move, yeah, maybe I’d be into it.”I think making her a “time-God” is a smart move, and I hope this means she’ll be off doing her own thing for a bit. I like Kari Wahlgren’s work, and I hope she comes back in a more meaningful way. Maybe she’ll come back as a more fully realized character, which would mean more Kari Wahlgren interacting with the main cast: a win.
I’m pretty sure she’s not, and it’ll be played off as typical joke of Rick fucking up everything for Morty: she’s not really a time god, tries to pull some time god bullshit, fails/gets her arse kicked, and slinks off in permanent embarrassment away from Morty. Rick shrugs, tells Morty he doesn’t want to be with a time god anyway: “I’ve fucked time gods before, Morty, and trust me, you couldn’t handle it.”
I liked this episode, but also I don’t think I need to watch it again. I feel that way about more episodes each season, which is too bad. Rick and Morty used to be my go-to show for comfort re-watching, but maybe it’s out of tricks? A lot of the bits in this episode seemed familiar, especially the “completely ridiculous villain.” And let’s be honest, Namor is a pretty safe target.But it’s also the first episode of an entire season, so I shouldn’t be hasty. We had our first Diane mention in a long while, Jessica is a time-god now (and that’s leading somewhere), and we’re due for an appearance from eye-patch Morty (every other season, right?). So I guess I’m not writing off the show completely. But it might need a shot in the arm if they’re going to maintain viewer interest over the next 70 episodes or however many they’ve got left.
I used to love this show, and last nights premiere was fine… but I don’t think this show can surprise me anymore. The episode was just okay. I noticed I was forcing myself to laugh out of some obligation to the shows former glory. There was nothing new here. Everything in this episode was a riff on something we’ve seen before.
I could nitpick this episode but this show still gives me more joy per minute than anything out there right now. Like it’s not even a close contest.
“I don’t need you anymore. I dont need anyone. All I do is eat ass and 69 nintendos bro. Everyday.” “Don’t fuckin establish canonical backstory with me, you red lobster piece of shit”Yeah there aren’t really any other shows that come close.
At this point, “Rick & Morty” has rooted so far up its own ass so many times, in so many different ways, that it’s difficult to tell when an episode is good or bad. I was entertained (more or less) for twenty minutes, so I guess it was fine.
I thought Rick’s nemesis was the Evil Galactic Empire, and most of the alternate Ricks.
First. Plenty of people have no seen or been to an ocean. Not sure how that’s an unlikely thing. Also, Jessica coming over does track. It’s like you ignored the cold open.
Rick’s greatest nemesis is Rick himself. How the show did not actually come to that conclusion is shocking.This is a conclusion the show has already come to many many times.
The Rick story really didn’t land for me. I found the new character annoying, Rick was a dick without having any funny jokes, and Beth and Jerry weren’t funny either. The Morty story was much more entertaining, especially Jessica at the end. Overall I’d call it a “meh” episode.
I’ve seen maybe two episodes of the show, but this one was free on YouTube so I gave it a shot.Eh.If the show is about comedy, there was maybe only three good jokes in the episode (the police bit topping the list). If the show is about off-the-wall sci-fi ideas, the relative time planet is kind of neat, I guess. But mostly it’s just a family yelling at each other while Rick hates everything and they try to put in as much “fuck/shit” as you can in a 22-minute show. I’m all for swearing, but it needs to be put on hold more often so there’s more impact when one does land. I did find the animation/art direction/lighting was pretty good (and definitely looked better than some of the old clips from the intro).
maybe it was the fact that i was watching a premiere uncensored for the first time, but yeah the cursing felt like it was…a little excessive this time around.Of course, I’m always (unfairly) comparing Rick and Morty to Bojack Horseman because I started watching them around the same time. And Bojack is always very deliberate about its use of the F word, to great effect sometimes.
“Please, don’t tell Rick. He wouldn’t understan-” “Yes, he would”
I saw Jim Gaffigan’s name at the end and honestly had to look up which character he played. Pretty sure he could have carried off Nimbus, though he was, indeed, the more expected Hoovy. And Jessica doesn’t track? I disagree. That bit at the end seemed aimed at every critic who, like yourself, complains that she never develops as a character (an odd thing to complain about where R&M is concerned). As for the credits – here’s hoping Noob Noob makes a return appearance, even if only in an aside. Finally – Morty’s story tracked pretty well with Rick’s – Morty is making enemies just like Rick (and Evil Morty is hanging out still in the Citadel).
Only watched this episode once this morning before going
to work, and, having been thinking about it all day, I think this is one
of the best and most tragic episodes ever.
The Mr.
Nimbus plot sucked.Neither funny nor clever (at least Summer got to be a
badass! Till she didn’t smash
the conch). The Jerry and Beth’s ‘sex positive’ plot on the
“recommendation” of Dr. Wong made even less sense (Jerry said he watched
Rick fuck a planet? That’s, uh, well, a whole thing in itself…). At least the time-skipping Narnia thing
was kind of funny. Till Jessica got involved…
That’s
what really makes this an ‘A’ episode for me. The cold open was Morty
saving Rick’s life when he was fucking dying, telling Morty what a
stupid, selfish person he is. In desperation, Morty shares his feelings
with Jessica…and learns she has had feelings about him too (there
have been hints!). And then gets a date with her! And saves Rick’s life
too! Which, of
course, Rick absolutely ruins by making it all about him, about some
stupid ocean bullshit…
Why didn’t Rick make a wine getting robot (he made a butter passing one!)
so Morty could go on his first goddamn real date with Jessica? He
may he never get a chance again, now that she’s a Time Goddess or
something?
Perhaps for Rick to keep Morty under his thumb…
I think this episode could this could be the start of a cocky
Morty. Or at least one that could become or at least run into “Evil”/President
Morty? I’m pretty sure we’ll see him this season…
Only watched this episode once this morning before going
to work, and, having been thinking about it all day, I think this is one
of the best and most tragic episodes ever.
The Mr.
Nimbus plot sucked.Neither funny nor clever (at least Summer got to be a
badass! Till she didn’t smash
the conch). The Jerry and Beth’s ‘sex positive’ plot on the
“recommendation” of Dr. Wong made even less sense (Jerry said he watched
Rick fuck a planet? That’s, uh, well, a whole thing in itself…). At least the time-skipping Narnia thing
was kind of funny. Till Jessica got involved…
That’s
what really makes this an ‘A’ episode for me. The cold open was Morty
saving Rick’s life when he was fucking dying, telling Morty what a
stupid, selfish person he is. In desperation, Morty shares his feelings
with Jessica…and learns she has had feelings about him too (there
have been hints!). And then gets a date with her! And saves Rick’s life
too! Which, of
course, Rick absolutely ruins by making it all about him, about some
stupid ocean bullshit…
Why didn’t Rick make a wine getting robot (he made a butter passing one!)
so Morty could go on his first goddamn real date with Jessica? He
may he never get a chance again, now that she’s a Time Goddess or
something?
Perhaps for Rick to keep Morty under his thumb…
I think this episode could this could be the start of a cocky
Morty. Or at least one that could become or at least run into “Evil”/President
Morty? I’m pretty sure we’ll see him this season…
Only watched this episode once this morning before going
to work, and, having been thinking about it all day, I think this is one
of the best and most tragic episodes ever.
The Mr.
Nimbus plot sucked. Neither funny nor clever (at least Summer got to be a
badass! Till she didn’t smash
the conch). The Jerry and Beth’s ‘sex positive’ plot on the
“recommendation” of Dr. Wong made even less sense (Jerry said he watched
Rick fuck a planet? That’s, uh, well, a whole thing in itself…). At least the time-skipping Narnia thing
was kind of funny. Till Jessica got involved…
That’s
what really makes this an ‘A’ episode for me. The cold open was Morty
saving Rick’s life when he was fucking dying, telling Morty what a
stupid, selfish person he is. In desperation, Morty shares his feelings
with Jessica…and learns she has had feelings about him too (there
have been hints!). And then gets a date with her! And saves Rick’s life
too! Which, of
course, Rick absolutely ruins by making it all about him, about some
stupid ocean bullshit…
Why didn’t Rick make a wine getting robot (he made a butter passing one)
so Morty could go on his first goddamn real date with Jessica? He
may he never get a chance again, now that she’s a Time Goddess or
something
Perhaps for Rick to keep Morty under his thumb…
I think this episode could this could be the start of a cocky
Morty. Or at least one that could become or at least run into “Evil”/President
Morty? I’m pretty sure we’ll see him this season…
Aaah it has returned
The post credit scene seemed to imply that Rick and Mr. Nimbus have done it at least once.
Yeah… this sucked.
fucking show sucks as ever and only doomer milleniam imbeciles like it, so it “tracks” that you would too.
I really dug the Morty section and was quite happy to see that it was the A Plot and Rick shit was the B. Morty has definitely been affected by Rick/Rick-isms, but is still just too damn Morty to take a second and pause and maybe ask questions. The IR nerd in me saw ties to the US in foreign intervention: Rick/Great Britain, says “here’s a place I know of with a good resource. you might benefit from my years of knowledge, but as you’ve been with me for a time I’m going to hope you’re not too stupid to not ask questions or stop and think back to our shared past to ruminate on how this can all go very badly, now g’day – got a war to worry about”. Morty/US, more interested in direct benefit (impressing Jessica/getting clout), dives in asking no questions and accepts help from/exploits a friendly person/British colony without care of the politics/time/space implications. And never mind that it’s Rick’s use of the land for wine aging in the first place that brought on the possibility of a person being yanked from time/exploited – it’s Morty’s careless (but really minor in the grand scheme) contribution and constant, sporadic, uncaring-towards-horrifically violent interventions that drive anger/hostility to where it’s Morty, not the driving force of intervention, that gets burned in effigy. The fan-wank of Nimbus/rising sea levels coming to deux ex machina/make things trivial kinda got me. Excuse me, need to stretch from the stretching I just did…
As a whole this episode felt like a good setting for the way forward – Rick is fallible, Morty needs to re-evalutate what lessons he’s learned from Rick, The Smiths need to find a new therapist, and Summer should learn to read a g’damn ROOM.
I can’t tell if the castle design was a shoutout to Game of Thrones, or if I just haven’t paid enough attention to fantasy castles to have missed the type.TBH I was expecting this one to end with Rick and Mr. Nimbus making out (surely their sexual adventures would be more interesting than “we watch pornography together!”). Kinda disappointed there wasn’t any payoff, although the fight-fuck-flee was great.
I’ve always thought that Jessica having no personality is part of the joke. Morty knows nothing at all about her other than she’s hot and he has a crush on her. There’s not much more beyond that really. We’re just seeing Jessica from that perspective.