Spoilers follow for the latest episode of Rick and Morty.
A lot of animated comedies are truly at their best when they fully explore the world they create and the characters that inhabit them. The same is true for Rick and Morty. Actually, it’s especially true for Rick and Morty – some of the show’s best episodes focus on world-building.
'Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind', 'The Wedding Squanchers', 'The Rickshank Rickdemption', and other episodes of this ilk represent the show at its peak. Rick Sanchez is an enigma and the show, very smartly, drip feeds its audience details about his mysterious past, leaving us left to take the pieces and try to put them together.
'Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort' is another one of those episodes, giving us a glimpse into Rick’s past. What’s funny is that when these lore-heavy episodes come around, they usually play with fans' expectations, throwing a few red herrings in here and there to mess with us.
Rather than doing that, season 5’s eighth episode is very direct, serving up lot of revelations about the show. That probably has to do with the core of what the episode is about, which is saving Rick’s best friend, Birdperson. The last time we saw him, the galactic federation turned the long-time supporting pal into a mindless terminator in season 4's 'Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri'.
Now, as Morty and the family leave for what is possibly the most mundane family excursion ever – going on a cruise – Rick uses his time wisely to bring Birdperson back to life. Except, like all Rick and Morty adventures, nothing goes the way it’s supposed to go. Birdperson’s mind is trapped deep within his subconscious, which lets Rick and the show's creators offer up their best impression of Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. As Rick enters Birdperson’s mind, we are treated to their shared, unfiltered memories.
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There is a lot of raw backstory to go through in this episode. We find out the truth about Beth, how Rick and Birdperson met, and the reasons behind their complex relationship.
It is compelling to see Rick reflect on who he is in this situation, especially when he's paired with a version of himself conjured up by Birdperson's memories of Rick. The series shows us how much Rick hates who he was, and the person he’s become. Rick is a lot more vulnerable in this episode because all the memories we walk through with him don’t hide the truth. There is a reason Rick hates being that vulnerable, and it’s because it has burned him in the past.
The detailed lore isn’t the only reason the episode works so well. A big part of what makes it so enjoyable is the premise. It’s legitimately good sci-fi, and though Rick does make fun of the episode's esoteric nature, so much of it is fun to see.
Watching Rick jump from memory to memory makes for great animation. The inhabitants are made up of what Birdperson thinks of and what he remembers from a person, which is a fun twist. I’m glad that we didn’t get another Inception parody, since that had been done before on the show.
I was a bit afraid we were digging back into a well that’s already been tapped. This episode shows it can use the same concepts in different ways, which bodes well for the series' future seasons.
What I will say is that 'Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort' is light on humor – which isn’t a bad thing. Even in a comedy like this, an episode can substitute jokes with intrigue, characterization and great storytelling – which is a sign of how strong Rick and Morty's writing is.
This episode is a terrific character study on Rick. What we learn is that even when Rick goes to great lengths to show affection to others, a lot of his actions are still motivated by his selfishness. We get to enjoy some big revelations, and still leave the episode with plenty of questions about Rick’s past and early life before he met Morty.
Rick and Morty season 5 airs on Adult Swim on Sunday nights in the US, and on E4 on Mondays in the UK. Australian viewers can catch it on Netflix. The show is now on a brief hiatus until September 4, when it'll return with an hour-long season finale.
