Rick and Morty: A Rickconvenient Mort
July 7, 2021 6:05 AM - Season 5, Episode 3 - Subscribe
Reduce Reuse, broh. Might be too late.
I know that Rick and Morty go to other planets and visit parallel universes and so on, but I think this is the first time that the world the family lives in has had a physics-defying superhero flying around.
It seems like the writers have suddenly and arbitrarily changed the rules, and it feels like a shark-jumping moment.
posted by Umami Dearest at 6:46 AM on July 7, 2021 [3 favorites]
It seems like the writers have suddenly and arbitrarily changed the rules, and it feels like a shark-jumping moment.
posted by Umami Dearest at 6:46 AM on July 7, 2021 [3 favorites]
(Although having Elon Musk as a guest star last season was pretty sickening.)
posted by Umami Dearest at 6:47 AM on July 7, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Umami Dearest at 6:47 AM on July 7, 2021 [2 favorites]
I've seen other people say that R&M is flirting with South Park-ism with this one, and while I don't think that it's that bad, I was dismayed to see that Roiland and Harmon were going with the idea that there's absolutely no ground between "feel-good cartoon character that covers for a lot of greenwashing corporations" and "ecoterrorist who straight-up murders coal miners." Like, there's so many other ways that they could have gone with the former, or had Planetina try her hand at politics, or be PETA-curious, or... I know that they do these eps months if not a year or so in advance, but, with record-breaking heat waves and part of the ocean being on fire, Sympathy for the Coal Industry isn't a good look.
There were other good parts of the episode, with the cynical Elemental Kids middle-aged and hawking Funko Pops (as the show itself does, of course), and Rick and Summer enjoying a cheap holiday in other people's misery (although even that's played around with, with riffing on "what would you do if you knew that the world was about to end?") and Summer casually saving one of them simply to cock-block Rick.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:02 AM on July 7, 2021 [3 favorites]
There were other good parts of the episode, with the cynical Elemental Kids middle-aged and hawking Funko Pops (as the show itself does, of course), and Rick and Summer enjoying a cheap holiday in other people's misery (although even that's played around with, with riffing on "what would you do if you knew that the world was about to end?") and Summer casually saving one of them simply to cock-block Rick.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:02 AM on July 7, 2021 [3 favorites]
I know that Rick and Morty go to other planets and visit parallel universes and so on, but I think this is the first time that the world the family lives in has had a physics-defying superhero flying around.
Do we even know if this is the family that is from our world ? Does it matter ?
posted by Pendragon at 7:16 AM on July 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
Do we even know if this is the family that is from our world ? Does it matter ?
posted by Pendragon at 7:16 AM on July 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
WRT the world that they're on (which is not the one they started out with, which is CronenbergWorld now), they've had massive disasters caused by the Cromulons, temporary conquest/takeover by the Galactic Federation, and at least one tri-breasted alien warrior woman flying around for a while. The President has access to technology that's just a bit less impressive than Rick's. Oops, almost forgot about the dragon! So, having one superhero that we know of, who seems to mostly do convention appearances with occasional superheroic interludes, doesn't seem like much of a much.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:56 AM on July 7, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:56 AM on July 7, 2021 [4 favorites]
Do we even know if this is the family that is from our world ? Does it matter?
I thought the entire purpose of last week's ep was to basically say "it doesn't matter. Canon is bullshit. We are going to do whatever we want, it doesn't matter that it doesn't follow some seasons-long plot arc. We have infinite universes with infinite Ricks and Mortys, and now, with this ep, you have no idea which one we're even dealing with any more. Just roll with it."
posted by nushustu at 10:46 AM on July 7, 2021 [8 favorites]
I thought the entire purpose of last week's ep was to basically say "it doesn't matter. Canon is bullshit. We are going to do whatever we want, it doesn't matter that it doesn't follow some seasons-long plot arc. We have infinite universes with infinite Ricks and Mortys, and now, with this ep, you have no idea which one we're even dealing with any more. Just roll with it."
posted by nushustu at 10:46 AM on July 7, 2021 [8 favorites]
This felt like the Rick and Morty version of those seasons of the Simpsons where all the writers got old and started writing insanely sappy "love your kids/family" storylines.
posted by M Edward at 6:43 PM on July 7, 2021
posted by M Edward at 6:43 PM on July 7, 2021
This is the third episode this season to not feature a portal gun -- did Rick lose it?
I was interested in Morty's story more than Rick's
Reasonable, the B story was pretty much just another riff on the A story's theme of ecological disaster. Whereas the A story shows the pitfalls of a savior complex, the most interesting thing in the B story is how suggests the only thing that might motivatenihilists people on 'the other side' of the climate issue to take action is spite.
Beyond that I don't think the plots hold any meaningful dialog; comparing love interests (Planetina and Daphne) doesn't really say anything. Summer and Beth's motivations for breaking their assigned couple up are diametrically opposed, and their relationships too different to have any obvious meaning. About the best I can offer is that Summer saves a planet to end a romance, and Morty tries to save the planet to start one.
posted by pwnguin at 11:05 PM on July 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
I was interested in Morty's story more than Rick's
Reasonable, the B story was pretty much just another riff on the A story's theme of ecological disaster. Whereas the A story shows the pitfalls of a savior complex, the most interesting thing in the B story is how suggests the only thing that might motivate
Beyond that I don't think the plots hold any meaningful dialog; comparing love interests (Planetina and Daphne) doesn't really say anything. Summer and Beth's motivations for breaking their assigned couple up are diametrically opposed, and their relationships too different to have any obvious meaning. About the best I can offer is that Summer saves a planet to end a romance, and Morty tries to save the planet to start one.
posted by pwnguin at 11:05 PM on July 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
Summer is becoming more like Rick each season, it seems.
posted by Pendragon at 1:50 AM on July 8, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by Pendragon at 1:50 AM on July 8, 2021 [6 favorites]
I enjoyed this episode and thought it was the best of the three this season. That being said, it seemed transgressive on the topic of Summer's and Morty's sexuality.
Sexuality is one of the central themes for Morty's story. He's with this adult woman having what looks like an adult sexual relationship with him and his mom is.. mildly scandalized because her son might have his feelings hurt? I mean the story seemed fine for me, but given that Morty is 14 (and we're even reminded as such in the script) it seemed awfully sexually adult. I didn't think it was exploitative, at least no more so than anything in the show. I'm fine with a creative work treating a 14 year old's sexuality as a real and serious thing. Just surprised to see that in Rick & Morty. Previously his relationships have seemed more age-appropriate high school crushes.
Summer is apparently now 18 so she's the age in America where magically it's OK for her to be sexualized by adults. Whatever. But the show is so aggressive and crass about it! I mean one of her first lines is about how she's going to "eat so much ass" which her grandfather, right next to her, enthusiastically repeats. Huh.
I know, I know, it's Rick & Morty and vulgar sexuality is a backbone of the show and it's a cartoon and not worth a close reading. Still just surprised to see so much sex put into the kids' characters, one of whom is very clearly not an adult.
(Re-reading this I may have written this in the wrong tone. I'm not offended or wringing my hands. I thought the show was funny and well written. Just surprised.)
posted by Nelson at 8:29 AM on July 9, 2021
Sexuality is one of the central themes for Morty's story. He's with this adult woman having what looks like an adult sexual relationship with him and his mom is.. mildly scandalized because her son might have his feelings hurt? I mean the story seemed fine for me, but given that Morty is 14 (and we're even reminded as such in the script) it seemed awfully sexually adult. I didn't think it was exploitative, at least no more so than anything in the show. I'm fine with a creative work treating a 14 year old's sexuality as a real and serious thing. Just surprised to see that in Rick & Morty. Previously his relationships have seemed more age-appropriate high school crushes.
Summer is apparently now 18 so she's the age in America where magically it's OK for her to be sexualized by adults. Whatever. But the show is so aggressive and crass about it! I mean one of her first lines is about how she's going to "eat so much ass" which her grandfather, right next to her, enthusiastically repeats. Huh.
I know, I know, it's Rick & Morty and vulgar sexuality is a backbone of the show and it's a cartoon and not worth a close reading. Still just surprised to see so much sex put into the kids' characters, one of whom is very clearly not an adult.
(Re-reading this I may have written this in the wrong tone. I'm not offended or wringing my hands. I thought the show was funny and well written. Just surprised.)
posted by Nelson at 8:29 AM on July 9, 2021
Episode sucked, literally and metaphorically, and even the literally part was boring. In-world, I side with Planetina; as an allegory for ours, I don't care since they weren't even trying. Clearly this episode was written by one of the n-th copy wooden Harmons.
posted by chortly at 10:57 PM on July 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by chortly at 10:57 PM on July 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
well the next episode certainly does away with any notion of maturity regarding Morty's sexuality.
posted by M Edward at 11:07 AM on July 12, 2021
posted by M Edward at 11:07 AM on July 12, 2021
Is it just me or was the entire Planetina story extremely South Park style?
When the end result of a political storyline is "both sides are terrible" I can't help but get really anxious that I'm about to find out the people who write the show are Roganesque fascists.
posted by M Edward at 12:38 PM on July 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
When the end result of a political storyline is "both sides are terrible" I can't help but get really anxious that I'm about to find out the people who write the show are Roganesque fascists.
posted by M Edward at 12:38 PM on July 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
lack of courage by both writers and character
i'd ve stayed with planetina and done some cleanup
i mean its not as if morty hasn't butchered thousands before for teh lolz with rick, but since it's for the environment...welll then FUCK THOSE HIPPIES
very southpark-y and very very, blech
but I did like the dream sequence /hallucination that morty's makeout session engendered....
posted by lalochezia at 8:16 PM on July 12, 2021
i'd ve stayed with planetina and done some cleanup
i mean its not as if morty hasn't butchered thousands before for teh lolz with rick, but since it's for the environment...welll then FUCK THOSE HIPPIES
very southpark-y and very very, blech
but I did like the dream sequence /hallucination that morty's makeout session engendered....
posted by lalochezia at 8:16 PM on July 12, 2021
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(They're one of my favorite bands so I was soooo excited to hear the song come on. They're really just amazing, check them out. And if you live in/near Atlanta, you can see them pretty often as he's based out of Athens. This was actually the last band I saw live before Corona.)
Also, pretty good episode, but I was interested in Morty's story more than Rick's. I like how everyone still acts like Morty is a child, but he already lived almost a complete lifetime in the episode with the redo button (the Vat of Acid Episode). Its funny that Beth randomly tries to put normal boundaries when her kids have already done soooooo much shit.
posted by LizBoBiz at 6:18 AM on July 7, 2021 [2 favorites]