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Rick and Morty Season 8, Ep 6 Review

Back in the season three episode, “The ABCs of Beth” we learned from Rick that when she was a kid, Beth was kind of nuts. Besides leaving her friend in the imaginary world her dad made for her, she apparently had a penchant for violence and a desire to hurt people. Since we’ve never met a kid version of Beth, we had to take Rick’s word for it…until now. Not only do we seethe Beths become kids again, but they’re every bit as psycho as Rick claims.

At least, most versions of Beth were like that. We don’t know what Rick’s original Beth was like.

Beths Become Kids Again

The Smith family is going on a day trip to this alien-made amusement park that Rick claims is a hilariously bad version of Earth. However, Beth and Space Beth are in too foul a mood to want to go and stay behind. That leads them to discussing when they were last genuinely happy, and that leads them both to turn themselves back into kids using a device on Space Beth’s ship. Unfortunately, the device also reverts them mentally as well as physically. As a result, both Beths become psychotic, bloodthirsty kids who terrorize anyone they come across, like their neighbor, Gene.

I’m a kid at heart myself, so I understand the appeal of wanting to return to being a child. After all, life was simpler when most of us were kids; ergo, it was happier. However, I’m also smart enough to understand that nostalgia has a tendency to blind us to what the past was really like. I loved being a kid, but that also meant dealing with my growing body, going to school every weekday, and the stress of homework. In Beth’s case, we see that Rick was not exaggerating when he said his daughter was nuts as a kid. Rick’s aren’t always the best dads, but at least they had the common sense to make sure their daughter couldn’t hurt anyone…most of the time.

Aww, Rick Really Does Love Beth!

Meanwhile, Rick is also dealing with his nostalgia crisis when he discovers that the theme park he loved, Earth World, has become cleaner and more gentrified. It’s more like how Earth is, at least in America, and it irritates him to no end. He’s the kind of person who thinks a park of inaccurate rides and rusty nails everywhere is hilarious. That leads him to seek out the park’s creator, voiced by Danny DeVito, which leads him to what’s left of the original park. In keeping with the warning about nostalgia filters, it’s not as cool as Rick remembers, and he opts to bail on it to fix the crisis the Beths have started. They end up turning the tables on him, though, and age him up to 360 years old! Those implants of his mean he’s going to live for a long time.

As messed up as the entire thing is, it does lead to a heartfelt moment between Rick and his daughters. The Beths vent their anger at how they were abandoned by Rick (their Rick), and Rick admits he’s proud of both his daughters. It’s another small example of how their relationship has become healthier as the series has progressed, and it’s nice to see.

Another Disastrous Theme Park

Meanwhile, things go downhill for the rest of the Smiths. Morty almost gets it on with an alien, only to realize she’s only into him because he’s human. Summer and Jerry discover that the park owner is insane and sics its mascots (humans with giant heads) on the park to kill everyone. Why? Because that’s what happens in movies involving amusement parks. The trio are barely able to escape with their lives, and in the end, they all agree that the place sucked.

This was a fun episode of Rick and Morty. It’s not one of its better episodes, but it was still entertaining enough to watch. Plus, I really liked how it satirized all those horrible amusement parks we see in movies. The fact that it overtly references Jurassic Park is funny.

“The Curicksous Case of Bethjamin Button” a 3.5/5

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Rick and Morty S6, Ep 3 Review

You know, when Rick and Morty first introduced Space Beth, I remember thinking, “Wow. Suddenly there are two Beths in one universe? Jerry’s going to love this.” It took an extra season, but I turned out to be right. Jerry did end up loving it…and the two Beths. In this low-stakes episode of Rick and Morty, two Beths and a Jerry explore their relationship. Everyone else tries not to cringe.

Me? I’m mentally laughing my butt off at having called it.

Two Beths Eating Ice Cream and Chilling

Like Space Beth promised, she’s visiting her double’s family on Earth more often, including for Thanksgiving weekend. After a quick nod to Rick turning into a turkey for a Federal Pardon (again), it’s all about the Beths.

The Beths have gotten closer with each appearance since both allow themselves to see what their lives would be like if they chose to stay or leave their family behind. This episode, though, sees them really bond together. And then…this happens.

I don’t know if this is an example of literal self-love or just incredible narcissism. Either way, it took me for a loop, and I never let go. It’s both fascinating to watch, yet also new kinds of cringe.

Everyone Tries Not to Tell Jerry

Everyone reacts differently to the Beths new relationship. Morty and Summer do what many teens would do in this situation: use video games as a form of escapism. This made for some pretty solid jokes about gaming, especially how hyper-realism could suck the fun out of them. Rick, surprisingly, gives some sage advice, having done something similar in his younger years: don’t let it take over your life, or it will affect everything else. Like Jerry.

Jerry remains clueless as usual until Space Beth flat-out tells him. And he completely shuts down into his shell. Literally.

Two Beths and a Jerry Do…Stuff.

So, remember what I said about Jerry would love having two Beths? I said it with the implication that this would lead to a 3-way relationship. I called it because it turns out Jerry’s more upset that the Beths didn’t tell him rather than them cheating on him with themselves. He’s cool with it.

In the funniest moment of the whole episode, we listen from Rick, Morty, and Summer’s perspectives as the conversation evolve into what is a three-way. Everyone cringed at this, with Morty begging Rick to fix the Portal Gun. Even Rick cringes from the whole thing.

I wasn’t. I laughed my butt off over being right about Jerry and the Beths.

This Episode is So Cringe, and I Loved it!

The episode ends with Space Beth going back into space, and there’s no indication that this relationship will last. However, the damage has been done, and it’s hilarious! This was the slowest episode of the season thus far, but I think it will be the one I might remember the most. It’s just so crazy that two Beths and Jerry did that. The fans will go nuts over this with the writing and artwork.

That, and I loved the video game jokes. Those were funny.

I Give “Bethic Twinstinct” a 4.5/5

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Rick and Morty Season 4, Episode 10 Review

*Slow clapping from being thoroughly impressed* Those magnificent people who work on Rick and Morty. They did it. After an (admittedly) lackluster second half to Season 4, Rick and Morty manages to stick the landing with the best episode since “The Rickshank Redemption.” Not to mention, it’s the best finale since “Wedding Squanchers.” Why though? Three reasons:

• It sees the actual return of Tammy, the Federation, and Bird Person.
• It brings back one of the biggest questions from the end of Season 3
• The finale parodies Star Wars, from the title right down to the plot and sci-fi references!

I’m going to avoid spoiling as much as possible, but here’s the rundown. Remember “the ABC’s of Beth,” where Rick offered to clone Beth so she could go explore the universe? That Beth has been living as a Princess Leia freedom fighter against a rebuilt Federation, thinking she’s the real one. However, when she finds a potential bomb in her neck, she’s convinced that Rick lied to her about that. As a result, she heads back to Earth to confront her dad. In doing so, though, she brings the Federation, Tammy included, in pursuit of her.

One would expect this to be the point where Rick has to come in and “save” the day. Instead, the opposite happens: it’s the Smith Family that saves Rick. To be more specific, we see both Beth’s bonding over their issues with Rick, teaming up to kick Federation ass. Meanwhile, Morty and Summer manage to shut down the bug-alien’s Death Star knock-off and save the Earth.

Does the Smith Family No Longer Need Rick?

I think that there’s a big takeaway from the fact that Rick had to be saved by his family. One that I’ve been noticing throughout Season Four: the Smith family’s not as dependent on Rick anymore. We’ve already seen examples of the Smith’s being badasses, but here we see it in full display:

For one, seeing the lengths that Morty and Summer go to fighting over an invisibility belt and then stopping the ship shows off how clever they are.

The Beth’s become a pair of badass sisters with sassy attitudes.

Even Jerry gets some one-liners in. Rick doesn’t really do anything, in the end, and it shows. By the end of the episode, any respect the family may have still had for Rick is gone, and both of his daughters make it clear that they no longer need his approval. He’s all alone.

So, it looks like Rick has hit rock-bottom. He no longer looks like a god to his family; he’s realizing he’s a horrible father; and it turns out not even the Federation cares about him anymore. Rick may be the smartest in the universe, but it doesn’t mean squat when he’s a lonely old jerk.

Overall, the season finale to Rick and Morty was filled with a lot of laughs and epic moments for the entire family while throwing fans a bone by touching upon past episodes. At the same time, it also leaves us with a Rick that’s more alone than ever. Which begs the question: where will Season five go?

The way I see it, Rick’s got two options. He can accept his new place in the family and they all go on adventures as a badass family. Or, he can go to a new universe and start fresh. I hope he chooses the former because that would be awesome. Either way, though, we’re gonna get plenty of more fun from Rick and Morty.

I Give “Star Mort, Rickturn of the Jerri” a 5/5. Best of the Season

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Rick and Morty Season 4, Episode 9 Review

When I saw the preview for this episode of Rick and Morty, two things ran through my head. Firstly, why would Jerry take Morty and Summer on a camping trip for all of spring break. They have more important stuff to do, like video games and parties! Secondly, I clearly don’t like camping trips. Thankfully, Rick hijacks the camping trip and gets the family into a fight with Zeus-type God. And it all comes back to this one single, hilarious sentence:

“I f**ked a planet.” As soon as I heard that, I couldn’t stop laughing.

As I spent the rest of the episode pondering how Rick could sleep with a giant, sentient planet, we saw what exactly was going on. As I just stated, Rick got a planet called Gaia pregnant, causing her to give birth to millions of clay versions of Rick. And since Beth still has issues over the fact that Rick was absent for most of her life, she insists that he stay and helps her clay half-siblings. The two end up building an advanced society for the clay people to help them get out into the stars. Then their real dad, a guy who looks like Zeus from Greek Mythology shows up saying he’s the dad and wants them to do what he says. It only gets crazier from there.

Okay, I know that sometimes I can’t fully understand the ideas behind a Rick and Morty episode. Even if I do, I know I can have a hard time putting them into coherent words. The big takeaway I got from this episode (thanks to the ‘inside the episode’ video) is that this was about parenting styles.

Beth may have issues with Rick, but she still craves her the approval she never got from her dad as a kid. And to the episode’s credit, the two do bond as we see them use their genius to build a society for the claymen. However, as much as Beth wants her dad to be a responsible parent, the irony is that she’s not being one for Summer and Morty.

Jerry Smith: Camping Expert

So, Jerry still wants to teach the kids how to camp, but they tell him to buzz off. Unlike most things, though, Jerry’s actually pretty good at camping. He even imparts survival skills to some of the claymen that Rick leaves for dead. Of course, this doesn’t really make up for the fact that Jerry’s doing it to make himself feel more important. He ends up leading the rejects in a revolt against Rick and Beth’s society and goes Moses on their butts.

I don’t really know who’s right or wrong in this situation. However, I don’t think Jerry’s been that likable this season. Especially after what he did last week. And here the likability reaches a low point. Or maybe it’s because I don’t like the idea of camping away from technology or not sleeping on a mattress.

Rick vs. Zeus

So, Rick’s always bragged about he’s a god because of his genius, and so far, there’s little to dispute it. When we see stack up against an actual god, though, he ends up lacking a little. Yeah, that Zeus-type guy kicks his ass and almost kills him. If it weren’t for Morty and Summer crashing a ship into his head, he’d be dead.

The episode did prove one thing, though. If Rick is a god, then he’s a better parent than Zeus could ever be. He’s trying to be there for Beth and make it up to her, in his own way. If you read any stories about Zeus, though, then you’ll know he’s the definition of a deadbeat dad. And a total jerk at times.

So, by the end of this episode, Jerry gets a little respect (but loses some of ours) and proves himself not-so-useless. But he also admits that he just wanted to feel important. Okay, to be honest, I don’t really know what the point behind this episode was. They took the “family camping trip” and made it funny. I liked, and I don’t care what anyone says.

I Give “Childrick of Mort” a 4/5

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Rick and Morty Season 4, Episode 2 Review- The Old Man and the Seat

I always knew that I would find an episode of Rick and Morty I wouldn’t like. After watching last night’s episode, “The Old Man and the Seat” I think I found it. It’s not that it wasn’t funny, because it was. To put it simply, I don’t think I’m a big fan of jokes involving poop. That’s basically what this episode revolved around, and Rick’s Secret Seat.

Rick’s Secret Seat

Remember that image we got of Season Four, of Rick walking through an alien meadow of grass? It turns out that was a planet that Rick reserves exclusively to use the bathroom on, private fancy toilet and all. However, when he finds out someone else used his secret seat, Rick goes on a quest for revenge.

On some level, I think many of us can understand where Rick’s coming from. I enjoy the privacy of my bathroom and how it offers a respite from the day’s events. Although, we see Rick hold the 470,000 kids of a fly mobster hostage and alter a war between robots and lizard aliens to find the culprit. It’s funny to see Rick go to such lengths over something so mundane, but it’s also sad. Did I mention I don’t like poop jokes?

Great Moments in Stupidity: Jerry Version

While Rick’s off having his own solo adventure over his secret seat, Morty gets caught in one courtesy of his dad. It’s been established that Jerry’s an idiot that people think little of. Morty’s respect for him has plummeted over the show’s run, but Seat has him verbalize it.

Long story short, Jerry teams up with Rick’s intern Glurty to develop an app. That’s despite the fact that Glurty has a tattoo on his forehead that says “do not develop my app”. The resulting Tinder-esque app ends up distracting everyone on the planet. As a result, Glurty’s alien masters can invade the Earth as part of their convoluted plan to steal the planet’s water.

I’m not sure what the message behind this story was. It seemed like a commentary on how obsessed people are with apps. While it may seem dumb for an app to be used for world domination, I think there’s a grain of truth. Keep people distracted long enough, and this can happen.

While it may not seem as strong to some as the quest for the Secret Seat, I liked the app story for reversing the Rick and Morty roles. In this case, though, it’s Morty and Jerry, with Morty being the Rick to Jerry’s Morty. It helped drive home the fact that Morty’s smarter than his dad, and that leads him to act like a Rick. That’s irony!

The Right Combination of Stupid

Ultimately, while I’m not a fan of poop jokes or the story of Rick’s Secret Seat, I can appreciate what they were trying to do; I think. The whole episode seemed to emphasize what we already knew: that Jerry’s an idiot, and that Rick’s lonely and miserable because he lets his genius alienate him from others. One thing’s for sure, though: I’m not developing an app.

I Give “The Old Man and the Seat” a 3.5/5

Hilarious Observations

• There’s such a thing as Mount Space Everest. That’s shoehorning at his simplest.
• Scan the QR Code on Rick’s hat here. It takes you somewhere cool!

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