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| Image via Slightly Warped |
“Hey, why don’t we do an episode of ‘Rick and Morty’ where due to a disruption in time, multiple opposing timelines of the episode are created and are simultaneously shown on TV via up to 64 split screens?”
Oh, how I’d love to see the writers of Adult Swim’s ambitious comedy “Rick and Morty” make that pitch to producers in this animated comedy where everyone’s favorite mad scientist forces takes his young grandson through adventures across the galaxy.
The season two premiere “A Rickle in Time,” picks up immediately where season one ended, in which Rick froze time in order to clean up the mess from an epic intergalactic party he hosted last season while babysitting his grandkids, Morty and Summer. Hilariously enough, the effects of our characters unfreezing time leads to the previously mentioned timeline disruptions, because science is a fickle beast.
Eventually, the multiple timelines will result in time cops from the fourth dimension (who look like giant scrotums) going back in time to beat up Albert Einstein because “Rick and Morty” is ridiculous in the best way possible.
The time-splitting conflict is one of the most cleverly executed gags I’ve seen on TV. It surprised viewers with its unexpected arrival and grew to be progressively hilarious as the episodes went on without overstaying their welcome.
I haven’t even mentioned the “B” storyline, which has Rick’s daughter Beth desperately trying to use her horse surgery skills to save a wounded deer her husband struck with his car. It sounds dull compared to the main plot, but this subplot moves at a surprisingly manic pace that doesn’t weigh the episode down. We also learn the important lesson that Cold Stone Creamery employees will do anything, ANYTHING, for you if you tip them well enough.
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| Image via Screenrant |
Besides the absurd humor the show is known for, “Rick and Morty” also has some heart to go with its crudeness. This is relevant in the episode’s climax, which sees one of the 64 Ricks willing to sacrifice himself to save one of the versions of his grandson from being stuck in his timeline forever.
Rick is a character who, let’s face it, should be among the most unlikable characters on TV. After all, the series’ pilot episode had him forcing his grandson to smuggle in space seeds through intergalactic customs by hiding them up his butt. And yet, the show often allows many opportunities for Rick to show a more humane side to him that makes him occasionally loveable, even when he’s telling his grandkids in this episode that he finds both of them to be equally annoying when they argue over which one of them Rick likes more.
Speaking of Summer and Morty, the episode introduces a conflict between them as we see the siblings get noticeably jealous over how each one of them is spending more time with Rick in his missions. For Summer, this represents a drastic change, considering how the series introduced her as a vain teenager who now has more of a personality. For Morty, this stresses out our already high-strung 14-year-old and I can already picture several scenarios where the rivalry between the two will lead to more inter-dimensional mayhem.
All in all, this is an exciting return to one of the most unique shows on air and I look forward to more.
"Rick and Morty" airs Sundays at 10:30 p.m. on Adult Swim.
