Review: Rick And Morty “Pickle Rick”

Sometimes a pickle is just a pickle.

 

Spoilers Below

Working on yourself is hard. Knowing you’re doing the right thing for you, the right thing for people around you, and how those two things sometimes differ. It’s a constant 24/7 job that requires conscious effort and eyes wide open on the open sea of your life to avoid hitting the rocks. Seems easy enough, don’t do drugs, stay in school, keep up a diet, maintain hygiene, all that good stuff.

But sometimes it doesn’t come on that quickly. You may hit a few bumps, excuse a few missteps, admit that mistakes are natural from time to time. Then your life becomes its own series of bumps, a plethora of tiny mistakes and occurrences that pile up until you’ve reached a culmination and veered off course from the ideal life you thought you were headed towards. But it’s not that bad. This is fixable. This is fine. You can’t admit there’s a problem because to admit there’s a problem would be to admit you’ve failed and ended up where you swore you’d never be.

And then you’d have to ask for help.

Morty, sweater-vest-clad, is called into the garage for a big surprise, though not so much for the people who saw the preview back in April. Yep, it’s the memey fresh Pickle Rick! But…why? Well, we find out soon as Beth and Summer arrive, equally formally dressed. The Smiths/Sanchezes are on their way to therapy, mandated by Morty and Summer’s principal for odd behavior they’ve displayed in classes…which Rick was told a week ago but has conveniently forgotten while incapacitating himself as a pickle, making him unfit to go to the session. This seems…less than truthful. Especially with a timed contraption that seems to have a syringe filled with what may or may not be serum to change Rick back to human form just as the rest of the family leaves. Suspicious…

Well, as soon as Beth takes said syringe and takes the kids to the session, Rick’s in a real…Do I want to say dilemma? Predicament? But yeah, he’s kinda screwed. Not helped by a neighbor’s cat pawing him off the desk, onto the hot concrete, then being swept into the sewers by a sudden cloud burst. Though while Rick may not have limbs or hands in pickle form, he does have his most important tool: the mind. And sharp old man teeth to bite off a cockroach’s head and tongue at its brain as a form of transportation and eventually taking parts from a herd of rats to make a fully functional Rat Suit. Because of Rick, even as a literal vegetable, is fine on his own. He doesn’t need help. He doesn’t need anyone.

Back with the family, the Smiths meet Dr. Wong (voiced by Academy Award Winner Susan Sarandon), who quickly gets word on why Rick couldn’t join them and latches onto that to begin the discussion. This is where all the big sore spots about Beth’s Rick-based dysfunctions get dragged into the spotlight. Of note is that his lack of need for anyone in any task is something she resents, but also admires. Rick doesn’t force his own personal problems onto others. This ignoring the fact that he left another version of Beth to die back on Cronenberg-Earth, but this is a different version so we’ll let that slide. But because of this trait in Rick that is associated with him being such a mind-blowingly brilliant scientist, it makes it easy for Beth to justify that he lies to her, like why he didn’t come to therapy or, more importantly, that he needs her for a place to stay.

Back with Rickle Pick, the sewers lead him to a rather swanky toilet, revealed to be owned by nefarious agency director (voiced by FREAKING DARTH MAUL Peter Serafinowicz) and a bunch of Russian guards (one voiced by Chris Parnell). After a few tussles and a couple casualties, Rick makes contact with the director to negotiate his release. That ain’t happening, so Rick just lasers and pencils through even more guards until the director is forced to bring out their own prisoner, Jaguar (voiced by Danny “Machete” Trejo). They fight for a bit and exchange banter, but soon turn on the director and escape action movie style. Sorry if I’m less descriptive with this part, it IS a visual smorgasbord of traditional animation, so let it be known that it’s equally great as the character stuff this episode.

Eventually, the quickly rotting Rick makes his way to the therapy session, just as Beth is able to break through and open up about her insecurities. In almost immediate blowback, Rick goes on a cold but calculating breakdown of his feelings on the futility of therapy for someone who has as much knowledge and control over his life. Dr. Wong gives an equally calculated retort, splaying all the faults in his logic out on the table, that he refuses to work on himself because of his curiosity.

Of course, Rick doesn’t really absorb any of this, other than to apologize to Beth that he lied, but mainly to get that syringe and become human again. As Beth and Rick discuss getting a drink, Morty and Summer meekly try to suggest going back but are drowned out with their elders falling back into their problems. Post-credits, Jaguar pays Rick back for his help by saving him and Morty from a piano themed super villain, giving Rick a reason to never seek therapy. Or just a good punchline, who knows!

So, THIS episode sure had a lot to chew on! Like last week’s episode that ended up being therapeutic in what it made the characters’ do, this had the same effect in what it made them say and think. All balanced by some excellent and inventive fight scenes with A-list actors and superb writing. But really what else do you expect from this show at this point?

But what I really want to close this on is this: Being willing to get therapy for your problems is hard. It can be tough to admit when things are no longer in your control, and it can be even harder to consciously work on improving these things that you used to fall into. I’ve been lucky to have a therapist help me figure things out about myself for most of my life, but for those who haven’t and can afford it, I highly recommend reaching out and finding a professional to talk to if you think you need it.