Review: Rick and Morty “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort”

 

 

Overview:

With the Smith family off on vacation, Rick is left to his own devices. But with some free time to himself, his priorities shift to getting his best friend back.

Birdperson has been through a lot, but Rick managed to save his body after being transformed into Pheonixperson, a modified Federation cyborg. Unfortunately, his consciousness is being trapped by his own unconsciousness causing him to remain in a deteriorating coma. 

Rick must enter his Birdperson’s mind to help bring his friend back from this coma before being lost forever. However, navigating his memories will take Rick through the good times and some dark times of their friendship.

 

Our Take:

It is starting to look as if Adult Swim will make us wait for the last few episodes of Rick and Morty season five. The hit series is mysteriously missing from the schedule over the next couple of weeks. Thankfully, Rick and Morty fans have developed a thick skin of patience for this series. And the surprising scheduling absence could have been taken as a hint that this last episode before the break was going to be something special.

The episode we received is as unexpected as they come. Especially after subtly hinting at a potential Pickle Rick return in the cold open. Instead, this piece deep-dived into Rick’s history and friendships. Starting by taking Morty entirely out of the picture in the first minute. A fair move, considering Morty had his own episode earlier this season.

To replace his grandson, Rick makes a couple of other team-ups. One is the anticipated return of Birdperson. Assumed dead by the end of season three, Birdperson made a surprise return at the conclusion of season four as Pheonixperson, a cyborg controlled by wife, Tammy, and the Galactic Federation. Although, a return was hinted at in the final moments of that episode when it was revealed that Rick had kept the broken pieces of his friend.

Not only does Birdperson make his triumphant return, but his relationship with Rick is also fleshed out more than ever before. Starting with when they met, at a space Burning Man, and leading to how their friendship became so fractured. Elements of their adventures together are sprinkled all throughout this episode. And despite Rick being more open and loving than ever before, they do not end on any better terms than they began.

Rick also finds a new partner in a younger version of himself. Though this 30-something Rick is but a memory constructed by Birdperson, he still holds much of his true self. The team-up is even more revealing of Rick’s character and how much he can barely stand himself. Though for fans, this more rambunctious Rick is an exciting version of the character that we have grown to love.

For an episode of Rick and Morty, this one stands out for being more about character than adventure. Conceptually it upholds the craziness and intelligence we expect from the series, but with much more development of Rick’s internal workings. Thankfully, plenty of Easter Eggs are sprinkled throughout to keep fans on their toes, including a reappearance of Squanchy and a plumbus.  

Season five of Rick and Morty has already taken many different tones from the rest of the series. More family stories and exploration of Rick’s backstory have built this series in a more grounded direction. Though this episode puts it all on the table, putting Rick in a situation as we have never seen before, doing something for somebody else simply because he cares. Not like that is what we want to see more of, but used lightly on occasion such as this, it helps build the franchise further.