Rick and Morty - Rickmancing the Stone - Roundtable Review

This article was co-written by Louis Rabinowitz, Laura Markus, Milo M-J and Abi.

Overall Thoughts

Louis: This episode got a raw deal - slated as the quieter and more character-based sequel to the all-singing, all-dancing premiere, it instead ended up as a second premiere episode, tasked with satisfying the anticipation that had been inflamed tenfold by the brilliance of the surprise return back in April. So it was never really going to live up to those expectations, and it was unlikely to touch the quality of The Rickshank Redemption.

But even middle of the road Rick and Morty is worth every minute, and Rickmancing the Stone was no exception. It’s a solidly funny and surprisingly thoughtful 23 minutes of television that follows up on the premiere’s events in a way that brings home the different approach of this season - there are consequences, and the events of big emotional breakthroughs reverberate beyond the confines of the episode. 

There are definitely some missed opportunities here, as with other episodes of similar quality like season 2’s Mortynight Run - the Mad Max setting is pretty thin, especially for a show so adept at crafting intricate worlds in no time and the character arc for Rick as he shows his caring side again was a little too muted to hit home - but with a stream (heh) of hilarious jokes and some really good, emotionally intelligent character development for Morty and Summer, this was an accomplished return of the show to Sunday nights.

Laura: It was a really funny episode! To be more specific, it wasn’t even that groundbreaking, which, with that premise, seems surprising. But it didn’t have to be groundbreaking, it just needed to deliver some good old fashion laughs. And it did. The dynamics were refreshing and cool. Everything Rick and Summer made me feel so unbelievably giddy. Morty, on his own, was puzzling, to say the least. As I’ve said before, I would not be surprised if this version of Morty grows up to become the shows’ Big Bad, or at least one of their villains, Eyepatch Morty. The Mad Max style of plot brought some interesting premises, but the character developments were much more fascinating to me.

Milo: I pretty much agree with everything Laura here, Rickmancing the Stone was a fun, engaging and entertaining episode that had plenty to offer in terms of humor, offering a take on Mad Max: Fury Road that did come a bit too late after the release of the movie to really feel fresh, but at the same time it was cool to see the show’s take on it. 

This episode felt a lot similar to the quality of Season 1 than Season 2, but that’s no bad thing - as Season 1 on its own was still good. As someone who is currently catching up on Community at the moment, I really enjoyed seeing (or rather, hearing) the cameo from Joel McHale this week who helped flesh out Hemorrhage really well.

Abi: Whilst I didn’t enjoy this episode as much as The Rickshank Rickdemption (sorry guys!), I did think it was a really good, essentially second part to the April premiere. I haven’t actually seen Mad Max: Fury Road but even I picked up on the slight homage to that, though it didn’t feel like a rip-off. It was a really funny, yet pretty bleak entry into the Rick and Morty universe. I like that it really went there with the focus on the family dynamics within the show, as sometimes this is put on the back burner, and I thought it balanced being emotional and really funny incredibly well.

Character development

Louis: The divorce was mainly just played as a reason to reinstate Rick as the terrifyingly unpredictable mad scientist of the pilot initially, so I like how this episode took pains to really delve into its emotional consequences on the kids (although not Jerry, who remains the butt of every joke this show can think of). Of the two character arcs, it’s Summer’s that is the most interesting because it again places her as the centre of the show - it’s her desire for escape that leads her to plunge into the portal first and her need to stay away from home that prolongs the family’s time in Mad Max World. 

Making Summer a central character as opposed to one who lives in B plots and side jokes is a really good example of the way in which Rick and Morty has subtly evolved the dynamics between its characters to keep things fresh - it’s a big evolution beyond the basic structure of Rick and Morty, 100 years’, and her willingness to go along with anything Rick suggests places her in distinct contrast to the much more sceptical and jaded Morty.

As for Morty… poor guy. The show has kind of done an episode about his anger already, in Look Who’s Purging Now, but this was a more satisfying and well thought-out take on the concept because it had a direction - the inner rage shown in the Purge episode now has a direction and a purpose as Morty embarks on his own, deeply disturbing version of therapy. It should also be noted that Robot Morty’s emotional arc stole the show. He just wanted to be alive, and taste ice cream, and run in a stream. Poor little robot.

Laura: I can sum up pretty much everyone’s development in Rick’s two words: “Getting darker.” Oh Morty, Morty, Morty...my once sweet and innocent boy has now become this. A husk of what he used to be, before adventure after adventure with Rick changed him permanently.

Watching him slowly learn that, by fighting, he could exhume a lot of anger he had pent up inside of him, brought tears to my eyes. The divorce is affecting every character differently, but Morty has always taken these events to heart a lot harder than everyone else. He’s going through puberty, divorce, and existentialism all at once. This seems unprecedented for your average preteen boy on television, but then again, when has anything that Rick and Morty has done been precedented.

Summer almost certainly had the biggest impact on the highest amount of fans. Everyone loved how seemingly badass she became, as she really settled into the life of the Death Stalkers. I didn’t need to see her make out with Hemorrhage for that long...or at all...but beggars can’t be choosers. Robot Summer brought me more joy in this outing.

Rick just needs to stop calling people sweetie. That is all.

No, that’s not all, he’s great and I still love him. Even though I really, really shouldn’t. It’s clear the divorce is affecting him despite his best efforts trying not to let it. And he needs to keep Beth in the loop more - her confusion, while endearing, was ultimately devastating. And I don’t even need to mention Jerry since we’re all thinking the same things about him. [whispers] LOOOOOOOOOSER.

Milo: I like that the writers are not resolving the relationship split in Beth and Jerry’s characters immediately, allowing both of them time to grow and of course use the divorce as the momentum that will most likely propel a lot of story this season. However I kind of wish we did spend more time with both of them in this episode as it was largely focused on Rick, Morty and Summer, as they only appeared briefly. 

But the time that we did get to spend with Rick, Morty and Summer was great, with Summer in particular really excelling this week as everyone handled the looming prospect of divorce in different ways. Summer was practically jumping at the chance to escape from the normal, mundane world of her house, whilst Beth turned to the tried and tested solution of Alcohol. Hopefully this means that big things are ahead for Beth’s character this season and I’m really looking forward to seeing how the show handles its more emotional moments, which can be just as effective as the comedy as was the case in this episode.

Abi: Oh my gosh what Morty went through this episode was absolutely huge. I’m honestly kind of shocked but really not at the same time that they had him working through his feelings about his parents divorce by going on a slaughtering spree with his body being overpowered by a giant dismembered arm that had thoughts, feelings, and memories. Honestly I have no idea how the writers manage to make this stuff up but I’m so glad that they do. But Summer goes through a lot too, and ends up going down a very similar path and ending up in a very similar place to Beth.

Jerry is Jerry, and Jerry will always be Jerry. I’m honestly so used to animated Chris Parnell characters being the butt of the joke that I don’t know how I would react if he ever had any character development. To echo what Milo said, I’m glad that they’re not resolving the divorce straight away and they’re actually giving it the time to develop and settle. As shown in Rickmancing The Stone it could actually lead to some really interesting character decisions and the show should mine that for all it’s worth if they can.

Mythology

Louis: Could… the universe be conspiring to laugh at Jerry? Could this be the work of Pheonixperson? I don't really know. I'm just going to blame Pheonixperson for every loose end this season until he arrives.

Laura: The divorce, duh. That’s about all I can think of re: continuity.

Milo: I mentioned earlier about the divorce playing a huge part of this episode and it’ll be really interesting to see how it continues to affect the Smiths going forward as we’ve already seen what it’s doing to each of them so far. Hopefully we get to spend more time with both Jerry and Beth in the future, and it’ll be interesting to see how both manage to survive on their own without the other.

Abi: Obviously the divorce was one of the driving forces of this episode, and Rick somehow managing to kind of find a way to be selfish and do things entirely for himself but also give something to the other characters around him. Also Jerry being the butt of every joke, because it’s Jerry and we all love laughing at him.

Funniest moments

Louis: Robot Morty’s existential crisis: every word of it. “I want to run in a stream! I want to taste ice cream and not just have it slide down my throat!”. Joel McHale’s nihilist monologue about moustaches. Rick calling Summer “Sum Sum”. The sheer bleakness of Rick helping Morty to finish suffocating the guy in the castle. The wind whispering “loser” to Jerry. “My body is chrome! My blood is gasoline!”. Beth’s utter confusion at everything. Jerry getting mugged for his unemployment cheque by a dog. Even when it’s coasting a little bit, this show is still golden.

Laura: “Haha, aw jeez, my sister died in the spaghetti.” DO I NEED TO SAY ANYTHING ELSE? Every single thing having to do with Robot Morty and Sum Sum. All of it. That was by far my favourite part about the episode and it brought some of the funniest content this show has ever seen. 

Why it took Rick so long to whip out the robot versions of them is beyond me, although it appears he’s gonna need to do some tweaking with them. Jerry being whispered to by the wind led me to believe he is being haunted, or, at the very least, a Rick from another dimension is screwing with him, either of which would be welcomed by me. It was awesome.

Milo: The wind whispering to Jerry throughout the episode was a highlight, along with his mugging, and I loved how Rick had put defences on the garage door and were no longer coded to recognize Jerry. The small touches like these were brilliant.

Abi: Not going to lie, most lines in this show are absolutely golden so it’s incredibly hard just to pick a handful of them. Robot!Morty’s speech about being alive and wanting to run in a stream and taste ice cream, followed by the actual Morty returning and point blank refusing Beth’s idea to go run in a stream like Robot!Morty wanted. The wind continually whispering ‘loser’ at Jerry. When Summer says she’s going with the Deathstalkers to hunt people and Rick replies “sounds good, stay hydrated”. Basically everything the robot versions of Rick, Summer, and Morty said. The very end scene with Jerry’s employment check. Honestly this entire show is golden.

Easter eggs

Laura: Summer and Hemorrhage’s divorce kind of echoes Beth and Jerry’s from the premiere, I guess. And the house that they lived in was the same house that they were showing at the end of the trailer for Season 3. That was interesting. Will they revisit this place? Or was it a one and done thing? Only time will tell. Also the Thunderdome, while obviously being a reference to Mad Max, reminded me a lot of Fight Club, especially Morty’s devolution.

What comes next

Louis: Aubergine Rick? Green Bean Rick? I’m trying to place it.

Laura: In short: PICKLE RIIIIIIIIIIIIICK comes next. But I have to wonder how and why Rick will want to turn himself into a pickle. What from this episode will lead him to do that? How on earth are they going to explain how the entire genius of a being that is Rick Sanchez can be shrunk down into pickle form? Or should I stop digging for hidden layers and just be impressed? Are those action scenes going to blow me away as much as I think they will? All of this, and more, should hopefully be answered next week...

Milo: “Do Pickles Live Forever?” “Morty, Stop Digging For Hidden Layers and just be impressed”. Only Rick and Morty can come up with stuff as random as turning Rick into a pickle for an episode and it’ll be interesting to see how the show handles it. Can’t wait. That said, now that I’m caught up on the show, I do miss being able to jump right into the next episode straight away. 

Abi: PICKLE RICK. PICKLE RICK. PICKLE RICK. “I don’t do magic, Morty. I do science. One takes brains and the other takes dark eyeliner.” Why am I not surprised at all that Rick turned himself into a pickle just because he can and nobody else seems to be able to? I love his unabashed narcissism so so much. I have no idea where this episode is going to take the concept of Pickle Rick and what it all means, but I guess I should probably listen to Rick and stop digging for hidden layers and just be impressed. That’s totally not possible with this show! I just love how out there most of the episodes seem to be. There truly isn’t another show like this on television and I love it.

Thanks for reading our second roundtable review! Rick and Morty season three continues this Sunday at 11.30pm ET on Adult Swim. We'll have a review of episode three, Pickle Rick, for you next week.