If you’ve ever wondered where and how Rick Sanchez poops, this is the episode for you. Yes, an entire half of this episode involves Rick having, and desperately trying to protect, his private toilet. How’s that for a second episode? We open with the revelation that Rick is a shy pooper. So much so that he can’t even tell his family that’s what he’s going to do. He tries to deflect it with a joke about Solo and Ron Howard. Jerry overcompensates by proudly announcing his evacuation intentions, making it weirder by saying he’d be proud to have Ron Howard involved. OK then, Jerry.
Jerry’s insecurities are the cause of the episode’s bigger story. Before running off to poop in peace, he gives his intern, which he has now, some busywork to do. His intern is a small alien (voiced by Taika Waititi) with the phrase “Do not develop my app” tattooed on his forehead. As you might imagine, he is relentless about finding a development partner for his app. He brings every conversation back around to the app. Basically, he’s everyone in San Francisco with half an idea. And of course, Jerry falls for it instantly. They develop an app called Lovefinderrz that instantly matches people with their soul mate. It does such a good job that its users immediately fall for their matches… which tend not to be the person their currently with. Engaged couples, new parents, everyone immediately breaks off their current relationship to chase down the idea of a true love.
The commentary on Tinder is a little obvious and ham-handed here. The point that the app facilitates disposable, performative acts of love isn’t new or particularly interesting at this point. The show also doesn’t appear to have much to say about that fact. This might be the most “What if X but too much” plot Rick and Morty’s ever done. At least it’s not trying to make it some grand point. If anything, it just serves as a launching pad for more Beth vs. Summer antics. Summer wants to hop from soulmate to soulmate, while Beth is willing to resort to melee combat to be a good mother. I love how Summer’s matches keep getting worse and worse. Her first “soul mate” is a member of a Phish cover band. One of her last is a much older woman who takes her shoes and socks off on airplanes. To the episode’s credit that is a novel and funny way to point out that maybe we shouldn’t trust our romantic decisions entirely to algorithms.
(Via Adult Swim)
The app, in any case, turns out to be a plot by a race of Kiwi-accented aliens. Morty instantly sees the trouble the app causes and demands the servers be shut down. Rick’s intern takes them to the mothership where his commander (voiced by Sam Neill) explains the whole thing. These aliens figured out the secret to love long ago. Turns out it’s way more common than most humans think it to be. It’s more common than water, which is what the aliens are really after. While humanity is chasing each other around because of an app, they’ll steal all of Earth’s water. Rick is still indisposed, so it’s up to Morty and Jerry to stop this plot.
Even though we’ve heard this particular bit many times before, the show’s constant dumping on Jerry is still funny. Morty’s travels with Rick have hardened him to situations like these. Morty tells his dad he’s completely embarrassed by him, and the only reason they’re in this situation is because of Jerry’s stupidity. There’s no but. Morty just thought he’d reiterate why they have to fix this. It’s great. Still though, it’s because Jerry’s so pathetic that they’re able to save the Earth. Neither he nor Rick’s intern have any matches, so Jerry’s able to connect with him. He convinces the intern to shut it all down, rather than live a life without finding anyone. The intern puts up an ad wall, causing everyone on Earth to delete the app and move on.
(Via Adult Swim)
Meanwhile, Rick went to his remote toilet in the middle of a forest only to discover evidence that someone else had been there. Analyzing the one foreign stool shows him the sandwich that created it. From there, he tracks down the robot who delivered it, who’s currently fighting a robot uprising against some lizard creatures. Rick has to singlehandedly win the robot war to get the information about who ate the sandwich. It’s a guy named Tony who works in a cubicle. The Jeffrey Wright-voiced alien sees right through Rick instantly. Rick is lonely and feels he has no control over his life. That’s why he exerts such control over where he poops. Rick, as he always does, rejects the frank analysis, but decides not to kill Tony. Instead he opens up a portal containing a butthole on Tony’s conference table. It poops out a perfect middle finger.
There’s nothing in this episode we haven’t seen Rick and Morty do before. For that reason, the jokes don’t hit quite as hard as they should. The poop jokes in this episode are clever, the Beth-Summer chase is fun, and Jerry’s stupidity is still hilarious. The episode just doesn’t do anything new with it. This is kinda what we were worried about when the show was renewed for 70 episodes. With so many, could it keep up the high level of quality it’s enjoyed? Here, the answer is still yes. This is a very good Rick and Morty episode. It’s just that it’s going back to old formulas here. While it still executes on them very well, we’re starting to see diminishing returns. The premises are good, the jokes are clever, but they aren’t making me laugh as hard as they usually do.
(Via Adult Swim)
Right at the end though, the show reminds me why I love it so much. Tony figures out that what Rick really wants is a friend. Rick of course denies this completely, but he never can explain why he’s so obsessed with some guy who pooped in his toilet. He gives the guy a vision of heaven, where he can be reunited with his wife and poop freely. He constructs an elaborate prank for the next time Tony uses his toilet only to find out that, after seeing his idea of heaven, Tony decided to start living life to the fullest and died. Rick puts up the same mean front he always does, but he’s genuinely affected. Even insulting Tony to his dad at his funeral doesn’t fool anyone. Tony’s dad consoles Rick about how hard it is to lose a friend. In the end, all Rick can do is sit on his toilet himself and watch the prank he left for Tony. Rick sits there as a bunch of holograms of himself call him stupid. The king of shit.
Even in a more formulaic episode like this, its focus on character and empathy really carry it. To think a show can have me genuinely feel for a character after an entire story about poop is kind of wild. I also loved that, even with all the jokes about dating apps and love being more common than water, it showed love as work. The aliens behind the app said they figured out love. When the emperor talks to his wife, he listens to what she has to say about her day. The secret they figured out is apparently constant work on your relationship and being an active, caring listener for your partner. And even then, they still fight. When they fail to get Earth’s water, they start arguing. “I want a divorce!” “You can have one for a glass of water.” Is probably the funniest big relationship fight I’ve ever heard. This may have been just an OK episode by Rick and Morty standards. But with the past three seasons being so spectacular, that means it’s still pretty great animated TV.
Rick and Morty airs Sundays at 11:30 on Adult Swim
Previously on Rick and Morty:
- Rick and Morty Season 4 Premiere recap
- Rick and Morty Season 3 Finale recap
- Rick and Morty Season 3 Episode 9 recap
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