Lane's suicide, so reminiscent of Don's brother's demise in S1, is another reminder of how well-written this show is.
This episode was shocking, yet believable. And it's its believability that makes it that soul-crushing.
Do I want a third season? Sure, this is one of my favourite book series of all time.
Would I be surprised if it all ends here? Not at all.
'Clunky' is the best word I can think of to describe this entire show. Amazing costume design, amazing special effects, amazing soundtrack and (for the most part) amazing actors. Amir Wilson killed it this season. Episodes 4 or 5 were so good I thought we were going somewhere (btw, bring back those writers who helped Thorne in those episodes, for the love of God).
But the problems are still there. Even after two whole seasons, scenes are edited poorly, Jack Thorne's writing is abysmal and the pacing is extremely inconsistent. Those are problems that were more or less understandable for the first half of season 1, but we're two thirds of the way in. What did the witches even do so far, apart from dramatically staring at walls and talking about prophecies? What was the point of showing Mary Malone wandering through Citagazze for two episodes?
A shame, considering how good all other aspects of the show are. I tried to keep an optimist mindset, and I'll be watching if a third season ever comes out, but I can now affirm that this adaptation has been mostly a disappointment.
[9.4/10] Really enjoyed this one. On the one hand, you have a just balls-to-the-walls Rick adventure. Him turning himself into a pickle, and having to climb to the top of the food chain by brain-licking his way to cockroach-based mobility, assembling a rat-based super-torso, and then make it out of the sewer is the kind of sci-fi weirdness I love from this show.
But then, Roiland & Harmon turn it up a notch, with Rick then finding his way inside some combination of Die Hard and Rambo, having to escape a secret and illegal compound run by a generic evil boss aided by a generic badass named “The Jaguar.” It’s the well-observed trope mashup and creativity that this show does well, mixed the inherent silliness that our hero is an ambulatory pickle. To top it off, it had the right details, like the enemy goons having superstitions about a pickle monster, and the Rube Goldberg traps Rick sets to defend itself.
The best part, though, is it’s not just empty violence or insanity for insanity stake. It’s a testament to how far Rick will go to avoid doing something he doesn’t want to do, particularly something he thinks is beneath him, and especially something he thinks might force him to confront the ways in which he’s created problems for his family.
Getting Susan Sarandon to play the counselor is a complete coup, and the writing is perfect, as Dr. Wong quickly teases out exactly what’s wrong with The Smiths’ family dynamic, Beth deflecting the real issue, and the kids being cautious but wanting to identify the problem. It’s the show coming clean about its psychological perspective on its characters, which could be a little too direct, but feels right with the tone of the episode.
After all, Beth idolizes her father and so justifies everything he does despite the fact that, as Dr. Wong points out, he doesn’t reward emotion or vulnerability and emotion and in fact punishes it, making Beth worried to call him to the carpet for anything lest he run away again. And Dr. Wong’s also right about Rick, the way he’s caught between his brilliant mind as a blessing and a curse and incapable of doing the work to be good or get better because it’s just that -- work, which bores him.
But what’s great and also terrible is how that accurate diagnosis doesn’t change anything. Morty and Summer both meekly suggest that the school-mandated session was helpful and they want to do it again, and Rick and Beth completely ignore them, the same way they ignore all their problems and opportunities to make things better, when their status quo is unpleasant but comfortable and more importantly familiar. It’s another episode that shows how well this show knows its characters and their hangups, while inserting fecophilia gags to lighten the tone, and a gonzo set of action sequences that actually manages to dovetail with the deeper, darker message of the episode.
It’s all part of the amazing balancing act that Rick and Morty pulls off on a weekly (or at least biannual) basis, and this installment stands out for its frankness about the problems facing two of its main characters, its creativity in dramatizing them, and the sadness of the rut they allow themselves to be stuck in, dragging poor Morty and Summer down with them. But hey, the Jaguar saves the day in the tag from the Con-Chair-To, so there’s hope yet!
With an extra 14 minutes (including the credits), "The Book of Boba Fett" decides to use its time to show Boba Fett attack some thugs, take down a train, and do a dance around a campfire. Yes, I like the message that Indigenous people (the Sand People) shouldn't have to hide. Yes, I enjoyed the confrontations in Mos Espa. But with no character development, plot or conflicts, I'm worried about this series' trajectory.
Once again, the concept art looks cooler than the actual show (unlike "The Mandalorian", which looks as cool (if not cooler) than its concept art).
Edit: The flashbacks feel like sidequests since Boba's never morally questioned. He's just positioned as the good guy (even though he's had questionable morals in the comics, movies and "Star Wars: The Clone Wars"). He just takes down monster, takes down train, gets a staff and dances.
6/10
I loved the advice that Michael gave to Jim, it was so human...
Misty and Colleen going Drunken Master on the pool jerks in the bar is pure joy.
AT THE LAST SECOND!!!! i missed that dramatic bitch
The creators of this show are just showing off now. This is by far the absolute best episode of Rick and Morty. We have Comedy, Evolution, Biology, Psychology, Danny Trejo, a super bad ass action sequence, drugs, morality, alcoholism, and poop eating all in one spectacular episode. And to top all that off with a bit of 1960s Batman after the credits. Television does not get better than this. "Jesus Christ" --Rick Sanchez
This episode is essentially the heart of Mad Men. One of the best episodes of any show I have seen.
54 minutes of snoozefest that could have been told in 5. Last few minutes are good, but not enough to save the episode.
Can someone please explain to me why this show constantly looks like butthole every episode? Don’t say it’s because of the time period, Fuck that! please do something about the darkness.
I can not wait for season 2, this might end up in my favorite animated shows of all time if they keep the momentum up
Yeah, of course he likes it. Look at him. Motherfucker got two heads and three trunks.
That was excellent! To quote Full metal jacket - "Ain't war hell?". Eh, Armin?
Anime surprisingly did a better job at depicting it. Felt properly devastating and gruesome without even showing much.
Probably mistranslation, but in the manga Zeke had more memorable lines:
https://official-ongoing.ivalice.us/manga/Shingeki-No-Kyojin/0103-025.png
https://official-ongoing.ivalice.us/manga/Shingeki-No-Kyojin/0103-026.png
