Pickle Rick

"Pickle Rick" is the third episode of the third season of *Rick and Morty*, airing on Adult Swim on August 6, 2017. Jessica Gao wrote it, and Anthony Chun directed. The story begins when the eccentric scientist Rick Sanchez transforms himself into a pickle to skip a family therapy session. This kicks off a violent survival journey through the sewer and a tense confrontation with a therapist. The episode parodies action movies and took inspiration from the *Breaking Bad* episode "4 Days Out." It continues the season's storyline about Beth and Jerry's divorce, digging into Beth's unhealthy bond with Rick and their attitudes toward intelligence and self-betterment. A rough cut premiered at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, building anticipation. When it first aired, 2.3 million viewers tuned in. Critics praised the animation and design of Pickle Rick, the fight scenes, guest actor Danny Trejo's performance as Jaguar, and the episode's ending. It won *Rick and Morty* its first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program in 2018. Numerous merchandise items, especially featuring Pickle Rick, have been released. As Beth, Morty, and Summer get ready for family counseling, Rick tells Morty he can't go because he's turned himself into a pickle. He claims the timing isn't meant to avoid the session, but the family spots a device rigged to inject him with a syringe soon after they leave. Beth takes the syringe, leaving Rick alone on his workbench. A cat knocks Rick off the bench, and rain washes him into the sewer. With no way to move, he bites the head off a cockroach and uses his tongue to stimulate its brain, walking on its back. He assembles more cockroaches into a crude exoskeleton, sets up a lab, and upgrades to a powered rat-corpse suit. He escapes the sewer via jetpack into a secure compound, killing several guards. The compound's administrator, Pavel Bartek, sends a prisoner named Jaguar to fight Rick, but Rick convinces Jaguar to join him. They escape in the administrator's helicopter after rigging the compound to explode. Meanwhile, therapist Dr. Wong is curious about Rick's absence, despite Beth's attempts to focus on the children. Wong suggests that Beth and Rick's shared avoidance of emotion and vulnerability is the root of the family's problems. As the group uses "I" messages to communicate, Rick bursts in to get the syringe.