Raising Gazorpazorp
Morty raises an alien son while Rick visits Gazorpazorp.
The seventh episode of Rick and Morty’s first season, “Raising Gazorpazorp,” aired on March 10, 2014. Jeff Myers directed it, with writing by Eric Acosta and Wade Randolph. Critics gave the episode mixed reviews. Its title riffs on the film Raising Arizona and the TV show Raising Hope.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Rick and Morty
- Season
- 1
- Episode
- 7
- Director
- Jeff Myers
- Writer
- Eric Acosa; Wade Randolph
- Air date
- 10 March 2014
- Length
- 22 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Rick buys Morty a sex robot from a pawn shop in space, which soon births an alien hybrid child Morty names Morty Jr. Rick and Summer travel to the robot's home planet, Gazorpazorp, seeking better parents for the infant. There they discover that Gazorpazorpian females are the dominant gender and that males mature in days and are inherently violent. The females arrest Rick for his open misogyny and threaten to execute both him and Summer, but Summer's revelation that her fashionable top was made by a man convinces them to let the pair go. Meanwhile, Morty Jr. ages rapidly, and Morty, fearing his aggressive instincts, keeps him indoors by claiming Earth's atmosphere is poisonous. The isolation drives Morty Jr. to rebellion and a suicide attempt, after which he learns the truth and goes on a rampage. Rick prepares to kill Morty Jr., but Morty intervenes, professing his love. After hearing Brad Anderson say he writes Marmaduke to channel homicidal urges, Morty Jr. moves out to channel his aggression into creative art. In a post-credits scene, Morty Jr. appears on a talk show to discuss his successful book My (Horrible) Father, which portrays Morty as an abusive parent.
Reception
Upon its airdate, the episode was watched by 1.76 million American viewers. The first season holds a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 28 reviews, with an average rating of 8.19 out of 10. The site's critics consensus describes the series as making an instant impression with vivid colors, improvisational voice acting, and densely-plotted science fiction escapades that bring heart to a cosmically heartless premise. The episode received criticism from Corey Plante of Inverse, who found it hard to digest because the show quickly brushes aside a compelling entry point for social commentary to move on to the next joke, and noted that Rick's chauvinistic expectations could have been undermined by a mature society but instead the Gazorpazorpians are portrayed as dim-witted. Positive reviews included Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club, who called it a surprisingly level-headed look at parenting challenges, noting that Beth and Jerry offer contradictory advice and blame falls on Morty when things go wrong. Joe Matar of Den of Geek praised the episode for swapping Morty and Summer's usual roles, with Morty handling the sitcom story while Summer goes planet-hopping with Rick.
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