The Rickchurian Mortydate
Rick and Morty battle the President in a season finale.
The third season of Rick and Morty closes with its tenth episode, "The Rickchurian Mortydate," in which the grandfather and grandson clash with the President of the United States. Anthony Chun directed the episode, and co-creator Dan Harmon wrote it. It debuted on Adult Swim on October 1, 2017.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Rick and Morty
- Season
- 3
- Episode
- 10
- Director
- Anthony Chun
- Writer
- Dan Harmon
- Air date
- 1 October 2017
- Length
- 22 minutes
- Guests
- Keith David as The President; Tara Strong as The Presidentress of the Mega-Gargantuan
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The President asks Rick and Morty to handle a monster hiding in the Kennedy sex tunnels under the White House, and the pair finishes the job easily. Frustrated that the President keeps calling them for help without any thanks, they head home to play Minecraft. When the President finds out, he calls them out for ignoring their responsibilities, and a shouting match turns into a clash of egos. Rick says they answer to no one in the U.S. government, and the President fires back that he won't let them save the world anymore. To prove a point, Rick and Morty broker a peace deal with a tiny civilization in the Amazon rainforest and also negotiate a treaty to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The whole thing ends with Rick fighting the President's security inside the White House, forcing the President to take a selfie with Morty, even though Morty says he doesn't want one. Meanwhile, Beth worries she might be a clone Rick created after the events of "The ABCs of Beth." When she asks him, Rick denies it but won't say if he'd tell her the truth if she were, and adds that he'd have to kill her if a clone ever found out, which sends her into a panic. Beth gets back together with Jerry to dig into the mystery, and they decide to reunite. The whole family hides from Rick because of his fight with the President, but he tracks them down. Rick eventually promises Beth he won't kill her and accepts Jerry back into the family. To end his conflict with the President, Rick pretends to be Fly Fishing Rick from another dimension and calls a truce. The family is happy to be together again, though Rick is bummed about losing his top-dog status. After the credits, Mr. Poopybutthole shows up to say sorry for missing Season 3, but he's now married with a son, and he warns that it'll be a long wait for season four.
Production
The title "The Rickchurian Mortydate" was first disclosed by The Futon Critic on September 20, 2017. Dan Harmon wrote the episode, and Anthony Chun directed it, as confirmed when it aired. The name plays on the 1962 political thriller film The Manchurian Candidate. Justin Roiland voices both Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith, along with Chris Parnell as Jerry, Sarah Chalke as Beth, and Spencer Grammer as Summer. Roiland also voices Mr. Poopybutthole, Keith David plays the U.S. President, and Tara Strong portrays the Presidentress of the Mega Gargantuans.
Reception
The episode was viewed by 2.60 million American viewers upon its airdate. Joe Matar of Den of Geek said the season finale did not make for a terribly funny episode and got a bit preoccupied in expositing itself, calling it a mad scramble to tidy up Beth and Jerry's divorce while Rick horsed around with the President. Jesse Schedeen of IGN both criticized and praised the episode, stating it is not the most dramatic or emotionally devastating episode ever but is a fun, memorable way to wrap up the show's most eclectic season to date, with Rick's violent rivalry with the president entertaining from start to finish and Beth's clone crisis giving the episode the dramatic edge it needed.
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