Rick and Morty S05E02 is the second episode of season 5 in this scifi fantasy action-adventure animated comedy created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon. The series follows the misadventures of cynical mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his good-hearted but fretful grandson Morty Smith, who split their time between domestic life and interdimensional adventures.
Entitled “Mortyplicity” (an obvious play on ‘multiplicity’), Rick and Morty S05E02 takes one basic concept and then runs the marathon! Oh and the premise? The episode opens with the family having breakfast and then being ambushed and killed by (what appear to be) aliens. However, we immediately discover that the family that was destroyed was made up of decoys and the ‘real’ family is out there, safe and sound. But then, the family we were led to believe was ‘real’ is also murdered and yes, they were decoys as well! And the gag keeps on running from there.
The rest of the episode is an escalation of that basic premise with twists and turns galore and then a further complication is introduced when we realise that certain decoys created more decoys and also that the aliens hunting and killing the various families are also decoys! Oh my word, what an absolute mindfuck!
READ OUR REVIEW OF RICK AND MORTY S05E01.
The frenetic pace at which the narrative spins comes think and fast till the viewer becomes breathless, helpless trying to keep up with what’s happening. The action gets more and more bombastic and the viewer is dragged deeper into the rabbit hole of delusion. As always, there are excellent character moments especially as the rest of the family take Rick to task for manufacturing the situation. But then again, it’s not really Rick and it’s not really his family. Or is it?
In the final analysis, Rick and Morty S05E02 is typical mind-twisting, scifi hijinks doubling down on every fan expectation to re-emphasise once more why Rick and Morty is one of the best TV series out there.
… still there’s more …