TAGGED AS: Adult Swim, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi
This week’s episode of Rick And Morty had a lot to live up to. This was the long awaited “Pickle Rick” episode. It’s been built up for a year, since creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon showed a clip at San Diego Comic-Con last summer. And who doesn’t want to see a mad scientist turn himself into a pickle, or a sentient pickle under any circumstances, really?
Fans who switched over from HBO said “Pickle Rick” was even better than Sunday night’s epic Game of Thrones.
Sorry, dragon. Pickle Rick wins "Best TV Character Of the Night" this time. #RickandMorty #GameOfThrones #PickleRick
— Brian McGuinness (@laughatbrian) August 7, 2017
Did GOT have any pickles in it?? No? Alright just making sure #PICKLERICK dominating Sunday night TV #RickandMorty
— broken brain ted (@simpleted6) August 7, 2017
Even before it started, fans had tasty ideas for a real life Pickle Rick.
Can we just go ahead start petitioning Vlasic to make #picklerick a reality?
— Pickle Rick? (@JoeRobPete) August 7, 2017
Merch ideas kept coming throughout the show.
I've never wanted an action figure of a pickle covered in bits of rats and sewer garbage more than I do now.#RickandMorty
— Jim Welch (@jimwelch88) August 7, 2017
Pickle Rick is gonna be THE costume of Halloween 2017#rickandmorty
— Jose Antonio Ojeda (@ojedasbodega) August 7, 2017
And these puns were so obvious how did no one else think of them?
Pickle Rick is in a pickle
— Stephan (@stephnunez7) August 7, 2017
@RickandMorty why is it "Pickle Rick" when "Rickle" rolls off the tongue you troglodytes
— dadam (@lemony_zest) August 7, 2017
I love Pickle Rick so much. It's kind of a big dill to me #PickleRick #RickandMorty #fanart pic.twitter.com/2cuWRObMJz
— Christopher (@chrispenartist) August 7, 2017
But “Pickle Rick” wasn’t just a collection of ridiculous puns. There was actually a plot, and it was pretty awesome. The cat knocked Pickle Rick (Roiland) onto the garage and he rolled out into the rain, washing him into the sewer. In the sewer, Rick killed a cockroach and made a battlesuit out of all his roach legs. Fans finally got to see a fully animated version of this scene that screened in storyboard form a year ago. But then, Pickle Rick fought the sewer rats in an epic battle.
the Pickle Rick fighting rats scene is a genius fighting scene
— pickle rick (@evannschneider) August 7, 2017
#RickandMorty – I just cant unsee what I just saw. I never cared for rat's till Pickle Rick apparently got a hold of them.
— Anthony (@k2kstar) August 7, 2017
Things only got hairier for Pickle Rick when he emerged from the sewer in the toilet of a foreign agency headquarters. The agents were no match for Pickle Rick. Really, what the James Bond films have been missing is Daniel Craig fighting a pickle. The sight of a triumphant pickle turning the agents into a gory mush of brains and intestines might give you nightmares.
I really thought that episode of Thrones would be the most violent thing I watched tonight… then #PickleRick happened
— harry (@harryk56) August 7, 2017
This is basically Jon Wick with an intelligent pickle #PickleRick #RickandMorty
— Sly (@Sly_DaBeast) August 7, 2017
Can Pickle-Rick be the next mortal combat character?
— Craig Croft (@craig_croft) August 7, 2017
pickle rick went 1 to 100 real fast #RickAndMorty #PickleRick pic.twitter.com/E8xiqqpAYV
— sPARKLINGS ROBLOCK (@annatheroblock) August 7, 2017
Then the agents brought out their secret weapon. Jaguar (guest voice Danny Trejo), a broken old soul, agreed to fight Pickle Rick in order to have his daughter safely returned. Once Jaguar found out his daughter was already dead, he became Rick’s ally and an instant fan favorite.
I can't be the only one who hopes Jaguar comes back at some point #picklerick #RickandMorty
— Winston (@Winston4278) August 7, 2017
The adventures Pickle Rick and Jaguar needs to be a thing.
— LucidFoxx (@LucidFoxx) August 7, 2017
Meanwhile, all of this Pickle Rick adventure was just an excuse for Rick to get out of going to family therapy. The therapist (Susan Sarandon) specialized in treating people who like to eat poop, so she may not have been most qualified to diagnose the family issues. Summer (Spencer Grammer) and Morty (Roiland) are clearly acting out from Beth (Sarah Chalke) and Jerry (Chris Parnell)’s divorce, but the unsuccessful therapy session validated Rick’s anti-therapy rant.
I've heard @danharmon's rants about therapy on @Harmontown and, well, this sounds familiar. ? #RickandMorty #PickleRick
— filmaroni ? (@filmaroni) August 7, 2017
pickle rick told me not to go to therapy anymore
— Cam 182 (@skeletonmorale) August 7, 2017
pickle rick was such an awesome version of rick and i think the family should go back to therapy
— Darren Durant (@iselin90) August 7, 2017
That was quick:
https://t.co/W0R3OK9Q3A CONGRATS! You avoided family therapy today! Pickle Rick pins, shirts, and posters now available! @RickandMorty pic.twitter.com/SOQAWTRdm0
— Zen Monkey Studios (@ZenMonkeyStudio) August 7, 2017
Here’s an interesting counterpoint on the therapy subplot:
The family therapy part was good but the pickle rick parts were disappointing
— Jaden (@JadenVeazia) August 7, 2017
After the credits, the piano scene from the opening titles pays off. The opening titles is full of new adventures that Rick and Morty may or may not go on this season. The one where they are tied to giant piano wires, waiting for the notes to be played which will crush their heads, was a real scene, but viewers were disappointed this adventure only came in a post-credits gag.
Kinda bummed that the piano bit from Rick and Morty was just an after credits scene. I was hoping it would be an entire episode 🙁
— ChrispCross (@Chrisp_Cross) August 7, 2017
#RickandMorty Aw was kinda hoping the death piano be a full ep plot, not just a post credits scene.
— Hubert Hyena (@HubertHyena) August 7, 2017
It’s safe to say “Pickle Rick” lived up to the hype, and even blew expectations out of the water with its violent action and unexpected twists.
Pickle Rick was fantastic. I don't even know how you think up a battle scene w/ pickles, rats and a beefy Mexican named Jaguar #RickandMorty pic.twitter.com/vBWclSJlL7
— ?Pickle Ricc? (@ericmatthewr_) August 7, 2017
I expected this episode to be good cuz all Rick and Morty episodes are, but I didn't expect it to be a TOP episode, damn. #RickandMorty
— T'Challa?? (@glomodou) August 7, 2017
Pickle Rick was better than I could've imagined. Rick and Morty gets better and better. pic.twitter.com/2xesv32bH8
— Sebastian (@sabygames) August 7, 2017
Dogs loved it too.
My puppy is oddly fascinated by Pickle Rick. #RickandMorty pic.twitter.com/Eqgwo5IJ1a
— Bryce Dubee (@Dubeeous) August 7, 2017
The only hiccup was fans trying to watch “Pickle Rick” online had problems with Adult Swim’s app. It was showing Fish Center.
So it looks like #RickandMorty and @adultswim are trolling us online streamers by forcing us to watch #Fishcenter over #PickleRick
— Snowflake Ruffler (@WickedD365) August 7, 2017
the rick and morty livestream is always wack and my heart aches for pickle rick
— Chloe Jade Nichols (@chloejnichols) August 7, 2017
Why am I still seeing this fish show instead of Rick and Morty? Am I the only one? #rickandmortyseason3
— Juvia Lynn? (@AmyLinnard) August 7, 2017
Rick and Morty returns Sunday nights at 11:30 p.m. on Adult Swim.