There Is No Ricklaxation For Rick and Morty!
Something magical is happening with Season 3 of Rick and Morty. Each episode is wilder and more thought-provoking than the last. This week’s episode titled “Rest and Ricklaxation” isn’t any different. There is no downtime in this Schwifty universe!
The cold open for “Rest and Ricklaxation” is one of the best to date. Morty overhears that his unrequited crush Jessica is finally single, so he goes in for the kill. Before he stumbles over his words, Rick rushes in and pulls Morty away for another adventure. What makes this one so great is what we don’t see. Before going on this mission, Morty makes complaints about missing out on his normal life. Rick promises that this would only take 20 minutes, but we see a title card saying “Six Days Later.” The duo looks rough and has obviously been through a grueling journey. So much for a quick “in and out” adventure.
In the first 5 minutes of the episode, you see the themes of character growth still applying. Season 3 is all about showing different sides to the familiar characters. Rick even admits for the first time that he wasn’t in control of a situation! Admitting something like that is something that would never occur in Season 1. This moment leads both of them to a complete mental break, and Rick calls for a vacation.
Sadly the restful break doesn’t last long.
“If I Can’t Trap You In A Toxic World, I’ll Make The Whole World Toxic”
-Toxic Rick
Rick and Morty end up in an alien day spa, and of course, Rick gets the pair into something dark. They go into detoxifier, which is just a horrific surreal toxic world. Things get split between the toxic and healthy version of the pair. Can’t help but think that things would be easier for them if they just want to a spa on Earth.
Since Rick and Morty’s good and bad qualities are split, the bad obvious try to take over. At first, they want to take over the bodies, but then it is the world. Toxic Rick is a liar, and that shocks the good Rick. It shows that even Rick has a side of him that ignores his bad qualities. Toxic Morty is the fragile and weak Morty that was prevalent in the first season. The “healthy” Morty is the badass and aggressive Morty the viewers see as of late. Funny to see how each pairing works when certain personality traits are gone.
There’s a battle of good and evil, but in the end, it teaches the lesson that both are needed. It isn’t a simple lesson to learn as the “good” Morty is still a little annoying. For once Rick seems to things together, and Morty is still trying to find his own. Oddly, finding his means, Morty uses his lack of conscience to be a stockbroker. Even with complete freedom, Morty is still annoying. Like father, like son.
Final Thoughts:
“Pickle Rick” remains the best episode of Season 3, but “Rest and Ricklaxation” is a close second. Everything feels dark and twisted, but with the fun edge that Rick and Morty provides. It also works as a standalone episode that explores darkness in all of us, but wouldn’t work if the season didn’t follow a theme of self-exploration.
Rick puts it correctly saying you need the bad parts to become a fully rounded person. They want to remove the negatives from themselves instead of just facing it head-on. While Rick stated in “Pickle Rick” that he doesn’t need therapy, his realizations this season are somewhat profound. He should go into business for himself with dark reality lessons.
The world of Rick and Morty can be so vast that “scaled back” episodes like this feel refreshing. The chemistry between these two is what the show is all about, and no matter how crazy things may get, it’s always good to see these two are constant.
What did you think of this episode of Rick and Morty?
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