DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Rick and Morty episode “Juricksic Mort” has spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Wubba lubba dub-dub! Rick and Morty‘s sixth outing of the season is just plain ole fun. It feels like an amalgam of We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story and Jurassic Park. You get dinosaurs, robots, aliens, Rick (briefly) hosting the Oscars and Jerry with a beard. What more could one want?
Ready to delve into “Juricksic Mort”? Let’s get to it.
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We’re Back! A Rick and Morty Story
We open with Rick (Justin Roiland) watching a news segment about a “mysterious rift” in space that’s “still hanging out.” It’s Rick’s rift! Morty (also Roiland) asks Rick to take him to school. Rick whips out his portal gun and attempts to use it, but it’s still on the fritz.
While en route to school, Morty reveals he’s enjoying a much-needed break from all the sci-fi shenanigans. He presses Rick regarding when the portal gun will be fixed, to which the latter urges him not to apply pressure. Otherwise, Rick will stall purposely. Next, Morty enters Mr. Goldenfold’s classroom; wherein everyone shrinks away in fear. What out-of-this-world terrors await them now that Morty is back? Morty insists that everything’s cool. That is until an assortment of spaceships land on Earth simultaneously. But that’s not his fault!
Then, a trio of dinosaurs emerges from one spacecraft in Egypt. They assemble for a meeting with the president (Keith David) to announce their intentions on Earth. They didn’t know the rest of their brethren were wiped out. The dinosaurs (one of whom Lisa Kudrow voices) explain how they bounced from planet to planet for millions of years while facilitating the flow of life. They’re helpers.
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The dinos claim they plan to overtake Earth, but not in a hostile manner. They hope to utilize their resources to help Earth out of its slump. Let’s face it — humans shouldn’t be in charge. Dinos can do it better! The president gives over Earth to the alien dinosaurs, caving immediately.
Everything Is Better With Dinosaurs!
Next, a montage plays out, complemented by a hilarious song consisting of fake dinosaur names. Dinosaurs have remedied every problem on the planet while effectively eradicating poverty, capitalism, and injustice. Meanwhile, humans no longer have to work since money isn’t a thing. We see Rick, Morty, Summer (Spencer Grammer), Beth (Sarah Chalke) and Jerry (Chris Parnell) sitting at home.
Rick and Jerry ostensibly enjoy doing nothing, while the other three are restless. We learn that Jerry has penned a book about how if you never try, you never fail. It’s the secret to his success. Later, Rick eats with the president, who, surprisingly, didn’t summon Rick via pager for some molly. The prez wants the dinosaurs gone, claiming that humans need to make mistake after mistake to feel useful. However, Rick wants something in return — he wishes to host the Oscars. I can’t wait to watch his opening number! On another note, will Rick ever stop Westworld-ing people?
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Then, Rick and Morty chat with the trio of dinos, who gift Rick a new portal gun and permit him to travel off-world. Morty drops a “Clever Girl,” a Jurassic Park reference, but Rick’s too angry to notice (he later references Laura Dern). The dinos also give our duo a pamphlet about coping with the presence of dinosaurs on Earth.
The Common Denominator
Later, Rick piggybacks off Morty’s “genius” idea to travel to other worlds inhabited by the dinos. They notice a prevailing theme; with every trip to a new planet, an angry asteroid follows in the dinosaurs’ wake, destroying the planet and some of the population therein.
Next, while the dinos have filled a stadium full of people, Rick and Morty crash the show with their findings. Jerry seethes because the dinosaurs stole Jerry’s book for mass publication without crediting him. It’s Jurassic theft! Rick reveals that if the dinos stay on Earth, then that angry asteroid will find them, effectively killing them and everyone on Earth.
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What transpires next is a montage of apology tours as the dinos go on a handful of talk shows to repair their image. No, they didn’t know this asteroid perpetually tailed them. Thus, they decide to leave Earth, much to the delight of everyone on the planet.
Later, Rick hosts the Oscars, but before he gets too far into the ceremony, he learns that the dinosaurs are standing on Mars, awaiting extinction via the angry asteroid. Rick stands among them. As the asteroid flies closer and closer, Rick persuades the dinosaurs to destroy it. So, they zap it, ending the threat looming over their heads. Before the dinos depart, they fix the space rift. Rick, irate, scolds them for doing so, claiming they threw away potentially seasons worth of material.
BOOB WORLD
Then, we see everything is back to normal on Earth. Capitalism is back, baby! Jerry struggles to write another novel while Rick urges Morty to join him in the garage. He got the portal gun up and running again. They’re heading to BOOB WORLD!
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The sci-fi shenanigans are back.
In the end credit scene, we see the dinosaurs have found a desolate planet on which to call home. They proceed to start skateboarding because, apparently, dinos are excellent at it. Tubular!
I love that “Juricksic Mort” is a stark reminder of how much we suck as a species. We’re killing this planet, and it would be better off in someone else’s hands. The episode creates a utopia sans systemic oppression, racism, injustices, poverty and capitalism, a.k.a. the poisonous, corruptive systems that are eating away at us. As usual, we f*ck up utopia, too.
It’s not the show’s best episode, but it’s a solid 20ish minutes of whimsically dark escapism. Plus, with Rick’s portal gun fixed, our dynamic duo is sure to embark on wilder adventures.
Rick and Morty will return on Sunday, November 20, at 11 pm on your Adult Swim affiliate.
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