*Content Warning: Mention of suicide*

DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Rick and Morty episode “Analyze Piss” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril. 

Wubba lubba dub-dub! Hands down, Rick and Morty‘s eighth episode is one of the season’s best. “Analyze Piss” is a clever play on the 1999 comedy Analyze This (which I remember watching as a kid). This outing is poignant, thought-provoking and absurd. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the word “piss” said so many times in my life. It’s lovely to see proper character development for Rick. While this certainly isn’t the first time we’ve witnessed a moment of growth, it happens so rarely that it’s nice nonetheless. 

Ready to delve into “Analyze Piss”? Let’s get to it. 

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We open with Morty (Justin Roiland) firing a gun while Rick (also Roiland) dukes it out with Mr. Nimbus (Dan Harmon), his archnemesis. After our pair prevails, Cookie Magneto rises to replace Mr. Nimbus. Rick utterly decimates Bargain Bin Magneto, but it’s not long until yet another goofy villain appears in his stead. Mr. Calypso urges Rick, an “ugly drunk,” to face him. Morty wonders why all these little-known baddies are crawling out of the woodwork to antagonize Rick. 

Morty stands outside while gesturing with dirt smudged on his face in Rick and Morty Season 6 Episode 8, "Analyze Piss."

RICK AND MORTY — Season 6 Episode 8, “Analyze Piss.”

Then, Rick visits Dr. Wong (Susan Sarandon), the therapist from “Pickle Rick” and “Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri.” He’s not there for a full-fledged therapy session; mind you, he’s merely curious about what a professional of her caliber would do in this specific situation. The good doctor believes these villains aren’t asking for a genuine reaction from Rick — they only want to get a rise out of him. She urges Rick to ignore his foes for a week to see what transpires. 

Later, Rick and Morty have dinner with Jerry (Chris Parnell), Beth (Sarah Chalke) and Summer (Spencer Grammer). Suddenly, Pissmaster begins firing urine at the Smith/Sanchez house. He demands to fight Rick, but not before verbally accosting Summer, claiming he wants to spray her bosom with a “golden shower.” I’m having war flashbacks featuring the orange turd as I type this. Enraged, Jerry storms outside, taking on Pissmaster himself. 

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In an un-Jerry-like turn of events, Jerry triumphs over Pissmaster. The neighbors record Jerry as he beats Pissmaster with a plastic Flamingo, garnering him the nickname “Flamingo Dad” on social media. A sobbing Pissmaster apologizes to Summer before fleeing the scene as a broken shell of a pee-soaked man. Jerry’s popularity on social media skyrockets as folks hail him for his bravery. Rick seethes (naturally). 

Meanwhile, Blagnar the Eternal asks Jerry to join the Galactic Orbship. Blagnar’s a big fan of Jerry’s pure heart. He gives the latter a luminous orb as a means of contact. Jerry could clean up the galaxy with his heroics. Rick refuses to get involved. He promised Dr. Wong he would sit this one out as an experiment. After all, he’s a scientist. 

However, Rick relents to Jerry’s pleas for assistance, constructing an Iron Man-esque suit for him with the orb in the center. The orb’s infinite power will help Jerry defeat the baddies. Jerry spots a council of Space Hitlers convening in Zeplar Prime, so he flies away to destroy them. 

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Then, Jerry inadvertently utilizes his nuclear disruptor to blow up Zeplar Prime and all the Space Hitlers therein (including Riddler Hitler). Once again, the media sings his praises. Finally, a cool dad! Rick meets with Dr. Wong for another session and vents his frustrations regarding Jerry’s newfound success as a hero. The doctor believes this is all good. Rick’s decision to step back is yielding fruit. She encourages Rick to stay the course. Look at Rick go — he’s finally where he needs to be. 

Rick sits in a serene field and meditates on Rick and Morty.

RICK AND MORTY — This photo isn’t from the episode, but isn’t it pretty? Could you imagine if the episode was 22 minutes of Rick sitting in a serene field?

Later, Jerry, Beth, Morty and Summer pilot the first voyage of the Mitsubishi into space to eradicate crime. After refusing to engage with another peculiar foe, Rick finds a bar and drinks his troubles away. Next, Rick tracks down Pissmaster’s location. He wanders into the latter’s home to find him dead in his bathtub. Unfortunately, he committed suicide. Rick tries to revive him but to no avail. 

Pissmaster’s daughter stands on the late villain’s doorstep, begging to be let inside. She hates the way they ended their last conversation and apologizes for the hurtful things she said. His daughter claims she would never forgive herself if something awful happened to him. Rick pops on Pissmaster’s suit and reassures his short-lived enemy’s kid that everything’s okay. Are we seeing growth from Rick Sanchez? Perhaps these are the end times. 

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Rick finds a note from Pissmaster. We learn he took his life because of Jerry. Rick dons Pissmaster’s costume for real, emboldened by a desire to do good. A montage plays out with Rick as Pissmaster committing heroic acts and saving the day. He misses an appointment with Dr. Wong, who claims his reasons are justified, and he might be healed. Meanwhile, the Galactic Orbship considers bringing Pissmaster into the fold after hearing about his character 180. They task Jerry with giving Pissmaster an orb to seal the deal, much to Jerry’s dismay. He’s still irked about their last encounter. 

There’s a bomb on Orphan World that Rick planted specifically. He hopes to launch said bomb into the sky with Pissmaster’s suit to give the latter an “honorable” death. Rick arrives to retrieve the bomb, with Jerry hot on his heels. Of course, Jerry doesn’t realize his father-in-law is impersonating a dead villain. Jerry tries to offer Rick the orb, but the latter brusquely refuses. Rick scoops up the bomb and flies high into the atmosphere. 

Side note: I love the names of the establishments on Orphan World. There’s “Poor ‘n Littles,” “Alley Boxes,” “Hawkers,” “Wayward Yard Clothing,” and my personal favorite, “Please Sir Soup.” It’s so good that you’ll want more!

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Jerry follows Rick, clearly irritated that the latter won’t accept the orb. They get into a brief scrap, with Rick removing his helmet to reveal his identity. He launches the Pissmaster suit and bomb further into space. We watch them explode. Then, Rick uses the orb to protect himself and Jerry from the deadly blast. We see Pissmaster’s daughter watching a news segment honoring her late father as a hero. She looks proud. Aw. 

Summer, Beth, Rick and Morty smile and stand around Jerry, who holds an orb, in Rick and Morty Season 6 Episode 8, "Analyze Piss."

RICK AND MORTY — Season 6 Episode 8, “Analyze Piss.”

Later, Blagnar the Eternal revokes Jerry’s membership in the Galactic Orbship. He also rescinds his offer to Rick, as he thought the latter was Pissmaster. The Mitsubishi takes the family home. 

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Initially, Rick keeps Pissmaster’s suicide under wraps. That is until he shows Morty the letter. Naturally, Morty informs everyone in the family. They scold Rick for withholding that information from the get-go. Jerry laments the pitfalls of “trending” and internet fame. 

In the end-credit scene, we see the Galactic Orbship searching for new members. Blagnar plays a clip featuring CarJack saving the day, but nobody’s impressed. However, they are considering granting Mr. Nimbus membership. He controls the police, and that’s super duper cool! Unfortunately, he’s too busy. Well, there’s always Scarlett Johansson. 

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“Analyze Piss” is a step up from last week’s bloated episode. Sometimes, Rick and Morty is more enjoyable when it sharpens its focus on character-driven narratives and opts for simplicity. Will Rick carry with him everything he’s learned from this situation? Probably not, but we’ll always have Pissmaster. 

Rick and Morty drops new episodes every Sunday at 11 pm on your Adult Swim affiliate.

8 Anime Outros Too Good to Skip

Melody McCune
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