Pilot (Rick and Morty)

Last updated
"Pilot"
Rick and Morty episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed by Justin Roiland
Written by Dan Harmon
Justin Roiland
Original air dateDecember 2, 2013 (2013-12-02)
Episode chronology
← Previous
—		Next →
"Lawnmower Dog"
Rick and Morty (season 1)
List of episodes

The pilot episode of the American animated television sitcom Rick and Morty was written by series creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, and directed by Justin Roiland. The episode premiered on Adult Swim on December 2, 2013. The series introduces protagonists, alcoholic scientist Rick Sanchez and his innocent teenage grandson Morty Smith, as they embark on a dangerous interdimensional adventure to fetch Mega Tree seeds. The pilot had a positive reception and was seen by about 1.1 million viewers when it premiered. [1]

Contents

Plot

In the opening scene, a blackout-drunk Rick wakes up Morty and brings him on a journey in his newly built flying vehicle; having made a neutrino bomb, Rick offers to destroy humanity and allow Morty and his crush Jessica to serve as the new "Adam and Eve"; after Morty forces Rick to land the vehicle, Rick says it was all a test to get Morty to act more assertive, before passing out, leaving Morty to defuse the bomb.

The following day, Morty's parents Jerry and Beth Smith, believing Rick (who has been living with the Smith family for the past year after having abandoned his adult daughter Beth for the last twenty years) to be a bad influence on Morty, contemplate having Rick put in a nursing home, while Rick takes Morty out of school on an adventure to another dimension ("Dimension 35-C"), which has the perfect conditions for growing "Mega Trees", which bear "Mega Fruit" holding "Mega Seeds", which Rick requires for his research. To get past intergalactic customs, Morty hides the Mega Tree seeds in his rectum, but when their cover is blown, Rick and Morty escape while engaging in a shootout with bureaucratic alien insects.

Meanwhile, after being called into school in response to Morty's absences, Jerry and Beth discover that Morty has missed a semester of school in the time that he has spent on adventures with Rick, for a total of seven hours attended over a two-month period, Rick having taken him out of school to go on adventures, and decide to begin moving Rick's possessions from their garage into a moving van to go to a nursing home. As Rick and Morty return, Rick begins to argue with Jerry and Beth about the merits of taking Morty on adventures with him, before having him state the square root of pi and the first law of thermodynamics, both of which he immediately and correctly recites, both to his own and his parents' shock. Rick tells Jerry and Beth that later in his own life, Morty will be doing amazing things as a result of their adventures, satisfying them both as they leave to reconnect. After Morty comments on his surprise intelligence, Rick reveals that his knowledge was as a result of the Mega Seeds he had in his rectum, having planned the adventure to convince Jerry and Beth to allow them to go on further adventures, and that the seeds' after-effects will leaving him writhing on the floor for the next few hours. As Morty begins writhing, Rick informs his grandson that they will need to go back and get more, before going into a nonsensical rant that they will be going on lots of more crazy adventures, promising "Rick and Morty, forever and ever, a hundred years, Rick and Morty..."

Reception

Zach Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+ rating, stating that "[the viewer is] never allowed to forget the dark implications of Rick’s ambitions. Which means there are still stakes, which makes the jokes funnier and keeps the stories interesting." [2] Jason Tabrys of Screen Rant was overall positive in his review of the episode, drawing comparisons to Doctor Who and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , some of Harmon's inspirations. [3]

Related Research Articles

Rick and Morty is an American adult animated science fiction sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The series follows the misadventures of Rick Sanchez, a cynical mad scientist, and his good-hearted but fretful grandson Morty Smith, who split their time between domestic life and interdimensional adventures that take place across an infinite number of realities, often traveling to other planets and dimensions through portals and on Rick's flying saucer. The general concept of Rick and Morty relies on two conflicting scenarios: domestic family drama and a misanthropic grandfather dragging his grandson into hijinks.

"Rick Potion #9" is the sixth episode of Rick and Morty. It premiered on Adult Swim on January 27, 2014, was written by Justin Roiland, and directed by Stephen Sandoval. In the episode, a love potion goes wrong, creating a virus that begins to infect the entire world population, making everyone fall in love with Morty. The episode received critical acclaim, receiving praise for its story, subplot, and ending. It was seen by 1.7 million viewers at first airing. The title of the episode is in reference to the 1959 song "Love Potion No. 9" by the Clovers.

<i>Rick and Morty</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American animated television series, Rick and Morty originally aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. It premiered on December 2, 2013 with "Pilot" and ended on April 14, 2014 with "Ricksy Business", with a total of eleven episodes. The first season received critical acclaim.

<i>Rick and Morty</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of Rick and Morty, an American animated television series created by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, originally aired on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. It premiered with "The Rickshank Rickdemption", which aired unannounced on April 1, 2017, as part of Adult Swim's annual April Fools' prank. As a result of production delays, the remaining episodes began airing weekly nearly four months later, on July 30, 2017. The season comprised ten episodes but it originally was supposed to be fourteen episodes, and its initial airing concluded on October 1, 2017.

"Meeseeks and Destroy" is the fifth episode of the first season of Rick and Morty. It premiered on Adult Swim on January 20, 2014. The episode was written by Ryan Ridley and directed by Bryan Newton. In the episode, Rick provides the family with a solution to their problems, freeing him up to go on an adventure led by Morty. The episode has been well received, and was seen by about 1.6 million viewers when it was first aired on Adult Swim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Rickle in Time</span> 1st episode of the 2nd season of Rick and Morty

"A Rickle in Time" is the first episode in the second season of the American animated television sitcom Rick and Morty, and the twelfth overall episode of the series. Written by Matt Roller and directed by Wes Archer, the episode first aired on Adult Swim in the United States on July 26, 2015. The title of the episode is a pun to the novel, A Wrinkle in Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Sanchez</span> Fictional character

Richard Daniel "Rick" Sanchez is one of the two eponymous characters from the Adult Swim animated television series Rick and Morty and resulting franchise. The character was created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, and voiced by the former during the first six seasons of the series, then by Ian Cardoni beginning with the seventh season. Yōhei Tadano provides his voice for Rick and Morty: The Anime, after voicing the character in the Japanese dub of the series and various promotional short films. Rick is a misanthropic, alcoholic scientist inspired by Christopher Lloyd's Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown from Back to the Future and Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic from Marvel Comics. In September 2021, Lloyd portrayed Rick himself in a series of promotional interstitials for the series.

Bethany "Beth" Smith (née Sanchez) is one of the main characters of the American animated television series Rick and Morty. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, Beth is a veterinarian who specializes in horse surgery, who in the first three seasons is struck with a deep sense of dissatisfaction with her life, stemming from her belief that she has "settled" in her marriage, family, and job, leading her to accept her father into her household after he abandoned her as a teenager. Known for her selfish and humorous personality, alcoholism, and abrasiveness when criticized, the character has been well received. She is the level-headed and assertive daughter of mad scientist Rick Sanchez, mother of Morty and Summer Smith, wife of Jerry Smith, and grandmother of Naruto and Morty Smith Jr.

"Total Rickall" is the fourth episode of the second season of the Adult Swim animated television series Rick and Morty. Written by Mike McMahan and directed by Juan Meza-León, the episode premiered on August 16, 2015. It shows the Smith family, along with Mr. Poopybutthole, overwhelmed by an infestation of parasites who implant false memories into them so they cannot tell who is real.

"The Rickshank Rickdemption" is the first episode in the third season of the American animated television sitcom Rick and Morty, and the twenty-second episode overall in the series. It was written by Mike McMahan and directed by Juan Meza-Leon. The season three premiere first aired unannounced on Adult Swim in the United States on April 1, 2017 when it was watched by 676,000 American households in its initial airing. On the first day of its original broadcast, "The Rickshank Rickdemption" was replayed every half hour from 8pm to 12am ET with improved ratings, as a part of Adult Swim's annual April Fools' Day joke.

"Morty's Mind Blowers" is the eighth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Rick and Morty. It follows the two titular characters, both voiced by Justin Roiland, as they experiment with the latter's lost memories. The episode was directed by Bryan Newton and written by various screenwriters, including Mike McMahan, who would later serve as a producer on the fourth season, and both series creators Roiland and Dan Harmon. "Morty's Mind Blowers" originally aired on Adult Swim on September 17, 2017, and was watched by 2.51 million viewers. A comic sequel of the same name, written by Kyle Starks, Tini Howard, Sarah Graley, Benjamin Dewey, and Josh Trujillo, with designs by Angie Knowles and Roiland's personal approval, was published by Oni Press in Rick and Morty #50 on May 29, 2019.

"The ABC's of Beth" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Rick and Morty. Airing on September 24, 2017, the episode was directed by Juan Meza-León and written by Mike McMahan.

"The Rickchurian Mortydate" is the tenth and final episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Rick and Morty follows the titular grandson and grandfather duo as they feud with the President of the United States. The episode, directed by Anthony Chun and written by series co-creator Dan Harmon, aired on Adult Swim on October 1, 2017.

<i>Rick and Morty</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the animated television series Rick and Morty was confirmed by Adult Swim in May 2018. The season consists of 10 episodes. The first five episodes of the season aired from November 10, 2019 to December 15, 2019, while the remaining five aired from May 3, 2020 to May 31, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Meeseeks</span> Fictional character

Mr. Meeseeks is a recurring fictional species in the American animated television series Rick and Morty. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon and based on the title character from Scud: The Disposable Assassin by Rob Schrab, Meeseeks are a powder-blue-skinned species of humanoids who are created to serve a single purpose which they will go to any length to fulfill. Each brought to life by a "Meeseeks Box", they typically live for no more than a few hours in a constant state of pain, vanishing upon completing their assigned task for existence to alleviate their own suffering; as such, the longer an individual Meeseeks remains alive, the more insane and unhinged they become.

<i>Rick and Morty</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the animated television series Rick and Morty consisted of 10 episodes, part of the 70 episodes ordered by Adult Swim after they renewed the series in 2018. The series stars Justin Roiland as both titular characters. The season premiered on June 20, 2021, and concluded on September 5, 2021.

Rick and Morty is an American animated science-fiction comedy franchise, whose eponymous duo consists of Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith. Rick and Morty were created by cartoonist Justin Roiland for a 2006 parody film of Back to the Future for Channel 101, a short film festival co-founded by Dan Harmon. After six years, the sketch was developed into Rick and Morty, a half-hour prime time show that was a hit for Adult Swim, receiving universal acclaim across all seasons. Alongside the original television series, the characters of the show have been featured in a variety of media, including spin-offs, comic books, musical releases and video games. The show has earned hundreds of millions of dollars in income across their merchandising and media franchise.

"Mort Dinner Rick Andre" is the premiere episode of the fifth season of the Adult Swim animated television series Rick and Morty. It is the 42nd episode of the series overall. Written by Jeff Loveness and directed by Jacob Hair, the episode was broadcast on June 20, 2021.

Jessica is a recurring fictional character in the American animated television series Rick and Morty and resulting franchise. Voiced by Kari Wahlgren and created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, loosely inspired by Jennifer Parker from Back to the Future, Jessica is the crush and later casual girlfriend of protagonist Morty Smith, who for the first four seasons of the series is oblivious to his feelings being partially reciprocated. A social media-savvy student, in "Mort Dinner Rick Andre", Jessica is turned into a time god after spending millennia frozen in time within an alternate dimension where-in time passed faster. Known for her kind, inquisitive personality, the character has received a positive critical reception.

References

  1. ↑ Pucci, Douglas (December 10, 2013). "Adult Swim Weekly Ratings Scorecard". TV Ratings. TV Media Insights. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Rick and Morty: "Pilot"". The A.V. Club . February 10, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  3. ↑ Tabrys, Jason (30 November 2013). "'Rick and Morty' Series Premiere Review". Screen Rant . Retrieved 2016-01-17.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.