Rickmancing the Stone

Last updated
"Rickmancing the Stone"
Rick and Morty episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 2
Directed by Dominic Polcino
Written byJane Becker
Produced by J. Michael Mendel
Featured musicRyan Elder
Original air dateJuly 30, 2017 (2017-07-30)
Running time22 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Rickmancing the Stone" is the second episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Rick and Morty . Released on July 30, 2017, it follows main characters Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith as they enter a post-apocalyptic world to find the gemstone by the name of Isotope 322, also bringing Morty's sister Summer with them. The episode was written by Jane Becker and director by Dominic Polcino. The title is a reference to the 1984 film Romancing the Stone with Michael Douglas.

Contents

Plot

Now divorced from Beth after the events of the previous episode, Jerry bids goodbye to Morty, an apathetic Summer and Rick and moves out of the house. Rick takes Morty and Summer to a post-apocalyptic version of Earth, where they are chased by a group of scavengers, known as Death Stalkers. Rick notices that the group is carrying a valuable rock of Isotope 322, so he and the kids join them in hope of stealing it. Summer falls in love with the Death Stalkers' leader Hemorrhage and their nihilistic lifestyle, while Morty is given the strength of a giant arm which he uses to vent his rage at his father through fighting in the Blood Dome.

Rick steals the rock but is found out and pursued by the Death Stalkers. When Morty and Summer refuse to go with him, having found catharsis in the post-apocalyptic wasteland from their parents' divorce, he replaces them with androids to fool Beth. However the androids well-adjusted behaviour causes Beth to doubt her decision to divorce Jerry, forcing him to return to retrieve the real Summer and Morty.

Morty's arm takes him in search of its previous owner's killer, after whose death the arm returns to normal and Morty decides to return home. He and Rick help the Death Stalkers use the Isotope to power a more advanced civilization. Summer's relationship with Hemorrhage subsequently falls apart in the comfort of modern suburbia and she decides to follow Rick and Morty back home. Before leaving, Rick steals the isotope.

Summer reconciles with Jerry and Morty realizes he must live his own life. In the post-credits scene, as Jerry receives his unemployment check, a growling wolf appears and bullies him into handing it over. The wolf eats the check and regurgitates it, thus further ruining Jerry's new life.

Production

On August 12, 2015, shortly after the premiere of the second season, the show was renewed for a third season. [2] The first episode of Rick and Morty season three, entitled "The Rickshank Rickdemption", was released on April 1, 2017, [3] as part of Adult Swim annual April Fools' Day prank. [4] The rest of the episodes weren't released until later that year, starting with "Rickmancing the Stone" on July 30, airing weekly until October 1, 2017. [5] The title of the episode was revealed on July 13, 2017. [6] Later that month, on July 20, Jane Becker announced on Twitter that she would write "Rickmancing the Stone". [7] The episode is also directed by Dominic Polcino. The episode stars Justin Roiland as Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith, Chris Parnell as Jerry Smith, Spencer Grammer as Summer Smith, and Sarah Chalke as Beth Smith. Tony Hale and Joel McHale make guest appearances in the episodes as "wastelanders" Eli, a neighbor, and Hemorrhage, the latter of which eventually forms a relationship with Summer. [8]

The episode is loosely based on the Mad Max franchise. It also follows the aftermath of Beth and Jerry Smith's divorce in the previous episode. [9] The A.V. Club called the different family members' unique reaction to the divorce "a surprisingly nuanced take on a complicated, emotionally fraught situation," also noting how, even though the episode is mainly about Summer's storyline, "it’s balanced well enough between her and her brother." The website also claims, "Summer has Beth’s anger, Morty has Jerry’s ineffectual morality, but each of them is distinctly enough themselves to be a plausible family. As ever, it’s impressive how well the show manages to mix high-concept genre riffs with drama in a way that never becomes belabored, detached, or forced." [10] The Rad-Lands said that writing in the episode was "intensely off its normal cadence in this episode."

Reception

The season has an approval rating of 96% from Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 reviews, and an average rating of 8.95 out of 10. [11] "Rickmancing the Stone" was praised for its plot and characterization, in addition to the fact that it "wasn’t just a recap of all the consequences of [the previous episode]." [9] On its air date, the episode was watched by 2.86 million American viewers. [12] Despite criticizing the episode for both storylines in the episode (saying "That’s not nuance, that’s just bad writing."), The Rad-Lands complemented the episode's post-apocalyptic setting and the animation techniques used to portray those scene, as well as not being generic. The review website said, "Everything has a uniquely 80’s sci-fi style with brilliant and vibrant color schemes ... Every single wastelander has a unique character design, even when there are dozens of them on screen at time." The Rad-Lands also criticized the writing in the episode. [13]

Bubbleblabber called the episode "very funny and very indicative of popular episodes of show’s past," also praising Summer's storyline and her character growth in the episode. The review also said that the plot was "really fleshing out [the] divorce bit and trying something new that could take the franchise to that next Emmy level of story-telling." [14] Den of Geek criticized the wait between seasons, saying of "Rickmancing the Stone" that it "wasn’t quite the tour de force that the premiere was, but this was still a very well-plotted, pretty funny episode." The media website also praised the complexity of the plot, saying it "sh[ook]-up [the] character dynamics, rather than just relegating it to the background or quickly resolving it." [15] IGN noted that the episode "basically played out as an extended Mad Max parody," saying it focused to much on parodying other works that developing its own plots and that it "never felt like "Rickmancing the Stone" had anything particularly insightful to say." [16] IndieWire also praised Summer in the episode, saying "This is one of the lightest “Rick and Morty” episodes in a while ... This was a chance for the show to riff on one of the biggest movies made during its hiatus while also sneaking in a not-so-subtle allegory to a family slowly being torn apart." [17]

Related Research Articles

The Mad Max series of films, which debuted in 1979, has had a significant impact on modern popular culture. Mad Max references are deeply embedded in popular culture; references to its dystopian, apocalyptic, and post-apocalyptic themes and bizarre landscape and desolate wasteland imagery have inspired some artists to emulate the look and feel of some aspect of the series in their work.

<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.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pickle Rick</span> 3rd episode of the 3rd season of Rick and Morty

"Pickle Rick" is the third episode of the third season of the Adult Swim animated television series Rick and Morty. Written by Jessica Gao and directed by Anthony Chun, the episode premiered on August 6, 2017. The plot follows eccentric scientist Rick Sanchez as he turns himself into a pickle to avoid attending a family therapy session.

"The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy" is the fifth episode of the third season of the American science fiction comedy television series Rick and Morty. In the episode, Rick takes Jerry on a mission to an alien resort when the latter feels left out, and Summer accidentally grows to a huge size and inside-out.

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"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.

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Summer Smith is one of the main characters of the American animated television series Rick and Morty. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon and voiced by Spencer Grammer, Summer is a conventional and often superficial 17-year-old teenager, who is obsessed with improving her social status among her peers. Known for her smart and humorous personality and for her high dexterity, the character has been well-received. She is the well-meaning and intelligent older sister of Morty Smith, the daughter of Jerry and Beth Smith, the granddaughter of mad scientist Rick Sanchez, and mother-aunt of Naruto Smith.

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

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Jerry Smith is one of the main characters of the American animated television series Rick and Morty and resulting franchise. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, and voiced by Chris Parnell, Jerry is depicted as a stay-at-home dad who finds contentment in his simple life. He unknowingly uses pity as his "signature move", which leads to people hiring him or giving him any sort of consolation. Jerry is infamous for his mutual rivalry with Rick Sanchez, his father-in-law, with the pair ultimately becoming friends in the sixth season. On many occasions in the early seasons, his relationship with his partner, Beth Smith, has been shown to be incredibly unhealthy, co-dependent, and incompatible, before gradually improving over the course of the series. One of Jerry's hobbies is beekeeping, which he picks up sometime during season four. It has been scarcely implied throughout the show that he is queer. He is the son-in-law of mad scientist Rick Sanchez, father of Morty and Summer Smith and husband of Beth Smith. Both the original character and their inter-dimensional replacements have received a positive critical reception.

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.

"Solaricks" is the premiere episode of the sixth season of the Adult Swim animated television series Rick and Morty. It is the 52nd episode of the series overall. Written by Albro Lundy and directed by Jacob Hair, the episode was broadcast on September 4, 2022. The episode directly follows the events of the previous season finale, "Rickmurai Jack".

References

  1. 1 2 Greene, Steve (July 30, 2017). "'Rick and Morty' Review: Summer Takes Center Stage in a 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Therapy Session". IndieWire. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  2. ↑ Petski, Denise (2015-08-12). "'Rick And Morty' Renewed For Season 3 By Adult Swim". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  3. ↑ "Rick and Morty Season 3 Episode 1 Review: The Rickshank Rickdemption". 2017-04-04. Archived from the original on 2017-04-04. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  4. ↑ "It's Rick triumphant on an unexpected Rick And Morty". TV Club. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  5. ↑ ""Rickmancing the Stone" release date". Instagram . Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Rick and Morty episode titles revealed" . Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  7. ↑ Becker, Jane. "Jane Becker on Twitter about "Rickmancing the Stone"". Twitter . Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Hemorrhage". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  9. 1 2 "Rick and Morty season 3 episode 2 "Rickmancing the Stone"". thepopbreak.com. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  10. ↑ "With Summer at the fore, Rick And Morty gets Mad Max-style therapy". TV Club. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  11. ↑ Rick and Morty: Season 3 , retrieved 2021-03-25
  12. ↑ "Sunday cable ratings: 'Rick & Morty' returns strong, more highs for 'Insecure' and 'Ballers' – TV By The Numbers by zap2it.com". 2017-08-01. Archived from the original on 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  13. ↑ Welch, Ron (2017-08-02). "Rick and Morty and the Subtly of a Giant Arm". The Rad-Lands. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  14. ↑ Schwarz, John (2017-07-31). "Review: Rick and Morty "Rickmancing the Stone"". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  15. ↑ "Rick and Morty Season 3 Episode 2 Review: Rickmancing the Stone". Den of Geek. 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  16. ↑ Rick and Morty: "Rickmancing the Stone" Review - IGN , retrieved 2021-03-26
  17. ↑ Greene, Steve (2017-07-31). "'Rick and Morty' Review: Summer Takes Center Stage in a 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Therapy Session". IndieWire. Retrieved 2021-03-26.

See also

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