Rick vs. Zeus. Oh, and Jerry Annoys Me
Rick and Morty Season 4, Episode 9 Review
When I saw the preview for this episode of Rick and Morty, two things ran through my head. Firstly, why would Jerry take Morty and Summer on a camping trip for all of spring break. They have more important stuff to do, like video games and parties! Secondly, I clearly don’t like camping trips. Thankfully, Rick hijacks the camping trip and gets the family into a fight with Zeus-type God. And it all comes back to this one single, hilarious sentence:
“I f**ked a planet.” As soon as I heard that, I couldn’t stop laughing.
As I spent the rest of the episode pondering how Rick could sleep with a giant, sentient planet, we saw what exactly was going on. As I just stated, Rick got a planet called Gaia pregnant, causing her to give birth to millions of clay versions of Rick. And since Beth still has issues over the fact that Rick was absent for most of her life, she insists that he stay and helps her clay half-siblings. The two end up building an advanced society for the clay people to help them get out into the stars. Then their real dad, a guy who looks like Zeus from Greek Mythology shows up saying he’s the dad and wants them to do what he says. It only gets crazier from there.
Okay, I know that sometimes I can’t fully understand the ideas behind a Rick and Morty episode. Even if I do, I know I can have a hard time putting them into coherent words. The big takeaway I got from this episode (thanks to the ‘inside the episode’ video) is that this was about parenting styles.
Beth may have issues with Rick, but she still craves her the approval she never got from her dad as a kid. And to the episode’s credit, the two do bond as we see them use their genius to build a society for the claymen. However, as much as Beth wants her dad to be a responsible parent, the irony is that she’s not being one for Summer and Morty.
Jerry Smith: Camping Expert
So, Jerry still wants to teach the kids how to camp, but they tell him to buzz off. Unlike most things, though, Jerry’s actually pretty good at camping. He even imparts survival skills to some of the claymen that Rick leaves for dead. Of course, this doesn’t really make up for the fact that Jerry’s doing it to make himself feel more important. He ends up leading the rejects in a revolt against Rick and Beth’s society and goes Moses on their butts.
I don’t really know who’s right or wrong in this situation. However, I don’t think Jerry’s been that likable this season. Especially after what he did last week. And here the likability reaches a low point. Or maybe it’s because I don’t like the idea of camping away from technology or not sleeping on a mattress.
Rick vs. Zeus
So, Rick’s always bragged about he’s a god because of his genius, and so far, there’s little to dispute it. When we see stack up against an actual god, though, he ends up lacking a little. Yeah, that Zeus-type guy kicks his ass and almost kills him. If it weren’t for Morty and Summer crashing a ship into his head, he’d be dead.
The episode did prove one thing, though. If Rick is a god, then he’s a better parent than Zeus could ever be. He’s trying to be there for Beth and make it up to her, in his own way. If you read any stories about Zeus, though, then you’ll know he’s the definition of a deadbeat dad. And a total jerk at times.
So, by the end of this episode, Jerry gets a little respect (but loses some of ours) and proves himself not-so-useless. But he also admits that he just wanted to feel important. Okay, to be honest, I don’t really know what the point behind this episode was. They took the “family camping trip” and made it funny. I liked, and I don’t care what anyone says.
I Give “Childrick of Mort” a 4/5
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I GREATLY enjoyed this episode! But I felt the ending was a little mean spirited. Jerry admitted to his faults this time- and Rick berates him for it. Whereas if he DID do all the stuff Rick said like “Cure Cancer” or whatever; the joke Rick would have made would be “Jerry; you’re not special just for curing a disease. Hundreds of worlds found the cure to cancer before you were even conceived. I could cure cancer in an hour if I wanted.” And I just thought “What’s the point? He owned up to his mistake and admitted he was wrong- so why still rip on him?” And when someone FINALLY stood for for Jerry; Rick tears BETH down to- even after all that society building they did.
The episode as a whole was nice. Summer and Morty gained……….maybe not RESPECT for Jerry, but maybe “appreciation?” Beth and Rick bonded, Jerry….helped the Rick and Beth’s “Rejects” learn to set up a camp- only for him to immediately walk back this ONE good thing in a season of “And Jerry’s here too, but we just need him to be a punching bag” by destroying the house the Clay people built.
I try to defend Jerry because I think he can be a good person at times- while the others can sometimes just watch other people die and not blink. He has a conscious- something the others either lack or are neglecting. But I swear- he makes REALLY HARD sometimes!