Pratik Handore
After last week’s super weird sperm monster-filled episode, ‘Rick and Morty‘ returned to familiar territories in the fifth episode of season 5. The latest episode has some engaging action and plenty of hilarious gags but lacks the overall strong sense of philosophy that has been a prevalent element this season so far. Nonetheless, the episode is an enjoyable affair.
It follows Morty and Summer as they try to impress a new kid at school while Rick, Jerry, and Beth are out having their own hellish adventure, not by choice, of course. As usual, the episode is filled with some exciting pop culture references that make the episode even more intriguing. Allow us to break down the events and the ending of ‘Rick and Morty’ season 5 episode 5 for you. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Rick and Morty Season 5 Episode 5 Recap
In the episode titled ‘Amortycan Grickfitti,’ Rick and Jerry are having a boys’ night while Beth is busy with an emergency at the hospital. Morty has invited Bruce Chutback, a kid who has recently transferred to Morty and Summer’s school. The siblings realize that Bruce is unaware of their poor social status at school, and they must impress him before he finds out about their embarrassing school lives.
Meanwhile, Rick is using Jerry to pay off a debt he owes to demons from Hell. These demons inspired by the Cenobites from ‘Hellraiser’ draw pleasure from pain, and Jerry’s lame and cringe antics are excruciating for them. Thus, the demons are having fun at Jerry’s expense. However, Beth finishes her work early and tracks down the duo. Upon realizing that Rick is using Jerry, she slams Rick but is tempted into joining the party by the demons.
Morty and Summer take Bruce out to have some fun in Rick’s spaceship. However, they get into trouble with some Changeformers (inspired by ‘Transformers‘) when the spaceship decides to have her own fun. At the Karaoke Bar, Jerry realizes that the demons are making fun of him, and Rick and Beth are in on it too. How the Smith family’s attempts of appearing cool end up in misadventures form the rest of the plot.
Rick and Morty Season 5 Episode 5 Ending: How Does Rick Defeat the Hell Demons?
In the final act, Rick and Beth must rescue Jerry, who has been kidnapped by the Hell Demons. They intend to keep using Jerry for deriving pleasure. Upon arriving in the Hellish dimension, the father-daughter duo is quickly caught and brought to the leader of Hell Demons. The leader reveals that they brought Rick and Beth to their dimension because they are as lame as Jerry. Rick engineers an escape for Jerry and Beth. He quickly designs a machine that converts pain back to pain. However, to kickstart the machine, he needs a large amount of sincerity.
Therefore, Rick asks Jerry to be himself to power up the machine but realizes it will only humiliate Jerry more. Rick then sincerely apologizes to Jerry. This is enough to power up the machine, and the trio uses it to kill the Hell Demons. Ultimately, Rick accepts that celebrating Jerry’s lameness is uncool. This ensures that the Hell Demons are defeated.
Since the Hell Demons derive pleasure from pain, it is a smart move on Rick’s part to invert the pleasure into pain. The entire concept of the demons deriving pleasure from pain is a representation of the moral conflict of deriving pleasure from the humiliation of others. Thus, demons are defeated after they get a taste of their own medicine, forming a very meta social commentary.
Is Rick’s Spaceship Sentient?
In the episode’s secondary story, Morty and Summer are out on an intergalactic adventure with Bruce. After getting into trouble with the Changeformers, the spaceship rescues the trio and kills a large number of Changeformers. Eventually, they make it back home safely. In the episode, we get various instances that seemingly confirm Rick’s spaceship has some form of sentience.
The spaceship has an Artificial Intelligence-driven defense system with a female voice that stops Morty and Summer from getting into the vehicle. This seems like a standard protocol any AI system might follow. However, the spaceship later blackmails the kids into letting her have some fun of her own. This suggests that the spaceship has some level of sentience. The same is confirmed when the spaceship tries to flirt with a Changeformer. The spaceship also comes up with a plan to rescue the kids on her own. She enjoys violence and is very conniving, traits that she shares with her master, Rick. Therefore, it is safe to say that Rick’s spaceship is sentient.
Is Bruce Chutback Dead?
Throughout the episode, we see the various sides of Bruce Chutback, the seemingly cool kid at school. However, by the episode’s conclusion, it becomes evident that not only is Bruce uncool, but he also lacks a sense of individualism and personality. He forms an opinion based on whatever the situation is, and his personality is very volatile. He changes his personality based on the situation and those around him. At the end of the episode, he refuses to become friends with Morty and Summer.
Earlier in the episode, we see Summer with Bruce and Morty hacking down some Mailbox people. In the post-credits scene, we see Bruce at school enjoying his popularity. However, his popularity collapses when someone points out he is wearing the same pants as yesterday. As an ashamed Bruce walks back home, he is brutally assaulted by the Mailbox people. He lies cold on the sidewalk and is seemingly dead. His death isn’t confirmed, but it would make sense as the character has served its in-story purpose. Bruce, a self-appointed cool kid who thinks he is better than others, gets a taste of his own medicine and faces embarrassment. This ties in with the theme of the episode’s primary story involving the adults. It also shows the fleeting nature of high school popularity.
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