Abhiroop Das
Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, Adult Swim’s ‘Rick and Morty ‘ has always been an exercise in figuring out Rick’s mind, both through its darkest and lightest corners. While seasons 7 and 8 of this sci-fi comedy series bring his arc to a catharsis, turning him into a better, more loving family figure, the goal of season 9 seems to be confronting that image by pitting Morty against situations that essentially reflect his worst characteristics. In the previous episode, Morty visits his former pet dog, Snowball, only to learn that the dog planet has begun unethically breeding and abusing their own version of pets, called mups. Meanwhile, Jerry gets his hands on a mysterious and invasive species of worms that are supposed to cool one’s nerves. As both plots unfold, the focus noticeably shifts away from Rick. This episode, titled ‘Erickerhead,’ brings that focus back, that too twice the amount. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Rick Splits Into Two, Leaving Morty and Summer to Fend For Themselves
‘Rick and Morty’ season 9 episode 6 begins with Rick engrossed in yet another all-you-can-eat alien buffet as Morty and Summer watch in slight horror. There is no particular reason why they are here, light-years away from Earth, except for the fact that Rick fancies the idea of eternal beer a bit too much. After getting way too drunk, he struggles to even walk straight as he decides on the next location to visit, except Morty doesn’t want to go. As Rick pops in and out of the portal to argue with his grandson, a misclick causes the portal to shut down, slicing Rick’s neck and the remote with it. Just like that, Morty and Summer get separated in an alien world, with the former carrying Rick’s head, and the latter his body.
Luckily, this world still has cell reception, so it doesn’t take Morty and Summer to establish contact and figure out a way to meet. The problem, however, is that this is a cyberpunk world that is teeming with aliens eager to grab some hi-tech gear, even if they have to steal it. Both Rick’s head and body are practically a tank full of the most innovative gadgets ever, and that naturally grabs attention. Summer has it the hardest, as without the head, Rick’s body goes completely limp, and has to be manually wired to unlock certain attack patterns. Morty, on the other hand, has to carry around a Rick who cannot stop talking and scheming, so it doesn’t feel as unusual, that is, until the police arrive. As Rick is accused of kidnapping Morty, a chaotic road chase ensues, with no clear direction in sight.
The Smith Siblings Prove Themselves to be Rick’s Prodigies
Meanwhile, Summer has to kick, punch, stab, and blast practically every robber coming her way before she can make it to one of Rick’s friends, who is a mechanic by profession. The first thing he does is to give Rick’s body a sensor that can allow him to move on his own, and while this is a big step, the friend soon turns out to be a traitor. To cash in on Rick’s body, he brings the town’s most powerful gangster, but their greatest mistake is underestimating Rick’s body, which has now transformed into a killing machine. Together with Summer, he makes light work of the alien gangsters, cutting through entire buildings and trainlines before ending the fight with a heartwarming hug. Rick’s body, as it turns out, is a lot gentler than his head and isn’t particularly happy with how it’s usually treated, which makes this free time special.
Elsewhere, Rick’s head realizes that he’s running low on energy and urgently needs to feed on microchips to stay on. To get his fill, he makes Morty rob an electromobile store, before hacking into the police mainframe to drive the cops away for good. The rest of the journey is relatively easy, as all the duo has to do is get on a flight and make it straight to where Summer is hiding. Before the plane lands, Rick’s body hands over a letter to Summer, revealing how it personally feels about her, without Rick’s mind buffering in. The body wishes her to have the perfect life, away from her parents’ shackles, which leads Summer, and by extension, us, to wonder if this is the real Rick, or something else entirely.
Rick’s Head and Body Blame Each Other For Their Life’s Troubles
When Morty and Rick’s head meet Summer and Rick’s body, the scene swings into a completely different direction: war. As it turns out, the two halves of Rick have decided to rebel, as they hold each other responsible for the completed Rick’s alcoholism and general misanthropy. The fight soon smashes its way to all corners of the planet, leaving Morty and Summer in the dust yet again. While Rick’s head may have all the smarts in the world, most of the gadgets are located in Rick’s body, and the only way to break out of this deadlock seems to be via dialogue, or perhaps something else entirely.
By the time Morty and Summer catch up, Rick seems to have made peace with his two halves and is back in one piece. Though Summer suspects that this was made possible because Rick engaged in oral sex with himself, we may never know what transpired behind locked doors. What seems to have visibly changed, however, is Rick’s entire attitude. The once chronic drinker turns over a new leaf, rejecting alcohol and just about any other vice that has become synonymous with him over the course of nine seasons. Along with that comes a steady dose of exercises, and things get to a point that Morty, Summer, and Rick somehow clinch bronze at the intergalactic Olympics for swimming. That said, only time can tell if this transformation is here to stay.
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