Rick and Morty – Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion Review

Rick and Morty is a weird show. The episode “Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion” somehow combines anime, gangster films, and one of the worst plot developments in Rick and Morty’s history.

When going to Boob World with Morty and Summer, Rick finds the Blue Gotron Ferret. This means Rick has finally completed his collection of Gotron Ferrets and the Smiths get to act as mecha pilots. But Morty gets pushed aside by Rick and Summer with Summer enabling Rick’s impulses.

Rick and Morty is no stranger to mashing seemingly random ideas. “Lawnmower Dog” was a parody of Inception and The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, the “Pickle Rick” episode became a parody of John Wick and the action genre as a whole, and “Rattlestar Ricklactica” had snakes re-enact The Terminator. So, merging anime and the gangster genres isn’t that radical for Rick and Morty.

“Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion” embraced the tropes of mecha anime and gangster films. The Smiths in the Gotron Ferrets go through the motions when they battle a giant insect. Rick made the Ferrets fight individually because it was more epic than merging into a giant robot straightaway. I was a fan of Power Rangers when I was young so that did tickle me. Jerry pointed out the Smiths had to go to all four corners of the world just to join up again in space. A joke I liked was the Smiths getting their Ferrets from epic locations like a volcano and a waterfall and Morty’s Gotron Ferret just stomps out of a car park.

The gangster parody was mostly influenced by Martin Scorsese films likes Goodfellas and Casino films. There were also references to other major films like Scarface and The Godfather. The episode had a rise and fall narrative with Summer working with Rick, just like many gangster films. But the only spin on the gangster genre was it had anime elements rather than focusing on crime. “Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion” was weak compared to the other episodes.

“Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion” started its gangster parody early: the voiceover start before the titles started. In “Pickle Rick” and “Rattlestar Ricklactica” their genre shift and parody came halfway through, yet their shifts into action and time travel felt more organic “Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion.”.

This episode showed a group of Gotron pilots wanting to take down Rick. They were designed to look more like anime characters with big eyes and small noses. The gag was Rick was appropriating anime, i.e. Japanese culture, but their different look made them look out of place. Rick and Morty isn’t a show that changes up its character designs like Family Guy or South Park.

“Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion” brought back the Giant Incest Baby from “Rickdependence Spray”. Characters referenced this event to show how fucked up this version of the Smith family were. It’s an event that most fans want to forget. When the Giant Incest Baby did come back, his role was to show Summer’s softer, caring side, and bring the family back together but it felt hollow and unearned.

In “Mortyplicity” Rick asked his family ‘have you ever seen a copy of a copy?’ That’s how Season Five feels after “A Rickconvenient Mort”. Any intellect or heart has disappeared and Rick and Morty, once one of the kings of adult animation shows, feels like a Family Guy clone. Rick and the Smiths felt more like a group of assholes that live together than a dysfunctional family.

Rick and Morty currently looks like the shadow of the show it once was.