Pilot Episode
Rick transports Morty to an alternate reality in search of seeds to grow "mega-trees," as Jerry and Beth have a disagreement over the impact Rick has on their son.
Plot
In the early hours of the morning, a disheveled Rick staggered into Morty's room with an unexpected 'gift': to initiate a total Reset on Earth using his homemade neutrino bomb! After forcing poor old Morty at gunpoint onto what he called his "World Re-Invigoration Vehicle", (which was more like some kind of flying deathtrap) Rick declared that after humanity was blown outta this world, it'd be up to them - aka Adam and Eve 2.0 -to start civilization anew. However Molly managed to take control over their journey in sky by taking hold of the wheel just as they were about to push the button...until finally landing somewhere safe where Uncle Rick passed out from drunkenness while leaving us all with quite a cliffhanger; did our heroes save mankind or turn planet earth into one giant dust bowl?
Everyone was worried when Morty plopped down at the breakfast table, snoring away. Little did they know he had been out gallivanting with Grandpa Rick all night! Of course that caused a bit of friction between Jerry and his wily father-in-law - who thought school is nothing but a colossal waste o' time. But before exiting the scene, Rick smothered Beth's homemade morning meal in compliments which made her so giddy she forgot to be mad anymore - much to Jerry's chagrin!
After an ill-fated attempt to focus during a math test, Morty quickly slips into dreamland with sexy Jessica in tow! It's only when Mr. Goldenfold unceremoniously finds himself at the mercy of our sleepy hero that Morty is pulled out of his fantasy and back to reality - where he runs smack dab into school bully Frank! Enter Rick stage right; freezing poor ol' Frank midaction before whisking away his grandson for some interdimensional adventuring...
Summer was determined to make an impression on Frank, but unfortunately she only achieved one thing - a loud shattering sound as her poor suitor cracked into pieces when he fell after tripping up! Summer let out an ear-piercing scream which echoed in the room.
During his lunchbreak, Jerry decided to crash the operating room where Beth was busy performing heart surgery. He took a chance and invited her out for dinner but unfortunately she had other plans - like actually saving lives! But that didn't stop him from suggesting it might be time to put Rick in a nursing home... which went over about as well as you'd expect with an irritated surgeon wife and one very confused nurse!
Rick and Morty were just minding their own business when, out of nowhere, a portal appeared in an alley wall that pulled them into the totally weird Dimension 35-C. With its oddly shaped trees and colorful scenery this place was definitely not Kansas anymore! But before they had time to stretch their legs, they found themselves running away from some kind of eight-legged alien monster...not exactly what Rick wanted for his next family vacation spot. Little did he know that facing your fears is best done somewhere with better odds - like Vegas!
After a daring escape from the monstrous forces of evil, Rick stares down Morty with an intriguing secret at his disposal - what is hidden in this mysterious 'mega trees' grove? Undeterred by more protests and objections, he immediately gifts Morty grappling shoes for scaling the steep valley. Little did both know that it was pure negligence on Rick's part as he failed to tell poor ol' Morty how these magical devices worked! So off went our hero into oblivion...
Jerry and Beth had a raging match about the fate of their new housemate, Rick. Beth was angry; how dare Jerry try to take away her beloved dad? On the other hand, Jerry thought that having such an 'influential' character around wasn't setting Morty on the right path in life. Suddenly interrupting this intense squabble came Davin with his two cents - pointing out that actually it had been before Rick arrived when Morty's studies went downhill! Later ominously calling them up for some serious chat at school was Principal Gene Vagina... What could he have possibly wanted to discuss?!
Morty had an accident that left his legs broken in more than a few places, but good old Rick was there to save the day! After giving Morty's leg injuries a solid lecture on being careful with those shoes, Rick took off through some kind of inter-dimensional portal. He reappeared moments later and injected poor Morty with something miraculous - healing serum! Before they knew it, Morty's limbs were as strong as ever and he used them (with extra help from the grappling shoes) to get his hands on something special...mega fruit straight outta Dimension 35C. Alongside this newfound produce came word from future dimensions: age is no longer anything to worry about thanks to some high tech wizardry only accessible within certain realms.
Unfortunately for Morty, Rick-the master of interdimensional smuggling - has drained his portal gun dry. The only way past the guards? Stuffing mega seeds up poor Morty's behind until they make it through security unscathed... Too bad all those years of illicit dealings have left Rick unable in this situation (wink).
Principal Vagina gave Jerry and Beth a shock of their lives when she laid out the facts - that in two months, Morty had only attended school for 7 measly hours. Poor parents couldn't believe what they were hearing; it was Rick who'd been whisking him away!
Rick and Morty had thought they were in the clear, but customs was crawling with strange bug-like guards! When they spotted their new scanning machine that could detect stuff up someone's rear end, Rick shouted at Morty to run for it. Pushing the guard out of their way, our heroes sprinted through a kaleidoscope of otherworldly creatures - only pausing long enough for Rick to cause some mayhem by using his extreme skillset as an interdimensional destroyer! Two aliens caught in the crossfire found themselves getting roughed up too...What wild adventure awaits next?
Rick and Morty had a wild escapade across dimensions, but it wasn't all fun and games. Even with their grappling shoes on, Rick still needed to enter some coordinates for them to get home - which is when things got real! Suddenly surrounded by guards shooting at them (who definitely weren't robots), Rick boldly instructed his grand-son that they shoot back... But much to poor Morty's shock he soon discovered there were living organisms behind those guns!? When the dust settled though (and yes there was even a Wilhelm scream in between) our intrepid heroes narrowly escaped via portal, landing right in front of Jessica - proving once again how rad Uncle Rick really is! Unfortunately Jerry + Beth caught wind plus principal too; looks like we’ll never hear the end of this one....
Rick and Morty were in a bit of an argument - Rick adamant he wouldn't be taking up residence at the nursing home, while his daughter & son-in-law had other ideas! But when they put him on the spot by asking young Morty to rattle off some difficult equations, it was all over. The little guy proved them wrong with absolute ease as if reading from one of those "for dummies" books! His parents couldn't have been more proud; resultantly agreeing that going on wild adventures would give their boy ample learning opportunities — Amazing things lie ahead for this dynamic duo indeed!.
Rick made Morty an offer he couldn't refuse. Well, it was more of a warning... 'Listen kid,' Rick said as his mega-seeds started breaking down in the young lad's rectal cavity, 'your super intelligence won't last forever - and neither will you if I don’t get us outta here!' After explaining that their misadventures were far from over (like 100 years worth) poor old Morty began to experience none too pleasant side effects like brain function loss and motor skill failure! Who knew getting smart could have such adverse reactions?! Thankfully, with one eye on the future adventures they would share together: "Rick and Morty Forever." At least things ended well?
Trivia
- In a captivating exchange with his granddaughter, Rick casts aside superstition to reveal he's an atheist: no gods exist in the universe according to this wise man.
- Beth passionately declared her career as a heart surgeon to Jerry, expecting admiration. Instead, he quipped that she worked on horses - instantly catapulting her into rage before quickly catching himself and suggesting they forget the argument started in its tracks.
- This episode was the exception to the rule- it made its grand exit without a post-credits epilogue!
- Rick's signature voice had yet to be defined in this introductory episode, setting the stage for what would become one of TV's most iconic voices.
- Rick says "Morty" 108 times in the episode.
- Rick often proclaims his dislike for time travel, but it seems he was indeed no stranger to the practice. He mentions an incident involving a medicine from a future dimension that healed him up - quite the far-fetched tale! Was Rick telling tall stories or is there more truth behind them? The mystery remains unsolved...