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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
What timeline is this? Which path must you take next?
The eighth entry in Rick and Morty‘s fourth season is titled “The Vat of Acid Episode;” it is directed by Jacob Hair, and written by Jeff Loveness and Albro Lundy.
If you haven’t caught up with the show, do so now or read at your own peril. Some spoilers ahead!
This week’s episode of Rick and Morty deals with an aspect of time travel, somewhat. Morty Smith puts his grandfather Rick Sanchez (both voiced by Justin Roiland)’s intelligence to the test when he discovers the scientist constructed a fake vat of acid. The grandson believes Rick cannot be any more creative than that but seems to change his mind when he makes a video game-style play-saving device.
Rick Sanchez has always had a lot of hubris about himself, and Morty only challenges this after Rick tells his grandson that he shouldn’t take English courses in school if that’s the language he speaks. This can hit a personal spot for the younger character as well as viewers because this notion can make them feel useless. There is more to English than a mere language, but as ignorant as Rick can be, he wants to be proven right. In an argument with his grandson, the scientist says, “There’s no such thing as a bad idea, Morty. It’s about execution.” The episode deals primarily with Rick making the point that he is on the right side of the narrative and Morty is wrong.
A large part of “The Vat of Acid Episode” is dedicated to a montage of realities that Morty creates for himself where mistakes are made. He believes he can simply go back to an earlier checkpoint in life and make a different decision. This is a common concept found in most video games, where a person can save their progress and return if — along the way — they die or face other repercussions. Morty thinks he’s begun to understand what is going on here when he tells his grandfather:
Living without consequences is great, but … what am I living for? What am I building? If I’m always looking back, I’m never looking ahead, and then it hit me. We are who we are because of consequences. You can’t live without [them].
Rick argues that Morty did not save himself but rather killed his selves. He elaborates on how the play-saving device actually functions and who is affected in the process. Rick compares this to Christopher Nolan’s film The Prestige; Morty believes he is creating different timelines but Rick made the device so that Morty instead experiences fragmented perceptions of reality via illusion. This is different from the Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius episode where the protagonist’s father Hugh Neutron uses a remote to rewind and reverse immediate increments of time.
In this episode, Rick makes a brief reference to the quantum physics displayed and explained in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, in which Scott Lang learns how to create time travel. (Fun fact: the sequel to this film will be written by this week’s Rick and Morty episode’s co-writer, Jeff Loveness.) When tragedy strikes, society is left to wonder if they “bear some responsibility” for a lost soul. A collective assemblage will gain awareness of something when it is given enough attention.
As complex as it can be, “The Vat of Acid Episode” shows us that things are not what they appear, and we have to make our best judgment because we only get one chance at making these things right.
What do you think? Have you seen Rick and Morty yet? If not, do you plan to? Let us know! For more Rick and Morty & animation-related news and reviews follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_).
Rick and Morty is now out on Cartoon Network’s nighttime program Adult Swim!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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