Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind

"Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind" is the tenth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American science fiction comedy television series Rick and Morty. Directed by Stephen Sandoval and written by Ryan Ridley, the episode aired on April 7, 2014. The title alludes to Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Plot[]

The show's original Rick is wrongfully accused of murdering twenty-seven Ricks from alternate dimensions and kidnapping their respective Mortys. The Trans-Dimensional Council of Ricks arrests him and finds him guilty, upon discovering incriminating evidence which was actually fabricated to frame him. Rick and Morty escape and are chased by a few duplicates of themselves. The Smith household is flooded with other Ricks and Jerry develops a friendship with the good-natured "Doofus Rick". The real culprits seem to be an "Evil" Rick and his Eyepatch Morty. They have been using Mortys' low intelligence brainwaves as a way to conceal themselves. They capture the original Rick and Morty, but the original Morty leads a rebellion of alternate Mortys and releases the original Rick. Rick informs the Council about the real killer, thus clearing his own name. After Rick and Morty depart, the Council discovers that Evil Rick was actually under control by an unknown puppet-master, which was Eyepatch Morty all along. Eyepatch Morty escapes by blending into the crowd of Mortys without a Rick. In the post-credits scene, Jerry waves at Doofus Rick from the window, prompting Rick to make fun of him.

Reception[]

Viewing figures[]

Upon its airing, the episode was seen by 1.75 million American viewers.^[1]

Critical reception[]

Joe Matar of Den of Geek praised "Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind", calling it "a really solid episode, both narratively and comically. Rick and Morty does some of its best comedic work when it gleefully indulges in the absurd possibilities that a sci-fi universe of limitless possibilities allows for. One of the consistently best ways Rick and Morty showcases its creativity is through chase scenes in which the characters go through all manners of sci-fi rigmarole, letting the writers and animators assault you with a barrage of blink-and-you-missed-it sight gags."^[2] Zakc Handlen of The A.V. Club said "This is a show designed to answer any potential message board nitpicking in advance ... All of which makes the occasional moments of heart even more surprising and effective."^[3]

Corey Planet of Inverse thought the first season of Rick and Morty should have ended with "Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind", with the reveal that Evil Rick's Morty was really Eyepatch Morty, a future series antagonist.^[4] Blaise Hopkins of TVOverMind praised the series' "ability to poke fun at the science fiction genre while keeping the design and comedy completely original."^[5]

References[]