Rick and Morty Season 5 gets straight into dealing with that teaser we saw a little while back that teased the introduction of Rick’s (voiced by Justin Roiland) nemesis – Mr. Nimbus (voiced by Dan Harmon), King of the Ocean.
First and foremost, we have to address the elephant in the room: where is Space Beth (voiced by Sarah Chalke)? Well, the premiere doesn’t make that answer clear at all since it pretty much ignores everything that happened at the end of last season. Rick is still feeling defeated and is definitely off his game – especially with Nimbus being around. Last season’s finale went a long way to show that Rick is really not as awesome as he or others think he is and proved that he’s pretty vile with how he handled that whole Beth situation. In his current form, he’s kind of gutless and has lost that overwhelming omnipotence that we saw in episodes like “The Vat of Acid Episode.” It’s definitely weird though that this episode kind of pretends that the whole second Beth thing didn’t happen, but it seems like we’re going to get back to things with that next week.
This premiere seems like it’s more interested in delivering some classic Rick and Morty shenanigans with Morty (also voiced by Roiland) in the driver’s seat. For most of the episode, Rick is having a peace treaty dinner with Nimbus and it’s something that’s just fun to cut back to every now and again. With Nimbus being a super sexually charged master of the ocean, who even invites a very sex-driven Beth (also voiced by Chalke) and Jerry (voiced by Chris Parnell) to a threesome, Rick’s completely embarrassed to have him as his nemesis, making this ordeal incredibly funny. It just further proves that Rick is no longer in total control of things and he even has to rely on Nimbus to save him from the cataclysmic event that Morty pulls him into. It’s also fun that both Rick and Nimbus are voiced by Roiland and Harmon, respectively, and it’s like seeing the show’s creators have a delightful feud. The second Rick screams at Morty for landing their ship in the ocean, you could tell that you were in for a treat, and Nimbus’ appearance doesn’t disappoint. Hopefully, we’ll see him back soon.
It’s also worth talking about where Beth and Jerry are at in their relationship since they’re surprisingly in a great place. Maybe it’s just because they’ve been on-and-off or at each other’s throats, but it’s a big shock to see them so lovey-dovey together and so sexually active. Okay, that second part isn’t too much of a shock because their relationship has come back together through sex before, but now it’s at an all-time high. They’re grossing Morty and Summer (voiced by Spencer Grammer) out by talking about how they watch porn together and even take Nimbus up on that threesome in the post-credit scene. Oh, also, while everything else is happening, Summer is killing things in the ocean to get a powerful magical item to stop Nimbus. It doesn’t have much to do with the episode until the end, but it’s worth mentioning, nevertheless.
As said before though, this episode is more about Morty as he once again tries to woo Jessica (voiced by Kari Wahlgren) but gets ensnared into an insane time plot. It’s funny how, five seasons and a couple of changes in dimensions later, Morty is still pining for Jessica and will legitimately do anything to get in her pants. Even as he and Rick are careening toward a seemingly certain fiery death, Morty literally jumps into action to stop the death he already accepted at the mere idea of getting to watch a movie with Jessica. It’s both ridiculous and hilarious that this is still a thing with him, but to be fair, he’s actually able to get a kiss from her this time., which leads to a great plot with him.
In order to give Nimbus a good wine, Rick ages the wine through a dimension door that accelerates time, sometimes by decades, in just a few minutes and orders Morty to get the wine for him. As Morty goes to get the wine, he meets a dog farmer named Hoovy (voiced by Jim Gaffigan) who helps him bring the wine back. However, in true Rick and Morty fashion, this ends up being a grave mistake as Hoovy’s actions create this insane revenge plot against Morty that’s actually very akin to that snake Terminator plot we saw last season. This whole thing is so this show and is endlessly hilarious to watch as this entire species of dog/aliens/things goes from medieval kingdoms to a cybernetic future just to kill Morty. It gets absolutely insane and it’s a blast to watch Morty actually take care of things on his own.
If this episode proves anything, it’s that Morty can run the show on his own and is much better at fighting for himself than he was in the past. He’s able to just grab weapons to slaughter all of the aging dog people throughout time, giving off vibes of that purge episode. Honestly, there are a lot of elements to this episode that are reminiscent of past situations. Like Rick did with Zigerion’s simulation, the futuristic dog people are able to trick Morty with their own simulation of “the end.” This episode can definitely feel like a hodge-podge of old ideas, but it’s cool to see Morty stand up for himself more here and even channel a bit of Rick to escape their grasp with Jessica. Jessica also goes through a surprising turn of events as she now remembers all the effects of her time-traveling after she’s taken through the portal. Of course, it means that Morty misses out on his chances yet again, but it does leave you wondering if this new Jessica will be something that continues from here on out.
The Rick and Morty Season 5 premiere might not fully continue where the last season left off or deliver the freshest of ideas, but it’s a combination that still feels like a welcomed return, with Morty taking more of a lead role in his own wild and crazy adventure.
Rick and Morty Season 5 Premiere is now on demand on Adult Swim.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYCEXg4_lCM
