Rick and Morty returned to a more standalone type of episode with “A Mort Well Lived”. The happenings in Blitz and Chips, while potentially consequential, don’t relate as directly to the main story that had been developed so comprehensively in the first episode of the season. The last time we were at Blitz and Chips was in “Mortynight Run”, when the whole Jerryboree mixup occurred. It is noteworthy that this same episode was referenced in season six, episode one. This one is a lot more fun if you have seen Die Hard.
In the opening scene, it becomes apparent that every character on screen has the same voice as Morty, voiced by the show’s co-creator Justin Roiland (Solar Opposites). Shortly after, Rick, also voiced by Roiland, explains that he has hijacked a virtual reality game (Roy: A Life Well Lived) as the main character. Blitz and Chips has been taken over by a group of terrorists which caused the power to go out and Morty, who was playing the game, has been split into five billion non-playable characters. Rick’s explanation of this to the non-playable Morty characters, while constantly reiterating that it is not a cult, is well executed and amusingly ironic.
Summer, voiced by Spencer Grammer (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), wakes Rick to ask for help with the terrorists. Instead of offering a hand, he simply tasks her with “doing a Die Hard” and is shocked to find out she’s never seen it. The entirety of Summer’s adventures in this episode revolve around her lack of familiarity with the film, which has a cult following of its own from critics and action cinephiles alike. Her naivety contrasts enormously to the main unnamed terrorist, guest voiced by Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, The Station Agent), who’s entire plan is based on his knowledge of Die Hard.
Meanwhile, Rick continues to spread his message as Roy in the time-dilated video game. He interacts primarily with the version of Morty known as Marta, who causes widespread belief of Rick’s message and becomes a world leader as a result. Rick heads up a program with Marta that will transport the entire Morty population into space, beyond the map of the game, returning them to reality. Complications arise when parts of Morty, including Marta, realize that they prefer independence to being unspecific parts of a fourteen-year-old boy. Parts of Morty die and new parts are born. Eventually Marta agrees to return all the Morty population back to reality, on the condition that she is left behind to live out her life in the simulation. Thus, Rick leaves her behind on the journey, meaning the Marta part of Morty is no longer inside of him.
Rick pays off the Blitz and Chips employees to store the game in a back room where the virtual reality will keep running. It is made known that this game is not lost, but rather could easily be accessed in the future. However, because of the time dilation, it seems unlikely that we will see Marta again. Morty, upon return, is instantly more subservient to Rick and does not seem himself. Only time will tell whether there are long term implications to the parts of him that were lost inside of the virtual reality.
Rating 7.5/10