The seventh episode of the fifth season of Adult Swim’s hit animated series Rick and Morty has been aired to the public. The episode titled “Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion” demonstrates a hybrid of anime, Power Rangers, and mafioso type films such as The Godfather and Goodfellas in one swoop. The seventh episode also saw the first instance of a through-line being threaded throughout the fifth season while also a reconfirmation that in this episode we are viewing the C-137 titular duo.
“Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion” displays yet another failed attempt at visiting the now-infamous Boobworld within the Rick and Morty story world. In favor, the episode takes a turn into Rick’s madness as he attempts to gather all the Gotron ferret robots to assemble a giant robot to fight giant space aliens with the family. Simultaneously, a sibling feud and rivalry that has been bubbling up all season comes to a voiceover confrontation between Morty and his sister Summer.
Much of the focus of season five has been the separate adventures and slight disagreements between Rick and Morty. Many episodes rely on either Morty making his own storylines such as his relationship with Planetina or his ultimate screwup for the simplest task given by Rick. A product of this has been a bubbling relationship between Rick and his granddaughter Summer who have teamed up on a more frequent basis than in previous seasons. The spark within “Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion” is the continued greater trust placed within Summer by Rick through his aggressive attempts to expand his control over various timeline’s Gotrons to create a Mega-Gotron. This draws the ire of Morty who attempts to inform Summer of her enabling of the mad scientist.
The fifth season has also engaged with the idea that Rick is more vulnerable than previously thought. He has been out duped and acting beyond his means for much of the season. While previous confrontations in earlier seasons were solved by a simple scientific gadget, a portal, and some sarcasm from Rick, the fifth season is delving within the idea that Rick is more mortal than previously depicted within the season. His Gotron plan goes awry due to his overly dedicated and tunnel vision he dedicates to the project which ultimately leads to anime enemies that attempt to overthrow his status.
Some of the fears for the fifth season have been the primary focus on one-off adventures by the Smith family. While these one-off episodes have been entertaining and also more family-centric than previous outings of the titular duo, there has been a lack of continuity despite the promise of epic canon arriving within this season. This seventh episode acts as the first instance where we can see canon begin to develop within the season through the show’s own admission. The day is saved by the incest baby created in the fourth episode “Rickdependence Spray” that Summer has maintained contact with and developed a maternal relationship for her giant space incest baby.
Although it is a small fun thread to connect two episodes together, it does reveal a lot about what we can expect with the final three episodes. For one, it confirms that we have witnessed C-137 Rick and Morty at least twice in the season and also it is hinting at the likes that this fifth season may hit with a bang in terms of canon in the upcoming episodes. A small tease in what can come next even though what some might classify as a bailout savior to the episode, but the incest baby’s inclusion is an important detail nonetheless.
Despite stating what this episode might mean for the entire season, the adventure within the episode demonstrates a fun drug-fueled conquest of robotic creatures with some great action animated throughout due to the Gotron fight scenes. Additionally, the episode presents itself as a familial story with hints at the cracks within the relationship of the four Smiths with the power-centric Rick.
Rating: 8.0/10