In earlier seasons, Rick and Morty earned a reputation as a "science show" that presented scientific concepts in a fun, entertaining way. While that reputation has waned over the years, "Mortgully: The Last Rickforest" is the first episode in ages that could make an appearance in college courses and biology classes.
It's not hard science, but the opening scenes--Rick and Morty get caught stealing trap from a talking tree, which punishes them by forcing them to evolve and reincarnate in its private prison--are basically a framing device for charming evolution sequences, which depict the characters as amoebas, apes, lizards, birds and other creatures.
One magical scene shows Morty completing an entire life cycle as a variety of plants, complete with choppy animation that imitates time-lapse footage of sprouts and flowers erupting from the earth. I could easily see teachers playing this montage in high school classes, and it reminds me of Futurama episodes that tackle symbiosis, global warming and other essential concepts--but in a way that makes it fun to watch.
Throughout the episode, the artists expertly use colors to set the mood: bright greens and neons when everything's going well, and ghastly browns and greys when the tree starts to wither. This is also the rare episode where Morty's kindness actually pays off, and Rick agrees instead of fighting him on it. Turns out, violence is not always the answer.
I expected a dark, bleak story about the fight for survival, but this episode maintained a pleasant tone, which was a nice change of pace for this often-brutal series. We even learn in the post-credits scene that the other aliens managed to break free of the prison and get their original bodies back after Rick and Morty bailed. The ultimate message isn't "Life sucks, and then you die"--it's "Working together and nurturing the Earth is the key to survival," even if the "Earth" on this planet is trying to kill everybody.
We learn early on that when you die on this planet, you're reincarnated as an amoeba and start the evolution cycle all over again. Rick sticks with Morty for a few cycles before deciding to stay as an ape and figure out how to escape on his own. I've seen some criticism for this decision, and that initially put me off the episode until I watched it myself.
It was a tough decision to make, but I can see where Rick was coming from: he wanted to get out of that prison as soon as possible, and he couldn't do that if he died and started over every time Morty did. We also find out later that he was watching Morty throughout the entire plant sequence, so he didn't bail on him and leave him alone forever.
At the end, Summer asks where they've been all day, implying that evolution is sped up on this planet (I know time could pass differently there, but I don't think we're supposed to believe that they spent literal years in prison.) It's just your standard Rick and Morty adventure, but with the added twist of Morty getting the upper hand.
After meeting a friendly amoeba in the primordial soup, Morty gets the idea to peacefully evolve as a plant until he finally bursts above ground, thinking that's the key to leaving the dungeon. Unfortunately, he quickly learns that the tree actually wants the prisoners to kill each other because it creates food that keeps him alive. He kills Morty once more, turning him back to an amoeba and leading Rick to join him with a new plan in mind.
I think Rick didn't interfere with Morty's plant evolution for a couple of reasons: partially because he wanted to see how it would turn out, and partially because he was starting to realize that Morty actually had a point. Morty survived for multiple seasons without killing anyone or himself. He managed to beat the game, only to find out that it was rigged the entire time.
As a result, Rick and Morty work together to convince everyone to live a vegan lifestyle and happily coexist instead of killing each other to survive, depriving the tree of sustenance. Rick even cheerfully officiates a gay marriage between two animals, and I get the feeling it's not the first time he's done that. The plan works: the tree begins to starve, the prisoners kill him when he pops in to see what's going on, and Rick and Morty go home to switch back to their original bodies.
Having said all that, I'm going to be a downer and say that this episode wasn't entirely to my taste. I've never cared for episodes where the characters aren't themselves, and while this is still Rick and Morty in different bodies, it feels more like a science lesson than an episode I'd genuinely enjoy rewatching.
To be honest, I enjoyed the post-credits scene more than the rest of the episode. I love glimpses of alternate worlds in the Rick and Morty universe, and with vibrant colors and snippets of alien languages, the artists never fail to deliver. Plus, it's always nice to see Rick and Morty hanging out and enjoying their time together. I know you can't have an episode without conflict, but...I'd kill to see an interplanetary road trip or another episode in the vein of "Interdimensional Cable 2."
Well, we've got at least three seasons to go, so maybe the writers will get around to it. In the meantime, "Mortgully: The Last Rickforest" is a treat for biology lovers, and it makes you wonder what humanity could accomplish if we finally decided to get along.
