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Rick and Morty Season 6 Ep. 5 Review: Jerry's Worse-Than-Death Fate

Once again, we're facing down another episode of Dan Harmon & Justin Roiland's Rick and Morty that's left us with this familiar feeling that we still don't have a clue what the episode's about. Our first preview for S06E05 "Final DeSmithation" ten-ton-hinted that Rick and Jerry were on a mission together against a Fortune 500 company that required a "Sailor Moon" outfit transformation on Jerry's part. Then, earlier today, another preview found Rick and Jerry measuring reality in an effort to determine Jerry's future. But just as disturbing as the premise that Rick uses for his experiment? It's what Rick is starting to discover about Jerry… and those texts from Jerry's mom? But before we get started, we're throwing on the "MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!" sign and throwing down an image spoiler buffer before doing a deep dive into this week's adventure. See you on the other side…

rick and morty
RICK AND MORTY (Image: Adult Swim Screencap)

Rick and Morty Season 6 Ep. 5 "Final DeSmithation" Thoughts

Panda Express, zoos, and the theme to Taxi as a TikTok cult… damn. Now that's a start.

"You will have sex with your mother": Jerry's fortune cookie… and the conversation killer.

As for where this may be going? Uh-oh…

Sleepy Gary ruined Jerry's gag reflex. Wow…

Okay… so apparently, Jerry's fortune had a bit more power than expected. Which turned out to be a lie because Rick was actually protecting Jerry in a very passive-aggressive way. Just one small problem? It turns out it's not a lie after all…

I'm sure Panda Express loves being shown as a front for a major crystal meth ring. And now, Rick and Jerry are tracking down where the fortune cookies came from… someone powerful enough to do some reality-altering stuff.

Yes, even Billy Zane…

Interesting… a fate-for-profit company that controls outcomes. So, of course, Rick sees it as an opportunity to upgrade. I'm not going to lie… having the fortune cookies be upgrades was pretty cool.

So what the hell is so important about Jerry f***ing his mother? And will his father show up wearing a Superman costume?

So far, we have an Oedipal complex running around in the middle of an examination of the debate over how much we can actually control "fate" or if Fate is a very real (and unavoidable) thing. At least… for now?

Even cooler is the concept that Jerry's technically immortal until his fortune cookie fate is satisfied. And it's all being fueled by an alien that feeds on chaos and poops up powerful fortune cookies.

"All white women think that!": Rick LOLOLOLOLOL

Holy crap! You have Jerry literally running from his fate while Rick is giving us a demonstration of why fulfilling all of one's wishes isn't always a good thing.

If we ever needed confirmation that Rick and Jerry are getting closer, look no further than how Rick went off on Jerry and then slapped him. It was exactly the toxic "The Godfather" kiss on the check welcoming him to a new level of unhealthy relationships.

END CREDITS: I appreciated how they handled the family's zoo storyline with an abrupt "It's a human zoo" wrap-up.

rick and morty
RICK AND MORTY (Image: Adult Swim Screencap)

So What Did We Think?

Big picture? I appreciated how it tackled the idea of fate, how we fool ourselves into thinking we can control it while also giving way too much power in our everyday lives. As for how it impacted the series canon, this was definitely a major step in a positive direction for Rick and Jerry… something we've been seeing more of since last season. Rick and Jerry's evolving dynamic is another example of how the Adult Swim series allows their characters to have depth and layers, making them relatable even if not always likable. Too many series, whether live-action or animated, never take the time to "grow" their characters in accordance with the time they've spent together and what they collectively & individually experienced. Harmon & Roiland's creation has never come close to running into that problem. Just like Jerry himself pointed out in the season opener, look at the difference between his Season 2 self and his Season 6 self. It's just one of the things that make this series stand out.

The Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 5 "Final DeSmithation"

rick and morty
Review by Ray Flook

9/10
Big picture? I appreciated how Adult Swim's Rick and Morty S06E05 "Final DeSmithation" tackled the idea of fate, how we fool ourselves into thinking we can control it while also giving way too much power in our everyday lives. As for how it impacted the series canon, this was definitely a major step in a positive direction for Rick and Jerry... something we've been seeing more of since last season. Rick and Jerry's evolving dynamic is another example of how the Adult Swim series allows their characters to have depth and layers, making them relatable even if not always likable. Too many series, whether live-action or animated, never take the time to "grow" their characters in accordance with the time they've spent together and what they collectively & individually experienced. Harmon & Roiland's creation has never come close to running into that problem. Just like Jerry himself pointed out in the season opener, look at the difference between his Season 2 self and his Season 6 self. It's just one of the things that make this series stand out.

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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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