Summary
Rick and Morty’s episode title release video reveals a ton of new info, while presenting a treasure trove of mysteries leading to Season 8’s May 25th premiere. The most evasive of those mysteries might be the title of that absolute banger of a background song used in the video, but perhaps the second most intriguing bit is the reveal’s final snippet of its last episode, in Season 8’s “Hot Rick.”
At the end of the episode clip, we see Rick attaching a headset to Jerry’s skull as the rest of the family watches, with a partially rendered scene projected onto the screen behind them. For a host of reasons, this could be a nod to Season 5’s Memory Rick — a great addition toRick and Mortycanon which would mark a welcome return to some of the show’s highest highs for a season anticipated to be among the series' best.
Who Is Memory Rick?
Rick and MortySeason 5, Episode 8, “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort,” is based, of course, on the 2004 Jim Carrey filmEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In it, Carrey’s character Joel discovers his ex is undergoing a radical procedure to erase their memories, and opts to do the same to perilous effect.
The rose-colored nature of fond memories is also explored in “Rickternal Friendshine,” which seesRick’s old buddy Bird Personin Rick’s garage suffering from a coma at the start of the episode. Rick enters Bird Person’s brain to save him, where he encounters Bird Person’s isolated memory of 30-year-old Rick, which turns out to be a far cry from the Rick we know as a grandfather — aside from his quick wit and volatile existentialism.
Memory Rick is a Burning Man drug-huffing party animal with a penchant for good times; a young man who would loathe the person Rick would later become. Memory Rick detests the idea of a shriveled version of himself who would eventually move in with a version of his dead daughter. Memory Rick’s optimistic idealism worked perfectly for Bird Person, who was better suited to relating with the less intelligent and cynical Rick.
At the episode’s conclusion, Memory Rick hides in a closet of current Rick’s childhood bedroom, hoping to latch onto a time in which he still maintained his innocence. When current Rick offers Memory Rick a chance to become fully human and grab a beer with him, Memory Rick opts to suggest a memory of them hanging out instead, as he opposes the condition of his future self.
Where Has Memory Rick Been?
In the episode title teaser for Season 8, the final episode reveal contains a nod to Memory Rick, as Rick can be seen attaching the same cranial device used to swap, and accidentally fuse, his brain with Jerry inSeason 7, Episode 2, “The Jerrick Trap.” In that episode, Jerry-Rick and Rick-Jerry go on a Bonnie-and-Clyde-style crime spree as ‘Burger and Fries,’ leaving fast food sandwiches on the bodies that they leave in their wake.
At the end of the episode, after Rick and Jerry have become a Cronenberg body horror abomination, they step on a rake which slams into their stacked heads. This allows for a moment of clairvoyance as they recall Memory Rick is still somewhere in their minds. In the episode’s post-credit scene, Memory Rick scrambles around a youthful Jerry’s field trip to view a space shuttle. It’s clear that despite his introduction to space-age technology, Jerry continues to believe all tech is powered by springs and gears. Because Memory Rick is beholden to his host’s memories at their crystallized standpoint, he’s unable to devise a way to escape with the materials at hand.
For the same reason, Memory Rick was also confined to Bird Person’s memory of himbefore he became the smartest man in the universe, and retained his youthful and fun-loving affectation that makes him such a great hang and character to watch. At the end of the post-credits scene, Memory Rick lies on a beach chair with a beer in his hand, telling his howdy neighbor, Memory Gene, to scram.
Why Does Memory Rick Matter In Season 8?
In addition to being a crowd-pleasing alternate version of Rick, Memory Rick is an intriguing character lore-wise. In “Rickternal Friendshine,” he saved his best friend by tackling Bird Person’s treacherous ball-and-chain off a cliff moments after they’d gotten so high they started a band. As Memory Rick fell into a dark void with Memory Tammy in tow,he screamed “Remember me!” Apparently, the writers' room hadn’t forgotten him, and neither didRick and Mortyfans.
Memory Rick is now effectively trapped in Jerry’s mind, which presents a multitude of theoretical causes and outcomes. Did Rick purposefully subject Memory Rick to Jerry’s feeble mindscape? Would he have done that in order to maintain his laser-focused vitriol toward Rick Prime? What happens now thatRick Primeis defeated? Will Rick make amends? Will Memory Rick turn vengeful against Rick and Jerry? He didn’t seem to be suffering too much after “The Jerrick Trap,” but fans know Jerry’s brain can only be tolerable for so long.
