The latest episode of Rick and Morty: The Anime concerns itself with the gradual discovery of the incongruities associated with being trapped in a reality that is not one’s own. The title of this ep, ‘Memories,’ refers to the mind-slippage that’s going on between our mixed-up Ricks. Both men find themselves accidentally falling into the patterns of each other’s lives – Spiky Hair Rick suddenly finds himself drinking at a strange bar, opening up to his apparent friends about the death of his daughter, who is very much alive. Mullet Rick, meanwhile, is developing a real connection with the grandson he never had. It’s a compelling concept that’s not as flashy as the madcap sci-fi capers of Morty and his time-warrior lady friend, but it’s a well-managed storyline that’s been revealing itself slowly and deliberately, which is not a narrative speed that the American Rick and Morty typically plays around with.
It’s been obvious since the outset that these two animated entities are a couple of very different animals – the American version of Rick and Morty is always frenetic, frequently mean, and very funny, whereas RaMTA is much slower moving, on an emotional level, without much emphasis on humour. Deciding to tell one long story instead of just a bunch of wacky one-offs is one of the anime’s big gambles, and it’s starting to feel like it’s a risk that’s going to pay off in the long run. The change of pace has taken a little getting used to, but things are really starting to get interesting. The snarly timelines of the show are becoming easier to follow each week, and piecing things together on the fly is a lot of things.
Another always fun thing about RaMTA is how visually stunning it is. It’s easy to get This week’s episode was a little lighter on big showpiece battles and psychedelic journeys, but it’s still really pretty and cool. We get formally introduced to The Defiance – a rebel force mustered by Mullet Rick in his spare time. Morty is impressed with their style, joins The Defiance, and quickly becomes a legendary warrior, with assistance from Elle. This creates much opportunity for cool Morty battle scenes, which RaMTA makes full use of.
Let’s take a moment to talk about Jerry’s storyline in this episode. He starts off by breaking one of the house rules by using some of the ingredients on Rick’s shelf in the fridge to make what he refers to as a ‘Spaceberry Cake.’the rest of the gang is planning a full-scale interdimensional rescue mission for their Rick. When nobody else is interested in tasting his creation, Jerry decides to eat the cake alone. In his defense, it does look delicious. Jerry’s English-dub voice actor, Joe Daniels, absolutely kills it in this episode. Compliments to the chef!
There’s also a lovely and eerie moment in Memories when Rick and Elle meet in the warm glow of the wormhole. While they’re there, Rick indicates that Elle is the one behind all the temporal wackiness going on throughout the multiverse, but he doesn’t elaborate on the subject. In another world, Elle brings Rick home to the family, who immediately accept her as one of their own. Everybody poses for photos together, and Jerry gets what’s coming to him. It’s a really heartwarming ending for Elle, who is the last of a race of time lords that were hunted to the brink of oblivion by the Galactic Federation. On the other hand, it’s looking increasingly likely that Elle has stolen this reality from a cool dude named Steve, who we met way back in the first episode. Elle seems willing to rip reality itself asunder just to be with Morty, which likely spells doom for both their relationship and the multiverse.
Also in the series premiere, one of the Ricks laments that, despite the fact that there are an infinite number of paths available to humanity, each individual only gets to choose one life. In this alternate version of Rick and Morty, two very different Ricks are being forced into living one of the lives they didn’t choose. Watching the way each one grapples with their new reality is some quality, Twilight Zone style ‘what-if’ sci-fi. It may not be as in-your-face, laugh-a-minute, entertaining as a Lawnmower Dog or an Interdimensional Cable, but there’s still something very compelling about this show. Confusing and compelling.