Rick & Morty: Why Episode 4 Is Secretly Season 5’s Most Clever Episode

WARNING: The following contains SPOILERS for Rick and Morty season 5, episode 4, “Rickdependence Spray.”

One of the dumbest Rick and Morty episodes may actually be one of the most clever. Rick and Morty season 5, episode 4, “Rickdependence Spray” followed the repercussions of Morty’s dishonesty and Ricky’s recklessness. While much of the episode’s events were gleefully absurd — embracing stupid and gross humor — as a whole, “Rickdependence Spray” was actually a smart commentary on the action genre, while also offering an allegory for human conception.

From Morty befriending Sticky, a giant mutated sperm with two tails, to Rick’s unexpected romance with a cannibalistic underground horse princess, “Rickdependence Spray” was filled with bizarre and tasteless action that offered a stark contrast to the more grounded and earnest episode that preceded it. After Morty (predictably) did something gross with his mother’s veterinarian equipment, he was unable to admit his wrongdoing and the consequences snowballed into a global threat.

By the end of “Rickdependence Spray,” Rick had made out with the subterranean cannibalistic horse princess (and she gave birth to his half-human, half-CHUD baby), Morty had finally fessed up to his role in creating the violent monsters ravaging his hometown, and the episode’s post-credits scene revealed a Giant Incest Baby living in space, likely setting up a future conflict. Yet, “Rickdependence Spray” also challenged the inherently sexist tropes of the action genre, while also offering a “climactic” action race that serves as a subtle allegory for conception. The episode was dumb — but it was also self-aware, and in among the stupid jokes were some moments of clear insight and clever story writing.

“Rickdependence Spray” acknowledged a major issue the series has had, challenging it head-on. The Rick and Morty episode parodied the action genre, but did so in a way that actually called out the problematic treatment of female characters. The Adult Swim show has acknowledged its own sexism before, most notably in the episode “Never Ricking Morty,” in which Rick mentions the Bechdel Test and Morty tells a story about Beth and Summer fighting scorpions with their “special time.” The moment is ostensibly mocking Morty’s ignorance of women, but the scene can be read as almost celebratory in that regard. In contrast, “Rickdependence Spray” repeatedly points out male characters being sexist, but directly challenges that by allowing the female characters to have a voice in the story — even giving Summer a frustratingly relatable experience of being ignored, then watching a male scientist take credit for her idea. In the final showdown, Beth and Summer get to shine, competently taking down the monsters while the military men stand back, making loaded comments like “we don’t have the manpower” and calling Rick a “son of a bear” (intentionally removing the female connotation to the original saying). The implication is clear: the men are fools because they are unable, or unwilling, to recognize the contributions of women.

While the showdown in Rick and Morty offers a commentary on sexist tropes in action films, the actual events are a fun allegory for the act of conception on a cellular level. The mutant sperm’s race to fertilize the giant ovum — or “egg” — is a dramatic representation of the actual journey in which the male’s reproductive cells “swim” to compete for fertilization.  For successful reproduction to occur, only one sperm cell can enter in order for the two haploid cells (23 chromosomes) to create one diploid cell (46 paired chromosomes), which divides and grows to eventually form a human baby. That “journey” to fertilization is treacherous by biological design, as a means to ensure that only the healthiest and strongest sperm reach the egg. (In the Rick and Morty episode, however, the interference results in Sticky reaching the goal.) Overall, this wasn’t the best episode in the show’s run by any means — but “Rickdependence Spray” does offer something a bit deeper than just stupid, gross jokes.

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Sarah Bea Milner
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Sarah Milner is the Weekend Lead Editor for Screen Rant’s Film/Television features (SR Originals) division. She is a writer, editor, and folk musician. She often watches movies — sometimes she reviews them too.

A graduate of Trent University, Sarah’s MA thesis examines Frankenstein adaptations and their relationship with popular culture. She has a fierce love of all things “spooky,” and a deep appreciation for classic cinema.

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