Rick & Morty’s Unrestrained Pop Culture References Are Starting To Be A Problem

WARNING: The following contains SPOILERS for Rick and Morty, season 5, episode 7, “Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion.”

While parody has always been a core element of Rick and Morty, the constant pop culture references in season 5 are a bad sign. Rick and Morty season 5 premiered on June 20, 2021, and that first episode set up a number of storylines and themes that the subsequent episodes could explore. While there have been some great moments since then, season 5 has been an admittedly mixed bag — and the unrestrained popular culture jokes certainly aren’t helping.

Following the premiere, the Smith family have faced a number of strange circumstances — from Morty experiencing heartache over an environmentalism-themed superhero, to Beth traveling to a Hellraiser-like Hell dimension to rescue Jerry from Cenobites. Yet, there’s something almost mundane about the storylines this season; Rick and Morty season 5 may fix problems in the series, but it’s introducing new issues in the process.

Overall, Rick and Morty season 5 is starting to feel repetitive, or even derivative. The August 1 episode “Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion,” for example, is a riff on Voltron and Power Rangers — and is the sixth episode so far to be heavily based on a popular culture parody. The only exception really is Rick and Morty season 5, episode 2, “Mortyplicity” — and even then, the basic plot (and title) is a play on the movie Multiplicity. It’s frustrating how the Adult Swim series keeps returning to the same basic strategy of incorporating a recognizable icon into the story as a gag — the series isn’t doing anything new, and as a result, Rick and Morty season 5 is living up to the high standards set by previous seasons.

Rick and Morty has always been a satire-heavy show that didn’t shy away from referencing nostalgic-driven popular culture, and some of the best episodes are those that spoof major movies. For example, Rick and Morty‘s “The Vindicators” team from the season 3 episode “Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender” is both a very amusing and poignant criticism of Marvel’s Avengers; and the “Anatomy Park” season 1 episode was a uniquely weird spin on Jurassic Park. These and other parody-based episodes are some of the funniest the show ever made — but they also stand out because they felt unique. The issue with season 5 is that there are simply too many pop culture references, all mashed together — and the storytelling suffers for it.

So far, Rick and Morty season 5 has heavily relied on references to old TV shows and movies: Mr. Nimbus is a parody of Marvel’s Namor, Planetina is clearly a gender-swapped Captain Planet, the “CHUDs”  in “Rickdependence Spray” are a reference to the cult horror film C.H.U.D. (and the episode itself mocks Independence Day), and the “Changeformers” in “Amortycan Grickfitti” are just blatantly Transformers. As the season’s gone on, the references have been less nuanced and more forced (what purpose do the Changeformers serve?) culminating in two full episodes mocking Independence Day.

Rick and Morty needs to return to the gritty, weird, and smart storytelling that won over fans in the first place. While it was fun to see Rick gush over his “Gotron” collection in episode 7, and the Goodfellas-inspired formula was an interesting approach to a Voltron parody, the show needs to rediscover its voice outside of the pop culture references. Characters like Gearhead, Mr. Poopybutthole, or even “Pickle Rick” are fan favorites because they’re so delightfully weird — and unlike anything else on TV. Hopefully, the next season of Rick and Morty will go back to the show’s biggest strength: character-driven stories and ridiculous, unbelievable (and unique!) adventures.

About The Author

Sarah Bea Milner
(333 Articles Published)

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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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