It’s another Rick and Morty holiday event, and this one’s a wild and hopping ride! That’s right, the new episode showcases the titular duo taking on the egg-centric Easter Day. And they uncover the surprising secrets behind its floppy-eared bringer of eggs and chocolate. This brand-new installment also blatantly parodies a beloved Disney Christmas movie from the ’90s. Of course, it adds a dark and action-packed satirical twist to the story. Ready to learn more about what exactly happened throughout this holiday special?
Rick and Morty Delve Into Easter
This episode review could be a little blasphemous and adult, so proceed with caution. This Rick and Morty Easter special opens with Jerry eager to celebrate the upcoming holiday. He later goes on a supply run and accidentally runs over a humanoid rabbit. Thinking it’s the Easter Bunny, Jerry brings it home out of guilt. Rick examines the body and discovers a 13th-century German cross necklace around the neck. Jerry soon exhibits strange behavior, and then Rick learns that he’s becoming another Easter Bunny.
The titular pair portal to Germany, where local villagers hold a horror-esque Easter festival. While exploring, they uncover a large Easter egg from the Andromeda galaxy. Individuals garbed in technologically advanced Christian robes and wielding cross-shaped guns soon attack them. On an unknown planet, the duo discovers the Easter Bunny is an alien. It collapses civilizations by arousing people into procreating like crazy, leading to overpopulation. They manage to steal a ‘containment egg’ and escape to Easter Island back on Earth.
Speaking of which, Jerry’s mutation worsens, and he carries out his inherited mission. He’s captured by the ‘Christians’ and taken to Easter Island, where Rick and Morty are. The parties meet, and the ‘Christian leader’ explains that their race detests ‘physical intimacy.’ Jerry finishes transforming, and he rampages across the planet, arousing people. Beth eventually captures him, and then the Easter Bunny spirit is extracted from him. Afterward, the family wages war against every holiday leading up to Christmas.
A Mishmash of Parodies and References
This Rick and Morty episode drew great inspiration from The Santa Clause, a Disney Christmas classic. To recap, Scott Calvin becomes Santa Claus after he accidentally kills the previous one. This exact scenario happens after Jerry accidentally runs over the Easter Bunny. The key difference is that Jerry’s physical transformation is more horrific, unlike Scott’s peaceful one. It gives off the vibes of something you’d see in a gory werewolf horror movie. I guess you can say this installment parodies an entire genre of film as well.
Another prominent source for this Easter special is The Da Vinci Code. The book and movie revolved around Jesus Christ being a mortal man and not divine. And the antagonists, Christian zealots, work to bury this truth and protect their religion. For Rick and Morty, Jesus was a member of an alien race that hated coitus. The aliens’ societal hatred is why they desire to destroy the lust-inducing rabbit. Also, Dan Brown, the author of the original novel, was mentioned by Rick.
Final Verdict and Thoughts
After giving it much thought, I give this Rick and Morty episode a perfect 10! It’s a classic adventure packed with action and science fiction that parodies two popular films. The only downside is that Summer’s spring break B-plot only appears at the very end. But since it had nothing to do with the main story, it’s okay. It was a spectacular episode nonetheless and one of Season 8’s best installments. I’m eager to see what happens next week with the latest Rick and Morty.
