One of the most heartbreaking moments of Rick And Morty was added as filler to make the episode longer. Rick And Morty gives a lot of mileage out of familiar sci-fi tropes and then mining them for drama. Morty started the series excited about the various wacky adventures his grandpa was taking him on, but after many traumatic episodes, he's become jaded by them as Rick. Rick And Morty might be a comedy, but once in a while, it can pull on the heartstrings too.
There's Rick's reaction to Unity breaking up with him in “Auto Erotic Assimilation,” or the time he turned himself into the Galactic Federation to save his family in "The Wedding Squanchers." Morty's had his heart broken a few times also, with the most recent example being his relationship with superhero Planetina (Alison Brie) in Rick And Morty season 5 outing "A Rickconvenient Mort." He was also at the center of season 4's "The Vat Of Acid Episode," which wordlessly depicted another ill-fated romance.
Rick & Morty's Plane Crash Scene In "The Vat Of Acid Episode" Was Filler
Rick And Morty's "The Vat Of Acid Episode" sees the duo spar over the titular vat, where Rick tried to fake his and Morty's deaths by jumping into a fake acid vat. Rick later gives into Morty's request to create a save point device, which allows him to "save" his progress in real-life so he can live consequence-free. Morty puts this gadget aside to start a romance with an unnamed girl, and the episode charts their romance from hopeful beginning to break-up and reconciliation. It also shows how they become stranded following a plane crash, and in a dark "tribute" to Alive, how they resort to cannibalism to survive.
Throughout this ordeal, Morty resists hitting the save point device as it will undo his romance entirely. They're both rescued but, in Rick And Morty's typically cruel way, Jerry mistakes the save device for a remote and wipes it out. This scene is one of the best pieces of visual storytelling on Rick And Morty and is a great mini-episode in itself. Co-creator Dan Harmon also revealed it was entirely the invention of director Jacob Hair, as "The Vat Of Acid Episode" was running five minutes short and they need some filler. Given creative free rein, this dazzling little love story is what Hair came up with.
What Makes Rick & Morty's Plane Crash Scene So Harrowing
Rick And Morty's plane crash is so distressing as in the space of a few minutes, the show has already made viewers invested in Morty's fledging little romance. It doesn't treat this relationship as a joke, but as the first serious relationship of Morty's life, so watching the two of them waste away due to starvation and frostbite hits surprisingly hard.
Seeing Morty risk his life to find a phone - when he has an easy escape with the save device - and the tearful reunion once they're rescued also tugs at the heartstrings. Of course, it's darkly hilarious when Rick And Morty pull the rug out too, but the creators deserve credit for crafting such an emotional short film.