Rick and Morty – ‘Big Trouble in Little Sanchez’

On the heels of the series highlight last week, we’re back with a strangely weak one yet again. It finally works out how to take Beth and Jerry on an entertaining and emotional adventure that shines new light on their partnership, but balances it with a mediocre Rick plot.

Summer is horrified to learn that vampires are real, and that one is stalking the halls of her high school. She asks Rick if he could turn himself into a teenager and slay the creature – initially dismissive, Rick soon transforms into Tiny Rick and becomes an instant hit. But Summer soon begins to worry that the real Rick is under threat, particularly as Tiny Rick is not too keen on returning to his old body. Meanwhile, frustrated with Beth and Jerry’s crumbling marriage, Rick takes them to the best marriage guidance centre in the galaxy – but the couple’s toxic relationship soon proves a dangerous threat.

‘Big Trouble in Little Sanchez’ is a hugely uneven instalment

The best Rick and Morty episodes have an interesting main plot, and a (sometimes connected) sub-plot that contributes a lot of laughs. But in ‘Big Trouble in Little Sanchez’, there’s not really a main story, and the Rick part of the episode is by far the weakest. We move away from the vampire plotline very quickly, onto a body swap story that is hugely predictable and not that amusing. Real Rick attempting to convey his angst through Tiny Rick’s acoustic songs doesn’t land as it should and, although it’s amusing to see everyone in the school being completely fine with Tiny Rick secretly being an old man, it doesn’t go further than that.

Unusually, the major selling point of this instalment is the Beth-Jerry storyline. It’s been stressed on multiple occasions how poor their marriage is, and it started to push credibility that they don’t get divorced or change. ‘Big Trouble in Little Sanchez’ uses a genius premise to explore the couple’s dysfunction – a machine that can create mythologs representing how they view each other. Jerry sees Beth as akin to the Xenomorph Queen, while she sees him as a spineless slug. This idea was pushed to its natural conclusion, and it really delivered the laughs and the emotion the show is known for (and it even gave Jerry a win – that’s not something we see too often).

‘Big Trouble in Little Sanchez’ is a hugely uneven instalment, saved by the Beth and Jerry plot and a meaningful look at their relationship. It’s hard to recommend it, though, because half of the episode is weak and predictable. Rick and Morty falls to its own high standards – hopefully it will pick up next time round.

Best lines:

There’s nothing overly clever about it, but Tiny Rick wandering around, shouting ‘Tiny Rick’, is consistently funny throughout the episode

‘They can save the marriage of a dog and a bar of dark chocolate. They can save the marriage of a porn star and a porn star’ – Rick explains how successful his proposed marriage guidance is

‘You killed a vampire and a gym teacher. 2-for-1, eh?’ – Rick reflects on the successful elimination of Coach Feratu

One-off character:

He doesn’t appear for too long, but Jim Rash nails it as marriage guidance expert Glaxo Slimslam. His friendly demeanour transitions into frustration at Beth and Jerry’s relationship, and then his exit comes with a great sequence – the pretence of negotiation slips away immediately.

Post-credits scene:

The lord of the vampires rises from a pit of evil, and receives the news that Coach Feratu has been killed by the humans. His sadness at the news quickly gives way to annoyance that the vampire would use such an obvious vampire name, even asking if he was doing a bit. After the other vampires assure him that he’s not being unnecessarily snarky about the situation, he drinks the blood of a young woman. It’s a random one, but it did make me laugh – it’s the kind of deconstructive humour that Rick and Morty employs to excellent effect.