‘Rick and Morty’: Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular

Obviously, as an Englishman, I have no real attachment to the American holiday of Thanksgiving. Fortunately, a Rick and Morty Thanksgiving special, coming four months before the holiday itself, doesn’t actually require one – rather, it uses the holiday as a launch pad for a fantastic episode that does a lot, and does it really well. Keith David returns in ‘Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular’, pitting Rick against one of the show’s best recurring characters in an episode full of laughs and a suitably madcap story.

During a heist, Morty accidentally destroys the Constitution, Liberty Bell, Lincoln Memorial, and Statue of Liberty, awakening a giant robot assassin from the French in the process. This brings the family under the President’s purview again, but Rick has a plan – it’s Thanksgiving, and so he intends to turn himself into a turkey and obtain a presidential pardon to smooth the whole thing over. But he’s done this a lot, and the President is ready for him. A battle of wits ensues between the two rivals, but when things take a turn for the unexpected, the heroes must contend with a threat that could destroy the human race.

We’ve got huge sci-fi set pieces, parodies of US war films, and even a good chunk of satire about the American political process, and it all makes sense

In the best Rick and Morty instalments, I’m always so impressed at how the writers manage to fit so much content into 24 minutes – the ‘Thanksploitation Spectacular’ is one of those episodes, where so much happens without ever feeling rushed or illogical. What begins as a turkey pardoning story goes to many other places – I won’t give any details, but we’ve got huge sci-fi set pieces, parodies of US war films, and even a good chunk of satire about the American political process, and it all makes sense. I like episodes of this show where it bounces about, and even better if it bounces about in a way that feels justified.

I’m loving that this series is really drawing on Keith David as the President, who is proving to be one of the few characters who acts as a rival to Rick. What starts out as, essentially, a dick-measuring contest between the two men takes a bunch of interesting story turns. David gets a lot to do and has a lot of killer lines (his deep voice and deadly serious reading of some very silly lines is always perfect for some laughs), and his repartee with Rick is really engaging. Really, his presence leaves little fun for any other members of the family (including Morty, surprisingly), but he does deliver a fantastic Jerry putdown that even gets a laugh out of Rick.

The sheer surrealness of the premise is good for a lot of chuckles off the bat – people disguising themselves as turkeys, and setting about on serious business, is the kind of bizarre the show excels in

On laughs, I think that ‘Thanksploitation Spectacular’ is one of the most consistently funny episodes this series. There are tons of good lines and visuals (you’ll never look at FDR the same way again). For instance, there’s a surprising use for a turkey wishbone, a joyous look at some of the best moments of the President’s life, a pointed comment about a plot element included only because “it’ll be important later”, and a cracking post-credits scene with a killer line about veteran healthcare. And, of course, the sheer surrealness of the premise is good for a lot of chuckles off the bat – people disguising themselves as turkeys, and setting about on serious business, is the kind of bizarre the show excels in.

The ‘Thanksploitation Spectacular’ is Rick and Morty putting out the kind of episode it does so well – it’s hugely funny and inventive, and a real joy to watch. Whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving, I think you’ll enjoy Rick and Morty’s sci-fi spin on it.