Rick and Morty: The Anime Episode 1 Recap With Spoilers

Here's everything important that went down in Rick and Morty: The Anime's big premiere!

By Nick Valdez

Rick and Morty: The Anime has officially made its debut with Adult Swim, and the first episode has introduced a whole new take on the Adult Swim original animated series. Rick and Morty is currently in the works on returning for Season 8 some time next year, but there are even more things to look forward to as the franchise has started its new anime spinoff series for the Summer. Branching off the first couple of shorts that fans might have seen on Adult Swim a couple of years ago, Rick and Morty: The Anime is taking things in a whole new direction. 

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Rick and Morty: The Anime is offering a clean runway as it will begin telling its own story as it's not the latest in a long running series. This is a fresh start for the franchise in many ways thanks to writer and director Takashi Sano, and the first episode of this new series makes use of this in full with a highly experimental look at the many kinds of Ricks and Mortys that we've seen in action in the franchise thus far. Here's everything important that went down in Rick and Morty: The Anime Episode 1, "The Girl Who Manipulates Time." 

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(Photo:

Morty and Elle fail to hug in Rick and Morty: The Anime

- Adult Swim)

Rick and Morty: The Anime Episode 1 Recap

  • The Galactic Federation is lording a huge ship over an alien planet, and they are preparing to destroy it regardless of how the planet responds. All the while, the aliens on the planet itself are resigned to their fate and decide to enjoy their last few moments of peace before total destruction. Summer, who is dressed in rebel gear, is shown hacking into a system and she shuts off the power to the Galactic Federation ship before they can destroy the planet. 
  • After the opening credits, a fleet of Federation ships head to the Smith house and Rick surrenders to them. While they start trying to torture Rick, Summer explains to Beth that it's just a hologram dummy with a destruction device built inside. Meanwhile, Space Beth is keeping track of Rick's location. Rick himself is in another location relaxing, and reveals the Federation is after him because they think he has an anti-matter bomb. But instead, he's got something that decreases entropy and makes the flow of time go backwards. But it's probably not that different from a bomb. 
  • Morty. meanwhile, is playing a VR game that Rick designed specifically for him to get hooked on, and Rick jokes that if he goes too deep he'll never make it out. In the game, Morty (who's wearing a black suit) comes across a group of thugs who attack him (as he notices a new character averting his gaze). Then a giant worm attacks. As he runs, Morty sees another Morty dressed in a suit like his (but is red instead) that gets eaten by the worm. Black suit Morty is also eaten. 
  • Rick explains that it doesn't matter if it's virtual or a dream, it becomes reality to whoever's living it. That's just how convenient reality is, but he's the one that has to make it make sense. Meanwhile back in the game, time rewinds to before Morty's eaten by the worm and back to when it first attacks. In the wreckage after the attack, a blonde girl named Elle introduces herself. She's a warrior who controls time, and says it's good to see him again while she kisses him. 
  • A different Morty, who's now in a blue suit, is met by Rick instead. But this is a different Rick than we've seen before. He's got longer hair and destroys the attacking worm to protect Morty. He tells this Morty that his own Morty is dead, and their dimensions are crossing over within the game and that it's all becoming real. Multiple realities have begun progressing at the same time. 
  • A different Morty, who is in a yellow suit, wakes up in the wreckage to find a new character introducing themselves, Frank. He was the cowardly guy that couldn't look Morty in the eye when he was attacked by thugs, and is now suited up like a warrior. Another, much older Morty, is seen crying out for Elle on his deathbed as he drops a sphere with his face in it. 
  • Cutting back to black suit Morty, he wonders why someone like Elle would be interested in him and she doesn't seem to have a connection to Rick. Meanwhile, yellow suit Morty is telling his Frank he doesn't exist. Meanwhile, Morty is seen getting the sphere with his face in it as a gift from Elle during a date. She explains that it's the Nander Dragon's Tear. Another Morty (who is likely the yellow suit Morty) is gifted the tear from Frank but he said it's Nander Dragon's Sweat instead. 
  • Another Morty is shown to be going into the world of politics with Frank as his aide. He pulls out the Nander Dragon's Tear, and then it cuts to his death in old age as people wonder what his last words meant. He clearly was still in love with Elle and never moved on despite having many potential relationships. 
  • Yet another version of Morty (likely the yellow suit Morty) is an adult and in an unhappy, abusive relationship. Upon reuniting with Frank, he breaks down in tears. All the while, Rick makes sure Summer hasn't lost track of his location. It turns out he doesn't even know where he is because space time is getting warped because of his device. He's able to move through it because Summer's keeping track of his location. His portal gun's useless in this situation, so he needs to make it to a wormhole. But the priority is bringing Morty back. 
  • Back in the game, Morty reunites with Elle once more and they tearfully run towards each other before a glitch keeps them from hugging and Summer says "Mission clear!"

Rick and Morty: The Anime is airing on Adult Swim and will be streaming with Max the day after its initial release. 

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