This ‘Rick And Morty’ Season 3 Episode 2 Theory Actually Makes Sense
Adult Swim’s golden goose, Rick and Morty, has always been fond of placing pop culture references to its episode titles. From episodes that are clearly inspired by a film such as “Lawnmower Dog” (a reference to The Lawnmower Man) to more subtle references such as the “Big Trouble in Little Sanchez” (a reference to Big Trouble in Little China), the animated black comedy has had a long history of teasing the plot of its episodes through their titles. With the title for Season 3 Episode 2 already confirmed, it is now possible to infer the events that would transpire in the upcoming episode.
The title of Rick and Morty Season 3 Episode 2 is “Rickmancing the Stone,” an explicit reference to Michael Douglas’ 1984 Indiana Jones-esque film, Romancing the Stone. As stated in an Inverse report, the title of the episode itself could simply tease a few references from the classic adventure film, or it could be a clue to the actual plot of Season 3 Episode 2 itself. Considering the plot of the 1984 film, however, there is actually a lot of content that Rick and Morty‘s writers could play with.
Despite its thematic similarities to Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones movies, Romancing the Stone became a pretty popular movie on its own, mainly due to the fact that it took itself less seriously than the acclaimed director’s adventure film franchise. The plot of the film itself is quite lighthearted, featuring a romance-adventure novelist traveling to Columbia in search of her sister and some good old treasure. In order to help her in her quest, she is joined by a dashing mercenary, with whom she falls in love.
Romancing the Stone is, for all intents and purposes, a romance-adventure movie. The fact that Rick and Morty Season 3 Episode 2’s title references the 1984 film has incited numerous rumors from avid fans of the animated black comedy. Among these are speculations stating that the episode might feature Rick falling in love during one of his adventures with his grandson and companion, Morty. Considering Rick’s adverse reaction to any form of romance over the past two seasons, however, numerous fans of the Adult Swim series have stated that the chances of Rick falling in love in Season 3 Ep 2 are highly unlikely.
Instead, many fans in online forums such as Reddit have stated that “Rickmancing the Stone” would simply feature a few scenes that are inspired by the adventure movie. There are, after all a number of scenes from the film that would transpose well in a Rick and Morty episode. There is Romancing the Stone‘s climax, which featured Michael Douglas’ character chasing an alligator after it swallowed a valuable gem whole. There’s also one of the 1984 film’s funniest moments, featuring the protagonists making a campfire out of narcotics.
Such scenes would actually work well with Rick and Morty‘s humor. Morty might end up being swallowed by something nasty and interdimensional, channeling the iconic alligator scene in Romancing the Stone. Rick could also end up making a campfire out of narcotic substances, just like how the main characters in the adventure movie did more than 30 years ago. Rick and Morty is an animated show, after all, that thrives on its references and overall random bursts of humor. Considering that Romancing the Stone is partly satirical on its own, scenes from the film would be the perfect backdrop for a great Rick and Morty episode.
The exact release date for Rick and Morty Season 3 Episode 2 has not been announced by the showrunners or Adult Swim as of date, though it has been confirmed that the date would fall somewhere in Summer 2017. This means that Rick and Morty would be returning to the small screen very soon.
[Featured Image by Turner Broadcasting System, Inc./AP Images]
