I just finished the highly anticipated third episode of the long-awaited third season of Rick and Morty, of which the premise can be succinctly summarized. Rick turns himself into a pickle to avoid family therapy.

What the...

Truthfully, I was a bit apprehensive toward the concept of Rick turning himself into a pickle, an event which was intensively advertised for the season before the airdate. I became increasingly apprehensive when I learned that Rick's transformation from human to a sour vegetable was the focus of the entire episode.

It just seemed entirely fan-servicing. Like, "Hey, guys! Rick turns himself into a pickle! Isn't that wild and zany?" Now, don't misunderstand me. Rick using his mega-genius mind to turn himself into a pickle is a thoroughly Rick thing to do.

I was simply concerned with the integrity and substance of the episode. Season 1 and moreso Season 2 prepared a very explosive, intense, and truly rich third season. Considering that we're getting ten episodes instead of fourteen like we previously thought, I was just just apprehensive about devoting an entire episode to Rick transforming himself into a pickle.

Once I watched it, I was totally wrong.

Although I still recognize that Rick's pickle transformation was a focal point for the advertisement of this season, I see, now, that Rick's pickle transformation to avoid family counseling was actually incremental. It wasn't as transformative such as the season premiere, but I feel that, in perspective, it will be a very important episode in the story arc of the season that revolves around Jerry and Beth's divorce as well as Morty and Summer becoming somewhat aware of Rick's destructive, impulsive nature. I think those last few minutes of the episode, which many probably just perceived as dark and isolated humor, gives more leeway into the developing psyche of the Sanchez family.

With the first episode, we gained a deeper insight into Rick's psyche, and as we learn more and more about the titular character, the less obvious Rick's true intentions and feelings towards his family. He suggested that he simply wanted to replace Jerry as the patriarch of the family, however, that still somewhat means he cares about his family? He wanted vengeance on Jerry who suggested that they surrender Rick to the Galactic Federation, but it seems below Rick to devote so much of his personal life to getting revenge on Jerry. Does he perceive his family as simple pawns in his own little game, or has a lifetime of a nihilistic nature and a bleak hopelessness in his multiversal pursuits made Rick become absolutely obsessed with his family. So, with this episode, I feel that the writer gave us insight into Rick's abilities. After Rick became a pickle and rolled away in the water, which had me rolling, we witnessed Rick create an exoskeleton, take on a tyrannical dictator, and fly himself to family therapy before deciding to get drunk.

Either way, I don't feel like this seemingly slow episode is a slowing down of the season.