"Total Rickall" | |
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Rick and Morty episode | |
Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 4 |
Directed by | Juan Meza-León |
Written by | Mike McMahan |
Original air date | August 16, 2015 |
Running time | 22 minutes |
Guest appearance | |
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"Total Rickall" is the fourth episode of the second season of the Adult Swim animated television series Rick and Morty. Written by Mike McMahan and directed by Juan Meza-León, the episode premiered on August 16, 2015. It shows the Smith family, along with Mr. Poopybutthole, overwhelmed by an infestation of parasites who implant false memories into them so they cannot tell who is real.
The episode is a "clip show", with heavy use of flashback scenes to the parasite-implanted false memories; it was inspired by the introduction of Dawn Summers to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, whose sudden contradictory presence is initially unquestioned by the other characters. It received positive reception from critics. The debuting character Mr. Poopybutthole recurs in future episodes and web specials, and a card game of the episode was released. Two April Fools' Day events by Adult Swim (in 2021 and 2022) make edits to the episode.