Unveiling the Untold Secrets: How Dan Harmon's Original Rick & Morty Plan Laid the Foundation for the Show's Most Divisive Episode

Summary

Rick and Morty's most infamous episode, "Rickdependence Spray," received immediate and intense backlash for its incest baby gag.

The controversial humor of this show finds its roots in the early sketches, where co-creator Justin Roiland originally envisioned it as a crude parody of Back to the Future. Although the show has since moved away from excessive offensiveness, previous episodes included casual jokes about incest, molestation, and sexual assault, suggesting that "Rickdependence Spray" wasn't entirely unexpected.

The original plan for Rick and Morty sheds light on the show's most notorious episode. While Rick and Morty has always pushed boundaries with its risqué comedy, sometimes the show's humor goes too far, receiving criticism from both critics and fans. Season 4, episode 4 titled "Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim's Morty" drew backlash for its excessive use of sex jokes. Similarly, season 1, episode 5 titled "Meseeks and Destroy" caused controversy due to its ill-conceived molestation scene. However, these instances pale in comparison to the most reviled episode in Rick and Morty's history.

The highly disliked episode "Rickdependence Spray," from season 5, episode 4, faced immediate and intense backlash. In this episode, Morty unintentionally creates a race of deadly gigantic sperm as a result of a masturbation mishap. Through a convoluted series of absurd coincidences, Morty's sister Summer reluctantly offers to have one of her eggs harvested as bait to capture these colossal sperm. Unfortunately, Morty reveals the true origin of the killer sperm a moment too late, resulting in the creation of a disturbing "Giant Incest Baby." This incident disgusted the internet.

Rick & Morty's Incest Humor Was There From The Beginning

The controversial incest baby joke appeared unexpectedly in "Rickdependence Spray," despite previous boundary-pushing jokes in earlier episodes of Rick and Morty. Interestingly, the origins of this joke can be traced back to the show's beginnings. Initially, Rick and Morty's co-creator Justin Roiland conceived the series as a raunchy parody of Back to the Future. In an interview with Uproxx, Dan Harmon revealed that the original sketches included a gag where Mharti could only time travel if he performed a certain act on Doc. While the original characters of Back to the Future were not related, it is evident that Doc and Mharti eventually became the famous duo Rick and Morty.

Therefore, the theme of incest comedy was present in Rick and Morty from the beginning, even though some viewers criticized the sudden introduction of the Giant Incest Baby joke. Incestuous jokes involving Morty and his sister Summer had been made in previous episodes as well. As early as season 1, episode 2, "Lawnmower Dog," there was a gag about Morty finding an attractive woman in his principal's dream, only to realize she was his sister when she turned around.

The Notorious 'Incest Baby' Episode Is True To Rick And Morty's Origins

Rick and Morty had a shift in tone as the series progressed, with earlier episodes containing controversial jokes about taboo topics such as incest, molestation, and sexual assault. Initially, the show aimed to provoke and shock viewers, but as it gained popularity and evolved, it moved away from this excessively provocative style. "Rickdependence Spray" may have been unexpected when it first aired, but it didn't introduce anything that hadn't already been hinted at in previous episodes of Rick and Morty. However, considering the episode's negative reception, it seems unlikely that the show will revisit this edgy content.