Rick And Morty: The Bechdel Test Completely Blew Fans Away

It only seems sensical that one of the most self-aware episodes of "Rick and Morty" would contain one of the show's most clever industry jabs. The Season 4 episode "Never Ricking Morty" would see the animated duo hop aboard a train that practically runs on storytelling devices. At one point in their escapade, Rick explains to Morty that he must tell a story utilizing the Bechdel test, a measure of female representation in fiction created by cartoonist Alison Bechdel that requires that two or more named women in any given scene discuss something other than men. 

Morty's attempt yields a hilariously pieced-together narrative that sees his mother Beth (Sarah Chalke) and sister Summer (Spencer Grammer) sharing a cup of tea before discussing their "special time." The two then use their special power to battle a horde of female scorpions that begin attacking the house. After defeating the arachnid army, they receive a phone call from late Supreme Court Justice attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg who congratulates the women on a job well done.

With its cognizant commentary and sidesplitting execution, the scene has become a favorite amongst many fans. Commenting on the scene on Adult Swim's official YouTube, @lautimartinez6341i was more than pleased by the moment, saying, "I love the fact that this scene ACTUALLY passes the Bechdel test." To many others, the scene did more than pass but exceeded with flying colors. 

Morty's Bechdel test-passing story from "Never Ending Rick" may have been a nerve-wracking experience for the neurotic high schooler, but it left countless others in stitches. The scene's overall self-aware tone can be felt in practically every absurd detail, all the way down to the voice performances. Noting the voice acting of Sarah Chalke and Spencer Grammer in particular, @jeffanderson6806 on YouTube commented, "Props to the voice actresses for accurately mimicking Morty's awkward speaking patterns." Getting down such a specific vernacular is no doubt worth commending, but other fans enjoyed what the joke itself implied on a broader level. 

YouTuber @Cornix94 loved that the joke can appeal to just about everyone. "Interesting how you can basically read whatever you want into this," they commented. "Hate political correctness? It's mocking feminist shoehorning. Cool with feminism? It's mocking patriarchal writing culture for its inability to portray women organically." 

With such an audacious combination of obscene wackiness and clever commentary, the joke has received some high praise from fans, such as @jonathanpeters7521 who went as far as to say of the gag, "This might be the best joke this show has ever done. It's so perfectly meta and hits the fake placement of women right on the head." It's always a joy to find a scene that has such fun with its satire, let alone one that gets an A+ from just about everyone.