Rick and Morty: How to watch tonight's new episode - CNET

Rick preps his grandson for possible acid-vat-jumping.

Video screenshot by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

While Rick and Morty has been on hiatus, the real world has gone almost as nuts as the surreal world of the Adult Swim animated show. If only somebody had a Meeseeks in our world and could ask the little request-fulfilling blue dudes to cure the coronavirus. But it always helps to have something to look forward to in tough times, and at least we can count off the days on a calendar (remember calendars? that big empty thing that used to be full?) until the next new Rick and Morty episode airs on May 17.

What we know about the next episode

The show's official Twitter account revealed the three remaining episode titles. The May 17 episode is The Vat of Acid Episode; the May 24 show is Childrick of Mort; and the May 31 season finale is called Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri.

The May 10 episode, Promortyus, dropped more hints in advance than The Vat of Acid Episode has so far. With its title playing off the 2021 sci-fi movie Prometheus, it was obvious that Rick and Morty were heading to the Alien movie universe, complete with face-huggers and parasitic egg implantation and, for some reason, an M&Ms store.

In contrast, we simply don't know a lot about The Vat of Acid Episode just yet. In a teaser, as Rick and Morty's spaceship lands, Rick tries to play it cool, telling his grandson their new mission "should be in and out, simple exchange, not even really an adventure." But then, boom goes the dynamite, as Rick reveals that if anything goes wrong, Morty should "jump into the same vat of acid I jump into." Wait, wait, what? 

The teaser also delivers a pretty good school joke. When Morty protests that he has English homework, Rick sneers, "You're still learning English? It's the language you speak! How dumb are you?"

And that's it. That's all we know -- for now. So get your anti-acid goggles ready and prep for an episode that could, and likely will, go just about anywhere.

When and where to watch?

You can watch The Vat of Acid Episode of Rick and Morty on May 17 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim at 11:30 p.m. PT.

Fans have waited five months for the fourth season to return. Five episodes of season 4 aired in 2019, and now that the May 3 and May 10 episode has been shown, there are only three unaired shows yet to come this season. So the May 17 episode is the third new episode of 2020, but it's actually the seventh show of season 4. Old episodes can be watched on Hulu, but season 4 shows won't appear there until after the entire season airs.

We have the rights to stream past seasons of Rick and Morty in our streaming library. We should see S4 join our streaming library some time after the season finishes airing on TV. If you'd like to stream S4 as it airs, you can do so with Hulu + Live TV: https://t.co/xiny322tcE!

— Hulu Support (@hulu_support) November 20, 2019

Don't have Cartoon Network? Rick and Morty episodes also stream on Hulu Plus Live TV. And when HBO Max arrives in May, Rick and Morty will be on there as well. 

How to catch up

Sure, you could just tune in to the next new episode knowing little more than the two main characters' names, but where's the fun in that? You need to take your time and enjoy the back catalog of craziness, starting with the 2013 pilot. Old episodes are available for streaming on Hulu, or you can buy whole seasons or individual episodes on Amazon Prime or YouTube, or whole seasons on DVD, if that's your thing. Want a freebie or two? Adult Swim has a free stream of Rick and Morty episodes, shown one at a time, but you can't choose the one that's on.

What happened in the first half of the season

The show returned May 3 with a complex and self-referential episode titled Never Ricking Morty. The return was debated by fans -- some of whom loved the sly meta-references, others who wanted a different approach.

The May 10 episode, Promortyus, was set in the familiar and creepy universe of the Alien movies. It was a lot more straightforward than Never Ricking Morty, but managed to include a complex and rollicking Rick and Morty adventure that featured everything from a new beekeeping hobby for Jerry to digs at podcasting and print media to a starring role for Summer.

Before the May 3 show, five episodes of season 4 aired, and they were pretty much standalone shows, meaning they're fun to watch, but don't necessarily move the show forward in any lasting way. (Which, with a show like this, is just fine. This isn't X-Files.)

In the first episode of season four, Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat, Rick introduces Morty to special alien crystals that can show him his death, which is a really bad idea. In the second, The Old Man and the Seat, we learn Rick really, really likes his special toilet. Episode 3, One Crew over the Crewcoo's Morty, features the return of Mr. Poopybutthole -- now a professor -- and gets a dig in at streaming service Netflix. 

In the fourth episode, Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim's Morty, Morty gets a dragon, which is exactly as much of a bad idea as you might think. And the fifth episode, Rattlestar Ricklactica, features a world of time-traveling space snakes. (And there's snake jazz, which Summer digs.)

Rick's too busy eating Arby's in his hoverchair to help Morty out.

Cartoon Network/Screenshot by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

Need a little more Rick and Morty?

On March 28, the show released a five-minute short film titled Samurai & Shogun. It's inspired by a classic manga called Lone Wolf and Cub, which also inspired the Bob's Burgers episode Hawk and Chick, as well as the second episode of the Disney Plus show The Mandalorian.

Correction, April 21: Adult Swim's parent channel is the Cartoon Network. 

from CNET https://ift.tt/3c1Qlmq
via IFTTT