The Rick and Morty episode “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort,” confirms Rick loves Birdperson, but could it be romantic?
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Rick and Morty Season 5, Episode 8, “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort,” which aired Sunday on Adult Swim.
In the Rick and Morty episode “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort,” Rick saves Birdperson by diving into his memories, revealing much about their past together while still leaving many things mysterious. One thing that is this episode makes 100 percent clear is that Rick truly loves Birdperson, doing anything to be with him despite a history of disappointments and betrayals. However, whether this love is platonic or romantic is up for debate.
The strongest evidence in favor of Rick having romantic feelings for Birdperson is in the scene immediately following the Battle of Blood Ridge. Rick invites Birdperson to escape the war with him and travel to any dimension he wants. Ricks “nothing matters” attitude toward interdimensional travel contrasts with his deep “respect” for this particular universes Birdperson. When Birdperson questions Rick about the “relationship” they have, Rick quickly says, “I never used that word,” in a moment of clear embarrassment.
While one could take this as a denial of romantic feelings, the offer is nonetheless easy to read as romantic. Ricks embarrassment would square with Ricks general sense of shame over having feelings at all. The pain Rick feels at Birdpersons rejection is still so intense decades later that he doesnt want to revisit the memory at all. When the memory version of a younger Rick asks the real Rick why hed risk so much for someone who was an “asshole” to him, the real Rick answers, “Because you love him.”
The possibility that Rick doesnt just love Birdperson as a friend but is in love with him delivers new depth to his character. It adds another layer to why he was so bitter about Birdperson marrying Tammy in the Season 2 finale and to why he tries to hide the existence of Birdperson and Tammys son from his friend/crush.
Series co-creator Justin Roiland has confirmed Rick as pansexual. However, aside from his relationship with the genderless hivemind Unity, this aspect of his character has yet to really be explored in Rick and Morty. His feelings for Birdperson could be the most natural way to address that.
Birdperson doesnt reciprocate Ricks intensity of feelings for him. Given the fact Rick tried to lie to him about his child out of pure selfish manipulation, this is all just as well — Rick makes for a lousy friend and he would likely be a terrible boyfriend. When Birdperson flies off at the end of the episode telling Rick, “Ill see you when I see you,” it feels as if whatever connection Rick and Birdperson might have had is at risk of falling apart due to Ricks own toxicity.
The hour-long Season 5 finale of Rick and Morty airs on Adult Swim September 5 at 11 PM ET.
Rick’s love for Birdperson is confirmed in the Rick and Morty episode “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort,” but is it truly romantic?
Birdperson doesnt reciprocate Ricks intensity of feelings for him. Rick would not make a good boyfriend or friend, especially considering that he attempted to deceive him about his child out of pure selfish manipulation. Whatever bond Rick and Birdperson may have had is threatened by Rick’s own toxicity when Birdperson takes off at the end of the episode, telling Rick, “I’ll see you when I see you.”
In the Rick and Morty episode “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort,” Rick uses his memory to save Birdperson, providing a wealth of information about their shared past while maintaining a great deal of mystery. This episode unequivocally demonstrates Rick’s undying love for Birdperson, as he would do anything to be with him in spite of their past betrayals and disappointments. It’s debatable, though, whether this love is romantic or platonic.
Series co-creator Justin Roiland has confirmed Rick as pansexual. But aside from his bond with the genderless hivemind Unity, Rick and Morty hasn’t really done much to explore this side of his personality. Perhaps the best way to deal with that would be through his feelings for Birdperson.
The offer is still easily interpreted as romantic, even though one could interpret this as a rejection of romantic feelings. Rick’s embarrassment is consistent with his overall feeling of shame about having any emotions at all. Decades later, Rick still finds the pain of Birdperson’s rejection to be so great that he doesn’t want to think about it at all. The real Rick responds, “Because you love him,” when the memory version of a younger Rick questions why he would risk so much for someone who was a “asshole” to him. “.
The way that Rick Sanchez (Justin Roiland/Ian Cardoni) from “Rick and Morty” presents himself as a nihilist who thinks nothing matters but yet strangely cares for people around him is one of the things that makes him such an intriguing character. This kindness is directed toward his close friends, particularly Birdperson (Dan Harmon), as well as his immediate family. The two are portrayed as lifelong friends throughout the series, but in Season 5, Episode 8 (“Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort”), things take a turn for the better. “.
There’s a lot of evidence to suggest Rick Sanchez has romantic feelings for Birdperson. Priority one should be given to examining the title of the episode in which Rick comes to his rescue: “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort.” This is a parody of the movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” which tells the story of two people who fall in love, break up, and forget about each other, only to run into each other again and fall in love. With the overarching motivation that he too loves him, Rick enters Birdperson’s head to save him.
In it, Rick enters Birdperson’s memories in an attempt to save him and, in a sense, restore him to his pre-Galactic Federation state of being. At the Battle of Blood Ridge, we witness a turning point in their friendship when Rick offers to transport Birdperson to any reality he desires in order to keep them together. Birdperson refuses, and Rick doesnt take this well. The real Rick is confronted by a memory version of himself, who questions why he would take such a big risk for him. “Because you love him,” the real Rick answers, referring to himself.
The question that many fans would then have is, “Does Rick love Birdperson?” Rick clearly loves Birdperson as a friend, but does he feel romantic love for him? It seems that Rick does, even though telling a former version of himself that “You love him” could imply that Rick once felt something for Birdperson but may not feel that way now. But it appears that Rick still has a great deal of love for Birdperson based on the lengths he goes to save him.
Rick’s earlier actions in “Rick and Morty” would also make sense given his love for Birdperson. Birdperson appears at a party held by Rick and Summer (Spencer Grammer) in Season 1 of “Ricksy Business.” There, he ends up hooking up with Tammy. Throughout the party, Rick gets more and more insane, abusing drugs and saying his signature phrase, “Wubba lubba dub dub,” which means “I’m in a lot of pain; please help me.” What if Rick’s pain stemmed from witnessing someone he loved getting romantically involved with someone else?
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