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» » Rick and Morty Auto Erotic Assimilation (2013– )

Short summary

Rick, Morty, and Summer come across an ex-lover of Rick's who happens to be a hive-mind alien named Unity. Chaos ensues and Rick begins to party. Meanwhile, Jerry and Beth find an underground lair of Rick's and fight over whether or not he should be allowed to stay with them any longer.

During the scene where Rick is watching TV and ordering Unity to adjust the story, the show he is watching is Community, another of Dan Harmon's creations. When you see the characters they all look like the actual characters of the show, and the story Rick is creating are real plots and happenings on the show Community.

The song at the end of the episode is "Do You Feel It?" by Chaos Chaos.

Beta-7, has a striking resemblance to the "Star Trek: The Next Generation"(1987) villains The Borg.

This episode's title is a reference to the act of auto-erotic asphyxiation, or the act of restricting one's oxygen intake during sexual acts to try to derive more pleasure from those acts. Auto-erotic asphyxiation is seen as a very kinky, somewhat sexually deviant, act, as are many of Rick's desires with Unity - such as paragliding with a pair of crotchless pants into a football stadium full of redheads and "anyone who even slightly resembles" his father, chanting "go, Rick, go" as he does it; or Rick's frank line of questioning Unity about assimilating a giraffe.

When Unity points & screams this is exactly what the aliens do in the film Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers.

Co-creator Dan Harmon voices one of the assimilated aliens narrating Unity's note.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Samulkis
    Through my season 1 binge and rush of getting up to date with the current episodes I've been really impressed by Roiland and Harmon's ease of taking traditional sitcom plots/tropes and adding that Rick and Morty twist to them. It always starts out absurd and ridiculous and funny but sometimes it can take a darker turn. The morbid ending to Rick Potion #9 created lasting effects for Morty which were addressed extremely well, but the implications for Auto Erotic Assimilation might be the darkest turn yet for the show.

    Here we take a very obvious setup for a horrible inter-galactic monster/reaver to ambush the trio of Rick, Morty and Summer, but as it turns out the being is none other than Rick's hive mind entity of an ex. Even more impressive is the layers of meaning and emotion that pile up in that note that Christina Hendricks and co. leave for Rick. You sense that Unity is a better person than Rick will ever be; her worlds and beings are advanced and peaceful and she sets herself the goal of eventually taking over the universe and maintaining a balance. Yet when Rick turns up again in her life all that goes out the window and she once again resumes that spiral of self destruction. It's more mundane relationship drama wrapped up in a R&M premise that is executed beautifully and tragically when the entity speaks to Rick in an assortment of voices, each word more painful and confessional. And the really damning thing is that Rick knows she is right; Rick is and continually has been selfish, impatient, cynical and self-centred. All he cares about is that tantric sex and crazy TV while Unity reverts back to her old role and indulges him. For a lonely old guy, Unity is the perfect person for Rick to run back to and immerse himself into not just a old flame, but an entire society of them. The music here again is perfectly fitting (maybe not quite as good as eyepatch Morty); it's soft and sentimental as Rick is forced with confronting the truth in the notes, and extremely heavy in the bass of Chaos Chaos' Do You Feel It? as he attempts suicide that results in a heartbreaking time sequence where nobody, not even Morty, checks on him during the entire night. It perfectly encapsulates just how toxic and horrible Rick can be to those around him. Just as Morty, Summer, Beth and Jerry put Rick in that powerful position that alienates him, he does so to Unity.

    Roiland and Harmon build upon these themes throughout the show; it's not just a simple sprinkle of the heavy stuff in episodes without any prior recognition. Remember Rick wandering between the rooms of the house, looking for a bit of companionship? How about the squabbles between Jerry and Beth that hit at multiple issues? It's such a brilliantly written scene where they bristle at each other upon discovering an alien locked up in Rick's hidden basement under the garage. Jerry feels inferior ever since Rick turned up and took his place as a father figure to Morty; he cannot ever demonstrate worth to his son that Rick can't upsize in some crazy manner. And Beth, despite all of Rick's flaws and antics, can't bear to see her dad abandon her life again. It's a testament to the subtext of the script that I can easily imagine a younger Beth constantly being rejected by Rick. A first day at school, a bullying issue, or an award to show him, but out comes the portal gun and he avoids the entire experience.

    And in the mix of it all there's still humour that R&M is so good for. The whole exasperated explanation of the alien is hilarious compared to the tensions of Jerry and Beth, especially as he tries to settle the argument and back up their points but getting so angry at their incessant yelling (Uh, is there a slow setting? Best. Door. Ever.). And there's the nonchalant comment from Morty (less prominent this week) to Summer: First race war huh? And in the p.s. of the heartfelt note, a twist: "I dunno where those coal miners were before they were assimilated. You might wanna get checked."

    Also, I loved the Community cameo in the television show. "Now cancel it! And now bring it back! Make fun of the blonde one!" Arghhh, even in R&M Harmon can't resist taking a pot-shot at Britta.
  • comment
    • Author: Sermak Light
    This episode in particular stands out as pure genius, with an excellent story line, fantastic characters and just sheer believable human emotions on show. For those that connect with it at the end, the creators deserve respect.

    The Grandfather 'Rick', that we all wish we could be! "Peace out m****r f****r"! Yeah
  • comment
    • Author: Soustil
    This show. This season. ..and probably this episode (although there are 3 or 4 others that complete for the title) had probably the biggest emotional impact on me in the last decade. It's 20 minutes of crazy fun, where you get to experience a new high sci-fi concept with the R&M twist on it, see a hive-mind acting as a boozed-up coed, a race war, a new arc that shows that the moral high road is not always white (but dirty gray, mostly), and an alien couples therapy session, where everything goes to $hit.

    Then comes the last ~3 minutes, and without any spoilers, if you care a little bit about Rick, it will feel like a gut punch. Every time I re-watch this episode, that particular scene gets more and more heart-wrenching. The music. The concept. Jerry with his lawnmower as comic relief.

    Harmon and Roiland overdid themselves here.
  • comment
    • Author: Zeks Horde
    This episode is great because it is related to an unusual but interesting topic like free will. It presents you the dilemma of being autonomous human being and therefore live in a troublesome society or being controlled -in the case of the episode, being mind controlled- and limited in the decisions you can make to reach collective and social prosperity.

    When all of this is added to the characteristic humour of Rick and Morty series it is a delightful combination. Although the episode is in some extent exaggerated, it makes you question yourself about the implications and consequences of both paths.

    In a more general sense this episode tells us about Rick's past, particularly about an unexplored side of Rick, his love life. It also goes deep into the relation of Morty's parents and how Rick has affected their lives.
  • Episode complete credited cast:
    Justin Roiland Justin Roiland - Rick / Morty (voice)
    Chris Parnell Chris Parnell - Jerry (voice)
    Spencer Grammer Spencer Grammer - Summer (voice)
    Sarah Chalke Sarah Chalke - Beth (voice)
    Christina Hendricks Christina Hendricks - Unity (voice)
    Patton Oswalt Patton Oswalt - Beta 7 (voice)
    John Kassir John Kassir - Blim Blam (voice)
    Dawnn Lewis Dawnn Lewis - Assimilated Alien #1 (voice)
    Nolan North Nolan North - Assimilated Alien #2 (voice)
    Rob Paulsen Rob Paulsen - Assimilated Alien #3 (voice)
    Kari Wahlgren Kari Wahlgren - Assimilated Alien #3 (voice)
    Gary Anthony Williams Gary Anthony Williams - Assimilated Alien #4 (voice)
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