Rick and Morty Episode 49: Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort

Rick stays behind while the Smith family goes on a cruise, giving him time to work on reviving Birdperson in his garage. He restores Birdperson’s body as much as he can, but discovers that Birdperson’s mind has retreated deep into his own subconscious, so Rick decides to enter his friend’s mind to find and save him.

Inside Birdperson’s mind, Rick moves through a series of memories that show the history of their friendship, including earlier adventures and the more strained parts of their relationship. Rick eventually finds Birdperson in a memory space where Birdperson is trapped in his own consciousness and unwilling to continue living, forcing Rick to keep pushing deeper to reach him.

As the mindscape begins to destabilize, Rick encounters a younger version of himself that exists within Birdperson’s memories. The two Ricks have to cooperate to survive the collapsing memory world and continue searching for Birdperson.

The episode also reveals more of Birdperson’s past with Tammy through his memories, including the fact that their relationship was more significant than it first seemed, and that Birdperson was keeping parts of that life buried in his mind. By the end of the episode, Rick is still inside Birdperson’s memories, trying to get him back while navigating the damage left behind in Birdperson’s subconscious.