Adults Swim's hit animated sci-fi black comedy series Rick and Morty shocked basically everyone last night with a live streaming marathon leading to the long-awaited Season 3 premiere. The season opener played on a continuous loop for people to enjoy, and the response has been very positive. The episode itself was filled with great and unexpected nuggets that we've come to expect from Rick and Morty, but the most prominent nugget was of the McDonald's variety. The fast food chain got a lot of shout-outs in last night's episode, and this is how they've responded on Twitter.
In the first episode of Season 3, Rick revealed his deep-rooted love for McDonald's Szechuan Teriyaki dipping sauce, a promotional item that ran in 1998 with the release of Disney's Mulan for a limited time. The sauce has never returned to the Golden Arches since then, causing it to become Rick's one armed man. The Rick and Morty Twitter account has since reached out to McDonald's asking if "they wanna get in on this." Never one to pass up an opportunity to not look like a global corporation, McDonald's tweeted back with "McNugga Lubba Dub Dub," a play on words of Rick's former catchphrase "Wubba Lubba Dub Dub."
I don't know how much influence Rick and Morty actually has, but it would be incredible if this somehow brought back the Szechuan sauce. It's either that, or people just wait for that new live action Mulan to open up the window of opportunity again.
The Season 3 premiere picked up right where the Season 2 cliffhanger left off, as Rick was imprisoned in intergalactic jail by the Galactic Federation. The Federation is after Rick's knowledge on intergalactic travel, and attempts to get the answers through a device that lets them walk around his memories. It's here, amidst Rick's favorite sports blooper and where he was on 9/11, that Rick reveals his love of the McDonald's Szechuan dipping sauce. Even the agent interrogating him (a guest starring Nathan Fillion) can't get enough of the stuff.
At the end of the episode, Rick "confesses" to Morty that he finding the dipping sauce is his true drive in life. He's gotta have that Szechuan Teriyaki dipping sauce! It's his one armed man! It's his series arc! Even if it takes 9 seasons, he's gonna get that sauce!
If you like to see the moment for yourself, I've provided a clip of it below. The clip also very smartly includes the commercial for the McDonald's sauce, so you can see what the appeal is for this late 90's food item.
Rick and Morty Season 3 will premiere in full later this summer. For more returning shows, makes sure to check out our midseason and summer premiere schedules.
