Rick and Morty Season 3 was a phenomenon from top to bottom, and one of the most sensational aspects of the entire run of episodes was the Szechuan sauce debacle. The surprise Season 3 premiere created an instant meme in the form of the Mulan-themed dipping sauce, and McDonald's was quick to capitalize on that sensation by re-releasing the condiment. However, the rollout eventually led to chaos in some stores when there wasn't enough, and it seems that Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland is just as shocked about the whole thing as the rest of us. Roiland addressed the Szechuan situation and said:
It's absurd. It became like a collector thing, and it's like, it's just a fucking dipping sauce, guys. I don't know. I mean really, I was bummed out for the workers. The whole thing was bad on every side. I could see every side of it. It was a bummer because fans assumed there was more. There wasn't. Then the workers were getting harassed by the fans because there wasn't. Which I get; they waited however long in line. The whole thing was a shitshow.
"Shitshow" definitely feels like one way to describe it. McDonald's only rolled out a limited amount the sauce at select locations, and many of these sites couldn't keep up with demand for the collector's item inspired by the sci-fi comedy. Some fans weren't exactly accommodating of that fact, and as a result, "Szechuan sauce freak out" is one of the first autofill entries that pops up on YouTube when you search for the sauce.
I hesitate even to show you, but check out one such example below:
However, Justin Roiland seems hopeful that more Szechuan sauce will eventually make its way to even more Rick and Morty enthusiasts. While talking about the fallout of the Szechuan sauce debacle, he insisted that he hopes McDonald's will release more so that all of the Rick and Morty fans who fought (and failed) to get the sauce will be able to try it -- just like he did.
With all of that said it still leaves the pressing question about Justin Roiland's feelings towards the fast food chain's decision to capitalize on a great Rick and Morty joke in the first place. Elsewhere in Justin Roiland's conversation with TMZ, he praised McDonalds' savvy marketing techniques. Roiland explained:
All that stuff was a joke in the show, and then McDonald's said, 'Let's use this, let's go with this.' Good for them, you know, that's good marketing.
Who knows? Maybe McDonald's will try something new in the future -- perhaps a cross-promotion by adding Pickle Rick to the burgers? At this point, anything seems possible. Until we learn more about the future of the sauce, take a glance at CinemaBlend's fall TV premiere guide and check out The Cord Cutter Podcast to hear everything that we have to say about the world of streaming content.
