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Whenever Rick and Morty decides to create an homage to a classic show or movie, it’s a good time. But nothing could have prepared audiences for the silliness that was “Rick: A Mort Well Lived.” What starts as an episode that wonders whether Summer (Spencer Grammer) will do a Die Hard devolves into a meta critique of Die Hard‘s pop culture status and — eventually — a pretty solid ode to the original. And that’s without even touching the fact that Morty (Justin Roiland) spends the entire episode trapped in a video game.
Obviously, there are some references to Die Hard in this one. Summer spends half the episode joyfully yelling the name of the movie. But did you catch the more obscure jokes buried in this episode? If you’re wondering, we have you covered.
Alien Hans Gruber was played by Peter Dinklage.
The original Hans Gruber was played by the late Alan Rickman, but for Rick and Morty‘s parody, they chose another esteemed actor: Peter Dinklage. Dinklage doesn’t just nail the Gruber role. He’s also a huge fan of the series.
During an interview with Vulture in 2018, Dinklage admitted that Rick and Morty was his favorite show. “That’s the greatest show in the last I don’t know how many years. It speaks to so many things,” Dinklage said. “David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] turned me onto it while we were over [shooting Game of Thrones] in Ireland. I started watching and fell deeply in love. You can dismiss it at first glance…but that show runs deep.”
This isn't the first time 'Rick and Morty' has referenced 'Die Hard.'
Considering how intense this love letter is to John McClane and Hans Gruber, it should’t be surprising that Die Hard has appeared in this show before. In Season 1’s “Rixty Minutes”, Rick (Justin Roiland) introduces the family to interdiminesional cable. The very first thing they watch is a version of Die Hard where all the actors are made of corn. What they say is true: Every culture has its own Tower Man.
'The Nakatomi Paradigm' is — you guessed it — a 'Die Hard' reference.
Summer (Spencer Grammer) is able to defeat her own Gruber by reading one of his many Die Hard books. Titled The Nakatomi Paradigm, that’s a direct reference to the Nakatomi Tower in the Fox Plaza in LA. Naturally, that’s the building where Hans Gruber falls to his death.
We may be getting a more submissive Morty.
This is a subtle detail that may have long-lasting consequences. After Rick rescues Morty from Roy: A Life Well Lived, Morty says, “Whatever you say, Rick. You know best. I trust you implicitly.” It’s then revealed that Rick didn’t pull every part of Morty from the video game. He left the most devoted disciple of his non-religion, Marta, to live out the rest of her virtual life.
It’s a nice gesture that may have a big impact. Throughout “Rick: A Mort Well Lived”, Marta comes to represent the part of Morty that questions whether his grandfather is right and whether Rick truly loves and respects him. By removing Marta, the skeptical part of Morty that this series has developed over the years is now missing. This show is too smart and self-referential to ignore that.
The "I hate everybody" sign actually happened in 'Die Hard with a Vengeance.'
It’s pretty obvious that the ending bumper in “Rick: A Mort Well Lived” is a reference to 1995’s Die Hard: With a Vengeance. In the movie, John McClane is pressured to stand in the middle of Harlem wearing a sandwich board with a racial slur. What’s less known is that, in certain versions of the made-for-TV cut, that offensive sign was replaced with the words “I hate everybody.” So Rick and Morty isn’t just mocking Die Hard 3. It’s specifically mocking the censored-for-television version of that sequel.
