Rick & Morty's punning titles give viewers a clue to each episode's theme, but what were the works referenced in each of the show's season 5 titles?

Animated sitcom Rick & Morty’s episode titles are almost always convoluted puns on famous movies, but what are the works referenced in season 5 of the series? Since the series debuted in 2013, Rick & Morty has always expected viewers to be pretty media-literate to understand the jokes of the Adult Swim hit. This is not to say that Rick & Morty’s gags are highbrow masterpieces that only the canniest critics will understand, but rather that a lot of the show’s jokes work better if viewers have an at least superficial familiarity with both high and low culture.

Take season 1’s "Anatomy Park", a Jurassic Park parody that also incorporates elements of the 1956 sci-fi classic Fantastic Voyage. Viewers who have never heard of either work will still find plenty of funny moments to enjoy in this early outing, but an awareness of Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster will accentuate the episode’s comedy, while familiarity with the ‘50s sci-fi makes the story’s gory spin on the stoic, self-serious original Fantastic Voyage even funnier. Similarly, Rick & Morty’s episode titles are often puns on famous movies and media which not every viewer will immediately recognize.

To be fair to most viewers of the series, even fans familiar with the works being parodied in Rick & Morty’s episode titles might struggle to place the reference given how tortured the puns in question are. Looking back on Rick & Morty’s show-shaking season 5, however, fans can not only work out what work each episode title was referencing, but also why these movies were chosen and what they say about each episode’s themes. All but one of Rick & Morty’s season 5 episode titles refer to a specific movie, some of which are parodied within the episode and some of which are not even referenced. However, all of these titles illustrate something significant about each outing’s themes and plot, as proven by this rundown.

Mort Dinner Rick Andre (My Dinner With Andre)

The season 5 premiere "Mort Dinner Rick Andre" sees Rick host his previously unseen nemesis, Mr. Nimbus, for dinner, and the title references the 1981 comedy-drama My Dinner With Andre. An experimental effort from director Louis Malle, My Dinner With Andre stars Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory as fictionalized versions of themselves. While Rick & Morty’s season 5 premiere focused on debunking fan theories and upending the show’s status quo, the movie it took its title from is a more demure effort that sees its two protagonists spend most of My Dinner With Andre’s real-time runtime discussing life, the universe, and the nature of humanity. However, while My Dinner With Andre may be more philosophically knotty than the chaotic Rick & Morty episode it inspired, there are echoes of Shawn and Gregory’s good-natured debate about time and existence in Morty’s subplot, wherein no amount of trying to make him and Jessica work results in anything other than doom.

Mortyplicity (Multiplicity)

Although the episode itself sees Rick & Morty parody Westworld like The Simpsons before it, "Mortyplicity"’s title comes from the 1996 sci-fi comedy Multiplicity. This middling effort from comedy legend Harold Ramis saw Michael Keaton’s likable everyman get more than he bargains for when he clones himself to get more done, so it is obvious where the connection comes between the original movie and Rick & Morty’s clone-overloaded outing. Of course, being a conventional family comedy from the ‘90s, Multiplicity is a lot less anarchic and more anodyne than the Rick & Morty episode whose title it inspired.

A Rickconvenient Mort (An Inconvenient Truth)

The third episode of season 5, "A Rickconvenient Mort," gains its title from the 2006 release An Inconvenient Truth. Like "Mortyplicity", the episode’s environmentalist themes make its connection to Al Gore’s seminal climate change documentary obvious. Of course, Morty’s tragic love story is the episode’s real focus, and "A Rickconvenient Mort" ends up being more about the teen’s introduction to heartbreak than it is about anything to do with global warming.

Rickdependence Spray (Independence Day)

A huge tonal about-face after the relative seriousness of "A Rickconvenient Mort," "Rickdependence Spray" managed the impressive achievement of being even sillier than the movie that inspired its title. Roland Emmerich’s disaster movie/sci-fi action mashup Independence Day is a 1996 blockbuster that typified the silliest elements of the decade’s major studio releases, meaning Rick & Morty had to reference the cheesy classic in what is arguably the season’s goofiest outing. The divisive episode also spoofed C.H.U.D, a largely-forgotten ‘80s horror-comedy, but wisely opted to take its title from the more recognizable inspiration.

Amortycan Grickfitti (American Grafitti)

"Amortycan Grickfitti" might be the most obscure of season 5’s title references not because the original movie inspiration is unknown but because American Graffiti’s connection to the episode in question is tenuous at best. Director George Lucas’ 1973 comedy-drama follows a group of high schoolers on their hazy last night of raucous freedom before entering the real world of adulthood and does not bear much of a resemblance to the Rick & Morty episode that borrows its title. Mostly a Hellraiser parody, Rick & Morty's "Amortycan Grickfitti" does feature a subplot about joy-riding teens that does just enough to justify its odd title.

Gotron Jerry’s Rickvangelion (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Episode 6 of Rick & Morty season 5 spoofs Voltron and kaiju movies, while gaining its title from a more famous source. "Gotron Jerry’s Rickvangelion" is a riff on Neon Genesis Evangelion, the legendary anime that aired in the ‘90s and cast a long shadow over the medium ever since. Still famous among anime fans, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a formative and influential text in the medium whose most famous moments are affectionately spoofed in this outing.

Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)

The Charlie Kaufman-scripted comedy-drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind gives "Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort" both its title and the episode’s basic premise. Although the episode eventually delves into why Rick is so hated by other Ricks and many other series-long mysteries, the initial premise of Rick invading his friend’s memories owes a debt to director Michel Gondry's trippy indie. Admittedly, the Jim Carrey vehicle is a lot less bloody, but it is no less tragic than the animated outing it inspired.

Forgetting Sarick Mortshall (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

2008’s Jason Segel rom-com Forgetting Sarah Marshall gives "Forgetting Sarick Mortshall" its title, which is just about fitting since the episode sees Rick and Morty briefly “break up” to pursue solo adventures. This is one of the season’s less obvious title choices, but the episode does fulfill the promise of splitting up Rick and Morty's imbalanced power dynamic much like how the rom-com left Segel’s protagonist without the titular character, so it just about works. If nothing else, it’s as good a reminder as any to revisit Russell Brand’s star-making role in the 2008 hit.

Rickmurai Jack (Samurai Jack)

The season 5 finale of Rick & Morty gains its title from the Cartoon Network hit Samurai Jack, and is a pretty clever case of misdirection on the part of the show’s writers. "Rickmurai Jack" opens with an extended homage to the series and, for much of its runtime, seems destined to be an episode-length love letter to Genndy Tartakovsky’s seminal show before taking a sudden story shift about a third of the way through. From then on the finale episode of Rick & Morty season 5 becomes a show-redefining shocker, one which was not even hinted at by the title’s sly allusion to a quickly abandoned reference. Thus, Rick & Morty used a nod to Samurai Jack to throw viewers off the scent of what proved to be a wildly unexpected finale.

More: Rick & Morty: How Rick's Season 5 Arc Sets Up A Major Backstory Reveal