It’s another typical day at the Smith household, which means nothing is normal. Jerry, Morty’s eternally clueless dad, is annoyed that their family dog, Snuffles, isn’t exactly winning any dog IQ contests. “The dog’s dumb!” he exclaims, as if that’s some new revelation. Enter Rick, because when your dog needs a brain boost, who else but your drunk, interdimensional-traveling grandpa to fix things? Rick casually hands Jerry a device that, in true Rick fashion, is about to make everything much, much worse by cranking Snuffles’ intelligence dial way past “good boy.”
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But Rick’s not sticking around to see how that plays out—he’s got bigger (and somehow less ridiculous) things to do. Like entering Morty’s math teacher’s dreams to convince him to give Morty an “A” in class. Why, you ask? So Morty gets less homework, of course. Because Rick’s version of “helping” usually involves bending the laws of reality in ways that probably violate a few cosmic rules.
So, off Rick and Morty go, diving straight into the brain of Mr. Goldenfold, Morty’s math teacher. Things start out weird (no surprise there) as they find themselves in Mr. Goldenfold’s dream, which is more math and numbers than anyone would like to see—even in their nightmares. But that’s just the beginning. From there, Rick and Morty hop through layers of dreams like it’s a cosmic version of Inception, but without the cool suits. They drop into the dream of Mrs. Pancakes, a strong TV character who’s rocking some serious sass. And then, just because this show loves to escalate, they’re suddenly in the dream of a centaur. You know, as one does.
But just when it seems like things can’t get any weirder, bam!—enter Scary Terry, a parody of Freddy Krueger. Scary Terry is exactly what you’d expect from a nightmare version of a guy who haunts nightmares. Armed with a sweater and knives for fingers, he’s got one job: terrify dream-hoppers like Rick and Morty. And, let’s be real, he’s pretty good at it. Before they know it, Scary Terry is popping up in every dream they land in, hunting them down, and—oh, by the way—Rick loses his joints in the chaos. Yeah, don’t ask.
In their most desperate move yet, Rick and Morty stumble into a post-apocalyptic dream city. Because when you’re trying to evade a Freddy Krueger knock-off, a dystopian wasteland is apparently a solid hiding spot. Their plan? Wait for Scary Terry to get tuckered out. And what do you know? Even nightmare villains need sleep. Once Scary Terry is snoozing away, Rick and Morty (because they just can’t resist) decide to go inception-style again, diving into his dream. Inside, they convince Scary Terry that maybe he doesn’t need to be so terrifying all the time. Maybe he could just, you know, help them out instead of haunting their every step. And wouldn’t you know it? Scary Terry is on board. Score one for dream therapy!
Meanwhile, back in the real world (where things are arguably more bonkers), Snuffles is enjoying his new brain power. Maybe “enjoying” isn’t the right word. Maybe “plotting world domination” is more accurate. Watching one too many over-the-top infomercials about dogs (because even genius dogs love infomercials), Snuffles builds himself an Iron Man-style mechanical suit complete with a translator so he can finally speak his mind. Spoiler: Snuffles is done fetching sticks. No more belly rubs on command. This pooch is ready to flip the script.
Before long, Snuffles has an army of robot dogs at his command, and—surprise!—he’s now planning to overthrow the human race. Because why settle for extra kibble when you can be supreme ruler of Earth?
While Rick and Morty are busy in dreamland, Morty finds himself in a bit of a bind. Turns out, being part of a dog’s revenge plot isn’t great for your health, and Morty ends up in a hospital bed, kidneys failing, with none other than Snuffles by his side. But—plot twist—it’s all just a dream! Snuffles wakes up from his ambitious conquest dreams and has a change of heart. After a heartfelt realization (yes, even hyper-intelligent dogs can have emotional epiphanies), Snuffles decides that conquering Earth isn’t the answer. Turns out, turning into the very monsters you loathe (humans, in this case) is not a great look. Compassion, not cruelty, is the way forward for dogs, and with a tearful goodbye, Snuffles leaves Morty and Earth behind. He sets off to find a planet where intelligent dogs live in peace—and, more importantly, where “pet insurance is mandatory.”
Just when you think the rollercoaster is over, there’s one last bit of post-credit fun. Rick and Scary Terry are now enrolled in Scary Class, being taught by none other than Scary Mr. Johnson, a fellow scary dude who prefers to go by Scary Glen. But Scary Glen’s got a new lesson plan: instead of terrorizing people, the first step is to just learn how to calm down. Maybe Rick and Morty should take notes.
Characters
- Morty: Our hero, who spends most of the episode running, screaming, and barely surviving.
- Rick: Chaos incarnate, with a side of dream-hopping and an anti-homework agenda.
- Jerry: Proud dog-owner until said dog becomes a megalomaniac.
- Snuffles (a.k.a. Snowball): From dumb dog to robotic overlord, and eventually a wise and benevolent leader (sort of).
- Scary Terry: A Freddy Krueger wannabe with some surprisingly helpful advice.
- Mr. Goldenfold: Morty’s math teacher with some serious dream baggage.
- Mrs. Pancakes: The dream-hopping diva you didn’t know you needed.
- And a whole lot of other weird dream creatures—centaurs, creepy old men, and more.
Cultural References
This episode is packed with references to popular culture, from Inception (dreams within dreams) to A Nightmare on Elm Street (Scary Terry’s obvious Freddy Krueger vibes). Even Snuffles’ rise to power gives a nod to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, with the same “intelligence leads to rebellion” plotline. There’s even a reference to The Lawnmower Man in the episode’s title, where a mentally challenged gardener gains superintelligence—though, thankfully, Snuffles doesn’t turn evil. Well, not completely.
In a nutshell, Lawnmower Dog takes the standard Rick and Morty formula—chaos, sci-fi, and a bit of heart—and throws in some surprisingly deep dog philosophy. Because, really, who wouldn’t want a world where pet insurance is mandatory?