Rick and Morty season 1 Episode 4 (M. Night Shaym-Aliens!)

Rick and Morty’s fourth episode in the first season, “M. Night Shaym-Aliens,” takes viewers through another wildly chaotic adventure filled with aliens, simulations, and, of course, Rick’s signature disregard for, well, everything. Here’s a breakdown of the episode’s plot, injected with a bit of humor to highlight the absurdity of it all!

The episode begins with Rick, ever the picture of professionalism, dissecting a giant rat in the garage. Clearly, Rick’s idea of a “productive day” involves slicing open rodents. As he works, Rick complains about the rat’s shoddy craftsmanship (because if anyone’s going to build a rat, they better do it right). Meanwhile, Morty strolls by and casually comments on what a beautiful day it is, as if Rick’s rodent surgery is the most normal thing ever. Suddenly, a robotic version of Beth hops into her car and heads off to work—cue Rick’s suspicion meter going off the charts. Something is definitely wrong, but for now, it’s Morty’s turn to shuffle off to school, blissfully unaware.

At school, Morty is called to the front of the class by Mr. Goldenfold. Now, normally math is hard enough, but Goldenfold decides to crank up the weirdness by asking Morty to solve a problem and then teach the class. Spoiler: Morty’s math is about as solid as Rick’s respect for the law, meaning it’s pretty wrong. And as if things weren’t strange enough, one of Morty’s classmates randomly asks him for the recipe for concentrated dark matter. Wait, what? Morty, clearly confused, almost gives in to the classmate’s bizarre request when Jessica, his crush, starts giving him the googly eyes. Ah, young love—a perfect distraction from life-threatening situations.

Before Morty can embarrass himself by sharing intergalactic chemistry secrets in front of his high school math class, Rick bursts in like the Kool-Aid Man, grabs Morty, and drags him off to safety. Well, “safety” is relative in Rick’s world. Turns out, they’ve been trapped in a simulation created by the Zigerions, an alien race known for being the galaxy’s most ambitious yet incompetent scammers. Think Nigerian princes, but with more tentacles and even less success. The Zigerions want the formula for concentrated dark matter (because who wouldn’t?), and they’ve been trying to trick Rick into revealing it.

Rick, always two steps ahead, explains that the Zigerions are allergic to nudity (don’t ask). So, what’s the natural solution? Time to strip down and run around naked. Of course. Rick and Morty then streak through the simulation’s locker room showers, completely naked, while Rick continues lecturing Morty on the finer points of dealing with alien scammers. Morty, as usual, just tries to keep up.

Meanwhile, Jerry, who has also been accidentally abducted into the simulation, is oblivious to everything. Unlike Rick, Jerry’s simulation is running on what can only be described as “budget mode.” The glitches around him—random NPC-like behavior, repeating dialogue, and bizarre actions—go unnoticed by Jerry as he continues with his day. He’s so unfazed by the simulation’s shoddy design that he walks into his job and pitches a marketing slogan for apples: “Hungry for apples?” The simulated board members love it because, well, they’re not real, and Jerry leaves the office brimming with misplaced confidence.

Back in Rick’s world of high-octane action, he decides the best way to overload the simulation is by holding an impromptu rap concert. You know, because nothing breaks alien computers faster than sick beats and crowd participation. Rick orders the virtual crowd to perform a series of increasingly absurd actions, essentially giving the Zigerions’ hardware a nervous breakdown. The simulation freezes, giving Rick and Morty just enough time to steal some valuable crystal core processors from the ship and make a break for it in an escape pod.

As Rick and Morty hurtle toward what they think is freedom, Rick tries to open a secret safe

in the garage, only to realize it won’t budge. In true sci-fi horror fashion, the entire garage melts around them, revealing that they’re still trapped in the simulation. Cue the entrance of the Zigerions’ smug leader, Prince Nebulon. He pops up to deliver a villainous monologue, gloating that Rick never actually escaped and that they already have the recipe for concentrated dark matter. Nebulon must think he’s just nailed the biggest “gotcha” moment of all time, but Rick, ever the clever rascal, isn’t having it. He drops the bombshell move of pulling down Morty’s pants—because nothing says “tactical genius” like alien booty distractions!

The sight of Morty’s exposed behind throws the Zigerions into chaos, and the simulation begins to glitch like a bad video game running on dial-up internet. This kicks off an absurd chase sequence through the simulation as the aliens scramble to catch them. But amidst all the chaos, poor Jerry is still completely clueless. Jerry returns to work, where his “Hungry for apples?” slogan continues to inexplicably propel his career to new heights. In a hilariously absurd series of events, Jerry is promoted, fired, re-hired, and then nominated for an “Appley Award” (an award he literally made up on the spot). Jerry wins the award, gives a teary-eyed acceptance speech, and proudly declares it the best day of his life. This delusion of grandeur is interrupted when the simulation finally crashes around him.

Meanwhile, Rick and Morty make their way to what they believe is the real escape pod, only to be pursued by more Zigerion ships. Rick decides they need some concentrated dark matter to fuel their escape, prompting Morty to ask for the recipe. But something feels off. Rick rattles off the ingredients—two parts cesium, one part plutonic quartz, and some bottled water. Simple enough, right? Just as Morty starts mixing up the concoction, he freezes and vanishes, revealing that Morty was a simulation all along. (Yes, again.) In reality, it was just Rick and Jerry the whole time. Prince Nebulon reappears, this time convinced he’s finally won. He allows Rick and Jerry to leave, fully believing Rick has fallen for the trick.

As Nebulon and his crew celebrate their victory, they eagerly mix the components Rick provided, hoping to create dark matter. Unfortunately for them, Rick had been onto them the entire time. The components were a decoy, and the moment the aliens mix them, their ship explodes in a glorious fireball of alien failure. Rick, ever the troll, knew he was in a simulation long before entering the safe combination, and now his ruse has wiped out the Zigerions completely. As their escape shuttle flies away, Rick belts out a triumphant (and tipsy) rendition of the sax solo from Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street.”

Back on Earth, Jerry remains blissfully unaware of the chaos he barely survived. In a post-credit scene, Jerry is pitching the “Hungry for apples?” slogan at a real-world board meeting. The result? He’s fired on the spot, of course. Meanwhile, Rick, still celebrating his victory, stumbles into Morty’s room completely drunk. Just to make sure Morty is the real deal and not another simulation, Rick pulls a knife on him (classic Rick) and aggressively calls him a “scumbag.” After a few tense moments, Rick collapses and passes out on the bed, leaving a very confused and slightly terrified Morty to process the situation.

And that, my friends, is how you scam the galaxy’s worst scammers with nothing but nudity, rap concerts, and fake science. The Zigerions, those poor, deluded alien con artists, never stood a chance against Rick Sanchez.