Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Rick and Morty season 5, episode 6.
Rick and Morty season 5, episode 6, "Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular" lived up to its name, delivering a truly whacky adventure — including one of the silliest yet thematically rich post-credits scenes of the show's run. Borrowing an element from Nicolas Cage's 2004 blockbuster, National Treasure, things opened with Rick and Morty seeking a treasure map on the back of the U.S. Constitution. Unfortunately, Morty botched his end of the plan. In the process, he both destroyed the Constitution and unleashed a giant assassin from within the Statue of Liberty, potentially kicking off a new Rick and Morty running gag.
The incident rapidly brought Rick and Morty back into conflict with the U.S. government — especially the President. Thankfully, Rick had a ready-made, outlandish scheme in place to use as something of a "Get out of Jail Free" card. In order to surreptitiously acquire a pardon, the mad scientist would add to the range of things Rick has transformed into on Rick and Morty and become a turkey. Less thankfully, the President had gotten wise to Rick's evidently annual Thanksgiving ruse. As a result, there followed a battle of wits as Rick and the President sought to counteract each other's respective plans. On the President's side, those plans included also turning marines (and even himself) into undercover turkeys.
The conflicting plots resulted in a range of consequences and side effects. Those included a turkey briefly usurping the presidency, the destruction of more U.S. monuments, and a turkey feeding frenzy sparked by blueberries. Another emerged in the post-credits scene for Rick and Morty season 5, episode 6, "Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular." As a newly-restored marine named Cooper (Timothy Olyphant) did some grocery shopping, a bunch of blueberries was spilled on the floor — echoing the aforementioned incident. In response, the marine reverted to turkey behavior and began pecking at the fruit. On the surface, it was simply Rick and Morty bringing things full circle in a silly way. Looking deeper, however, it was no doubt a knowing reference to PTSD, and how many soldiers return from combat struggling to process the experience or function as they once did in their civilian lives.
It also followed up on another running gag throughout Rick and Morty season 5, episode 6, "Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular." Throughout the episode, viewers were treated to a series of scenes that parodied the culture from a specific part of the United States. Those scenes also served to humanize the ultimately-afflicted marine. As such, they made both the sillier side and the subtle depth of the post-credits scene land that much harder. A part of that was through also introducing the marine's wife and soon-to-be-newborn-baby. The tears of the former served as the final image of Rick and Morty season 5, episode 6, and poignantly highlighted that such things as PTSD affect more than just the afflicted soldiers.
The latest of Rick and Morty season 5's post-credits scenes also served as something of an indictment regarding the American system and status quo. Despite actively fighting for the country (and, in Coop's case, even saving the President), he was every bit swept under the rug afterward. He and his family were shown to remain poor, struggling to afford even basics while the government kept giving themselves raises (or, as per one joke earlier in the episode, not paying their bar tabs). The marine's situation was conveyed to be even worse, with his insurance cut in favor of funding more missiles and fellow citizens scorning him rather than the system that equally crushes them. And, as is the case in real life as it was in Rick and Morty season 5, episode 6, "Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular," all of it unfolded amid the general, infuriating suggestion to simply accept their lot and be thankful.
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