Summary

• Rick and Morty season 5 revealed that Rick can't touch the ocean, since his nemesis Mister Nimbus can sense it.
• However, fans pointed out that earlier episodes had seen Rick do just that, without summoning Mister Nimbus.
• Now, the franchise reveals Rick's ship has a forcefield that allows it to go underwater without technically touching the ocean.

As one of the most metatextual series currently on TV, Rick and Morty isn't overly concerned with keeping its lore totally consistent. For the most part, fans are able to take Rick's adventures as they're presented, complete with some out-of-character moments for various Smith family and Rick's on/off realization that he's a character in a TV show. However, there is one plot hole that has long bugged fans - an error that the franchise just fixed with a satisfying solution.

In Rick and Morty Finals Week: SheRick Holmes and Mortson #1, the pair investigate the mysterious murder of an immortal being. Rick suspects that his nemesis Mister Nimbus is involved, and plunges his ship towards the ocean. Morty is surprised, given Rick has a strict ban on touching the ocean, however Rick then activates a shield around the ship which stops it from technically touching the water.

Rick's ban on touching the ocean is due to Mister Nimbus being able to sense whenever Rick and his tech are in with one of the bodies of water he controls. This concept was introduced in Season 5, episode 1's 'Mort Dinner Rick Andre,' however fans quickly pointed out it created a plot hole with regards to earlier adventures.

Rick's Ship Has a Forcefield to Stop It Touching Water

The Gadget Closes the Season 5 Plot Hole of Rick Never Touching the Ocean

It's daring for a show in its fifth season to introduce a major rule like the characters being unable to touch the ocean, given the potential to contradict prior adventures, and this is the trap Rick and Morty indeed fell into. Fans pointed out that the two had touched the ocean before without alerting Mister Nimbus, specifically in season 3, episode 7's 'The Ricklantis Mixup.' In that episode, the show's main Rick and Morty go to Atlantis while the viewer follows their multiversal doppelgängers in a tour of the Citadel of Ricks. Fans never actually get to see Atlantis, although they do see Rick and Morty return in the episode's post-credits scene, wearing diving equipment and with a splash of water emerging from their portal.

Rick's Godlike Inventions Can Explain Almost Anything

But the Franchise Still Warns Fans Not to Get Hung Up on Continuity

Now, it's revealed that Rick's ban isn't as restrictive as the TV series made it seem. The cranky scientist actually has tech on board his ship that can generate a forcefield, allowing the ship to travel underwater without actually touching the water. While the show still suggests Rick and Morty left their ship, it would be simple for Rick to develop a similar personal forcefield in order to avoid being accosted by Nimbus.

In a characteristically disdainful move, even as Rick and Morty closes the plothole of why Mister Nimbus didn't sense Rick and Morty on earlier adventures, the franchise shrugs off the idea that its continuity has to remain consistent. As the two drop into the water, Morty asks whether the comic story takes place before or after they encountered Nimbus on TV, with Rick cutting him off with the warning, "Don't overthink the continuity Morty, it breaks stronger minds than yours."

The Rick and Morty comics often answer questions fans have from the show - for example explaining that Rick's 'Time Travel Stuff' box is actually a trap and revealing how Morty survived being eaten by the frog-like creatures in the opening credits - and here they do it again by showing that Rick has always been able to travel underwater, using a simple gadget to stop Mister Nimbus sensing his presence.

Rick and Morty Finals Week: SheRick Holmes and Mortson #1 is available now from Oni Press.