Wubba lubba dub dub! 

Cartoon Network has been known to play different pranks on April Fools’ Day throughout the years (including airing Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters in its entirety, commercial free, via a tiny box while normal programming aired), but this event has to be one of the biggest to date. Somehow, Adult Swim and Dan Harmon kept this monumental secret away from the TV show’s rabid fans without any leaks, whatsoever. Bravo to everyone involved.

After the Season 2 finale, “The Wedding Squanchers,” which aired on October 4, 2015, Rick and Morty fans were warned via Mr. Poopy Butthole that the next season may not air for another “year and a half or longer,” and guess what? It’s been about that amount of time, but for some reason, no one was taking notes, alerting the media for a very big surprise.

“The Rickshank Rickdemption,” premiered on Saturday, April 1, 2017 at 8 PM EST and ran through midnight, via Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim repeatedly, in place of its previously planned programming, as well as streamed on the Adult Swim webpage. Fans of Samurai Jack, Dragon Ball Super, Family Guy and other TV shows were definitely caught off guard. Some were outraged, once they returned home from their previously planned weekend activities and checked their DVRs, but Rick and Morty fans were ecstatic in North America (apparently it was only airing on TVs in one country and the rest of the world will have to wait for the actual premiere date, later this summer). Many posted their findings on social media and alarmed the unassuming public to tune in (including us).

In the season premiere, Rick’s been imprisoned by the Galactic Federation, which also happens to be running the entire planet Earth. Summer attempts to rescue Rick and learns about his true misadventures, Morty actually cares about his sister and to a degree his Grandfather, Jerry finally gets a job (that pulls down a six-chewable-figure income), Rick receives an origin story (both a fake one and a real one), Beth wants a divorce and Birdperson rises from the ashes to become… Phoenix Person.

“There is no tougher titty than a psychotic break.”

Somehow, the multiverse is still intact, Shoney’s and McDonald’s get very large shout-outs, Rick is still the smartest man in the universe, the galactic government collapsed, C-137 Morty is still the Mortiest of them all and Nathan Fillion guest stars as a sneaky insect creature.

All Ricks inherently hate the government, but each one hates themselves the most. And the Smith family finally reunites… until they disband.

“He who controls the pants, controls the galaxy.”

So, what did we actually learn from this 23-minute episode? Rick’s secret plans, all along, were to remove Jerry from the family, so no one would be around to oppose his Ricktatorship and Morty would be forced into sharing more misadventures with his Grandfather. That, and no matter what it takes, Rick will finally get more Szechuan Sauce dipping sauce for his McNuggets, no matter if it takes nine more seasons or 97 more years.

Fans of the show may just be OK with that scenario, so make sure to take notes… long live Rick and Morty!