President Curtis S01E06: "Hollow" Thoughts: An "Energetic" Offering
· BCPosted in: Adult Swim, Rick and Morty, TV | Tagged: president curtis
President Curtis S01E06: "Hollow" Thoughts: An "Energetic" Offering
Adult Swim and EPs Dan Harmon & James Siciliano's President Curtis S01E06: "Hollow" makes its message pretty clear: we're all energy hogs.
Published Sun, 30 Aug 2026 23:08:09 -0500
by Ray Flook
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Article Summary
- President Curtis S01E06 “Hollow” sends Curtis, Banks, and O’Doyle to Hollow Earth amid a fast-moving energy crisis.
- President Curtis leans into blockbuster action while the episode skewers humanity’s refusal to curb energy use.
- Janice shines in “Hollow,” bringing heart, humor, and a surprising romantic backstory that deepens her bond with O’Doyle.
- President Curtis ends on a bitter fix: a new Hollow Earth energy plant, reparations, and a wild AI porn tax solution.
We're back with our real-time thoughts on what Adult Swim and EPs Dan Harmon & James Siciliano's "Rick and Morty" spinoff has to offer on Sunday night. From what we've seen of President Curtis S01E06: "Hollow" so far, an energy crisis sends the President (Keith David), Banks (Stephanie Beatriz), and O'Doyle (Jim Rash) to Hollow Earth to find some answers – and more energy. Were they able to save the day – and keep the lights on? Does Hollow Earth remind anyone else of a certain blockbuster franchise? Did we end up getting as much Janice (Alanna Ubach) as we were hoping for? Here's a look…
President Curtis S01E06: "Hollow" Real-Time Thoughts
Having President Curtis be a gamer is actually a very cool aspect they've added to the character and helps fuel his interest in being more of a "summer movie action hero president" than the kind who gets into policy debates or stresses about bills getting passed by Congress. Also, I'm a big fan of the slow thawing between Banks and O'Doyle, and Janice proves herself to be an invaluable resource once again. I'm already petitioning for Janice to get a solo episode during Season 2.
You're damn right that mankind would rather suck all of the energy out of the Life Tree to avoid telling people to scale back on their energy use.
I'm loving how Janice is trying to shoot her shot with O'Doyle – only for us to learn that Janice has a love backstory.
LOLOLOLOL The "Avatar" people having exploited those who actually powered the Life Tree, so President Curtis and the team have to renegotiate, was a nice touch.
Janice and O'Doyle bonding over Janice's resume is kinda sweet – and now we've got O'Doyle in "protect Janice" mode.
Well, one thing is clear. Energy means power, and power means a lot to a whole lot of species. We have a feeling that all of that energy coming from those adorable little creatures is going to take an ugly turn – like those alien harvesters arriving, for example.
We don't like seeing a broken-hearted Janice. It makes us sad.
Damn. Banks did not appreciate having to drink piss – and someone's going to pay.
Look, at least they tried attacking the harvesters – but that was brutal. At least Two Toes was able to save the day with the energy of – love (seriously).
And yet, in the end, there is no happy ending when it comes to harvesting energy – with President Curtis giving away the U.S.'s new energy suppy and being forced to open an energy plant in Hollow Earth to make amends. The solution? A tax on AI porn.
Dan Harmon on Spinoff's Presidential Influences
Though it's pretty clear that President Andre Curtis is his own man, the version we see in the "Rick and Morty" spinoff is inspired by a number of previous U.S. Presidents – including Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and possibly the greatest fictional (unfortunately) figurehead ever. "The conversations about Obama and Trump were inevitable," Harmon shared during a recent interview. "Curtis has a naïveté that you could overlap with Trump, who is like, 'I'm an outsider, and I consider this job simple, and I don't care about the bureaucracy of it.' On the Obama side, it's the charmer and the guy who gets organic joy in being liked – that whole rock star aspect of Obama. But mostly just more legendary aspects of presidents from the past, all Serpentor'd into a test tube baby that then becomes our version of maybe Martin Sheen in 'West Wing,' where it's our fantasy president, warts and all."
President Curtis Season 1 Episode 6: "Hollow"
Review by Ray Flook
8/10
Adult Swim and EPs Dan Harmon & James Siciliano's President Curtis S01E06: "Hollow" continued expanding the "Rick and Morty" spinoff's universe with an episode that did a nice job of slapping all of our hands for our energy consumption, reminding us of how the power that comes from energy can corrupt anyone (or anything) - and that Janice is a total badass with a cool backstory.
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