An animated series that follows the exploits of a super scientist and his not-so-bright grandson.
“Rick and Morty” has always been about irreverence. No matter what genre, sci-fi concept, or ridiculous social media fad, Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland’s creation has never been afraid to take aim and tear it to pieces. As the ridiculous cartoon satire peeled away from its direct punches, a dark nihilism took over the show. Suddenly it wasn’t just the show that made poop jokes, it also pointed out how alone we really are in the world. Now, after rejiggering the formula and taking the eponymous Rick down a couple of pegs, “Rick and Morty” is back with more hijinks and high-brow sci-fi takedowns.
As an Adult Swim cartoon show, they literally have no limits on what they can say. It’s a show known for breaking boundaries and crapping all over too easily appreciated concepts like time travel, interdimensional empires, and what true genius status really implies. This season takes aim at all manner of things: Aquaman, Captain Planet, Hellraiser, Voltron, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and more all while playing out the long thread left behind in seasons one and three. We finally get to see an endgame for Evil Morty.
Rick is back in top form here with his devil-may-care attitude. This season he parties his ass off and inserts himself into the family with little tact. In fact, his alignment to Morty shrinks episode by episode tearing our titular duo apart. Instead, Rick gets more adventures with Summer, two Crows, Bird Person, and even Jerry! It’s an intentional choice obfuscated by the sci-fi hijinks but it culminates in a narrative tear only a season finale could finish!
The jokes in this season hit more often than they miss. Their entire Aquaman episode (Morty Dinner Rick Andre) is filled top to bottom with laughter as everyone asserts that Mr. Nimbus not only is a master of the sea but he also controls the police. An elaborate Thanksgiving special centered on impersonating turkeys to prevent the annual turkey pardoning spools itself out in ridiculous ways centering on Rick’s relationship to the president, a minor character in this world. Admittedly the episodes can go too far as the accidental incest baby would in episode four. The show takes the concept very seriously, though, and seems to understand it’s going to be a low-rated episode.
It’s hard for animated characters to grow. What makes them so perfect is they could go on forever. “Rick and Morty” has threaded the needle around Morty’s maturation by showing his jaded perception of his grandfather. This season doesn’t help the characters grow much overall but it certainly strikes a chord. My personal favorite episode comes as a romance tale. Morty’s broken heart gets taken very seriously, but that’s the joy of “Rick and Morty.” It knows when to care.
Guests this season didn’t take up as much stage presence as before. David Keith returns to the show voicing characters, new and old. The major guests this season turned out to be Allison Brie, Jim Gaffigan, Kyle Mooney, Christina Ricci, and popular voice actors Phil LaMarr, Nolan North, and Kari Wahlgren. They add up to some stellar background characters but rarely do they detract from the major episode’s narrative.
This season of “Rick and Morty” guarantees some classic fun adventures. Previous seasons saw the writing team gaze too deeply at its own navel. This season unfurls much more straightforward. Instead, it builds to something. “Rick and Morty” finally split. Evil Morty finally makes his move. There’s much to glean from this new season and I’d easily rank it over last season, but now that the loose threads are wrapped up I’m very curious to see where the show goes next. It’s a clean slate after this and Adult Swim paid for two more seasons.
Now available on Blu-ray and Digital HD
