Warning: This review contains spoilers for season six of Rick and Morty.
On Sept. 4, the first episode of the sixth season of Rick and Morty aired. Since then, an episode has been released on Adult Swim every Sunday at 10:00 pm. However, any fan of Rick and Morty knows that after half of a new season is released, there is a six-week hiatus until the second half of the season begins airing. Here is my take on what has been released of season six thus far.
Before we begin, I should present some background information. Rick and Morty was originally a youtube short created by Justin Roiland alone, called “Doc and Marty.” The purpose of Doc and Marty was interestingly enough, an elaborate scheme for Roiland to get himself sued, being that it was just a very vulgar take on the famous movie franchise Back to the Future. Roiland had been sued prior due to controversy over his youtube short series “House of Cosbys.” In other words, Roiland has simply always had big beef with the entertainment industry. However, “Doc and Marty” was a hit and got the attention of Dan Harmon, who later collaborated with Roiland to create Rick and Morty. That being said, there are many parodies of famous franchises such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and The Purge, and many more sprinkled throughout the seasons of Rick and Morty. They can get away with such because there is a legal loophole that states parody is not included in copyright laws. Along with parodies, there are a few consistencies throughout the seasons of Rick and Morty. Each season contains at least one citadel episode, which gives insight into the government created by “other Ricks,” and one interdimensional cable episode, which is essentially a series of short clips of not (yet) canon elements of the show. The rest are considered filler episodes.
I began watching the show just before the third season aired. This was when the writers, Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, had very little direction for the show. Since then, there have been many new developments to the show, mainly tying in citadel episodes but also re-incorporating small ideas from filler episodes. In the last episode of season five, evil Morty (from the citadel) destroys the citadel, killing all Ricks and Mortys that live there, and teleports himself into a series of realities that don’t have a Rick in them. This leaves the Rick and Morty we know stranded on a base in space. This is where season six picks up.
In my personal opinion, I feel that Roiland and Harmon put their blood and sweat into this season so far. After nearly two full seasons of mostly filler episodes, season six has tied together many loose ends, while still giving the show plenty of room to continue the story.
Episode 1: Solaricks
In this episode, everyone is teleported back to their original reality and have to make their way back to the current family they are in. This episode is absolutely incredible and my favorite season premiere by far. Morty being sent back to Cronenberg World was incredibly nostalgic and added depth to the idea that he had abandoned his family. However, I am more appreciative of Jerry and Rick’s story arcs in this episode. Finding out that Jerry had been switched at the “Jerry daycare” was a really well thought out twist, being that the idea of the switch went unspoken since season two. Rick, going back to his reality, turned an entire theory into a canon idea for the show. The confirmation that he took another Rick’s place to be with his daughter adds to the show while also making it more difficult to follow. But hey, Rick and Morty wouldn’t be so creative if not for the inherently confusing plot.
Episode 2: Rick: A Mort Well Lived
This episode takes place in Blips and Chitz, an arcade where Morty is trapped in a video game called “Roy.” Summer is tasked with fending off an alien cartel while Rick saves Morty. Personally, I think that the “Roy” plot-line is a well thought-out commentary on spirituality. The repetition of the phrase “This is not a religion,” spoken by Rick while explaining that everyone must get on board with his ideas, speaks for itself. I didn’t find Summer’s plot-line to be as interesting, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was a tool to direct more attention to what’s going on in “Roy.” This is one of my favorite episodes in the entire show so far, and I feel that a lot of concepts within it are open for interpretation.
Episode 3: Bethic Twinstinct
This episode’s plot is solely focused on the sexual tension between Beth and her clone, Space Beth. While this episode seems to only be for the shock factor, it also alludes to the idea of growing up. Summer is the first to notice the affair and begins fixating on video games to distract herself. Morty questions Summer’s fixation but soon also discovers the affair and joins his sister. I think that growing up and noticing imperfections within one’s life is natural, and this episode captures that. As a whole, the episode is hard to watch but even harder to stop watching.
Episode 4: Night Family
In episode four, Rick brings an invention to the family that allows them to program their bodies to do chores at night. However, everything takes a dark turn when the “night people” become self-aware. Though Rick and Morty has no trouble incorporating plot-developing shock factors, this is the first episode that has made me genuinely uncomfortable. The lifelessness of the night people is something out of nightmares. Although, this episode was incredibly well-written and contributes to many character arcs. Most importantly, Summer’s night person being in control gives her a major vantage point which her character rarely sees. On the lighter side, Jerry’s gentle nature really saves the day since he was able to build a relationship with his night person. I would recommend this episode for both the creepiness and Rick’s dialogue throughout.
Episode 5: Final DeSmithation
As if Beth having sex with herself wasn’t enough, in this episode, Jerry is faced with a fortune in his cookie that states he must have sex with his mother. Upon finding out the fortune is in fact “fate,” Jerry and Rick go to the cookie headquarters to stop the deed from happening. While this episode is interesting and introduces zany characters along the way, it is inherently unsettling. It also raises many questions about space and time as the perpetrator of the fortunes is an alien that can create fate through a tear in space time. Overall, the episode has less to offer than the others, but is still shocking for a filler.
Episode 6: JuRicksic Mort
In this episode, the dinosaurs return to Earth and explain that they were not killed but left the planet to help sentient beings evolve. However, Rick’s ego gets in the way, and he sets out to ruin their reputation. Instead, he finds that wherever the dinosaurs are, a meteor follows in order to cancel out the good energy of the dinosaurs. There are a few comments throughout the episode that pertain to how humans treat planet Earth. The dinosaurs genuinely have good input despite their results being less than ideal. Once again, this episode is clearly a filler and displays more about Rick’s stubbornness than anything else. However, there are a few funny and insightful moments that make it worth the watch.
Overall, these six episodes have been extremely successful and put the show right on track. I have yet to notice the trends of a citadel or interdimensional cable episode in the season this far, but I think the second half will put everything into perspective. I have high hopes for the rest of season six. I have a theory that season five was intentionally made to be on the less entertaining side so that Roiland and Harmon would come back with a bang. Hopefully, the rest of season six will have many more answers for us Rick and Morty fans. If not, we’ll probably keep watching anyway.