“Rick and Morty” Season 4 Part 2 just finished airing, and it’s safe to say that the show hasn’t lost a beat. With the recent premier of “Solar Opposites,” a very similar show by one of “Rick and Morty”‘s co-creators, it’s a great time to be a “Rick and Morty” fan.
With so much to unpack, I figured I’d do an episode-by-episode breakdown. Light spoilers ahead.
Season 4, Episode 6 “Never Ricking Morty”
This episode doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but it is creative. It centers around a science fiction train that has the power to tell anthology stories about series protagonists Rick and his grandson, Morty (both voiced by Justin Roiland). It’s a very condensed episode that definitely benefits from a second viewing, but while its premise is creative, I feel like the showrunners didn’t get the most out of its concept. Still, I suppose I prefer a show that saves its best for last than showcasing its best first, and the episode is good for what it it’s there for; to ease you back into “Rick and Morty.”
Score: 7/10
Season 4, Episode 7 “Promortyus”
This episode is essentially “Rick and Morty”‘s take on the facehuggers from the “Alien” film series whose whole purpose is to lay eggs in their victims and die, whose victims also later die when said eggs hatch. It’s a pretty meaningless existence, that is until Morty’s sister, Summer (Spencer Grammer) convinces them that they could simply choose to not lay eggs and die, and she becomes their Queen.
This episode deals with the dubious morality of the face-huggers’ existence (the face huggers who take over Rick and Morty’s bodies, for instance, are lovers), and it very cleverly explores its concept. It’s one of the better episodes of this season.
Score: 8/10
Season 4, Episode 8 “The Vat of Acid Episode”
This is the best episode of the season. It’s concept is essentially from the Adam Sandler film “Click,” albeit stripped down, in which Rick creates a remote control for Morty that allows him to save his place in time and travel back to that point, essentially allowing him to go back in time and redo his past mistakes.
Morty abuses it in ways you’d expect any teenager to, but the episode takes you by surprise as, by chance, he falls in love with a girl and they have a great relationship, that is only strengthened when they go through a horrific plane accident that they both survive. Throughout it, Morty’s last save point was before he met her. The cruel punchline of the episode is that his father, Jerry (Chris Parnell), mistakes Morty’s remote for the TV remote, and ends up undoing his entire relationship with the unnamed girl. Not a single line of dialogue is spoken during his relationship, but it doesn’t need any. Morty finds happiness, only for it to be taken away by Rick’s sci-fi bulls***, and it’s tragic.
There is also some dubious morality as to how the remote works. but the show is stolen entirely by Morty’s romantic subplot.
Score: 9/10
Season 4, Episode 9 “Childrick of Mort”
It’s a camping episode! Sort of. The family is about to go camping, but Rick gets a call from Gaia, a planet he was romantically involved with, that she is about to have his kids. Rick wants to ghost her, but his daughter, Beth (Sarah Chalke), makes him turn their car around to help Gaia. Together, Rick and Beth help his children, which are hundreds of clay people that look vaguely similar to Rick, and help them create a civilization.
Along the way, Jerry becomes Moses, and Zeus (Rob Schrab) comes by to mess things up.
This is a pretty standard episode, and it helps set up the season finale, which is very Beth-centric.
Score: 7/10
Season 4, Episode 10 “Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri”
This is an episode where the show’s chickens have come home to roost, as it centers around “The New and Improved Galactic Federation” (sponsored by Wrangler) hunting down Rick, after it is revealed that he made a badass clone of Beth. He is hunted down by his ex-best friend Birdperson (Dan Harmon) and his girlfriend, Tamie (Cassie Steele).
It concludes in Rick actually having to face the consequences of his actions, and it explores his nihilism and existentialism a bit more. Earlier in this season, we learn that Rick is basically impervious to death, and can do whatever he wants with no consequences. We get to understand more as to why Rick, likes Mr. Meeseeks, finds that “existence is pain”; he might have all the knowledge in the universe and can wrangle with literal god, but at the end of the day, he’s a horrible father, grandfather and friend.
Score: 8.5/10
Season 4 Part 2 rounds out Season 4, and while Part 2 is much better than Part 1, it’s not by any means my favorite season of the show. Still, it proves that “Rick and Morty” still has a lot to say, and that’s all it needed to do. I’m cautiously optimistic for Season 5, knowing full well that it’s slowly reaching the point where there will be nothing left for it to say.
“Rick and Morty” Season 4 Part 2 gets an 8.5/10
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