Rick and Morty Season 5 Finale Review

This RICK AND MORTY review contains spoilers.

Rick and Morty Season five Finale

It's been a while, and then let's starting time recap the consistent problems with season five of Rick and Morty . Problem one is that characterization feels like it's either pushed aside in favor of crazy, silly sci-fi nonsense or lost in a muddle of convoluted sci-fi nonsense. Problem two is that episodes are then overloaded with plot and dialogue delivered at such breakneck speed that there'south either no fourth dimension for jokes or, packed in with everything else going on in these overstuffed episodes, they just don't land. The missing characterization issue isn't exclusive to season five, but the lack of laughs is; this has hands been the to the lowest degree-funny flavor yet.

Now, finally, afterward a month'due south expect, we get the 2-function season finale! Does it manage to avoid the issues that have haunted this season until now?

Non really! But some of information technology certainly looked absurd.

"Forgetting Sarick Mortshall"

Though they're both about testing the forcefulness of Rick and Morty's relationship and the first does directly lead into the next by virtue of… crows… these really are 2 separate episodes with two dissimilar focuses and tones. This first one is closer to a "normal" season 5 episode. Certain, it's got Rick pissing Morty off so much that he goes off on his own anti-Rick run a risk (with a dude fittingly named Nick), but, for the majority of the runtime, it'southward not handled like it's all that big of a deal.

Regardless, the inciting incident hither of Morty accidentally getting portal juice on his paw, thus creating a portal in his hand that connects to Nick's thigh is a really clever one. It'due south unfortunate that an odd side effect of a series with a premise that allows for infinite sci-fi possibilities is that many concepts, no matter how much creative effort is put backside them, experience like retreads that fall into a similar category (e.1000., the season premiere with its Narnia world that evolved at hyper-speed felt not entirely dissimilar from the sequence of Morty living an entire life in "The Vat of Acid Episode" which, in turn, felt not so dissimilar from that time he played Roy: A Life Well Lived). Even so, this portal in the hand thing feels totally new and fresh.

They get some good mileage out of information technology likewise, with some absurd action sequences (like Jackie Chan!) and inspired moments like Morty making a dude eat shit, literally, by transferring the contents of a chamber pot by way of the manus/thigh portal system or when Nick takes control of the automobile Morty'due south driving by sticking his hand through Morty's portal hand. It'due south also used smartly in the well-nigh effective dramatic moment in "Forgetting Sarick Mortshall" when Morty chooses to destroy his portal connection to Rick by placing his hand on a train track so that it's severed off, and then drops the mitt-portal into Nick's thigh-portal to impale him. It'due south all very clever, well-executed stuff, though, typing it out, it sure sounds weird.

How Morty comes to the decision to sever his paw and connection to Nick is less well-executed. It unfortunately brought to mind the episode with Planetina, possibly the worst of season five, equally in both episodes Morty realizes the person he'due south spending time with ain't so great because—shock horror—they're cool with killing innocent people! Aye, Morty has a moral cadre, and then it's not like it doesn't make some sense, merely it's just that, with the amount of people he and Rick murder out of petty anger or just past happenstance all the time, it feels like they need to sell his change of heart a trivial more than.

The other half of this episode is nearly Rick replacing Morty with ii crows, at first every bit a joke, but then he gradually comes to realize crows are actually cool and can teach him about empathy. The idea of information technology is that this "two crows" affair is engineered to exist a featherbrained, i-off inanity, but then the joke becomes so much more as the writers sincerely explore the concept. Notwithstanding, information technology never really successfully elevates itself higher up its initial inane premise. I still just found myself thinking "What is this crow bullshit? Why crows?"

It's also becoming a bit of a predictable Rick and Morty staple that characters that announced incidental at first actually have a whole club and way of life we become to learn all about (the face-huggers, the Narnia people, the Chuds). It's an obvious plot device to return to seeing equally this is a sci-fi series about visiting new universes and conflicting worlds all the time, so it would exist irrational to propose they finish doing it altogether, only did this particular plot actually need to go in that direction? The introduction of the crow society comes out of nowhere and it isn't convincing that Rick decides to follow a path of empathy with his 2 crows right after he but killed a whole bunch of other crows. Anyhow, the simply affair that makes the crow plot "interesting" is that the writers commit to it so difficult it carries into the next episode.

Season v way, "Forgetting Sarick Mortshall," is not funny. I chuckled at the very last moment in the tag when Garbage Goober said "Mmm, trash, I honey trash" and I smiled at Rick's (possibly improv'd) rant well-nigh watching sitcoms on your shoes, but that was about it. Nevertheless, at least there were the same clever moments and it got a tiny chip emotional when Morty told Rick "I miss you, man" and when Rick admitted their relationship was abusive.

"Rickmurai Jack"

Lore, lore, lore! How practise you similar it? Hopefully you like it lots because "Rickmurai Jack" is chock full of the stuff!

The Rick and Morty team, however, admittedly hate information technology! Well, they can't totally hate it, or they wouldn't have bothered to make this episode, just they definitely take an acrimonious relationship with continuity and canon. Dan Harmon has stated before that giving Rick a tragic backstory would ruin the character and Rick himself reaffirms that opinion in the episode. In fact, the writers can't aid themselves in breaking the fourth wall throughout to remind united states of america how much Rick hates catechism and how information technology'due south better to "keep it episodic."

It's understandable why they resent catechism. It'due south got to be much easier to write 1-off, funny sci-fi adventures than to sustain serialized plots told over multiple episodes. Unfortunately for them, way the hell back in flavor one Rick and Morty destroyed their universe, killed alternate universe versions of themselves, and took their places. The series kept this plot point intact, referencing it later on, and also gradually made Morty'southward grapheme more than jaded in response to this, as well equally the many other horrors he witnessed. In other words, they made this canon bed and now they take to have adventures in information technology (I know how this sounds and I'm fine with it).

Before information technology gets to all that serious canon, however, "Rickmurai Jack" has to award the continuity of the previous episode by tidying away the stupid crow plot. The continuity is certainly audio: the crows weren't funny in the final episode and they're not funny in this i either! There's an anime intro. There are villains whose names flash on the screen in big letters. In that location'southward an arch-villain named CrowScare who has sex with Rick'south crows. Yeah. Fine. At least this part is done away with relatively quickly.

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After this, the episode maintains the season five status quo by standing to be unfunny. I don't believe I laughed at this 1 at all, although I liked Evil Morty's line, "I lied. That 2d seat's a toilet." The lack of one-act is a chip more forgivable, nonetheless, every bit "Rickmurai Jack" isn't trying every bit hard to exist funny. This really is the loreiest lorepisode they've always done and so the focus is on backstory and continuity to do with Evil Morty'southward long-gestating plan.

Every bit one of the abrasive nerds constantly complaining that this show doesn't do enough character development anymore, I know I'thou supposed to be thankful for this episode (Rick angrily says equally much) and I am, somewhat. Information technology's cool to see Evil Morty over again and to hear his crawly theme music. Personally, I was never request for Rick backstory and I'm a chip surprised his origins more than or less are just the piece of cake respond of "dead wife" after all, simply certain, that's fine. More profound and fucked up is the origin of all the Mortys in the multiverse, engineered by Ricks to exist the perfect sidekick.

I just wish all this development hadn't been given to me, season five way, in such volume at such speed. The fact of the thing is I was straight-up confused almost what the hell was going on sometimes. I understood Evil Morty'south plan plenty to get that he'southward extricating himself from the bike of Ricks and Mortys (and maybe ending the bicycle forever?), but where did he fly to? Did he kill every Rick and Morty ever except our protagonists and whoever they escaped with or just anybody in the Citadel for some reason? Did he remove all portal fluid from the multiverse? I also lost the plot of Rick's backstory, not agreement why he was going around killing all these other Ricks until I watched information technology back and realized he was going after the Rick who had killed his wife and kid Beth; I however feel it could've been more conspicuously presented though. Also disruptive was the sequence in Rick uses some of his blood to create Big Male child(?) who… transfers ability to Rick when he'south attacked… or something?

Look, I know how this goes. I'm a stupid moron and the nerds in the comments volition exist more than ready to allow me know that everything that was confusing to me was, in fact, completely obvious, duh-doy, and here'south why and I should stop watching the serial, and so on, so forth. However, something I've ever marveled at (as I did simply two episodes ago) with Rick and Morty is, despite how crazy and layered its ambitious plotting gets, I never lose track of what's happening. And so, either my very high IQ is dropping points or this shit was kind of confusing.

Regardless, it's appreciated the creators of this testify finally gave in and threw a bunch of continuity and canon in my whining face. Information technology simply would've been nicer if it had been delivered in a clearer fashion that was easier to process and to feel something most. Like, every time Evil Morty has appeared in the series, he'southward been an intimidating and chilling presence. I did get chills when his theme vocal kicked in this time, simply that was more of a Pavlovian response earned from his previous appearances. Otherwise, I was just bewildered by all the information being chucked at me. However, if nothing else, it was certainly a cool-looking spectacle.

What's best well-nigh this episode is what information technology sets up for the next season. Who knows how long they'll stick with this, simply it's unsaid that Rick is out of portal juice, which makes him that much less god-like and which could perchance, finally, reintroduce some actual stakes into Rick and Morty instead of every episode being almost a sarcastic unstoppable murderous sci-fi family. I truly do wait forward to that.

The other best affair is Mr. Poopybutthole'south profound advice that we should be brave enough to love the people who love u.s. dorsum. Cheers for your wisdom, Mr. Poopybutthole.