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Rick and Morty S9 Ep 3 Review

I’ve never been that into martial art movies, but I do appreciate the culture behind them and their impact on pop culture. Given that, I suppose that it was inevitable that they would be a target for parody from Rick and Morty at some point. And I have to admit, I think that this was a pretty funny parody of kung fu movies. Mostly because it’s just like the show to deconstruct the mystique using science, and for the trouble to start because of two stubborn old men.

Man, I need to make sure I don’t end up like Rick if I make it to his age.

Boob World foiled again

So, Rick is finally going to take Morty to Boob World like how he’s been wanting to since season four, so they stop at Trader Joe’s to get some snacks for the trip. But then Rick’s ship apparently bumps into the car being driven by this old an who looks like a martial arts master from those old kung fu movies. And when Rick refuses to apologize or cooperate, he gets hit with a death punch! If he takes five more steps, then his heart will explode unless he apologizes!

Of course, this is Rick we’re talking about. So rather than apologize or die, he looks for an out, first by walking backwards to avoid the curse, and then by using science to undo it. And when Morty tries to mediate an apology, the kung fu man, Lin Siu, gives him the death punch!

Really, should we expect anything less of Rick at this point? In the first season, he met the Devil running a thrift store, and proceeded to remove the negative effects of cursed items he sold. When his vat of acid plan failed and Morty called him out on it, he manipulated Morty into a situation where it had to work. Rick refuses to admit when he’s wrong no matter what! But if he did, there wouldn’t be much of a show, would there?

In any case, it turns out that the kung fu man, Lin Siu, is no better. He hit Rick’s ship on purpose to force them into conflict because that was the only way he can interact with people. But it was all worth it, though, getting to see the three parody old-school martial arts movies, complete with the hokey names and everything! And then it gets crazier when the god of punching shows up and angrily tries to kill them or teach them a lesson or something. I don’t know. At that point, I was just thinking how this was like something about of a shonen battle anime. They make up in the end and it’s all good.

The Day Jerry Committed Cringe

The b-plot of the episode, though, might have been even funnier thanks to how cringe it was. The new pool that Jerry got for the family needs cleaning, and he refuses to hire the cleaning guy Beth wants because he makes him insecure about his masculinity. In a nice parallel to Rick, he instead upgrades their pool bot to do the job better. Then it become self-aware, attracted to Jerry, and they somehow have s**. And then the robot tries to kill the pool guy for being a homewrecker.

Honestly, it’s both sad and hilarious to be reminded of how pathetic Jerry can be at times. But it’s those moments that make us appreciate it when he actually steps up. And he somehow does that again by tricking the yandere robot, I think. I don’t know; the whole thing was pretty cringe on my part! But at least he got the pool clean in the end, and everyone got to enjoy a pool party!

As someone whose family once had a pool in our backyard, I can appreciate the sight of a pool party.

This was a fun little episode, as far as I’m concerned. No major lore, no depressing ending. Just fun. I doubt I’ll remember it that well, but that’s fine by me. I was just happy to see the homage to old fashioned kung fu movies, bad attack names and everything.

I Give Rick Fu Hustle a 4/5

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Rick and Morty S9 Ep 1 Review

I wasn’t planning on reviewing Rick and Morty this season, but after seeing the season premiere, I’ve had to rethink that. It gave us back one of the best characters in the show, someone who has been able to run rings around everyone, Evil Morty. The only problem is that the way it portrays Evil Morty seems to contradict everything that we know about the character. Or maybe the writers just decided that Evil Morty is not above it all like he made himself out to be.

Evil Morty is Back? But Why?

In the season premiere, Morty discovers that not only is Rick in regular contact with Evil Morty, but he’s been going on off-screen escapades with him. The reason being that Evil Morty has been using the Omega Device as a sword of Damocles hanging over our Rick’s head, extorting him to help him with stuff. They’ve been fighting off threats to their neck of the multiverse, and our Morty is not happy about it. Neither am I, really!

Even as I was watching this episode, one of my initial thoughts was, “this feels like character regression.” The whole point behind Evil Morty is that he’s the Morty who wants Rick out of his life. It’s why he orchestrated the fall of the Citadel. The only reason he helped Rick kill Rick Prime was to keep him from messing with his new life, with the Omega Device serving as his nuclear deterrent. Yet this episode reveals that not only is Evil Morty regularly forcing Rick to help him out, but he spends a good part of the episode acting like he wants to make our Morty feel jealous.

Maybe the show writers decided to change up this aspect of Evil Morty’s character so that they could keep him on as an antagonist. Or they were trying to show that despite what he says, Evil Morty can never fully get rid of his connection to Rick. Either way, though, I dont like how it feels like a 180 without any hints or build-up. The only thing that I did like about it was that we got to see just how competent the pair are working together as we get this big, sakuga-level fight against this multiversal threat. And the only reason that works is because the situation they’re in demands that they be competent, or else they will not survive. It’s cool in a vacuum, but if every adventure were like this, it would get boring.

Evil Morty finally Slipped up With Rick

In the end, though, it still feels like this was character regression on Evil Morty’s part. He talks all about how he wants to be the Morty that doesn’t need a Rick. But if you ask me, this episode said otherwise. It portrays Evil Morty less as someone who wants to get away from Rick, and more like someone who subconsciously wants Rick in his life, but on his terms and as an equal rather than a sidekick. Ironically, he ends up falling victim to the very ego that allowed him to one-up the Ricks.

When he carelessly lets Rick go off on his own, claiming he has to use the bathroom, Rick uses that to destroy the Omega device by destroying its very blueprints. And since the weapon erases all trace and memory of it from the multiverse, its gone for good!

Ultimately, Evil Morty’s subsequent assault on the Smith family’s bunker world is little more than icing on the cake for fans. It’s a chance to show what would happen if Rick and Evil Morty actually fought, and to its credit, it is pretty cool. Unfortunately for Evil Morty, Rick had won before firing the first shot. He tricked him into making a device messing with time, and thus, leading him to get busted by the Time Police. The last we see of him, he’s getting hauled off to Time Prison!

This isn’t the Last We’ve Seen of him

Now, some people think that this might be the last that we see of Evil Morty, and they might be right. Getting locked in prison for literal eternity is a good way to write a character out of the story. However, I disagree with this. Evil Morty is still the most dangerous Morty on the show, and his now-established ego won’t let this slide. I think that he’s going to eventually bust out of prison, utterly pissed, and he’s going to want revenge.

Regardless of whether this is the last we see of him or not, though, the myth has been broken. Evil Morty was seen as the ultimate enemy for Rick and Morty who could run rings around them. But that aura of an invincible villain has been shattered. Whether this is for good or for ill, I don’t know. But much like the character, I’m now compelled to keep following this show. Happy 9th season, you guys.

I Give “There’s Something about Morty” a 3/5

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Hazbin Hotel S2 Eps 7-8 Review

These days, I tend to sleep until about an hour before leaving for work, but I made sure to get up extra early to see the season finale of Hazbin Hotel. And holy Toledo, you guys, what a finale! This entire season has seen Charlie get put through the ringer by Vox, with the maniacal Overlord poised to get everything he wants. He’s painted Charlie as a liar, captured Alastor, and is on the verge of starting a war with Heaven. Yet like a lot of villains, Vox can’t help but drop the ball at the very last second as our protagonists in both realms come together to stop his madness. What follows is a finale that is rife with emotion, action, and some incredible toe-tappers as we see Charlie prove to all of Hell that she was always right.

And that Vox was wrong.

Vox is One Insecure Guy

“Weapon of Mass Distraction” really hammers home just how close Vox is to getting his war with Heaven. Almost everyone in Hell is backing him, he’s using a brainwashed Angel Dust to endorse his cause, and he proudly shows off the superweapon built for him by Carmilla. The weapon, which he pointedly names “The Might of Lillith” is a massive cannon that is capable of obliterating the barrier around Heaven in one shot. My jaw fell when I saw the pearly gates come crashing down to Hell, showing how terrifying that thing is. What makes it even worse is that it’s powered by an unwilling Lucifer, whom Vox lured into a trap and captured. I repeat, Vox managed to capture the Devil himself. Even ignoring the fact that Lucifer can’t harm Sinners, that’s still an impressive feat. Most people would be satisfied with that achievement alone and call it a day. But Vox isn’t most people, and that is his biggest flaw.

As we see in the song “Brighter” Vox’s fatal flaw is his envy. No matter how much power he gains for himself, he’ll always want more. In life, that led him to murder his way into controlling a TV studio while people started calling him a god. Thankfully, his reign got cut short, but Hell has enabled him to do the same thing on an even grander scale. He’s even closer to godhood than ever, but as Alastor points out, his cup will never fill. So long as there’s someone out there he fears is better than him, he’ll never be satisfied. Thus, despite backing Charlie into a corner, he can’t resist the idea of inviting her to his victory party. He wants to make Charlie admit defeat, but since she knows that she’s right, all this does is give her the opening she needs to turn things around.

Well, her, the Hotel staff, and Emily.

Redemption of Angels

One great aspect of this season of Hazbin Hotel that I haven’t touched upon has got to be the development of Seraphim. Despite being one of the highest-ranking Angels and the de facto leader of Heaven, Sera is, at her core, a flawed individual. She’s wracked with guilt from realizing the Exterminations were unnecessary, and she fears Hell’s justifiable calls for blood. Despite knowing she was in the wrong, though, she couldn’t let go of her prejudice against Sinners, unable to see them as redeemable. Which, of course, played into Vox’s hands, leading to the crisis of war. It isn’t until Sir Pentious is able to reach out to her that she’s finally able to see her actions for what they were: fear.

I doubt that Sera has ever had to truly experience fear before, given how she’s one of the most powerful beings in creation. Nor would she admit it, as that would be tantamount to admitting her own imperfections, which goes against the idea of Angels being perfect. It’s only when Sir Pentious offers his perspective on how mortals are naturally afraid of death and many other things that she finally gets it. Fear and mistakes are an inherent part of life, no matter how powerful someone might be, and not even Angels are immune to this. If anything, the main problem with Heaven is that because they believed they were perfect, they didn’t need to change their ways, leading to people like Adam and Lute.

Heaven and Hell Finally Working Together

In the end, Sera gives Emily the go-ahead to do what they should have done in the first place and help Charlie stop this war. Which also means that they have to do what they should’ve done from the start: show Hell that Sir Pentious is alive and in Heaven.

Seriously, if they had done that from the start, I’m betting most of the conflict of the season could’ve been avoided. Regardless, this brings us into the season finale, the appropriately named “Curtain Call.”

Operation: Charlie was Right

With Vox hours away from starting his war with Heaven, Charlie and her friends have one last chance to prove her ideals to be right. While Charlie and Vaggie attend Vox’s party, the others split up. Husk and Cherri go to rescue Angel, who Vox has brainwashed into publicly supporting him. Meanwhile, Niffty and Baxter go to hack his tech so they can connect to Heaven, where Sir Pentious is working to broadcast a message proving he’s alive. Unfortunately, no plan survives first contact with the enemy. In this case, Velvette and Valentino catch onto their plans and intervene.

From this moment on, the rest of the finale is filled with one of two things: a great song number and balls-to-the-wall action that ups the ante from the first season. In addition to all that, I got the satisfaction of knowing that I was 100% right about what Alastor had planned!

I Was Right about Alastor’s Plan

You cannot imagine just how smug I was feeling seeing this play out! I felt so proud of myself for figuring out Alastor’s master plan. By making it so that Vox was the most powerful Sinner in Hell, he found a loophole in his deal with Rosie. Even better, Charlie no longer owes him that favor, so she’s free! Alastor earned this win, even if it didn’t lead to him beating Vox.

And the way the other Vees turned on Vox after he crashed out! I think we all expected them to turn on Vox before the season was over, but I didn’t expect it to happen in the most dramatic way possible. Valentino may be a scumbag, but even he was smart enough to know dying for Vox’s hate**** for Alastor wasn’t worth it! Everyone has standards!

But the real highlight of the final episode is the big show-stopper, “Hear my Hope.” It’s not just an incredible song. It’s a representation of everything Charlie wants from her dream: for Heaven and Hell to work together in peace and be better. Not to mention how awesome it was to see Abel man up and put Lute in her place. She may be a problem in the future, but at least now Abel can help keep her in check. He’s already better than his dad ever was.

And in the end, Charlie proves to everyone that she was right. Sir Pentious shows everyone that he’s alive and in Heaven. As for Vox, he’s lost everything and now has to take orders from Valentino, who’s now the leader of the Vees. A happy ending for all…almost.

Angel Dust Leaves the Hotel, and…Lilith?!?

I cannot lie, I was honestly shocked when Angel Dust chose to leave the Hotel. He had done so much to improve himself, but having his secrets be exposed and learning he was brainwashed did a number on him. Now, he thinks he’s not even deserving of redemption. The mere act of regretting that only proves that he is worthy, but he needs to figure that out on his own. Until then, Valentino better not harm him!

Despite this one hiccup, though, the season ends on a hopeful note. People start coming back to the Hazbin Hotel, and for the right reasons this time. Vaggie, or rather, Vaggi, steps up as the leader of the Hotel while Charlie focuses on helping the Sinners. It’s a very hopeful ending. Then we get that surprise phone call from Lilith to end the season. Way to tease us, Vivzie.

And with that, another season of Hazbin Hotel is in the books. I have no ide when the next season comes out, but going forward, we can expect the Hellaverse to grow even bigger. Thanks to Helluva Boss now running on Amazon Prime and YouTube, the shows can finally crossover when needed! We’re gonna be eating well for a good while!

I Give “Weapon of Mass Distraction” and “Curtain Call” a 4/5 and 5/5 Each

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Habzin Hotel S2 Eps 5-6 Review

This whole season of Hazbin Hotel has been nothing but one long conga line of humiliation. Vox and the Vees have been dragging Charlie’s reputation through the mud at every turn. Alastor let himself be captured and humiliated by them. And no matter what anyone tries to say, Vox just manages to spin it against them. Now Hell is about to march to war with Heaven. Is there really nothing that Charlie and the Hotel can do to stop Vox and Lute from getting the war they want? Because it looks like Vivzie really wants to give us that war!

Hell has Gone to…Well, Hell!

So, after Alastor allowed himself to be taken prisoner by Vox, Hell has been turned upside down. Vox has been using all that new clout to rally most of the Overlords into joining his “war on Heaven” plan. He even guilt-tripped Carmilla into making him weapons that can kill Angels by playing on her fear for her daughters! Vox is king of Hell in all but name. And the entire time this has been going on, Charlie has been spiraling more and more trying to prove that her ideas can work. It’s gotten to the point where she’s started to neglect her own well-being, yet her tunnel vision is so intense that she can’t even realize that. What makes it even harder, though, is the fact that Vaggie has to watch all this and grow frustrated at being unable to get her girlfriend to listen to her. I’ve never spiraled over things the way that Charlie has, but I have a feeling that this conflict hits especially hard for people who’ve seen loved ones do this. And what she ends up doing only makes things worse: she asks Lucifer for help.

Lucifer Done Messed Up

I have to admit, I was curious as to why Lucifer, the Devil and King of Hell, hadn’t done anything about Vox before. Normally, this kind of power-play would be grounds for a smiting. It seems Vivzie and her team thought ahead and closed that plot hole. As it turns out, part of Lucifer’s punishment of being in Hell is that he can’t actually do anything against Sinners. He just has to watch them as they be their worst selves. He’s king in title, but in practice, he’s all but emasculated. And when Lucifer does try to intimidate Vox as a massive rally, Vox turns the tables on him by calling his bluff in front of everyone!! Which is especially frustrating when you consider how cool the man’s song up to that point was. Hazbin Hotel has some absolute bangers to it!

And then, things continue to get worse where Sera finally decides to do what she should have done and try to apologize. Unfortunately, Emily and Abel’s well-meaning, but misguided, idea of giving everyone gift baskets backfires on them. Vox spins this against them, Sera falls for his tricks, and just like that, Hell declares war on Heaven!

Vox Ruins Everything

We are then forced to watch as everything begins to fall apart for Charlie and the Hotel. Husk briefly quits the Hotel so that he can sink back into his vices. Charlie throws her dad out of the Hotel. And worst of all, Vaggie and Charlie’s relationship undergoes some serious strain. Oh, and most of the Hotel residents leave.

Somehow, this feels like we’re in a repeat of what happened in Ep. 6 of the first season, with everyone hitting rock bottom. The main difference is that Hell is now being the aggressor to Heaven. And they’re not wrong to be angry. What Heaven did to them was morally wrong and unnecessary. Had they thought to better understand how rhe rules worked a lot sooner, none of this would be happening. But their arrogance blinded them to the idea, and now they’re paying the price. But that doesn’t make what Hell’s doing right either. They’re throwing away the moral high ground instead of using it to their full advantage to better themselves. And Vox is only doing this for himself, making him as bad as Adam.

How Long Was this Happening with Angel?!?!

None of that beats what might be the biggest reveal of the season, though. At the end of the episode, it’s revealed that Vox has been hypnotizing Angel Dust into acting as an unwitting sleeper agent! This was something that I did not see coming in the slightest!, and it caught me genuinely off guard. How long has this been going on?!?

Yet, despite how bad things are, Vivzie manages to give us a glimmer of hope. Two, in fact. Firstly, Charlie and Vaggie make up in another song and dance number.

The second and most important glimmer of hope, though, stems from Alastor himself.

Alastor is Messing With the Vees

There’s an episode from the 2000s Justice League series where Lex Luthor and a bunch of villains capture Batman. Despite Joker saying they should kill him while they have the chance, Luthor refuses. That proves to be a massive mistake, though, as Batman uses it to sew discord in the group and get them at each other’s throats before escaping. I don’t know if someone on Vivzie’s team saw that episode or not, but Alastor’s pulling the same scheme in captivity.

Across these two episodes, we see Alastor begin to sew seeds of doubt amongst the Vees, making Vox treat Valentino and Velvette as underlings than equals. All he’s doing is stoking resentment that was already there, but it’s starting to work. Velvette and Valentino are starting to grow sick of Vox getting his way. My best guess is that in the next two episodes, things will come to a boil as the Vees turn on each other, causing this war to fall apart before things get too out of hand. As for why Alastor’s doing this, I think it’s so Vox will become the strongest Sinner long enough to break his deal with Rosie. I don’t know how this will end for Alastor, but I’m eager to find out!

I feel like Vivziepop’s team has really outdone themselves with how hopeless they’ve made Charlie’s situation this season. I have no idea how the Hotel can get out of this mess without losing people in the process. Hopefully, the show can pull a convincing ex machina out of its bag, because it feels like the season could end on a downer!

I Give “Silenced” and “Scream Rain” a 4/5 Each

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Solar Opposites Final Season Review

It was a fun ride while it lasted, but after five years, six seasons, and four specials, Solar Opposites has come to an end. It’s a bittersweet feeling knowing that one of Hulu’s best original animated series is over, but there comes a time when things have to come to an end. Given everything that it was up against, though, it’s kind of amazing that it’s lasted as long as it has. It started out being overshadowed by Co-creator Justin Roiland’s more famous show, Rick and Morty. Then, it was marred by the controversy brought about by the allegations against Roiland himself. Either one could’ve ensured Solar Opposites suffered a premature end, but I weathered both of them. Now, it’s got its own dedicated fanbase and identity and all the better for it. But did this final season manage to land on its feet?

Honestly, yes.

The Solar Opposites Took a Lot of Attention

In the past, I have normally spent the better part of my reviews focusing on the secondary plots, AKA The Wall and the Silvercops. However, a big part of this final season is also one that surprised me the most: the episodic plots felt better than the serialized stuff this time around.

Don’t get me wrong, I have always enjoyed seeing whatever it is the Solar Opposites are doing each episode. With the lion’s share of the serialized elements reserved for things like The Wall, though, most of the things the Solar Opposites do tend to be one-off. Story elements do carry over from past episodes, but everything still feels self-contained. Since this is the final season, though, it feels like the showrunners wanted to give everyone as satisfying a conclusion as possible. They requires character growth, and that requires more serialized storytelling. And the season starts off on a very strong note, with the first episode seeing most of the machines the Solar Opposites use to make money getting destroyed.

The Solar Opposites Grow as a Family

Without the ability to make diamonds and other forms of cash, the Solar Opposites are forced to buckle down and start making changes to their lifestyles. They have to sell most of their tech just to get by, meaning they can’t bail themselves out as much anymore, and have to adapt to Earth more than ever. This isn’t the first time that they’ve had to do so, but what makes this different from the Season Three finale is that this time, they really can’t fall back on their sci-fi tech. Ironically, by pushing themselves outside their safety net, the Solar Opposites are able to thrive like never before. Yumulack and Jesse have to start applying themselves at school, and they discover that they’re geniuses. So much so that they’re able to become the best students at school and co-student council presidents. Terry, after a stint loving romantasy novels (and meeting the fairies who write them), he starts writing his own, and they do so well, they become best-sellers! He even manages to get them made into blockbuster films by the end of the series!

Yet all of that pales in comparison to the character growth showcased by Korvo, and it starts with the return of their old CO, Commander Zarck.

Korvo Has Come into his Own

For those who don’t know, Zarck was the one originally supposed to be in charge of the mission, but to prove to everyone how badly they needed him, he used a machine to erase their memories of him. By the time they remember him and he returns at the start of the season, they’ve all but gone native. Yet Zarck’s return forces Korvo to step and prove once and for all that he’s the better team leader while Zarck doesn’t play much of a role afterwards. It shows just how much Korvo has come into his own as a leader and a character. Yet even that is overshadowed by what is the culmination of Korvo’s entire arc throughout the show. When the Pupa starts to prematurely terraform the Earth, Korvo makes the decision to destroy its means of doing so, making it so that they can never fulfill their mission. The Korvo of Season One wouldn’t have hesitated to let the process go through, but he’s grown to love Earth just as much as his adoptive family has. That’s some good character development.

It also turns out that Korvo made the right decision, not just for Earth, but for all Shlorpians everywhere.

What a Twist with the Silvercops!

Throughout the final season, one sub-plot that remains largely on the sidelines is that of Glen and the Silvercops. Last season, Glen joined the Goldcops to go undercover in the Silvercops to bring them down. This leads into the series finale where Glen (now called Dodge) returns to Earth with the Silvercops where we get the biggest twist in the entire series: the Silvercops created the Shlorpians!

For centuries, the Silvercops had been manufacturing Pupas and using them to create Planet Shlorps that they could then destroy. While the Shlorpians would go out and terraform other worlds, they would harvest the resources for money. It’s an intergalactic scam that’s killed countless people and made the Shlorpians the most hated beings in the galaxy!

This was a really good twist. Not only did it reveal that the Solar Opposites did the right thing by defying their mission, but it reframes everything that happens throughout the series. And in the end, Dodge and Goldcops are able to shut the Silvercops down for good, thereby freeing Shlorpians everywhere and the Solar Opposites to be a family. Even better, Korvo gets to travel the galaxy and tell other Shlorpians they can forget the mission and chill. It’s a happy ending for everyone!

At least until the Earth gets destroyed by the Wallians 90 years in the future.

The Wall Stumbled at the End there

From day one, I’ve kept saying that my favorite part of Solar Opposites has been the story of The Wall. For many fans, it was their favorite part of the series. The show took this silly idea of a bunch of shrunken down people living in a terrarium and turned it into this epic that spanned the entire show. At it’s best, The Wall felt like watching Game of Thrones at the peak of its writing. Ironically, though, I can’t help but feel that, much like Game of Thrones, The Wall stumbled on the last lap.

After the events in The Backyard from last season, Cherie decided to stop running from power and just take the reins of The Wall as its Queen. The implication was that Cherie was going to turn into the same kind of tyrant that she spent the entire show fighting against, but much to my surprise, that never really manifests. Especially since two big developments take place: Ringo, AKA the Duke, comes back, having been returned from the dead by the Solar Opposites, and the Wallians unite for the sole purpose of getting the shrink ray from Yumulack. But despite this interesting premise and getting to see Ringo come to terms with his past, none of the new characters from last season return or have any impact on what happens. Having grown to appreciate these newcomers for what they added, it feels a little jarring not to have them in this grand finale.

Cherie Continues to Make Mistakes

I will say this about the end to The Wall story, though: it’s final act shows us how much Cherie has grown as a character throughout the show, and not for the better. During their mission to get the shrink ray, in a moment of vulnerability, Cherie admits that she no longer cares about the other Wallians. All she cares about is protecting Pezlie. This leads to the saddest twist of the entire story; after blackmailing Yumyulack into restoring everyone to normal size, it’s revealed that doing so would end up killing Pezlie. Thus, her team decides to stay small and not tell anyone the truth while forcing Yumulack to make The Wall a better place.

Cherie. Good Intentions, but Doesn’t Think Things Through

This is some pretty good character development on the part of the show. After spending most of her story fighting against tyrants and deception, Cherie winds up becoming that what she fought against. She chooses to lie to everyone about being able to return to normal so that Pezlie won’t be alone in the world. It’s a selfish decision, and one that the distant epilogue shows will ultimately end in most of the world being destroyed. Yet at the same time, you can’t help but understand where Cherie is coming from. She’s just trying to be a good mom to her daughter and give her the best life she can have.

As is the case in real life, things like this can lead people to make selfish decisions that benefit no one but themselves. Yet this isn’t something that’s coming out of nowhere, either. It was shown back in Season Four that Cherie was willing to bend her ideals if it meant protecting her daughter, even if that could lead to other people getting hurt. And, as we come to see, it winds up destroying everything in the future. I don’t know about you guys, but knowing that the world winds up getting destroyed kind of makes the happy ending of the finale feel pointless. Not only do I not like downer endings, but I don’t like happy-ending overrides. In other words, Solar Opposites hit two of my pet peeves.

I’ll Miss You, Solar Opposites!

Despite all of this, though, I still think that Solar Opposites managed to end things on a high note. I think that the series was fun from start to finish, and I’ve already started rewatching some of the older episodes. It’s just that good! More importantly, though, this is the show that introduced me to the work of Mike McMahan, who helped to create my favorite Star Trek series, Lower Decks. I never would’ve gotten into that show had it not been for Solar Opposites! So for a show that started out in the shadow of Rick and Morty, I’d say that Solar Opposites has created something all its own. Not bad for a bunch of weird plant aliens.

I Give the Final Season of Solar Opposites a 4/5

Rick and Morty S8 Ep 10 Review

When it comes to Rick and Morty, it can be hard to predict how an episode will turn out. The previews are often made to be vague or misleading to keep audiences unsure how things will go (or at least me.) For the season eight finale of Rick and Morty, though, not only was I able to figure out what was going on pretty quickly, but it also led to another emotional moment for the series. In this case, Rick manages to find some sort of closure about the loss of his beloved wife, Diane.

Memory Rick is Back!

If the preview for the finale didn’t make it obvious, someone has been monkeying with Jerry’s memories, and it doesn’t take long for anyone to figure out who it is. The culprit is none other than Memory Rick, the sentient memory of Rick Sanchez created from Birdperson’s memories. He hitched a ride into Rick’s mind, but wound up in Jerry’s when they got scrambled together. Since then, he’s been re-writing Jerry’s memories in an effort to live the family life that Rick never got…until Rick pulls him out and traps him in a mind prison as punishment. Memory or not, though, Rick is still Rick, and Memory Rick is determined to get out.

Meanwhile, our Rick is inspired by the incident to become more emotionally open, and the only way to do that is let go of the memory of his late wife, Diane. So he literally extracts the memory and puts it into another mind prison, allowing him to open up to others. That leads to its own difficulties, though, as he winds up fighting a bug prince in a gladiator fight.

What matters more, though, is how even after avenging his wife and original Beth and trying to move on, Rick is still unable to let go of Diane. What makes it even darker, though, is how Rick reveals that he can’t even fully recall what Diane was like anymore. Not because it’s been so long, but because the device Rick Prime used to erase all Dianes messed with his memories of her. Rick is loving a shadow at this point, and he can’t even let go of that.

Rick’s Biggest Flaw: He Can’t Let Go

This inability to let go is on full display with Memory Rick. Being a younger version of Rick, he comes up with a plan to reunite with Memory Diane. Unfortunately, his plan involves hijacking Beth’s memories and mentally training her to mount a rescue mission. It works, but it has disastrous consequences: Space Beth almost dies!

When I saw Beth snap her twin’s neck, I was speechless. Throughout the commercial break, I was convinced Space Beth might be permanently dead! Thankfully she wasn’t, but it only gets worse from there. Beth proceeds to have a mental breakdown as the memory versions of her rebel and try to kill Memory Rick and Diane. Because of Rick’s inability to let go, it almost gets his daughter killed. Thankfully, he’s able to reset her mind just in time.

Another Season Wrapped Up

Ultimately, the episode ends with Rick letting everyone believe that he got rid of Memory Rick and Diane for good. In reality, he didn’t; he gave them a new mindscape for them to live in for all eternity and set them free into deep space. So while he may not get his happy ending with Diane, there’s at least one version of him that does. The sad thing is, he plans to wipe his memory of the entire thing, meaning he won’t learn anything.

I had a feeling that the season finale of Rick and Morty was going to be an emotional one, and it turns out I was right. It’s not as shocking as some previous finales, but that doesn’t change the fact that it advanced Rick’s story a little. That, and we saw the return of Mr. Poopybutthole. It was a good finale, overall, for a season that feels more laid-back than the show’s been in recent years.

I Give “Hot Rick” a 4/5

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Rick and Morty S8 Ep 9 Review

So back during the first season of Rick and Morty, Morty talked Rick into buying him a sexbot as a gift, because…Morty’s a teenage boy. Except it turned out to be an alien robot created by a race of women to help them reproduce with the hyper-violent males of their species. It wound up creating a half-alien son that Morty named Morty Jr who grew up to hate his dad so much that he wrote a best-selling novel about it. It was something so weird and out of the ordinary, even by the show’s standards, that it’s never come up again…until now. The penultimate episode of this season opts for a deep callback with the return of Morty Jr.

Morty Jr is Back

The episode starts off with Morty getting a call from his now-elderly son from the hospital. Naturally, Morty assumes that Jr is dying and, wanting to make amends, decides to pay him a visit. This is much to the protests of his family, who all vocally agree that Morty Junior sucks. The funniest part is the fact that Jerry is the most vocal about his disapproval, due to him writing a book trashing Morty. Not because it wasn’t true, but because it made him and Beth look like bad parents.

I don’t have kids yet myself, but I’m old enough to understand that parents are never going to be perfect. Even the ones that are genuinely trying to be good parents are going to screw up, but won’t want to admit it. So I found Jerry’s complaining about Junior to be funny, especially later in the episode, as it’s revealed that his assessment of Morty’s son was accurate.

Morty Junior. Just as Bad as his Old Man

Morty Junior reached out to his dad because he wanted to find closure with his “mom,” who Morty had long since thrown away. So the two jump into the pocket dimension Rick created to hold all his trash, and wind up getting trapped there. Then, it’s revealed that Morty Junior was never dying. He just wanted more material for another book about Morty because his others didn’t sell well and he has child support payments! He just let Morty assume he was dying and never corrected him!

I have to admit, I went into this episode with every expectation that Morty Junior would die by the end. However, the reveal that he was just as bad and irresponsible as Morty was way funnier! And even though they do end up bonding, the ending shows that they haven’t really learned anything. Morty bails the second Rick gets home, while Morty Junior writes that sequel bashing him. Nothing was learned, and sometimes that’s the funniest outcome!

To be honest, though, I was more interested in the B-plot with the Rick and Summer adventure.

A fun Rick and Summer Adventure

So, Summer gets reservations for her and Rick at this high-class alien restaurant. Their gimmick is that the chefs are pre-cogs who know what customers want before they do. Except they wind up giving Summer avocado toast. Incensed, Summer insists on complaining to the Cogs, only for things to escalate when she kidnaps them. And what’s worse is that, despite saying that she shouldn’t get involved, Rick does just that!

Rick and Summer are among my favorite pairings throughout the show’s run, and for good reason. While Morty has grown into being Rick’s partner and equal in adventuring, Summer arguably did that first. She’s more confident, self-assured, and more ready to stand up to her grandpa and call him out on his BS…most of the time. But it was nice to see the two have another adventure. Especially since this turned out to be a plot by the Cogs to start their own food truck due to being burnt out from the restaurant thing. I don’t know why, but it reminded me of the backstory behind The Menu.

There’s only one episode left in this season of Rick and Morty, and I doubt I will remember this adventure with Morty Junior for long. But I don’t have to; it was just a fun callback to the early days of the series.

I Give “Morty Daddy” a 3/5

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Rick and Morty S8 Ep 8 Review

The Citadel of Ricks might be gone, but the concept of multiversal variants of the Smith-Sanchez family interacting lives on. I’ve actually been wanting to see different versions of the family follow in Rick’s footsteps and build their own organizations and alliances. Imagine my surprise when this season’s eighth episode not only granted my wish, but it did it with the main cast’s most normal character: Jerry Smith. This entire episode is a Jerry episode, and I loved it!

Jerry and…Another Jerry

The episode seemingly starts off on a normal morning in the Smith-Sanchez home. Everyone’s going about their day while Jerry’s eating some cereal. The only difference is that he has some stubble, but that could be chalked up to him not shaving yet. As the teaser reveals, though, this isn’t our Jerry.

After cornering this other Jerry, our Jerry learns that this variant of himself, nicknamed “Mooch,” is a Jerry who left his home dimension to travel the multiverse. As it turns out, other Jerries have learned how to use cracks and ratlines that they’ve dubbed “The Road” to travel across the multiverse. Since Jerry is usually beneath notice, their families have remained none the wiser! And at the encouragement of Mooch, Jerry decides to join him on The Road for a while.

Jerry on the Road

It wasn’t until I read a review on Bubbleblabber that I realized that this was the third episode of the season that didn’t focus on our main Rick and Morty. Instead, it focused on the supporting cast; in this case, Jerry, a character that wasn’t even present until the season’s fourth episode. As a result, this episode feels like a culmination of what Jerry’s capable of doing because he can fly under the radar.

His counterparts have figured out their own clever way of traveling the multiverse without attracting Rick’s attention, and his family remains none the wiser. It gets to the point where Jerry’s like Mooch opt to never return home, choosing to live a life on The Road. There’s always been a bit of romanticism about living life as a wanderer, and this episode feels like an attempt to tap into that. In the end, though, Jerry is still Jerry, and that means the universe is going to throw him a curveball.

After missing their main stop back, Jerry and Mooch have to travel to Grand Central, a dimension that acts as a hub for Jerries traveling on The Road. Unfortunately, our Jerry, emboldened by his experiences, mouths off to Boss Jerry, and he blacklists them from The Road altogether. Then to top it off, Jerry reveals the reason why he’s living on The Road: he got lost and by the time he got back, he thought his family hadn’t noticed or cared. His Beth had even remarried some random guy from the Jerryboree Day-Care!

Jerry Might be the Best Jerry

This is where our Jerry steps up and starts to show his character growth, calling Mooch out for being a spineless wuss. His experiences since joining his current Smith family have helped him grow a spine. Case in point, he forces Mooch to return home and reconcile with his family, who, as it turns out, had been worried about him. As an aside, the reveal that everyone in Mooch’s home dimension has five o’clock shadow was funny.

In the end, Jerry and Mooch make it back to Grand Central and lead Boss Jerry and his flunkies on a chase across The Road that ends with Boss Jerry either dead or trapped between dimensions. Mooch seems ready to return to his family while The Road is now free for all Jerries, and Jerry returns to his family. And much like with Mooch, the Smith-Sanchez family was worried about him, showing how they truly value him.

However, it looks like Rick now knows about The Road, but likely won’t do anything about it. And we got to see more of the show’s potential to use the multiverse for having characters interact with each other. And Jerry got to see who he could’ve been like if he hadn’t gotten his character growth. I guess him and Beth getting divorced for a while was the best thing that could’ve happened to him.

I Give “Nomortland” a 4/5

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Rick and Morty S8 Ep 7 Review

Sometimes, the stars just seem to align for a TV show, enabling it to be incredibly relevant to current events. South Park is notorious for covering events as recent as the last few days thanks to its six-day turnaround, but they’re not the only ones to do that. With James Gunn’s Superman film set to release later this week (I have my tickets), the world is focused on the return of the Man of Steel. So what does Rick and Morty do? They have a laugh at the expense of the Gunn, AI scripts, and toxic fans all at once.

It’s no secret that Rick Sanchez can be a pretty toxic person, but now we can say that toxicity extends to being a fan of long-running franchises. After hating the latest entry in the fictional Velocitree film franchise, Rick gets so mad he decides to take matters up with the director, James Gunn himself. Then, because he thinks he can do better, he swipes the script for the next film so he can do things his way. That way, of course, involving him building a machine that can help him come up with the perfect film. This inevitably backfires on him when he and Morty get sucked into the film before they come up with an ending, forcing them to take part in the film itself.

AI, TOXIC FANS, and A Gunn, Oh My!

There is a lot about this episode that makes it incredibly relevant to the times that we are living in, and thus making it brilliant. Firstly, there’s how the episode represents the fans of long-running franchises. On the one hand, we have Jerry, the casual fan who will enjoy whatever is put in front of him. On the other hand, we have Rick and Morty representing the long-term fans who have been with a franchise for years, even decades. These days, more and more hardcore fans of franchises like Star Wars and the MCU are growing disillusioned with the way the IPs are being run. They can’t stand to see that which they love be turned into something they hate. This isn’t a recent phenomenon either. When the Star Wars Prequels released, the OG fans hated them, especially for characters such as Jar Jar. In this case, the Velocitree has their own Jar Jar in the form of the comic relief robo-tree Tannebaum, who Rick initially despises.

Secondly, there is the way the episode addresses the toxic fans themselves. Many fans are like Rick: when they see their favorite franchise in the toilet, they think that they can do better. I myself have often wondered if I could’ve done the Star Wars Sequels better than what Abrams and Johnson did. However, the events of the episode force Rick to acknowledge that just because you think you can do better doesn’t mean you can do better. His and Morty’s attempts to get the film back on track only make things worse, and by the time they hit the climax, they’ve got both heroes and villains out to get them. The only reason they manage to make it out at all is because they have to rely on Jerry’s help. Rick had previously disparaged Jerry for not being “a real fan,” and thinking he’d do a terrible job. Yet for all his talk, it’s Jerry’s slapped-together ideas that bring the film to a successful conclusion.

Lastly, there is the fact that this episode makes a jab at the concept of AI-scripts. AI like ChatGPT has gone mainstream lately, and people think that by using it, they can become great writers. As this episode proves, though, AI writing isn’t going to be any better than what humans come up with. If you want my opinion, the best option we’ve got is to find a way to work in tandem with AI rather than let it do everything for us. Otherwise, storytellers like James Gunn will be out of a job.

James Gunn Played Himself!

Speaking of James Gunn, this episode is especially noteworthy for the two guest appearances: James Gunn and Zach Snyder. The staff of Rick and Morty managed to talk both directors into guest-starring as themselves in the episodes. Granted, Snyder’s only in one scene that has him poke fun at the differences between his version of Superman and Gunn’s, but it’s all in good humor. Gunn, on the other hand, winds up serving as the overarching villain of the episode, as he doesn’t want Rick and Morty to succeed, since that will put him out of a job. Yet, in the end, they managed to do just that, though Gunn thinks he got the last laugh by getting the completed script. Unfortunately, it just puts him out of a job…and out of life.

I’ve been a big fan of James Gunn since the original Guardians of the Galaxy, and I think that his decision to reboot the DC films is a good one. So much so that I’ve already bought my tickets to see Superman later this week. Needless to say, I think the timing on this episode couldn’t have been better. Here’s hoping that when I get back, I will have something worthwhile to write about, as well as a cool popcorn bucket to sell.

I Give “Ricker than Fiction” a 4/5

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Rick and Morty Season 8, Ep 6 Review

Back in the season three episode, “The ABCs of Beth” we learned from Rick that when she was a kid, Beth was kind of nuts. Besides leaving her friend in the imaginary world her dad made for her, she apparently had a penchant for violence and a desire to hurt people. Since we’ve never met a kid version of Beth, we had to take Rick’s word for it…until now. Not only do we seethe Beths become kids again, but they’re every bit as psycho as Rick claims.

At least, most versions of Beth were like that. We don’t know what Rick’s original Beth was like.

Beths Become Kids Again

The Smith family is going on a day trip to this alien-made amusement park that Rick claims is a hilariously bad version of Earth. However, Beth and Space Beth are in too foul a mood to want to go and stay behind. That leads them to discussing when they were last genuinely happy, and that leads them both to turn themselves back into kids using a device on Space Beth’s ship. Unfortunately, the device also reverts them mentally as well as physically. As a result, both Beths become psychotic, bloodthirsty kids who terrorize anyone they come across, like their neighbor, Gene.

I’m a kid at heart myself, so I understand the appeal of wanting to return to being a child. After all, life was simpler when most of us were kids; ergo, it was happier. However, I’m also smart enough to understand that nostalgia has a tendency to blind us to what the past was really like. I loved being a kid, but that also meant dealing with my growing body, going to school every weekday, and the stress of homework. In Beth’s case, we see that Rick was not exaggerating when he said his daughter was nuts as a kid. Rick’s aren’t always the best dads, but at least they had the common sense to make sure their daughter couldn’t hurt anyone…most of the time.

Aww, Rick Really Does Love Beth!

Meanwhile, Rick is also dealing with his nostalgia crisis when he discovers that the theme park he loved, Earth World, has become cleaner and more gentrified. It’s more like how Earth is, at least in America, and it irritates him to no end. He’s the kind of person who thinks a park of inaccurate rides and rusty nails everywhere is hilarious. That leads him to seek out the park’s creator, voiced by Danny DeVito, which leads him to what’s left of the original park. In keeping with the warning about nostalgia filters, it’s not as cool as Rick remembers, and he opts to bail on it to fix the crisis the Beths have started. They end up turning the tables on him, though, and age him up to 360 years old! Those implants of his mean he’s going to live for a long time.

As messed up as the entire thing is, it does lead to a heartfelt moment between Rick and his daughters. The Beths vent their anger at how they were abandoned by Rick (their Rick), and Rick admits he’s proud of both his daughters. It’s another small example of how their relationship has become healthier as the series has progressed, and it’s nice to see.

Another Disastrous Theme Park

Meanwhile, things go downhill for the rest of the Smiths. Morty almost gets it on with an alien, only to realize she’s only into him because he’s human. Summer and Jerry discover that the park owner is insane and sics its mascots (humans with giant heads) on the park to kill everyone. Why? Because that’s what happens in movies involving amusement parks. The trio are barely able to escape with their lives, and in the end, they all agree that the place sucked.

This was a fun episode of Rick and Morty. It’s not one of its better episodes, but it was still entertaining enough to watch. Plus, I really liked how it satirized all those horrible amusement parks we see in movies. The fact that it overtly references Jurassic Park is funny.

“The Curicksous Case of Bethjamin Button” a 3.5/5

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