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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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