There's a lot to say about an episode like this. My biggest concern is after building this storyline up over 6 seasons (5, really, if you don't include the 5th or 6th seasons, which didn't include anything from this storyline), actually, the first episode that featured this storyline will have aired 10 years ago in less than six months - a decade long story told through a sporadic episodes of an animated television show - they kind of threw everything together at once.
In the vast catalog (this was the 66th episode) of Rick and Morty, the "Evil Morty" and Rick-genesis episodes have been consistently near the show's pinnacle (arguably THE pinnacle), and thinking back on them it's hard not to separate where those episodes fit in with my life. And I don't mean to sound corny here, Rick and Morty is mostly a decent show, but some of the episodes were pretty heavy, hit hard and became staple episodes of a show I really liked for a good while, so in a way I feel they became part of that repertoire of ~art~ that I connected with that embodies a part of who I am. And that's not to say, "Oh I loved Rick and Morty so much, it's my entire personality and it's all what I'm about," or anything like that, but a certain bohemian-esque quality that is the throughline of Rick's character, how the show winds around a Kafkaesque, belligerent narrative based on the actions of someone who has respect for themself but finds it impossible to care about themself and put that respect to good use, felt poignant and relatable to the point where good dramatic and character-building moments throughout the show were not only easy to connect with but resonated well emotionally and made me feel like this show was speaking to or capturing something I relate to in a way not much else does or had done nearly as well. And I think that was the sentiment of a lot of the fans, I mean, the ability of this program to attract some of the most eclectic, but impressive cast of celebrities (and which ones, too) speaks to how well the show was able to convey its over-the-top humanity and humor, and so the episodes that spoke the most for the depths of emotion and intrigue they could bring are certainly ones that I hold in regard and almost every "Evil Morty" and Rick-genesis episode is in that echelon.
Now, my concern isn't necessarily that they continued to tell that/those storyline(s), and told it succinctly, which they did, and they did it well, but that with the weight a decade-long storyline has to it, it feels that there may have been an overly breakneck pace to how such a momentous, important segment of that storyline unfolded. It felt like they were overeager to wrap that story up, of course there is certainly room for continuity, but I don't see the rest of the season (though hopefully another episode or two) covering more of this storyline, at least not in any sort of brokered or significant way. We may get a "depressed Rick" follow-up storyline, but I don't imagine we'll get an episode as narratively kinetic as this, for this storyline. And to be fair, it is effectively the main storyline, so I understand their desire to spread it out as to pad out the remainder of the next 3 and a half seasons. That is, of course, if they still intend make that many seasons, which I don't see why they should considering how badly tainted and mid this season has been so far.
This brings me to my next concern, which is an existential or perhaps hyperbolic concern, in that this show has been tainted by the entire Justin Roiland situation. Now, I know that the reins of the story (though not necessarily the storyboarding and the script) have been firmly held by Dan Harmon, basically from the outset, but these are Justin Roiland's character's, this is Justin Roiland's concept, and this is Justin Roiland's universe, so to truly separate the show from him and conversely enjoy it as a piece on its own, it's been hard to do. Not even overlooking the voice acting (which can be similarly hard to do at times, as it was so consistent for 6 years to suddenly change can make it feel like they're different characters entirely), there is a definite shift in tone for how the show is handled. It feels a little more hollow than it did last season, and that may be chalked up to creative decline, but it feels like the beats are so "this is what a funny Rick and Morty joke would sound like" and not just "funny Rick and Morty joke", it's like we're getting a rendition of performance that feels like a tribute band routinely plucking notes that aren't their own, trying to embody people that they aren't, not trying to add to the essence of the original with their own, just rote mimicry. And the story may be there, and it may be fresh, and I could maybe see some stellar writing justifying another season, but I don't even know if I could watch any more of it knowing they're going to keep up this Weekend at Bernie's charade for another three (four or five, really) years, to finish off the promised 10-season-run. At this point the writing would need to return to and surpass the average seasons 2-3 level writing to keep me on that long, and I don't know if they can turn it around THAT much.
Don't get me wrong, this episode was great. It was well paced, impactful, and narratively satisfying, but they had this one in their pocket for years now, and I realistically don't see them pulling off another episode like this, with consistency, for three more years. Because, at this point, it's just a question of why. Why continue this tainted series that feels hollow and is consistently subpar (with a consistently lowering par) for another three seasons? This is their chance to redeem the show's reputation, and so far only this episode and the last episode were by any stretch worthy of maintaining this show beyond wrapping up the narrative. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I'll at least ride this season out (unless there are any incest baby episodes, then I really will have to pull the proverbial plug on my commitment to watching this once beloved show).
All-in-all, I wish I could say this episode made me hopeful for that, but honestly, I have to say the fact that it felt like this narrative was so abrupt and overly breakneck (hinting that they might want to wrap that thread up before further driving the show off a cliff), might have inspired the opposite effect. But just for this one, I am glad we got one more really good Rick and Morty episode. Even if the new voices throw you off, it's a must-watch for any longtime or once upon a time fan of the show. It felt very much like classic Rick and Morty and we got to see two of the best storylines in the entire series converge and find some resolution. 9/10.
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