Woo-wee. Last night’s episode of Rick and Morty was a doozy, wasn’t it? Showrunners Dan Harmon and Scott Marder definitely agree — and they’ve spoken out about the midseason stunner, including giving their thoughts on where our man Rick stands at the end of Episode 5.
Quick recap first (and please beware of major episode spoilers!). Many moons ago, one version of Rick — as you probably know, there are many — got angry at our Rick when he refused to explore the galaxy like other Ricks and instead opted to spend time with his wife, Diane, and daughter Beth. That backstabbing Rick, the one who invented portal travel that we’ve come to know as Rick Prime, then murdered Diane and Beth with an explosive device that destroyed the family’s house. Mind you, we haven't seen Rick Prime since the Season 6 finale over a year ago.
Fast forward to last night’s episode, where Rick (Rick C-137, who is our Rick, the main character of the series), Morty, and an unsuspected guest — Evil Morty himself, shocker, right? — track down Rick Prime after they discover he has rebuilt the Omega Device, a super-weapon that kills all versions of its target. Ultimately, Evil Morty, who did help Rick C-137 and Morty in their quest, is allowed to go back to his fortress with the device, which, yeah, seems like a bit of a crazy move.
But according to Harmon, in letting Evil Morty get away with the Omega device, Rick “basically gave a leash that’s around his neck to someone that isn’t him, because he’s more invested consciously in the destruction of himself. I think that’s both tragic and also, writers and drunks like me consider that kind of noble and interesting — the commitment to self destruction,” he explained to Variety.
That said, Rick’s head is thoroughly screwed up by the end of the episode for multiple reasons, there’s simply no denying that. But none as pivotal as the fact he finally gets Rick Prime cornered — and then beats him to death with his bare hands. It’s a pretty intense moment that is made a bit heartbreaking knowing the implications of it all. “I think there’s still a conclusion to a story here,” Harmon explained, “because the narcissist will tell you that destroying yourself, it doesn’t solve a problem.”
In this way, it seems like the rest of the season will be tackling the aftermath of these important events. “What do you do if you’re Braveheart and you’ve been avenging your dead wife and succeed and don’t die, and then live beyond it?” Marder noted in the interview. “Where’s your story go when that’s all that’s defined you?”
In Harmon’s eyes, there’s a real symmetry here that will undoubtedly serve them well from a storytelling perspective. “This is how far we’ve come with Rick’s journey,” the series co-creator said. “He is now the one who is existentially isolated. He is the one that doesn’t feel like he fits in the universe around him. Which puts him on the same level as a 14-year-old boy learning there’s multiple universes 10 show-years earlier.”
My, how the turntables. We can’t wait to see where this leads our characters as the rest of the season unfolds. Wooooo-wee.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
