…………………………………………………

Rick and Morty Season 5 Review

The fifth season of Rick and Morty is definitely a slight improvement upon its inferior predecessor, but there is still a lot of improvement to be had going forward.

………………………………………………….

“I was expressing disapproval of your dialogue“

…………………………………………………..

There are so many annoying multiverse and chaotic action-oriented episodes in this season once again, but the first episode not only remains the best of the season, but it’s among the greatest in the show’s entire run so far. Yes, Mort Dinner Rick Andre is that good. Mr. Nimbus is this very campy, over-the-top nemesis of Rick’s and he’s wildly entertaining. Their dynamic is fantastic.

But even better is the Morty subplot. He basically ends up dooming an entire alien race accidentally, which makes them yearn for revenge. Following the race’s evolution from primitive to technologically advanced was not only fascinating, but also hilarious. The fact that this all happened in one episode was incredible and a great proof of how enchanting and creative this series can be when the writing is up to par.

That unfortunately wasn’t the case with the rest of the season’s episodes, most of which ranged from passable to just solid. Mortyplicity deals with the family’s decoys, which was another multiverse-type repetitive storytelling that I am personally never a fan of, though the family dynamics throughout are fun and Jerry could be funny here.

…………………………………………………..

A Rickconvenient Mort isn’t all that well connected in its two subplots and the ecological message didn’t strike as strongly as the creators obviously had intended, though the episode is overall fun and a passable diversion. Rickdependence Spray is among the most ridiculous and sexually risqué episodes so far in the series’ run. Morty’s sperm running amok did produce some childish chuckles from me personally, though overall the storyline did not make any sense and the incest conclusion was just done for the shock value without ever being truly funny.

Amortycan Grickfitti is the second best episode of this season. While the hell-inspired subplot was solidly amusing and it’s fantastic that the show acknowledged not only Rick’s, but also Beth’s terrible treatment of Jerry, it is the Summer and Morty subplot that really steals the show as this very imaginative story that features a hilarious spaceship and a great moral message about the stupidity of the cliques.

Rick and Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular is where this season really goes downhill. The president is quite amusing, but otherwise this turkey-focused episode is both overly US-centric and simply too silly to be taken seriously in the slightest. Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion is pretty good in the Summer and Rick dynamic, but even more could have been done with this theme in a season that is very thin on thematic and emotional depth. The mecha anime parodying was cute and fun, but again inconsequential and rather slim plotwise.

Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort is all about exploring the relationship and personal history between Rick and Birdperson, but the way they went about telling this backstory was very dull, too action-oriented, frenetic and chaotic. It’s quite an overrated episode.

…………………………………………………..

As for the last two episodes, Forgetting Sarick Mortshall and Rickmurai Jack, I did appreciate its exploration of Morty’s dependence on Rick’s and how toxic their relationship truly is, but the finale was a letdown as the former episode was a better, deeper beginning of this story. The crows were hilarious and some of the fights were cool as were the visuals, but again the show cared more for the flashy action than the characters and their emotions.