Review: Rick and Morty “Forgetting Sarick Mortshall”; “Rickmurai Jack”

 

 

Overview:

“Forgetting Sarick Mortshall”

Morty thinks that he is ready to go on adventures alone. But when he does it behind Rick’s back, it costs him his position as the sidekick. Thankfully, the portal Morty inadvertently put into his hand has connected him with another former associate of Ricks. Together, Nick and Morty become the Portal Boys until true colours come through.

Meanwhile, Rick replaces his sidekick with two crows. Intended to make Morty feel shameful, Rick soon tries to ditch his bird friends. However, when everything begins to backfire, the two crows teach their master empathy and friendship. Which is enough for Rick to say goodbye to his old apprentice for good.

“Rickmurai Jack”

‘Rick and Two Crows’ has become the old genius’s new gimmick. But Morty does not have such an easy time letting go. Thankfully, things fall apart with his new partners, and Rick returns home to help fix an ageing Morty. Though it will take them back to a place that Rick destroyed, The Citadel of Ricks.

Unfortunately, the Citadel is under new management after Evil Morty was voted in as president. And the return of Rick C-137 is the last piece that he needs to complete his nefarious plans. Although Evil Morty doesn’t just want to destroy all the Ricks, he also wants to live in a universe where Rick has no influence. But what will Morty C-137 do when he discovers the truth about his grandfather?

 

Our Take:

Life has but few rewards. But this night, we received two brand-new episodes of Rick and Morty back-to-back. Sure, we had to wait for the last couple of episodes to wrap up the series’s fifth season. However, it satisfied, much like not eating all day when you know you will be hitting the buffet for dinner.

Truthfully, the first of the two episodes, “Forgetting Sarick Mortshall,” was enough of an emotional roller coaster to have warranted being the season finale. It would have messed with audiences if we had not known better or had the next episode followed directly after. Especially considering that the story concludes with Rick abandoning Morty, signalling the end of their partnership.

It is relieving that “Forgetting Sarick Mortshall” wasn’t the season finale for more reasons than one. Chiefly, because the episode lacked the flare and originality that is expected from this high calibre franchise.

The story was entertaining enough between Rick training a pair of crows to be practical sidekicks and Morty facing a metaphorical version of his emotions. Yet, both plots followed predictable circles and failed to challenge the audience.

Still, the episode held significant value. The emotional turmoil between Morty and Rick has been escalating for some time. Bringing the rocky relationship to the precipice of collapse made what was coming next all the more powerful. This is likely the reason these two episodes were released as a pair.

“Rickmurai Jack” was indeed a game-changer for Rick and Morty and a season finale that matches the ever-evolving energy of the franchise. The series loves to end with a bang, as proven at the conclusion of every new season. But this season five ending manages to put many theories and storylines to bed while also bringing up further questions.

Based on the harrowing ending of the preceding episode, the season finale begins as a completely different show, Rick and Two Crows. Honestly, the edgy anime-style program with its dark protagonist would be brilliant on its own. Unfortunately, crow-obsessed Rick is gone too soon as the story progresses into much bigger fields.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the season finale pulled out the return of The Citadel of Ricks and their new leader, Evil Morty. As highly anticipated as these returns have been, the story continued to travel down unexpected roads.

Up until this point, the series has had a bad habit of raising more questions than it answers. Specifically when it comes to the big season finale extravaganza. Thankfully season five has begun to change the curve. Already this year, many questions were resolved when Rick went for an adventure in Birdperson’s memories. And this episode puts a couple more mysteries to bed, including Evil Morty’s plans and what happened to Rick’s wife.

Of course, they couldn’t end a season without massively twisting the status quo of the titular characters. Ending with a bang is almost an understatement when this amount of Ricks are dead, and the central finite curve has been broken. What that means may take another couple more season finales before being revealed.

Season five has been a roller coaster for fans. The latest batch of episodes started with some high-calibre pieces, but the quality began to slip at times later on. Though it cannot be argued that the season masterfully built the emotional tension between the lead characters into the powder keg it became in these final two episodes.

Even if we have reached the point where Rick and Morty struggles to outdo itself anymore, the show is still unlike any other on television. The intertwined universes, bursting cast of characters, and thought-provoking themes put this franchise in its own league. The evidence of that is in how this fifth season was handled to build up to this dramatic conclusion.