Rick and Morty is back. ‘Nuff said.
Okay, maybe not quite enough said. But let’s face it: if you have watched one episode of Rick and Morty, then you have watched them all, multiple times, and you are going to watch this season no matter what this review says. There is no “casual” viewer of Rick and Morty.
Luckily, Season 6 is off to a Ricktastic start. Only two episodes were available for critics to review, but they were both delightful. Unfortunately, most story elements are off-limits for discussion, due to a risk of spoilers. What I can say is that the first episode of Season 6, “Solaricks,” picks up right where Season 5 ended, with Rick (Justin Roiland) and Morty (also Roiland) trying to solve the problems they encountered with the destruction of the Citadel of Ricks. Plus, we get to meet an adorable new creature named Mr. Frundles.
Episode 2, “Rick: A Mort Well Lived” is set in our favorite intergalactic arcade, Blips & Chitz. An alien invasion has waylaid Rick and Morty, leaving Summer (Spencer Grammer) to save them. Along the way, she pulls a John McClane, although she herself has never seen Die Hard – but the Hans Gruber-ish alien she is fighting against has practically made it his religion. Hilarity, unsurprisingly, ensues.
The tensions between the characters are... just as tense as ever. Again, there is not a lot I can say without delving into spoiler territory, but Rick, Morty, Summer, Beth (Sarah Chalke), and Jerry (Chris Parnell) are dealing with different shit, different day. They handle it with aplomb — especially Summer, who has really evolved into her role as Grandpa's Most Reliable Grandchild (and, as a result, she is rewarded with Wolverine claws). By the end of Season 6's premiere, they have found a new normal...ish, which can then in turn allow them to return to the regular weekly insanity that is another Rick and Morty adventure.
Another bonus? The animation hasn’t dipped in quality in the slightest. There are still lots of brightly colored aliens, glowing lasers, dripping interdimensional goo, and general weirdness abound. While there were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, there were also a lot of emotional scenes that had me feeling all the feels – something I don’t often expect from my cartoons, but an aspect that has been making a more frequent appearance as Rick and Morty progresses. Six seasons in, and it's clear how far this show has come.
If you haven't been watching Rick and Morty thus far... first of all, what have you been doing with your life? Second of all, Season 6 is definitely not a great place to jump in cold. Without going into any significant plot details, the premiere picks up directly after the events of the Season 5 finale, so if you haven't seen that, you will probably be pretty lost. Rick and Morty isn't a show like The Simpsons or Family Guy, where you can just jump in and there is no overarching plot to grasp. The show has reached the point of having a main storyline that carries across seasons — and a surprisingly dense one if you don't understand sci-fi rigamarole. Even if you have watched all the episodes up until this point, you may want to watch the Season 5 finale just before the Season 6 premiere, just to make sure you've refreshed your memory enough.
Rating: A
Rick and Morty Season 6 premieres Sunday, September 4 on Adult Swim.