Rick and Morty (Season 2)

Robert Murphy


One of the wonderful things about cartoons and animation as an art form is that you can do just about anything and everything you set your mind to with it. Take that idea and add on top of it a time travel function where you can go anywhere in the universe, multiverse, parallel universes and all of that stuff, then you have something with boundless potential and that has always been true for the Adult Swim series Rick and Morty (both voiced by Justin Roiland). The shows first season served as an introduction to the characters, Rick being the self centered genius doing whatever he wants and Morty is just along for the ride because what's the point of being clever if no one is around to see it, but now there is so much more to it.

The dynamic for the newest season of Rick and Morty is very much the same only with some slight changes. Before it was just Rick and Morty going around on adventures together but now the rest of the family is along on more than one or two adventures throughout time and space. Rick, of course, is still doing whatever he feels like and dragging everyone else along for the ride. He has a hardened look at things compared to most, I guess that's what happens when you're generally the smartest person in the room and know just how grand the universe truly is. Rather than being able to enjoy this though, Morty, Summer (Spencer Grammer), Beth (Sarah Chalke) and Jerry (Chris Parnell) all get to see the darker sides of the universe rather than the better sides of it. I'm sure they do exist but I rather enjoy the gritty version of things that Morty has to show all of us.

This is the shows main appeal as well, it isn't horrible and cruel for the sake of it but the series definitely goes to some harsh places. A great example of this happens in the second episode "Mortynight Run" where Morty tries to save the life of someone he believes is an innocent life in need of help. Rick usually ignores these situations and figures nobody is worth actually saving, sadly the show proves him to be right in most cases and the situation goes horribly for Morty from there on out. It's easy to see Rick's point of view in a lot of ways but the entire universe and craziness of it all is the real fun part about Rick and Morty because no matter whose involved things will turn out horribly.

All of this is business as usual for the series and while it is great to see this concept expanded upon with new amazing adventures, funny creatures and interesting worlds, there is a new component to the show that will hit viewers hard. Not too much is known about Rick before he returns home to reconnect with his daughter, Beth, and the rest of his family and you won't learn too much more about it until the season finale either. Needless to say though Rick has been through some tough times and that's why he is so jaded now and this is something that comes out more than once this season. The first hinting of this happens in an episode title "Auto Erotic Assimilation" where Rick meets up with an old fling and is having a blast up until she leaves, Rick is okay or so we think until the last scenes of the episode. More than once stuff like this happens and it shows that there is a good level of heart and emotion to a show that admittedly tells fart jokes on a regular basis.

One thing that I did wish would have changed for is the relationships that go on with our main characters. Things do get shaken up as I said earlier and most everyone goes on adventures with Rick now that the family is more aware of what he and Morty are doing and it's great that everyone's along for the ride. This doesn't change some of the bad dynamics that continue forth though specifically with Beth and Jerry. Last season their marriage was obviously on the rocks and needing plenty of work but this season it became more of an annoyance than anything else. They kept bringing it up how bad their relationship is but they never do anything about it, the best moment was when Rick says "Either get divorced or shut up!" There was one shining moment where the jokes were all still worth it, it happened in episode "Big Trouble in Little Sanchez" where the two go to outer space marriage counseling and they end up destroying the place with their toxic marriage.

Rick and Morty's second season ends by setting in motion an actual story arc and leaving viewers with a hefty cliffhanger to think about as we eagerly await the third season. It's also great to see a series that you would never expect to see be something with emotion to it actually grow to become more than some really bad (but hilarious) jokes. 

Good:

- Same level of humor and laughs as the first season

- Rick and Morty have a wonderfully dysfunctional relationship

- A deeper look in Rick and the makings of an over arcing story

Bad:

- Beth and Jerry's over done marriage issues

Scully Rating: 8.8 out of 10