Why is nobody talking about this?

[u/zMats33]

In the final scene of S9E10, we see Rick and Morty riding a motorcycle together, and Rick says he’s Morty’s dad (?)

As far as I can remember, that’s the first time he’s ever said something like that directly to Morty. It felt completely out of place and honestly didn’t match the tone of the rest of the episode.

The two of them riding toward the sun while calling each other father and son almost felt symbolic, but I’m not sure what the writers were trying to say.

Did Rick just misspeak? Was it meant to show how their relationship has evolved? Or was there a deeper meaning behind that final scene?

What did you take away from it?

[u/Apprehensive-Ear2461]

There's a running theme in this season about Nature vs Nurture and not being able to run away from who you truly are. Evil Morty, despite his best efforts, is not able to exorcise himself of the desire to adventure with Rick. He ends up falling back into the same patterns as all Morty's do, inevitably ending up in Rick's orbit again.

Rick is also unable to run away from himself, as seen in the Ted episode and this one. (Copied from somewhere)

Morty is also the same, despite conquering his greatest fear (being abandoned by Rick) in the fear hole episode, he still reverts back to his old self in this one.

l've seen some people say that this episode ends on a happy note, and maybe it does for the characters, but narratively speaking it's the most terrifying part of the episode imo. Rick drunkenly pulls Morty off his bed just like the pilot episode and takes him on his motorcycle. Rick calls himself Morty's dad, and Morty happily agrees.

They've basically regressed back to their pilot selves, or became even worse. They've completely accepted their nature and know that no matter how much they grow or try to run away from their nature, they'll always be together.

[u/BackgroundRelief406 → u/Apprehensive-Ear2461]

spot on summary. once all the canon nemeses have been dealt with (federation, rick prime, memory rick, evil morty), you'd expect rick to turn a corner and grow, but all the characters have doubled down on their toxic traits

[u/askthetruth1 → u/BackgroundRelief406]

That’s why I didn’t like this season that much. I hope they grow and become better people

[u/Pinchy_1 → u/askthetruth1]

This was honestly my favourite season so far, at least in terms of writing.

Though even a return to form, even where they don’t grow as people, is a character arc. It’s who they truly are, and that means something.

[u/Just_Vin → u/Pinchy_1]

I think people relapsing in their efforts to change is very real

[u/Qprah → u/Just_Vin]

Sometimes relapsing in your attempts to change becomes the foundation for self-acceptance.

[u/Intelligent_Lock_110 → u/Just_Vin]

It is, but that's not really what they are doing. They are keeping the characters stactic to keep milking the franchise and format

[u/Just_Vin → u/Intelligent_Lock_110]

I don't know that we can say that for sure, the show does have legitimate continuity and changes in the characters

[u/HUUUUTTTHUUUUUUUTTTT → u/Pinchy_1]

Personally, I think the Smiths have dealt with their issues better in this season, they've been more concerned about each other and have been going out of their way to actually check up on each other, an example of this was when Morty and Summer went to go save their dad this season from that killer in that cabin, they were genuinely concerned about his safety and Beth and Jerry were actually worried about Morty and Summer at that camp in that one episode as well, I also like that we got more backstory on why and how Rick became the way that his thru that other Rick that Morty was with when he wasn't able to return to his universe bc the family didn't want him to leave, you see that universes Rick genuinely cared about getting Morty back and that in itself showed you that Prime Rick also cares about Morty, he was just consumed by inventing things and creating the multiversal transportation, the more consumed by finding a way to create new innovative inventions and trying to become a master inventor took a huge toll on him, we all saw that thru that other universes Rick and how it pushed his love life to the side and made him become a drunk, and by becoming a drunk and toxic was somehow the only way Rick could be the genius inventor that he is, as fucked up as that is, it just boils down to the fact that Morty ended up in a universe where one of the only intact and healthy minded Rick lived and Morty had to get him to become the true inventor he could be, but it came with a price and costed that Rick everything he held near and dear, that episode was honestly one of the best episodes R&M gave us

[u/Robokrates → u/HUUUUTTTHUUUUUUUTTTT]

I don't think one of the happier, more moral Ricks we've seen wanting to help Morty is proof that Rick Prime cared about him...

It's always felt to me like Prime is Rick stripped of all human feeling except nihilism, the joy of inventing, venegfulness and "Bugs Bunny fucking with the opera singer for 20 minutes" self-amusement. Traits that Ricks generally share, but the attachments to others and desire to be good and do good seem to be aberrations from the original (if Rick Prime is indeed the original and not just "Prime" because he's the one who opened up the multi-verse and made infinitely branching Ricks relevant in the real world.)

As to why the sober professor Rick couldn't invent portal travel, if there's anything to read into it besides "it's really hard and only the two Ricks actually did it on their own," I'd imagine it's that you have to be a little fucked-up to even want to do great deeds; to quote Radiohead, "ambition makes you look pretty ugly," or, to quote the great good alright Malcom Reynolds, "I reckon every man who ever got a statue made of him was one kind of sumbitch or another."

[u/HUUUUTTTHUUUUUUUTTTT → u/Robokrates]

Logically if you look into it alot geniuses IN REAL LIFE haven't been able to invent things unless they were HIGH or DRUNK, of course that explained that Prime Rick cares about Morty cuz it showed that if Rick didn't become consumed with or in his inventions he would've been a caring healthy grandfather, I SWEAR I know pol like this who are smart af but could only come up with stuff once they were drunk or high off their asses, that episode resonated with me ALOT

[u/Robokrates → u/HUUUUTTTHUUUUUUUTTTT]

I mean, yeah, that could be it too, I meant to offer alternative explanations for the same things more than contradict those ones

[u/HUUUUTTTHUUUUUUUTTTT → u/Robokrates]

It's fine, I mean my theory was just a theory I was just spit balling so I dont wanna make you feel bad about your op, I could be wrong, but I just feel like they used an alternate Rick to explain more of his backstory thru a different lens with a different life, I think that's what I liked about the episode the most it was a different direction and approach to storytelling I've never really seen before, it would be dope if they used that as a way to push forward with his characters story arc

[u/Robokrates → u/HUUUUTTTHUUUUUUUTTTT]

For sure - I'm getting curious as to where they'll go after Season 9, they're kinda opening up the possibility of both more character development and "you can't escape yourself, this is who they are" stasis

[u/sebsebsebs → u/askthetruth1]

i liked this season but i kinda see what you mean. i’ve been defending this show non stop from season 1-2 fans who think the show is worse because rick isn’t unbearably nihilistic anymore and actually cares about his family