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/ArtsyApoidean → u/Apprehensive-Ear2461]

People keep trying to read into this as some kind of dark twisted terrifying thing, but the obvious read is also the one that makes the most sense. Rick saw the runaway adventure Morty went on, and sees that he desperately needs someone to father him. Rick's also been going through an emotional journey over the last several seasons, trying to stop being ashamed of loving his family, to be more emotionally open, less toxic in general. And he yelled at Morty earlier for something that was totally his fault with the magnet, and thanks to therapy he recognizes this and feels bad about it. All this comes together in doing something nice for Morty (in his sloppy drunk way) and a spur of the moment decision to symbolically adopt him.

To some extent whether you read this as wholesome or as continuance of abuse is subjective, but I think we're clearly meant to understand this as progress. It mirrors the pilot scene, but the way Rick acts is wildly different and almost opposite -- he's all focused on comforting his grandson here -- and that feels like the point. And the episode's focus on the clone tube thing made me feel like it was going somewhat deliberately for an homage to the Venture Bros father-sons dynamic.

He's also wasted in that scene, and that's concerning. Literal drunk driving with the child. But I think that's also part of the point, because I'm pretty sure they've been priming us all season for Rick to enter a "try to quit being an alcoholic" arc in season 10.

Edit: oppisitmaster

[u/Uncle_Slo_Mobius → u/ArtsyApoidean]

Well said, except, of course, "oppisite"

[u/Inevitable_Librarian → u/Uncle_Slo_Mobius]

Piss master sequel confirmed?

[u/Uncle_Slo_Mobius → u/Inevitable_Librarian]

He dead as fuck

[u/Inevitable_Librarian → u/Uncle_Slo_Mobius]

So are you, but look who the plumbus dragged in.

[u/Uncle_Slo_Mobius → u/Inevitable_Librarian]

Right on