Rick and Morty season 6, episode 10, “Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation” further develops the show’s overarching plot, proving that the series is really messing with its audience. Rick and Morty has been the subject of some criticism due to its narrative constantly switching back and forth between a serialized story and episodic one-off adventures. However, the way that Rick and Morty season 6 ended shows that the show is willing to double down on criticisms of the show, and proving that it is making a joke at the expense of its viewers.
Each episode of Rick and Morty follows its main cast of characters as they explore high-concept ideas masked with cynical and low-brow humor. This balance has made Rick and Morty beloved by its fans, but more recent seasons have been trying something new. Rick and Morty’s canon story has been getting a lot of development, but the points at which this story is expanded on seem completely inconsistent. For example, the Rick & Morty season 6 premiere set up a major storyline, only for it to barely be touched on again until the season finale. However, that’s all part of the joke Rick & Morty is playing on its audience.
At the end of “Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation,” it is revealed that Rick replaced himself with a robot, with Robot Rick accompanying Morty through the finale’s story. Meanwhile, Rick has spent the episode attempting to track down Rick Prime, the main villain of Rick and Morty. Up until this reveal, there was no hint that the finale would develop the Rick Prime story, with the previous few episodes not mentioning the plot. The way in which the Rick and Morty season 6 finale handled this proved retroactively that the main story was always still in play.
The Rick Prime story at the end of the Rick & Morty season 6 finale shows that even in the background of seemingly inconsequential episodes, major reveals can occur. Rick and Morty used this story beat to play a joke on its audiences. The series first defied audience expectations by ignoring the Rick Prime story after the season finale, and then it defied expectations again by bringing it back at the very end of a Christmas special. The Rick & Morty season 6 finale proves that Rick hasn’t forgotten about the show’s overarching storyline, even if it isn’t the main focus.
The way in which Rick and Morty season 6 handled the Rick Prime storyline actually makes the show even better. Fans are torn between if the show should focus on a canon story or one-off adventures, but the finale proved that it can be both. Rick and Morty can tell its story in the background of episodic adventures, and “Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation” proved that in a hilarious way. Even if the finale may not have been what fans wanted, the Rick and Morty season 6 finale made the show even better because of its tricks.
