Abhiroop Das
Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, Adult Swim’s ‘Rick and Morty’ returns with a ninth season to examine the titular scientist at his megalomaniac best, inverting many of the storytelling tropes we have come to associate with this animated sci-fi comedy classic. Having spent eight seasons improving himself bit by bit, Rick is now confronted by his worst traits yet again, as if something is always whispering in his ear to never change. Usually, this is the result of his own boozy, genius machinations, but the finale of season 9, titled ‘Field of Dreams,’ tells a different story. In the show’s most morbid, but also arguably best episode yet, we see Morty go on one of his rare, solo adventures, only to be faced with questions of legacy, memory, and the good old hedgehog’s dilemma. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Rick and Morty Season 9 Finale Recap
‘Rick and Morty’ season 9 episode 10 begins with a peek into a different universe from the Central Finite Curve, one where Rick, Morty, and the entire Smith family have just died after eating an explosively spicy sauce. Mere seconds later, dozens of Ricks portal their way in with their respective grandsons, as it’s time for the estate hunt. Every time a version of Rick dies, his goods and inventions are put up for a first-come, first-served auction, and it’s something our Morty doesn’t quite enjoy participating in. Soon, he meets a sunglass-donning, cooler version of himself, who is disappointed that all the Smiths are dead and there’s no one to hold a funeral for Morty. Funeral-hopping, as he calls it, is supposedly a great way to hear good things about himself, and this idea takes root in our Morty’s heart.
Though Sunglasses Morty (the sunglasses are actually his eyes) isn’t allowed by Rick to jump in and out of funerals, he doesn’t exactly need permission either, thanks to a portal gun Jr. Many Mortys have one of their own, including the one that just died, and our Morty gets to lay claim to it. As funeral-hopping begins the following day, he traverses through the world of Long-Legs Morty, Bread Morty, Frankenstein Morty, and whatnot, learning something new each time. However, it isn’t until he catches up to the funeral of a slightly older version of him, named Mort, that he gets his first glimpse at the perfect family. In this world, Mort grew up to be a perfect athlete before falling to his death from El Capitan, leaving behind a version of Jerry, Beth, and Summer who practically worshipped him.
As Morty spies on the funeral from a distance, the Smiths’ family dog manages to sniff him out, forcing him to come out into open. As it turns out, this isn’t a world where Rick and Morty are together, which means that they have no idea about portal technology and have to understand it from scratch. After Morty explains how he got here, we learn that this version of the family cut ties with Rick due to his drinking addiction. On the other hand, though, this is also the most loving version of his parents and sister that Morty has seen yet, and before long, he finds himself spending more time here than in his real home. However, the Jerry of this world turns out to be a bit too possessive, and during one trip to an isolated family cabin, he breaks Morty’s portal gun Jr., determined to keep him in his new home for good.
Rick and Morty Season 9 Ending: Does Morty Get Out of the Alternate World?
At the end of ‘Rick and Morty’ season 9, Morty finds himself escaping from an alternate version of his family that loves him a little too much, to the point of being toxic and dangerous. Though we are initially led to believe that this is the most perfect form of Jerry, his twisted love is revealed to be the very reason Mort died. Desperate to be with him forever, Jerry forced his son to take on death-defying feats and master them, all to minimize the chances of a sudden death. This is how Mort wound up dead below El Capitan, but instead of learning from his lessons, Jerry merely switches his focus towards Morty, determined to mold him into the perfect son, one who stays with his family forever. However, in the direst of times, Morty somehow finds a way towards his trump card: his grandfather.
After escaping from the cabin just in time, Morty finds supplies left behind by Mort precisely for such a scenario, and with some cash and running shoes, he makes it all the way to Boston, where the Rick of this world currently resides, as a professor. Though still the smartest man in the universe, this Rick is pointedly less drunk and far more optimistic. When Morty inevitably reveals the secrets of the universe to him, Rick is shocked and vindicated, but doesn’t show the passion of the over-ambitious scientist we have come to know. As it turns out, Rick here quit drinking after Beth left him, and since then, has been a regular at AA groups, is keeping his health in check, and is also happily married. In an almost tragic way, however, Morty’s arrival spirals things out of control.
When Morty begs for Rick to invent the portal gun and send him back home, the dynamic between them that we have come to know and love is essentially subverted. This time, it’s Rick who is on the back foot, knowing that bringing this device to life would set him on a path of no return, one designed to isolate him from genuine human relationships in pursuit of scientific greatness. Even when he watches Rick visibly fall apart, Morty never backs down from his own desire, either, not out of any malice, but sheer necessity. By the end, Rick ends up drinking again, just in time to finish what can be called a prototype portal gun. While this is, once again, Rick at his lowest, it is the version both Morty and we are more comfortable with, which ironically subverts the canon thus far.
What Happens to the Smiths?
Just as Rick prepares his definitive portal gun, Jerry, Beth, and Summer arrive at the house, armed with a shotgun and prepared to fight to have Morty back. An even bigger concern, however, is that Rick was about to send his pseudo-grandson through the portal without even confirming it at first. When they do throw a cat into the other side, it is ejected soon thereafter, stripped of all skin. This marks the last straw for Jerry, and an all-out fight soon breaks out between all of them. As things get pushed and pulled into the still-open portal, nothing but pure chaos is fired back.
In the midst of it all, Rick gets fatally shot, sending just enough insides into the green hole that a speedy jet of blood is shot out, cutting Summer in half. Then, with his last breaths, Rick shoots a portal into Jerry, and fish emerge out of his abdomen, drawing out his life in this process. With three people now dead, only Beth and Morty remain, and he has to watch his mother pick up a glass shard in horror and stab herself to death. The show then sits on what is likely its most gruesome scene to date, only for dozens of Ricks to suddenly manifest for the estate hunt. Our Rick is, of course, one of the visitors, and quickly discards whatever little technology this version of Rick has to offer. As he ushers Morty back in without little concern, no words are exchanged, or frankly, even needed at this point.
Why Does Morty Call Rick His Dad?
Seeing the death of Mort’s entire family ends up being too traumatic an incident for Morty, especially since he has grown so desensitized to his own death and reincarnation over the episodes. This, however, is permanent and only leaves him in a state of perpetual gloom. The same activities of his parents that initially used to irk him now seem strangely precious, but not enough for him to just forget the sight of blood and gore. The person who saves the day, albeit unintentionally, is Rick, who barges in with his signature stupor, eager to share his newest innovation with his grandson. This time, it’s a bike that can zoom ahead with practically no friction, and just like that, the duo rides into the dawn, leaving a world full of anxieties behind.
As Rick and Morty ride together, Rick briefly allows Morty to take control of the bike, which, on a symbolic level, can be seen as his true coming-of-age. For nine whole seasons, Morty has been right by Rick’s side through thick and thin, and now their dynamic has evolved into something more special than that of a grandfather and grandson. Fittingly enough, Rick calls himself Morty’s father, and his grandson gleefully agrees. If the Mort universe has any lesson to impart, it’s that Rick’s love for Morty will remain the only constant across all these universes, even if it turns into a toxic mess every single time. It is a life that Morty has come to enjoy and appreciate, which is why he doesn’t worry too much before taking the wheel and riding off, assured that Rick has his back.
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