Going from the number one spot last year to close out 2021 to now...at number 11 on the list for the year. You can call it a downgrade if you like but I’m not to blame for knocking this series down. Blame the year for being so jam-packed with specific episodes from various series going haywire, whether being animation or live-action. Television or movies. You can see why there was some issue with the decision-making for this countdown leading up to the start just yesterday. Mostly because of late-minute entries. So coming in at Number 11 of the Top 12 Countdown of 2022 and y’all already know the title to this post, it’s Rick and Morty with “Solaricks”.
After an explosive season finale that may have changed the game for the series. Changed everything that we know regarding the lore and worldbuilding of the show, that you question yourself after finishing watching Season 5...what now? What’s next? So on and so forth. Side note about the number 11 spot for the countdown with Rick and Morty, it’s mostly with which episode from the show’s sixth season, which was wrapped up recently, to put into the countdown. It came down to this episode, “Night Family”, “Full Meta JackRick”, and “Analyze Piss” and yes, that is an actual episode title. I gave the series time with its season because the recent season finale, despite being a Christmas episode, anything can happen. Well...the season finale came and pass and well...it’s not a bad season finale, just felt like a normal episode with the issue regarding the lightsaber that Morty got from Rick, him, and later the family finding out that Rick was actually a robot with the real Rick searching for Rick Prime. Just with a Christmas feel because the lightsaber was a gift. Oh yeah, and a huge congrats to some people when watching the previous episode with the knights and the sun who thought that Rick was acting a bit off during Morty’s dilemma with him becoming the King of the Sun. But beyond that, I gave the season some time before the start of the countdown, and despite a few hiccups...and we don’t want to know what the hiccups are, seriously, what the hell is going on over at the writers' room, this was the best out of the ten episodes that we got from Season 6.
So coming out from what was an impactful and explosive season finale is where you have Rick and Morty, mostly Rick becoming a tad vulnerable. And I say that because of the things that are one of the pillars of the show is, of course, the dimensions and the portal travel...in which for the first six episodes of the season is considered broken. The portal gun’s broken and both Rick and Morty at the start of the episode while being stranded inside what is left of the Citadel, on the verge of death, looking sickly and drained, doing what Rick described as an Avengers moment. They can’t open the portal because of what’s on the other side is considered broken thanks in part to Evil Morty messing around with the portal gun. That, and also destroying the Central Finite Curve. So dimension hopping is a no-go for Rick and Morty for the first six episodes. Because that shit lasted for six episodes thanks in part to the episode where the Earth is being invaded by dinosaurs.
Other than that, they got stranded after Season 5 ended in what’s left of the Citadel but end up getting saved by Space Beth at the start of the episode. Too bad that the return trip back home had to cut off thanks to Rick’s attempt to fix portal travel by accidentally sending him, Morty, and Jerry back to their original dimensions. With Rick, it’s a trip back to the dimension where he witnessed his wife and daughter’s murders by Rick Prime. With Morty, it’s a trip back to his original dimension, the Cronenberg dimension. His first trip back since Season 3. And for Jerry, back to the dimension where the family is falling apart due to a mixup back in Season 2 at the end of “Mortynight Run” with the Jerryboree after Morty lost the ticket. Leaving Summer, Beth, and Space Beth to create a signal under Rick’s orders to get back to where they are because again, at that time of the series, no portal travel.
In Rick’s side of the episode of him going back to his dimension, it’s him gathering up some items in an attempt to do something important as he is hearing the voice of his dead wife through AI. Really living the guilt of not finding the person responsible for their deaths. Having his dimension slowed down in the time aspect with everyone aging. Or as Rick put it, he was quote-on-quote, “drunk, drunk” when that happened following the loss of Diane and his version of Beth. Even though Rick’s attempt to fix portal travel right away didn’t go well that resulted in him, Morty, and Jerry to their original dimensions, there is a silver lining to what is going to, and what is most likely going to be Season 7...+ arc of finding the person who killed Rick’s family. Which he did head off but not before picking up Morty from his respective dimension. And we’ll get to Rick Prime for a bit. Speaking of Morty...
Shifting over to the Cronenberg dimension and man, the atmosphere had become even more...well...apocalyptic since Morty’s last visit with Summer in Season 3. Still carrying the weight that he and Rick (mostly Morty) caused with a love potion but went haywire due to flu season. Coming across with Jerry, his Jerry being the only member of the Smith family that is left standing in this dimension due to Beth and Summer dead since being frozen by the Council of Ricks. Fending for himself since then and also collected a Rick-like personality for him to survive. Rejecting Morty’s attempt to reconnect with the guy after going portal hopping by calling him out for abandoning him. Abandoning the family. Twice. Putting guilt on Morty for what happened. Though not pitting the blame onto him for destroying his dimension over a simple potion that didn’t even notice that flu season was active at the time. But man, that hurts Morty for Jerry to attempt to reconnect after being sent back to his original dimension. I mean, he had gone through enough stuff. Mostly with the recent event at the time being the portal on his palm, him being replaced by a pack of crows to be Rick’s companion, and the whole crap with Evil Morty. So being rejected by his original father did hurt him. But at least he gets picked up by Rick, who is not his Rick, once he crashed his ship into the ground. Not to mention being in a family who is not from his respective dimension but at least he and Rick found a dimension to reside in.
The subplot with Summer, Beth, and Space Beth was something with the three with Summer taking charge in trying to open a rift for Rick to retrieve Morty and Jerry from their home dimensions. And even though Summer was doing the work in trying to follow Rick’s instructions...that and also her trying out wolverine claws, taking out scavengers upon arriving at the remains of the Citadel, and taking on some creatures that are getting in the way while opening the rift, the spotlight for the subplot is hovering over Beth and Space Beth. Them getting into an argument when killing each five-dimensional creature invading the Citadel. Mostly Beth being upset that her space counterpart gets to roam freely and do whatever the fuck she wants while she gets to stay behind and be a parent. With Space Beth coming in to argue back to her clone counterpart that this is what the clone is for. For Morty and Summer to not have to deal with an absence of a parent. It was something for the two Beths to talk to each other, argue with each other, or themselves, about their roles, and stand down from their heated debate at the end of the episode. Pretty much the crew’s way of them establishing Space Beth to be a recurring character and they did throughout the season and going into the next. Yeah, we’re not going to talk about what happened in the Thanksgiving episode with them. I think the world has pretty much had enough of that for the year.
Oh yeah, and the family after reuniting and also Rick standing down during his confrontation with Rick Prime courtesy of Morty, picking up Jerry from his dimension where the family is falling apart. Basically, Season 2 vibes from that dimension. Before the divorce arc that was Season 3. And finally, heading back to home...their home as a family even though the Rick, Morty, and Jerry are not from the dimension that Beth, Summer, and Space Beth are from...before heading off to go planet hunting to find another Earth thanks to a random Jerry releasing a creature named Mr. Frundles and turning the entire planet into the creature. Pitting blame onto Rick because it was cute and he can’t resist. Leading to the Smith family to find another Earth in another dimension, again, no portal travel, recreating what happened at the end of “Rick Potion No. 9” with the family clearing the dead bodies of themselves and burying them in the backyard. Proclaiming the Earth they’re in their home. Just the difference in this dimension is the pronunciation of the word “parmesan”. Yeah, every Italian out there pretty much cringed at how the dimension Rick, Morty, and the entire Smith family found for that pronunciation.
And of course, Rick Prime. Man, oh man, I think we may have found someone who Rick finally met his match. Even though I feel like this won't be the last we saw Evil Morty after Season 5 despite him finally getting what he wanted in destroying the Central Finite Curve, thus disrupting portal travel along with messing with the portal gun, or as Rick put it, him throwing a tantrum and compared it to someone quitting Twitter, mind you that this was before the site became a hellhole with Elon Musk’s takeover, Rick Prime is that motherfucker. Outsmarting Rick in his game when confronting him for the first time in a long time after picking Morty up. Oh yeah, Rick Prime is our Morty’s original Rick and the Cronenberg dimension is his dimension. Rick Prime, Morty’s original Rick, killed Diane and Beth, and therefore, the Rick that our Rick is the one who he is searching for. Tricking Rick and making a fool out of him by thinking that he’s in a tube naked but instead, he’s out there somewhere in the universe. And man, Season 7 and beyond for the hunt for Rick Prime is going to be something despite that the usual episodes for a season would be lore dump, random adventures for seven, or eight episodes before back to lore dump to close out the season.
Rick Prime is nothing to fuck with. Case in point, him tricking Rick inside the base. Outsmarting him into thinking that he found the real one but instead, he could be anywhere. Going back into his home dimension in the Cronenberg dimension and took out Jerry after Jerry thought that he took him out by slashing his throat. Oh yeah, he is a threat. A huge threat. It would take a lot for Rick and Morty to take him out. A lot to beat at his own game. And even though Morty stated that Rick Prime, his original Rick, might be his grandpa, but he’s not him. The Rick he was around for five seasons is the one he got. Hell, Rick even stated that Morty will not serve as bait for Rick Prime because it would be stating the obvious that Rick Prime wouldn’t even care for his Morty since he did walk out from his Beth and caused our Rick to crash land into the garage and take his place. Rick Prime might be stuck in his home dimension in the Cronenberg dimension thanks to portal travel being broken, but knowing him, being the Rick-est Rick he is, especially with portal travel patched up later in the season, it looks like the hunt has begun.
So all and all, following an explosive season finale last year, this episode to follow up with the events of what happened with the destruction of the Citadel and the Central Finite Curve, it did not disappoint. Sure, Season 6 after this episode came out was...interesting. Bit of a topsy turvy on how each episode fares out. Two episodes being controversial among the fans whether it’s the Thanksgiving episode or the fortune cookie episode. We don’t need to talk about that. Still questioning what the hell is going on over in the writers’ room. From Rick and Morty returning to their respective dimensions to the girls kicking ass when opening the rift to get everyone back together following Rick’s attempt to fix portal travel, it was handled well.
But by far from this episode is setting things up for what is about to come for the future of the show. That being Rick Prime. I wouldn’t call it a debut or full appearance because “The Rickshank Redemption” in Season 3 did that when introducing Rick Prime but the way that was handled with the revelation, him being revealed to be Morty’s original Rick, the Cronenberg dimension being his original dimension, outsmarting Rick and giving him an ulcer by toying with him...as I said, he is a threat and it would take a lot for Rick and Morty to take the guy down. I did say that what happened in Season 5 won’t be the last we’ll see Evil Morty despite him achieving his goal and even though my chances of that from this show...well, it’s low because knowing Rick and Morty, they love to exceed expectations. But having Rick Prime as the antagonist with the revelation of the guy being dropped on him in this episode and Rick at the end of the season for him and Morty to go dimension-hopping to track down Rick Prime would be an interesting arc to watch. Just that we have to wait for a while for when Season 7 will air. At least we don’t have to wait for a year and a half for another to drop thanks in part to the 70-episode production order. So there’s a plus.
And that concludes the Number 11 spot in the Top 12 Countdown of 2022. What do you think about this episode? Should it be higher, lower, or stay put on your list? Put it in the comments below as we prepare to go into the Number 10 spot of the Top 12 Countdown. Which episode and series will be taking the eleventh spot? Find and see sometime tomorrow. Follow me on Tumblr, Twitter, Mastodon, and Instagram for updates and behind-the-scenes stuff. And y’all should know the drill by now...
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