While Rick and Morty season 9 proves Rick has done a lot to improve his personality over the years, episode 4 is a surprisingly sad reminder of his oldest struggle. Rick and Morty has changed a lot since the series began back in 2013. Adult Swim’s biggest hit was always raunchy and R-rated, but the humor in earlier seasons was distinctly edgier. Rick and Morty initially made a point of mocking sensitive subjects, pushing the boundaries of good taste at every opportunity.
As the show continued, Rick and Morty started to take its story a little more seriously, resulting in fewer off-color jokes and more character development. By the time Rick and Morty’s antagonist Evil Morty teamed up with the title characters to kill the show’s overarching villain, Rick Prime, in season 7, the series had largely shed its shock-value gags in favor of plots that fleshed out Rick, Morty, and the rest of the Smith family’s character arcs. Admittedly, there was still plenty of gross-out gore and immature humor.
However, Rick’s mean-spirited jabs became less frequent, his outright amoral apathy was less pronounced, and his defeat of Rick Prime seemingly saw him turn a new leaf as he gained a new respect for Morty. Thus, it was surprising when Rick and Morty season 9, episode 4, “A Ricker Runs Through It,” saw Rick return to treating Morty terribly, even though the cause of this character shift made perfect sense. In this outing, Rick and Morty reminded viewers that even the new, more sensitive Rick is still an addict.
Rick’s Alcoholism Is Worse Than Ever In “A Ricker Runs Through It”
“A Ricker Runs Through It” does not hide the fact that the episode’s story hinges on Rick’s drinking problem, opening with an uncomfortably long sequence of him returning home drunk, urinating in his pants, and almost passing out drunk before continuing to drink prodigious amounts of vodka. In a stupor, Rick then gets himself locked out of his security system, resulting in an impromptu fishing trip between him, Morty, and Reese.
Of course, this new character soon turns out to be an elaborate sentient fail-safe that Rick uses to gain access to his accounts whenever he loses his password on a drunken bender, and Morty is horrified to discover that his supposed longtime friend is actually just a robotic security mechanism. As “A Ricker Runs Through It” continues, Rick tries to negotiate access to his security system as Morty races against time to save Reese from Rick’s attempts to neutralise this walking, talking password key.
While the preceding episode of Rick and Morty season 9 wisely dropped Rick’s repetitive attempts at self-improvement, “A Ricker Runs Through It” was an unexpectedly bracing reminder of how much the character still struggles with self-destructive behavior. Although Rick repeatedly tries to blame Morty for the fact that he lost his password, the show clearly depicts this as a direct result of his drinking problem.
Rick’s Drinking Problem Highlights An Uncomfortable Season 9 Truth
Rick’s constant state of drunkenness comes as something of a surprise in “A Ricker Runs Through It,” since he has been less depressed and stressed in season 9 more broadly. While far from a model grandparent or father, Rick has been a more stable presence in recent episodes, and Rick and Morty’s decision to drop numerous running gags in this outing proves that the show seemingly wants to move on from some outdated elements.
However, just because Rick is more considerate than he used to be and is trying to be a better family man and person in general doesn’t mean that he is cured. As he notes to Morty, he still suffers from a genetic illness, and there is a good chance his grandson will inherit his drinking problem, judging by Beth's reliance on wine. “A Ricker Runs Through It” is one of Rick and Morty’s goofier, more light-hearted standalone episodes, with a plot that involves furniture trying to murder the Smiths.
That said, the episode’s plot still addresses the fact that Rick will never be an entirely harmless character, and even his best attempts to improve himself are stymied by factors beyond his control. While Rick can control a lot of things, he can’t stop himself from being an addict, and his decision to set up an entire planet of hogs who provide him with a steady stream of vodka instead of simply trying to cut back on his drinking brings this into stark relief.
“A Ricker Runs Through It” Fixes One Rick and Morty Season 9 Change
It can be jarring when Rick and Morty retires old gags one week and then brings back a forgotten character detail only an episode or two later, but the return of Rick’s alcoholism in “A Ricker Runs Through It” is a clever choice. If Rick didn’t still have in-built issues that he struggles with, the show would be devoid of conflict. For years, Rick’s unfair treatment of Morty was the engine that drove this constant conflict, but that has been replaced in recent seasons.
However, while a fairer working relationship between the scientific super genius and his grandson sounds like it would be a nice change of pace for the show, episodes like “A Ricker Runs Through It” are necessary reminders that Rick isn’t an unambiguously positive presence now. This means that, thankfully, Rick and Morty as a whole isn’t too light and silly either. Thanks to holding onto sad character details like Rick’s alcoholism, the show has retained some of its early edge.
When Rick and Morty season 9 promised to change the show’s genre by focusing on Rick’s misadventures with Evil Morty, this seemed like a chance for the series to return to the darker, more glib and raucous storytelling of seasons 1 and 2. However, season 9 instead left Evil Morty in Time Prison and used the return of Rick’s most infamous vice in “A Ricker Runs Through It” to prove that the titular duo has plenty of conflict between them already.
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Release Date
December 2, 2013
Network
Adult Swim
Directors
Bryan Newton, Dominic Polcino, Anthony Chun, John Rice, Stephen Sandoval, Jeff Myers
Writers
Tom Kauffman, Wade Randolph, Eric Acosta, David Phillips, Erica Rosbe, Sarah Carbiener, Matt Roller, Michael Waldron, Caitie Delaney
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Justin Roiland
Rick Sanchez / Morty Smith
English (US) ·