Rick and Mortys Best Episode In Years Set Up A Great Twist That Could Make Or Break Season 8

Although Rick and Morty season 7 did introduce one of the best twists that the show has ever come up with, this doesn’t necessarily mean that season 8 should double down on this revelation. Rick and Morty season 8 has a lot of hype to handle. Not only was Rick and Morty: The Anime a major disappointment, but Rick and Morty’s season 7 finale was one of the show’s best episodes in years. Rick and Morty’s season 7 ending, episode 10, “Fear No Mort,” earned a 9.4 rating on IMDb, the show's highest rating in years.

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This isn’t particularly surprising, since the nested narrative of “Fear No Mort” was uniquely ingenious. The episode began with a straightforward story, as Rick and Morty jumped into a hole that supposedly showed them their greatest fears so they could conquer them. After a brief fake-out where the duo battled monstrous bugs, they returned home to discover Rick’s dead wife, Diane, was somehow back and alive. Rick and Morty immediately agreed that they were still in the hole and this was all part of the experience, but Rick and Morty’s season 7 finale had more surprises in store.

Rick and Morty Season 8 Can Now Revisit The Fear Hole Twist

Rick and Morty’s Heroes Repeatedly Discovered They Were Trapped In The Hole

Gradually, Rick and Morty both realized that the fears they were facing were bigger, more existential ones. For Rick, killing Rick Prime earlier in Rick and Morty season 7 had deprived him of purpose and Diane’s imaginary return allowed him to sink into complacency. For Morty, the fact that Rick no longer required his help made him realize that he never developed a personality outside his existence as his grandfather’s sidekick. Morty came to realize that he had no sense of self and, as a result, all of his self-worth was linked to Rick’s plans for him.

What made this story even heavier was the fact that, as they repeatedly discovered, Rick and Morty could always find out they were still stuck in the hole and had not realized this yet. This means that Rick and Morty season 8 could now reveal the heroes are still in the Fear Hole anytime, since its lifelike simulation of reality was convincing enough to fool Morty for an unknowable number of months. In the episode’s twist ending, Rick and Morty escape the Hole over and over, only to realize they are still trapped inside. Eventually, Morty learned the terrible truth.

Rick and Morty’s Season 7 Finale Featured Its Creepiest Threat Yet

Viewers Never Knew If What They Were Watching Was Real

Rick never actually entered the Fear Hole with Morty, and Morty had been imagining him the entire time. Rather than a shared delusion where the pair both needed to face their fears simultaneously, the entire episode had been Morty’s lone adventure through his greatest insecurities. Although Morty had a solo episode earlier in season 7, “Fear No Mort” proved that he was still scared of the idea of Rick not needing him. In the ending of the finale, Morty finally faced this fear and decided to live for himself, earning Rick’s respect.

The episode made it impossible to tell whether the heroes were really still in the Hole or not, and this made the entire plot uniquely creepy. The fear that all the pair’s hard work would be undone by the realization that they were still trapped in a simulation was an existential nightmare that the series never shied away from, and this made their plight surprisingly unsettling for such a comedic series. However, this doesn’t mean that Rick and Morty season 8 can now revisit this twist. Ironically, the show’s best reveal must instead be forgotten.

Why Rick and Morty Season 8 Shouldn’t Revisit This Twist

Rick and Morty’s Season 7 Ending Closed The Storyline Perfectly

Rick and Morty season 8 can’t reveal that the heroes are still stuck in the Fear Hole, as this would undo all of Morty's character development from the end of the episode. While it might be an admittedly clever callback for an episode to suddenly reveal they never escaped the Fear Hole, devaluing Morty’s breakthrough isn’t worth the novelty of this Easter egg. Rick and Morty season 8 can center Morty now that he has committed to leading a more independent life, and the Fear Hole storyline facilitated this.

If Rick and Morty were still in the Fear Hole, this would mean that Morty didn’t really enter and escape alone. All of his revelations about his over-reliance on Rick and lack of independence would be undone, and the welcome shift in their tired dynamic would be lost. As such, Rick and Morty season 8 can’t bring back season 7’s cleverest twist, even though the Fear Hole storyline might be the show's creepiest idea yet.

Source: IMDb

Deadline

Release Date December 2, 2013

Seasons 7

Streaming Service(s) Hulu , Max

Franchise(s) Rick and Morty