The highly anticipated fourth season of Rick and Morty finally arrived last year after a nearly two-year hiatus. As a long-time fan of the show, I was eager to see what outrageous adventures the eccentric mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his anxious grandson Morty would get up to this time.
I found the latest season to be just as irreverently hilarious and cleverly written as the previous three. However, there were some noticeable changes in the writing approach that gave this season a slightly different vibe.
In the past, co-creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon followed a structured “story circle” method to plot out each episode. But this time, they adopted a more free-flowing creative process, focused on chasing absurd jokes and memorable moments rather than adhering to narrative conventions. And you know what? I think it really worked for the most part. The episodes felt more spontaneous, taking unpredictable tangents while still retaining the sci-fi framework that defines the show.
A prime example of this loose, joke-driven storytelling is Never Ricking Morty, which parodies various film and TV tropes by trapping the characters in a meta-narrative about a train full of different reality compartments. The plot makes little logical sense, but it doesn’t matter – the rapid-fire gags and meta-commentary keep things entertaining throughout.
Another change this season was that Rick and Morty had more separate storylines rather than always sticking together as a duo. Personally, I enjoyed seeing more of how Morty handles adventures on his own, without his grandpa’s genius intellect to fall back on.
For instance, in Promortyus, we get to see Morty’s resourcefulness as he faces off against an alien face-hugger parasite without any help from Rick. It’s a refreshing look at Morty’s character that moves him beyond just being the wide-eyed sidekick.
That’s not to say the classic Rick and Morty banter was missing. There were still plenty of moments where Rick’s cynical outlook played off Morty’s youthful idealism for comedy gold. Like when Morty tries to convince Rick to give therapy a chance in Claw and Hoarder, but Rick insists his approach of ignoring problems and disappearing into a hole is healthier.
As always, the show wasn’t afraid to go to some really dark places while offsetting it with zany sci-fi action. Like the episode Childrick of Mort, which has Rick age Morty to adulthood using a super serum, leading to some extremely uncomfortable scenes as Adult Morty hits on his younger sister Summer. Definitely cringeworthy but very much on-brand for the show.
And it wouldn’t be Rick and Morty without some high-concept sci-fi weirdness. The talking cat voiced by Matthew Broderick in One Crew Over the Crewcoo’s Morty was a particular highlight. The show brilliantly used the cat’s ability to make anyone who hears it talk uncontrollably, leading to some great absurdist moments.
While most of the season was solid, there were a couple of episodes that fell flat for me. Claw and Hoarder felt like it leaned too heavily into fantasy tropes without much of the signature Rick and Morty twist. And Star Mort: Rickturn of the Jerri was an uninspired Star Wars parody that didn’t add much.
But on the whole, I found myself laughing out loud and shaking my head in disbelief at the show’s signature cocktail of cynicism, satire and fart jokes just as much as previous seasons.
The loosened writing approach generally paid off through unpredictable plots that gave the talented voice cast space to improvise. And the expanded focus beyond just Rick and Morty opened up story potential.
My only concern is that the anything-goes episodic style could make it harder for the show to develop longer running arcs and character growth. But I’m not too worried, as Harmon and Roiland have proven they can still craft compelling emotional moments when needed – like the heartbreaking end to “The Vat of Acid Episode”.
Rick and Morty Season 4 shows the series remains as fearlessly creative and irreverently fun as ever. By giving the writers space to follow jokes and ideas unrestrained, the show continues to surprise and delight me. I can’t wait to see how the madcap sci-fi adventures will continue when Season 5 eventually drops.
