As Season 6 begins, Rick and Morty aren’t the same as they always were. After six seasons, the world of Rick and Morty has been so fully constructed that the program can continue without referencing outside sources for criticism or humor. The irreverent and rebellious sci-fi animated sitcom is now a mainstream smash. Rick and Morty Season 6 debuts with a degree of maturity and confidence in how to satisfy fans (of all sorts), thanks to some new creative inspirations that creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon have brought on board.
It is obvious why the first two episodes of Rick and Morty Season 6 were distributed as a set after they were previewed for the press. The first episodes of Rick and Morty Season 6 highlight the elements of the series that fans love: the craziest high-concept sci-fi stories, irreverent (and raunchy) comedy, actual progression of the revered (and frequently mocked) canon, and someway, somewhere, in all that, deep and heartfelt character drama. Then everything hits.
To be fair, Rick and Morty Season 6 started with many difficulties. The most significant changes to the series’ overall plot occurred in Season 5’s final episodes. In the cliffhanger finale, the Citadel (and the majority of its residents) were destroyed, Rick and Morty were imprisoned in space, and “Evil Morty” had successfully escaped the Finite Curve Rick had constructed to guarantee his status as the brightest man in the multiverse. It was a hint that a brand-new program would debut in Season 6. The Rick and Morty Season 6 opener may not have invented the wheel, but it is a superb mashup of the show’s most gratifying fan-service components: huge plot-advancing revelations (Season 3 premiere), and high-concept sci-fi storylines that upend the show’s established canon (see also: Season 2 premiere).
It’s also encouraging to hear that, after six seasons, Rick and Morty are allowing its characters to develop into their own unique, three-dimensional individuals, since both the writers and performers now have a firm grasp on who these characters are, where they’ve come from, and where they could be going. The show appears to understand that everyone in the ensemble (even Jerry) is now much more than a caricature as the character relationships get increasingly complex, never straying too far from the rhythms we’ve come to adore. The fact that Rick and Morty are still hilarious, irreverent, and vulgar is probably not that shocking at this point.