5x09 Forgetting Sarick Mortshall

[7.4/10] I appreciate this one for delving into the unhealthy relationship between the show’s title characters, albeit in a trademark deranged sort of way. I don’t really believe that the show is going to split up Rick and Morty for good, or that we’ll see a raft of Morty solo adventures while Rick goes to town with his two crows. But there’s still power in Rick recognizing he’s been shitty to his grandson and not wanting to continue that, and in Morty having had enough of it, but getting in over his head and wanting his grandfather’s help.

Their separate stories are entertaining too. I enjoyed Morty and Nick’s adventures as “the portal boys”, if only for the creative “my hand is connected to your knee” action shenanigans the two got up to. Morty getting in too deep with Nick when they’re bonding over casting off Rick’s oppressive supervision makes for an interesting dynamic. And good lord, the most hardcore scene in the whole show may be Morty slicing of his own hand via an oncoming train, melting his friend-turned-enemy by placing a portal in a portal, and then cauterizing the wound using a jetpack. The whole thing is intense, but in a fun, “Morty gets assertive, only to find himself overwhelmed by the results” sort of way.

Rick’s story is slightly more loopy. Him bonding with the two crows, finding a sentient bird planet, and getting really into crow tech and crow culture is a...peculiar trajectory. But if it helps him “round the corner” to recognize his own crappiness to his grandson and family, then so much the better. There’s some solid crow-based gags (not a line I ever expected to write), and some nice dialogue in that part of the episode.

Overall, my enthusiasm for this one is a little muted given how likely it seems that this whole thing will be undone in one way or another, but it’s a striking place to take the relationship between the Rick and Morty after so many episodes, even if it’s likely to be a temporary thing.