Warning: Spoilers for Rick and Morty season 6, episodes 9 and 10.
While Rick and Morty season 6, episode 9 was not the show’s most reviled episode, the outing was deeply divisive and its plot has already been retconned a week after its release. The internet has made it easier, and faster than ever for critics and viewers to share their feelings about their favorite TV shows. This has allowed the creators of television shows to take on board criticism quicker than ever before, with fan feedback sometimes reshaping character arcs and storylines as they air.
However, the speed with which Rick and Morty season 6 retconned its most hated outing implies that the show’s creators knew the episode would split the fan base. Rick and Morty season 6, episode 9, “A Rick in King Mortur's Mort” broke Rick and Morty’s rules by making Rick the supportive presence Morty always wanted. Interestingly, Rick’s support did not stop Morty from making a mess throughout the episode’s story, although the outing did end with Rick telling his grandson that he was sincerely proud of him and saying sorry for giving him a hard time. It was a sweet long-awaited moment that the next episode immediately retconned.
Why Rick and Morty Season 6 Episode 9 Was Hated
There was an immediate backlash to “A Rick in King Mortur's Mort,” and much of it seemed to be centered on the idea that the episode promised a straightforward old-fashioned Rick and Morty adventure and delivered, with Rick’s apparent character development being an instantaneous occurrence that was hand waved. While the preceding episode about Pissmaster mocked Rick’s redemption arc by proving that the antihero’s attempts to make amends would be a messy, unintentionally bloody business, “A Rick in King Mortur's Mort” offered a more straightforward, suspiciously upbeat approach to Rick’s self-improvement. Here, he simply walked offscreen one moment and returned a nicer, better person.
How Rick and Morty Season 6 Episode 10 Retconned This
In Rick and Morty season 6, episode 10, “Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation,” it turns out that the more supportive, loving version of Rick who was able to tell Morty that he supported him wasn’t Rick, but rather a robot. This bleak twist didn’t really retcon the events of the episode per se, but it did undo Rick's apparent character improvement. When “A Rick in King Mortur's Mort” recreated a hated Rick and Morty plot, the episode appeared to show viewers what would have happened in Rick and Morty season 1, episode 5, “Meseeks and Destroy,” if Rick had been a better support to Morty.
However, “Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation” proved that the episode did nothing of the sort since its version of Rick was not even the real character himself. This retconned the sweet moment between Rick and Morty that came in the episode’s closing moments, but it also meant that a Rick and Morty episode that received negative write-ups from critics online was able to effectively hit undo on its sudden character shift. Whether this made “A Rick in King Mortur's Mort” better (because the episode no longer altered Rick’s character) or worse (because it turned out Rick was barely even in the outing) remains up for debate.
Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation Proved Season 7 Can Get Darker
While Mr. Nimbus’s return promised a funnier, sillier Rick and Morty season 6 finale, this was not meant to be. Instead, the ending of “Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation” took the show in a darker direction than ever. The existence of the Rick robot proved that well-meaning as he might be, Rick can’t simply decide to be better overnight. Instead, Rick remained as sure as ever that his hunt for Rick Prime would cure him, only now he had gotten Morty caught up in it, making the already-dark story of his obsessive search even bleaker.
Since the series began, Rick and Morty has joked about the unfair power imbalance between Rick and Morty. Morty is barely more than season 1’s Butter Robot to Rick, another pawn to be utilized in his self-centered misadventures. While “A Rick in King Mortur's Mort” seemed to signal a major shift in this attitude, this was instantly retconned by the events of "Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation.” Viewers who found Rick’s character shift too abrupt to be believable will likely be happy to see the antihero return to his roots, but the revelation that Rick and Morty season 6’s sweetest moment essentially didn’t happen also means that season 7 will likely be darker than ever.