Ronit J

Rick & Morty Season 8 Synopsis:

The fractured domestic lives of a nihilistic mad scientist and his anxious grandson are further complicated by their inter-dimensional misadventures.

Rick & Morty Season 8 Review:

I adore Rick & Morty. Even at its worst, I find their misadventures a comforting watch. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t idolise the clearly sociopathic Rick or any of his nihilistic madness. What I love about this show is its constant attempts at keeping things fresh. They always push the boundaries of the absurd, while entertaining viewers with dark and thought-provoking comedy.

Admittedly, the thought-provoking aspect of the show has declined after the first couple of seasons, with many complaining that seasons 5 & 7 received quite some flak, especially since Justin Roiland’s departure from the show. However, that’s somewhat expected of a show that runs this long, no? In fact, despite its lows, I continue to adore the misadventures, absurdity, and wackiness. At worst, it’s a one-time watch, and at best, a fun-filled 20-minute watch.

Since Rick & Morty is an episodic show, I decided to review each episode in short individually. And here’s what I thought for all of the episodes in season 8—

Episode 1: Summer of All Fears

After the relatively disappointing season 7 (which I still enjoyed, mind you), this Matrix episode was an absolute treat. Summer & Morty are living lives in the Matrix as punishment for using Rick’s phone charger without permission.

Every single plot point pushed the story forward in ways that kept me on the edge of my seat. From the turmoil every character goes through to the over-the-top escalation and subsequently simple resolutions… it all scratched that Rick & Morty itch. Almost like a return to form. A brilliant start to what ended up being a great season, if you ask me.

Episode 2: Valkyrick

People don’t like Space Beth episodes, but I love them. I find it refreshing that we take a break from our regular family and setting to see what the rest of the galaxy is up to. And this episode? Wow.

What I loved about it was the father-daughter relationship between Rick & Space Beth. It’s not conventional, nor is it healthy in any stretch of the definition. Despite that, it was nice to see Rick & Space Beth team up to fight what was essentially a galaxy-dominating threat. Plus, all that talk about Cisco only to see what held him back in the end credits… tragically hilarious.

Also, who doesn’t love Birdperson? To get him along with Birddaughter was another sweet addition to the father-daughter relation theme.

Episode 3: The Rick, The Mort, & The Ugly

I really loved the first half of this episode. From Rick & Morty’s passing by the ruins of the Citadel of Ricks, to the drama that unfolds on those ruins, everything was leading up to a fantastic finale.

But then, the action kind of took precedence, and it was… boring. We already got amazing action scenes in the previous two episodes. This one felt very lazy and recycled. While Homesteader Rick and Arcade Morty, even Boss Hog Rick (a clone who’s meant to be the Citadel’s Colonel Sanders) and Odd Job Rick were interesting characters, I felt they weren’t appropriately used.

The story was great, but maybe the makers could’ve toned down the action and replaced it with zany character moments. Even the humour in this one didn’t work for me.

Episode 4: The Last Temptation of Jerry

After being absent for three full episodes, we finally got to see Jerry! I don’t hate Jerry like many of the show’s fans. I think he’s the great anathema to Rick’s unreal epicness. And while Jerry’s contribution to this episode wasn’t what I expected, the episode itself was hilariously over-the-top.

I mean, absurd twisting of a religious holiday and its lore? A ridiculous motley of H.R. Giger’s Alien, Ridley Scott’s Alien: Prometheus, Christian aliens, and a classic monster-horror storyline? After last week’s action-focused western, this one was a delight. Plus all those absurd sex jokes and imminent societal collapse made this one feel like yet another classic Rick & Morty adventure.

Episode 5: Cryo Mort a Rickver

I really loved the first half. From the classic switcheroo to the class-war commentary with nods to Snowpiercer & Fight Club, I had high expectations from this episode. However, I wasn’t particularly a fan of the over-dependence on tropey gags in the second half. The space-race part felt like an easy cop out. The episode was hilarious, no doubt. Very close to a classic Rick & Morty episode.

Episode 6: The Curicksous Case of Bethjamin Button

Danny DeVito is in this! What a stellar surprise! The entire ‘Earth World’ theme part plot wasn’t as cool as it could have been, but pausing to catch every easter egg and recognising every celebrity did make for a fun pastime. But, it’s the A plot that really takes the cake for me.

I’m going to stop saying these are classic Rick & Morty adventures, because that’s pretty much established at this point. What I loved about this episode was the focus on Beth. It was equal parts nasty and heartbreaking to see how the two Beths essentially relive their childhood, as well as the heartwarming resolution we get to this entire conflict. Also, all the gags with Gene were cruel yet memorable.

Episode 7: Ricker Than Fiction

An episode based on The Last Action Hero that’s about movie franchises, films made with AI-prompts, and contains hilariously self-deprecating cameos by James Gunn & Zack Snyder… yeah I really loved this one. Apart from the action scenes that felt a tad underwhelming, everything about this episode was a delight to watch. Especially as someone who used to love the MCU but has come to not care at all about recent releases, I felt like Rick & Morty have voiced all our collective complaints through this episode. The AI stuff did feel a tad undeveloped, but the rest of the episode, including the post credits scene with Summer and the Movie-lizer was amazing!

Episode 8: Nomortland

This one might be one of my favourite Jerry episodes so far. Not only was the conflict interesting, the way the story focused on Jerry, whilst building on his relative uselessness made this one a surprisingly good watch. The multiverse, the hidden routes that the ‘Traveling Jerrys’ keep to themselves as a way of life… * chef’s kiss *

I never thought I’d come to feel this moved by a Jerry episode, but here we are. I’m really happy with the way the writers are treating this character this season. Well, mostly. Can’t forget what they did with him in last week’s post-credit scene with the raptors.

Episode 9: Morty Daddy

We got to see Morty Jr. again! While I wasn’t really a fan of Morty’s arc in this episode, it still held my intrigue with the garbage moon where Rick dumps all his trash. I particularly enjoyed how his sentient Salva-Tron (robot in charge of clearing all garbage) ends up becoming a Sauron-like dark lord, and how the other sentient trash objects have created their own little civilisation there.

What I really loved about this episode, however, was the b-plot with Rick, Summer and the Pre-Cogs. An absurdly hilarious twist on Spielberg’s Minority Report, I found myself fully invested in that arc. While not the strongest episode of the season in my opinion, certainly a good watch.

Episode 10: Hot Rick

I knew the season finale would be a banger, but I wasn’t ready for that ending. Everything from Memory Rick, to Rick’s attempts to be more emotionally available by removing Diane from his memory, to Memory Rick hijacking Beth’s memories to radicalise her into freeing him and Diane… mind-blowing! Pun intended.

There was a moment in the middle where Memory Beth radicalises all of her other versions, which I felt was going overboard a little. Also, the episode ended up being a little too canon-heavy. However, the emotional resolution in the end was just the perfect way to end this season.

Rick & Morty Season 8 Episodes Ranked

Because I’ve reviewed each episode above, I will only rank the episodes here. And my ranking is:

1. Ep 10: Hot Rick
2. Ep 1: Summer of All Fears
3. Ep 2: Valkyrick
4. Ep 8: Nomortland
5. Ep 6: Space Beth & Beth in The Curicksous Case of Bethjamin Button
6. Ep 7: Ricker Than Fiction
7. Ep 4: The Last Temptation of Jerry
8. Ep 9: Morty Daddy
9. Ep 5: Cryo Mort a Rickver
10. Ep 3: The Rick, The Mort & The Ugly

Agree or disagree? Let me know your rankings in the comments below!

Rick & Morty Season 8 Watching?

Yes. This season felt like a strong return to form with almost every episode feeling like a treat! If you’ve stopped watching Rick & Morty for whatever reason, season 8 might just be your excuse to give this show a second shot.

In Conclusion:

Rick & Morty Season 8 really delivered an entertaining bunch of episodes that felt very much like classic Rick & Morty adventures. While this might not be the peak of the show’s brilliance, the return to form makes me feel good for the next couple of seasons.

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• Ballerina (2025) | Film Review
• Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) | Film Review
• Solo Leveling | Seasons 1-2 | Anime Review
• Predestination (2014) | Film Review
• Island of the Dying Goddess

What did you think of my Rick & Morty Season 8 Review? Any other show/movie/book you would like me to review? Let me know in the comments below!

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Until next time.