Posted in: Adult Swim, Review, TV | Tagged: rick and morty

Rick and Morty S09E04 Shines Sobering Light on Rick's Addiction Cycle

Rick and Morty S09E04: "A Ricker Runs Through It" proved an effective and thought-provoking examination of Rick's cycle of addiction.

We're three episodes into the ninth season of Adult Swim's Rick and Morty: a canon-heavy season return was followed by a deep dive into Rick's tortured psyche. Last week, we got a twistedly fun focus on Rick's inability to make friends, filtered through the lens of some great over-the-top Kung-fu satire. Throw Jerry's sensitive nipples and a demonic guest appearance from the Hawaiian Punch mascot into the mix, and we've got the makings of a seriously strong start to the Emmy Award-winning animated series. That brings us to tonight's episode, S09E04: "A Ricker Runs Through It," with Rick's drinking issues taking center stage. Considering he was drunk when we first met him, it's not that surprising. Oh, and let's not forget that there's some kind of side storyline where Jerry enjoys walking through a car wash. What follows are our real-time thoughts on tonight's episode, followed by a look at what series co-creator Dan Harmon had to share about the episode.

Rick and Morty S09E04: "A Ricker Runs Through It" Thoughts

If your personal TARDIS is a flask, we think it's safe to say that you have a drinking problem. That said, considering what we've seen Rick drink, snort, smoke, inject, and enema into himself, it has to be something really bad for things to get this bad. Side note: serious props to Ian Cardoni for bringing another unique take: Totally Fucked-Up Rick.

Everyone should be very thankful that Rick protects his stuff (and the planet) from himself. Also, is that "Morty" or "Marty"?

Ummm… who the f**k is Reece and why are Rick and Morty fanboying over him? Hmmm…

Reece takes them out for some fly-fishing (under the influence, when it comes to Rick). Reece seems a little too… nice. Like, he's speaking too much common sense to be… real?

Rick and Morty's relationship is unique in the multiverse – Rick said it! Wow!

That said, Rick, gaslighting Morty into believing that Reece was real and had been their friend for years was, to put it mildly, not a good move – especially when he did it just to get his password.

We're going to say it again: we're getting some similar vibes here to Evil Morty's backstory with his Rick.

Can you blame Morty? Look how many people Rick has introduced into Morty's life, only for it to turn out to be a lie. Shit, he even created a version of himself  – one that turned out to be a much better grandfather, by the way.

Okay, Jerry getting taken over by Rick's Customer Service is a pretty damn good side storyline. And we understand, Jerry. We've wanted to walk through a car wash once in our lives, too.

Uh-oh. Morty and Reece found the liquor universe that keeps Rick's flask full.

Once again, no good deed on Morty's part goes unpunished. Reece was able to start his own life just long enough for the rebels to take it over in Rick's liquor flask universe. That means they have all of Rick's passwords – and that means, Rick, Morty, Customer Service Jerry, Beth, and Summer are in for some serious trouble.

How many other worlds does Rick have running various things in his life?

I will never get tired of seeing the Smiths fighting together as a unit.

Let's not lose sight of the moment when Rick took a hit meant for Morty, even though his body defenses were shut down.

Combining Reece and Customer Service was the perfect solution  – but that ending? Wow. The look on Morty's face as Rick finishes his flasks and yells at Morty that he's destined to be just like him. Haunting. And the end credits scene, where Morty mistakenly believes the new neighbor is another Rick creation, only to be proven horrifically wrong. At least with him…

The episode was never going to be a "Happily Ever After" when it comes to Rick's drinking. But what it did do was shine a brutally honest light on addiction and how an addict will continue to repeat their self-destructive cycles until they seek help or are consumed by it. The fact that we saw glimmers of love between Rick and Morty amid all of the anarchy made tonight's adventure that much more tragic.

Dan Harmon on Addressing Rick's Drinking Problem

During a recent interview with Polygon, Harmon offered some thoughts on the show's decision to address Rick's substance abuse issues. "You write what you know," Harmon, who has discussed his struggles with alcohol in the past, shared. "I think that the balance is struck by mythologizing something that is important about substance abuse, which is that it takes all forms." Harmon referenced the 2012 film Flight, which starred Denzel Washington as an alcoholic pilot who saves passengers by pulling off a near-impossible landing.

"The whole point of the story is that it's up to Denzel's character when he fixes this issue, and that makes it more important, more dramatic, but you don't really feel that bad for him, and you don't feel like you're watching a person die in an aquarium," Harmon explained. "You're watching Macbeth. You're watching someone struggle, and they better fix themselves, or they're going to die." Though Rick's issues will be the focus tonight, Harmon notes that the show has never tried to play his drinking as a joke, where the repercussions weren't shown. "If we were doing that version of drunkenness, I think we would be alienating people or getting out of touch. Rick's alcoholism doesn't look like a superpower. The guy wets his pants on a regular basis," he added.

Rick and Morty Season 9 Episode 4: "A Ricker Runs Through It"

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Review by Ray Flook

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9/10

Adult Swim's Rick and Morty S09E04: "A Ricker Runs Through It" sees Rick's drinking issues taking center stage. The episode was never going to be a "Happily Ever After" when it comes to Rick's drinking. But what it did do was shine a brutally honest light on addiction and how an addict will continue to repeat their self-destructive cycles until they seek help or are consumed by it. The fact that we saw glimmers of love between Rick and Morty amid all of the anarchy made tonight's adventure that much more tragic - with a haunting final scene that finds Morty possibly witnessing his own future.

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