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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.

The animated science-fiction duo is back! Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty returns to television screens with a fourth season.

In this review, we discuss the Season 4 premiere so if you haven’t caught up with the show (or haven’t seen the new episode) and want to avoid spoilers, do so now and return this article.

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The new season started off with a bang, and we meet this quite literally. An homage to popular animes All You Need is Kill (the Japanese light novel that inspired the American film Edge of Tomorrow) and Akira, Rick Sanchez finds clones of himself being killed over and over until he reaches his universe’s Morty. Meanwhile, the scientist’s grandson gradually becomes a godlike figure while under the possession of a Death Crystal.

The episode finds a new change of pace as Rick has to politely ask his grandson for permission in order to go on missions. The Death Crystal shows Morty versions of his death, some of which show him an apparent future where the teenager ends up with his crush Jessica. The boy’s god transformation is an allusion to Akira‘s character Shotaro Kaneda and Watchmen‘s Doctor Manhattan. The crystal’s power invokes the death drive of any individual that comes into contact with it, and with Morty, he kills just about everyone who gets in his way including a widowed judge and a high school bully.

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“Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat” brings back characters of Mr. Meeseeks and Gearhead as well as a “Kirkland brand” of Meeseeks. In the end, we get a neatly animated epic first episode of the new season.

Fascism oddly becomes a topic as cloned versions of Rick awake in reality that follow Hitler’s belief system, showing us that no variations of this dystopia are worth living in unless you aim to take it down.

Overall, nothing is what you believe in this new Rick and Morty episode since Fall 2017. The line “Only if the events of the Pixar movie Coco are to be believed” reminds us that what we know about historic events could be fabricated and need to be rethought. Justin Roiland uses an animation of Times Square promotes his video game Trover Saves the Universe, and just in time for Veteran’s Day, we salute the late producer Mike Mendel. This is the post-modern reality in which we reside, and like Rick says, this is nothing like Full House. The future of our characters is a fait accompli.

10/10

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What do you think? Have you seen Rick and Morty yet? Have you read the comic series? If not, do you plan to? Let us know! For more animation-related news and reviews follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_).

Rick and Morty Season 4 is out on Adult Swim now!

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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.

John Daniel Tangalin

About John Daniel Tangalin

Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.

View all posts by John Daniel Tangalin