Rick and Morty - Have We Outgrown Rick? (Season 4 Explained) 

"No Old Country for Old Ricks" honestly sounds like it could be a Season 5 episode title.

"Being the smartest won't make you the master of the universe, but being kind and honest might help you find your place in it" sometimes the Take just has the best lines. When I say sometimes I mean most times.

I think we’ve all come to the realization that pessimism isn’t a constructive mindset and in a world where you either keep moving or you shrivel up and die, there’s no true point in nihilism if you don’t plan on killing yourself.

Just because Jerry has very little power and control overall does not make him "sweet-natured" or "caring and loving". Yes, most of the show we see him oppressed and emotionally abused but he easily turns just as horrible on the rare opportunities he gets a chance. Being wronged and treated unfairly doesn't make anyone a good person. I feel like our culture is very confused about it.

Cynicism can only be cool for so long before your brain develops hope or you give into suicide

It was actually scary how so many people romanticized ricks attitude so much and demonized jerry when they’re practically the same ( only that rick is smarter and funnier since he is mean on purpose)

I wonder if this is a response to people idolizing Rick where the show runners never wanted that

I hope we are. That would be nothing but a good thing. I think what’s fantastic about the direction the show has taken is that it started out fully embracing nihilism and Rick escaping all consequences. But the arc of the entire show looks to be about how no one is truly capable of escaping consequences forever, no matter how powerful you are or how little you give a shit; and that’s not actually a bad thing. That is quite brilliant.

Morty: Besides that's not even my original mom anyway Rick.

I'm cool with criticism of Rick but let's not start pretending Jerry is awesome.

Jerry is not "sweet natured" lmao, he's weak and nearly as manipulative as Rick

Pro Tip: Don't take anything on Reddit or Twitter as being popular cultural opinion.

“Consequentialism” *Chidi screams at the distance*

This season was great SPECIFICALLY cause of the ending and its self awareness

Top Beth quotes "I squanch my family" "You're supposed to put elbow grease into your daughter"

Destroying Morty's social life and personality destroys the possibility of him besting and outranking Rick. He is scared by his own family's potential. Yet he doesn't change, so maybe he WILL die

That was such a good subtle shade at 15:20 like it does'nt matter if the fanbase will like it or not they can be easily replaced and that took me back LOL. Cause their not wrong I mean I love season 4 I'm a big fan of complex charcters and I appreciate their exploring the consequnces of not only Rick but the idea of Rick in mainstram culture.

Rick is discovering that his actions will finally be held accountable by his family. He will need either to change himself or change the direction of his family. I wonder which one he will choose?

we've outgrown rick because he hasn't grown at all as a character

The amount of philosophy on The Take videos is overwhelming

The trouble with Rick, is there's nothing beyond his post-modernism. Rick's family makes the transition beyond post-modernism, finding meaning after the death of "God". To the Smith family (except Jerry, and including Rick himself), Rick was their "God". And their "God" kind of sucked. Turns out he's not as omnipotent or all powerful as he claimed to be. He's having a hard time coping, and his family has moved on. Beth was Jerry's "God", who sucked as a "God" as well. But then he was able to realize that everyone kind of sucks, there are no gods, and that's ok. More than anyone in the family, he's able now to see both himself and others clearly. He's at peace with the universe.

Rick doesn’t need to change. He was hilarious the way he was. Does this mean I look up to him or admire his outlook on life, no, but he is entertaining as hell

Haven’t watched Rick and Morty in awhile. The knowledge that the creators have stopped pandering to 14 year old Edgelords and everyone’s finally calling Rick on his bullshit is piquing my interest.

Adding on to that conversation about loneliness...I remember in an impromptu class that we are told to be “common”. The reason for that is simply that if you think too hard on what joke you make then you lose spontaneity, but if you apply that to life it could be stop overthinking. Stop thinking about how special you are, how exempt you are from the rules because you are so incredibly unique. Rick is in a perpetual state of loneliness because deep down he thinks being lonely is what makes him so special, and true, for a time it was. But somewhere down the line you realize that cross to bear is pointless. That’s not to say CONFORMING is the answer either. What made us love Rick in the first place is that he is allowed to be himself. It’s a balancing act, to be loved is to be in the same level as the ones you love, while loving yourself is to be in the level you’re at. Looking solely on the theme of Rick, it’s pretty much an advocacy to be who you are and the downside of thinking too highly of yourself, to the point being special justifies loneliness. That’s just my opinion on this Take (haha). Anyone who read this far thank you, and stay healthy!

I would not call Jerry "Sweet Natured"

Rick pretty much believes he’s a god but almost better than a god because he wasn’t born as a god he became a god by becoming a genius he said that him self

In my opinion, Rick was never all that interesting. Variations of his character have been done countless times before and have been similarly romanticised, so it's natural that audiences would outgrow him sooner rather than later. The whole "too cool/smart to care" attitude is especially grating at a time when apathy is literally killing us.

This constant reinvention, self awareness and dialogue with itself is the reason I keep watching Rick and Morty. The fourth season was GENIOUS. If they'd kept idolizing the edgy Rick dynamic, their audience would've ended up composed exclusively of incels lol

This kinda reminds me of South Park. When I was younger, their cynicism appealed to me as a jaded teen in the post 9/11 era. Then, I realized, they spent so much time thinking both sides of any debate is shitty when it was about some big issues that I found myself irritated with them never taking a stance, or only doing so when it came to issues like censorship of media, but not issues of actual human rights. With Rick and Morty, the same applies. You can only evade giving a shit about something for so long before it catches up to you.

I was not prepared for those The Good Place spoilers. Swedish Netflix only has the first two seasons so far.

"Being the smartest man in the universe won't make you the master of it. But being kind, loving and honest can at least help you find your place in it" I almost shed a tear on this one. So simple, yet so true.

I think not only does Beth want the approval of Rick as a daughter but, as one of the only characters on the show that comes close to his level of intelligence, I think she wants his validation as the objectively smartest man in the universe. Who wouldn't want to be validated by "god?" But at the end of the season, Beth sees first hand that with the right resources and the freedom to do so, Beth can actually RIVAL Rick, at least when it comes to his expression of power through violence and combat tact.

Jerry starts a new productive hobby in beekeeping. It isnt quantum physics but it shows his progress.

Felt sad for rick he just seems so alone right now

As Dr Manhattan once said: I can change almost anything...but I can't change human nature.

Change is inevitable... Either way, I remember what the cat said, “Maybe you should stop asking questions and start having fun.”

I never want Rick to stop being smart... I love him so much for being an asshole with a brain. I do understand the need for him to have growth though.

I hope the fascination with this type of characters is over. I know too many people who try to emulate it, aiming for "a lovable asshole" but just ending up a regular one.

how did "tony" ever get access to Rick's secret toilet in the first place? doesn't make any sense

1) I don't like the take on consequentialism and learning lessons. If the action itself is bad (e.g. drinking all night), and it must be bad because if you do the action in a way that avoids consequences then you've failed at "learning a lesson", so the action is bad regardless of consequences... that sounds like basic deontology to me. Lesson learned or not, if you know for certain that the consequences (e.g. being hungover) can be avoided, then I don't see a consequentialist argument to why the action is bad. Seems like some crossed wires to me. 2) My take on Rick and Morty season 4 is also not great. It feels like the showrunners don't want to commit to changing Rick. It could be taken as exceptionally dry black humor that Rick is constantly suffering emotionally as a result of his actions, but it's definitely not deep that he as a POV character never learns, and it's just frustrating that he never wants to change. If he wasn't such a prominent POV character, then I don't think it would be as bad. He's Michael from the Office, or most of the Bluth family from Arrested Development, except the show plays it straight that we should feel bad for Rick rather than laugh at his comeuppance. We *still* see this framing at the end of season 4, where we could have just gone into the house with the family and closed the door on Rick, but instead we stayed alone with him in the garage while he wallowed in his misery. Contrast Rick with Bojack Horseman, who is fully aware of how bad he is, and is painfully constantly taking two steps forward and one step back on his journey to not being a completely selfish asshole. Or contrast Rick with Archer, who is emotionally stunted and has no filter, but manages to be fun by rotating between idiot savant, impotent punching bag, someone with a strong (if twisted) sense of right and wrong, and as a source of tension like Larry David from Curb Your Enthusiasm. Or contrast Rick with Dr. House, who is also an asshole, but who is generally trying to do good and not just screwing around because he's bored, and who suffers consequences for his actions, but generally doesn't change much over the course of the show. Rick is just a pessimistic asshole with a god complex, and he doesn't necessarily have to be more, but he can't be a real sympathetic character - which he is by nature of POV and framing - while being a perpetual asshole. The showrunners need to choose whether to make him a real character or a force of nature. There's nothing wrong with him being a force of nature, so long as we aren't asked to sympathize with him in a way that makes us emotionally frustrated when he never shows any desire to change. So far, all of his moments of "introspection" and moments where other characters call him out just feel like deflection by lampshading. Therefore, my takeaway is that there's nothing wrong with the "lovable asshole" character, so long as they're not always an asshole, and the show isn't framed to force the audience to always take their side. Or if they're a non-character mysterious force-of-nature type, who can dramatically influence the story, but with whom the audience isn't constantly expected to sympathize. I believe Rick's character would work unchanged if he held a less emotionally central position in the story, which would allow the emotional center to actually fluctuate more amongst the remaining characters. To use Archer one more time, Rick's position could be less Archer and more Krieger or Barry: in a position to revel in his inhumanity, and to be funny by contrast to the other more prominent and more human POVs. I think that's the most subtle change that could salvage his character without fundamentally changing it. You could also give him a goal such that it feels like the ends justify the means, but that would undermine his pessimism.

I don't think the audience is tired of being entertained by Rick; I think the series creators are tired of him.

Hope everybody is having a great day 🌞

Er, showing Oprah speaking for metoo when she was a close friend of Harvey Weinstein is a bit strange.

Honestly yeah we kind of have outgrown Rick. He's like an old angry edgy atheist from the 2000s. And with what's currently happening in the USA we kind of don't want to look to a nihilist. Countless people have lost loved ones to Coronavirus, millions are unemployed, people feel traped at home, people are divided on the George Protest, State wide riots, and of course people are extremely divided on how Trump has responsed to everything! We want something more hopeful! We're fighting NOT to turn nihilist or worst suicidal!

But at the end, they prove Rick right. By not carring about rick they are in a position of power.

I just hope the show circles back to Rick actually developing a healthy relationship with his family while maintaining his overall personality, or simply regaining control. Somehow whenever the family "wins" and/or turns against Rick, it feels un-earned. Like not that Rick dosen't deserve what he gets- but that they didn't do anything to earn their satisfaction really. Like nothing is actually learned or gained for anyone.

Please, do a white savior trope video. Thank you.

I'm torn. On one hand, I agree with you, on the other, I know the history of this show pretending Rick is developing at the end of each season and turning around to reveal they were just trolling us.

don't get me wrong, i LOVE seeing karma kick rick's ass and watching him realize how shitty of a person he is. as someone who has suffered abuse similar to the way rick abuses morty, it's beyond satisfying to see morty become more independent and less tolerant to rick's toxic behavior. however, i wasn't a huge fan of season 4 (and some aspects of season 3) because of how OVERT the writing was with these themes. the characters and their dialogue constantly talked down to the audience about how "mature" and "subversive" the story was becoming, not letting us piece together the puzzle ourselves. i understand they're trying to be meta with their writing, and i love meta humor and self awareness as much as the next gal, but there comes a point where it goes from funny to an interference with the emotional stakes and the story. i really hope they fix this in season 5 and beyond and have enough faith in their writing to let the story and themes unravel organically, without pressure from fans or networks or even themselves to always stick to the status quo.

The Take: What do you want our take on next? Me: Yourselves.

My dad is pretty smart and I always feel presured to meet expectations. I study engineering for him but all I wanted was a simple life. This 4th season resonated wih me a LOT

i don't think the shows subtext is that ricks family is out growing him but they are making peace with their normal lives because only rick has the power to change things, if he didn't want them to change he could spray them with some mind altering gas or move dimensions like he did before, its rick knowing that the cycle of having these human connections is pointless but he feels that they are not, its knowing you can make people love you without force or effort and even if you are simply loved because they love you it dosen't feel any more special than all the other ways ricks other families have loved him. its loneliness without a cure

This video is literally perfectly timed, I just finished season 4. This show is incredibly good for a cartoon and I love that they keep showing how vulnerable Rick really is. His facade is starting to crumble over time, you can’t keep up a lie forever.

The last 5 episodes of season 4 have become my 5 favourite episodes of the entire show. I think it's the perfect direction to take and this video captures that feeling perfectly.

Please do the witch and girly girl tropes!

I loved the first season when it first came out. And I loved the 4th season. I just love Dan Harmon in general.

1:46 Me mentally going, "Do the dance! Do the dance!" 😂

But the serum removed the consequences of binge drinking so why IS is bad?

Rich is the ultimate expression of a persons slide in to nihilism with Rick being the most absurd expression of it

I love how you can see how desensitized the family is with Rick, shit that used to blow their minds, or make them question their reality (Rick fucked a planet and got cucked by Zeus, Two Beth's) doesn't even phase them.

I love that you showed a clip from that Rick and Morty Collegehumor sketch

9 minutes into the upload, none of us here know how this video will end

I thought that The Vat of Acid episode would have a more lasting impact. I wasn’t expecting the show to *drastically* change, but I was kind of disappointed when the show just went straight back to normal.

What I find interesting is that Rick has made it a point to be above it all, including his family, s he DOESN'T have to experience the consequences of their distrust in him. I wonder why he's decided to allow himself to stick around long enough to have to deal with these consequences.

This seasons 2nd half is *wayyy* better. I love how each character became more independant, Summer is more badass now and Morty is so much more stronger. Beth is not miserable around her father anymore and Jerry... well... he did some cool things too. But i love how rick isnt perceived as the smart god he is.

*VIDEO SUGGESTION:* I love your Director videos, but have you ever thought of doing Writer videos? Possible videos: You Know it's Stephen King If... You Know it's Charles Dickens If... You Know it's Neil Gaiman If... You Know it's Allen Moore If...

Loved the analysis. as always, great content ♡

Rick's escapism from the world he lives in (both physically and metaphysically) is something that just doesn't jive well in a collective increasingly concerned about the degradation of the planet.

Isn't getting tired of the asshole and backing away usually what happens in real life? It's only so many times you can get burned before you start noticing a pattern and get tired of the pain.

I get the feeling the problem a lot of fans have is that show is no longer justifying the idea it's okay to treat people like shit if you're smarter than them, and worse it's even pointing out that there are consequences for such actions. It's why they freaked out over the therapist saying that maintaining relationship is work, and often boring work, but you need to do if you want the relationship. They don't want to hear that being smart isn't an excuse the problem lies with them and not other people for not understanding them.

GREAT VID!!! I watched the whole thing in a minute and 22 seconds.

1. Not everyone on the train wanted to kill him 2. He’s depressed (and we’ve known that he hates himself from season 1) 3. Just because Morty and Summer were together on that ship doesn’t mean they’ve outgrown him

here's me... getting hammered on a tuesday. I feel attacked.

Me watching this video an hour after its been posted despite never watching a single episode of rick and morty in my life: 👁👄👁

As always, great quality work! I always look forward to your videos

morty: "shitty idea" rick: "what having a grandson" hits different now

I have a (probably male) neighbour called R. Sanchez. I don't think his name is Rick and I can't even say for sure if the person "R. Sanchez" whose name is on the door bell to that apartment is the man I keep seeing entering that apartment but odds are, that there's a man called R. Sanchez living on the same floor of the same apartment building as I am. I find that mildly amusing.

Can u please make an analysis on The Sandlot? It was my favourite movie as a child and i feel like it has many layers such as Friendship and especially Benny Rodriguez’s character. I love your vids btw 🥰

I will never leave Rick behind even if it kills me because I know he’s the only character in the show that makes life makes sense without it making sense. He is the only person that tells the truth and explains How nothing matters and how everything and everyone including you eventually die. He knows that the universe creates dummies just to feed off them,He knows people are born just to be eaten by time,He knows that love it’s just a chemical reaction that makes animals breed and hit hard and then fades away like I was never there, and I also most importantly now that Rick ,knows that no matter what anyone does no matter what you do The idea of having life was no purpose will always be in the back of your mind reminding you as if you were never meant to be born.

an analysis on Archer ( the show and the character) would be cool to see, Hank Moody would also be cool.

This is really good editorial and copyrighting work, so deep and on point. Whoever wrote this, I’m hoping to see more of

The endings gonna be morty doesn't need Rick anymore so Rick leaves and uses his morty coupon so he feels important again

The way Rick sabotages his family to keep them in the same pity puddle as him started to become apparent in S2. Jerry being in a similar boat but nowhere near the extent of Rick. Its just so mentally draining being near someone who always sees the negative of everything and cares for nothing. Rick doesnt want to change and he doesnt want his family to change either. He is just a toxic person.

I think its because people seem to put rick to a godlike status and try to be like rick, so the creators tried to make him more human and mortal than he was

I think we’ve outgrown both tbh

Nice video! I always enjoy your channel

I dont think we will ever outgrow one of the best characters of all time cartoon or not but i do think that as genius as dan harmon and justin roiland are theres a pretty good chance the top tier writing for rick wont last for the 100 episodes they signed on for.. the writing is soooo good and honestly most FANS dont even fully understand how good lol almost like theyre taking it for granted

Why does hungover rick as a bus driver look like 75% of all bus drivers I had going to school as a kid😅

I really love your videos, so insightful, thanks!!

I will gladly be an asshole if it means I don't grovel in submission to what everyone else wants me to be. The changing world is one where you are defined by labels and you are expected to conform to those labels.

I’m in love with his character. He’s nihilistic, petty, manipulating and insecure, and yet he has all the reasons to be. Not only can he back up his talk, but he can still be reliable when the chips are down. I find that combination refreshing in a “protagonist”. The moment he becomes at peace or a better human being is the moment the series stops being fun.

I remember unlocking god mode in my games as a kid. It was fun asf but eventually it got boring that's Rick's arc and honestly. There's only one real option for him to choose mortality in some way shape or form. And more importantly to finally die.

He definitely needs to be grown more in season 5. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the amusing meta humor and 4th wall breaks, but it got to be way too much where that was the subject matter and no other substance. The only two times that shown good growth was the toilet episode and the ending when he realized he was alone to reflect on his shittiness.

I appreciate the Take. Keep up the great work!

"who puts a fuckin bush THERE??" classic Moody

It is impossible to miss one of your videos, ladies!!! They're always so spot-on.

Some comments make no sense at all..yet they have more than 5 likes.

Wow what an incredible channel, this view of the show is spot on. I don’t think it’s a glorification in the beginning but a realization and then a growing from there. Dan harmons show “community” to me shows , not a college coming together, but a soul coming together

Every time i hear or see rick i think peter capaldi would be very appropriate for the role if the show was shot with real actors

Let me make a suggestion, Xavier: the renegade angel. thank me later