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I don’t know about you, but the Rick and Morty Season 4 finale might be one of the most brilliant season-ending episodes of television I have ever seen, and certainly one of my favorite Rick and Morty episodes so far. For every one of the long-standing story arcs that it resolves, it sets up even more to be explored later in Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland’s phenomenal animated sci-fi comedy (almost too much to from the average mind to keep track of). Well, that is where we come in to remind you of everything you should keep in mind for when Rick and Morty Season 5 premieres, starting with the Number One this next set of episodes is sure to be double the fun.
There Are Two Beths Now
The ninth episodes of Rick and Morty Season 3 sees Beth Smith (Sarah Chalke) at a crossroads after her father, Rick Sanchez (Justin Roiland), tries to prove how much he truly loves her by positing an opportunity to abandon her life on Earth as a divorced, single mother of two and be replaced by a clone. The next episode, however, sees Beth and Jerry (Chris Parnell) reconcile their marriage, never specifically answering the question of whether or not she is the original version of herself (in this particular timeline, that is). When we finally do meet her galactic warrior counterpart - commonly referred to as Space Beth - in the Season 4 finale, we are still not sure which is the original version, including the "smartest man in the universe."
Not Even Rick Knows Which Beth Is A Clone
Throughout the Rick and Morty Season 4 finale, the audience is teased with subversive hint at who may or may not be the real Beth, notably in how Rick addresses to Beth and Space Beth and through the ladies' own ongoing argument of which is more likely the clone. Yet, by the end of the episode, it is revealed that he never had any idea and, in fact, his own memory of which Beth is which (which he had removed from his mind and saved to be discovered) proves he made it impossible for him to know which one was his true daughter all along. However, neither Beths nor anyone else in the family really seems to care, including Morty (also voiced by Justin Roiland) and Summer (Spencer Grammer) who had a pretty satisfying arc of their own in the season-ender.
Morty And Summer Have Learned To Work As A Team
At first, the bickering brother and sister spent much of the Rick and Morty Season 4 finale fighting over who got to use Rick’s invisibility belt before the New Galactic Federation (made of aliens called Gromflomites) invaded. Indeed, at that moment, the transparent Summer came to Morty’s aid by holding a fire extinguisher near him, making it appear as if he is a powerful psychokinetic and convincing the insect-like beings to surrender. This allows the siblings to come to their family’s aid when they come under attack by a familiar face.
With Tammy Dead, The Leadership Of The Gromflomites Is In Question
The Rick and Morty Season 4 finale sees the return of Summer’s old friend Tammy (Cassie Steele), who - after her marriage to Birdperson (Dan Harmon) - was revealed to be an undercover agent of the Galactic Federation in Season 2 and became its new leader after the Smiths destroyed them at the beginning of the following season. Soon after her return, leading the New Galactic Federation on a mission for revenge against Rick and his family, she fails and Rick kills her, citing it as vengeance for the murder of his friend, Birdperson (which we had not actually seen the last of, as it turns out). By the end, the Smiths once again manage to prevent the Gromflomites from destroying Earth, but their whereabouts and who could take over as their guide remain ambiguous as of now.
Rick Is Keeping Phoenixperson In The Garage And Trying To Fix Him
Rick had a pretty awkward reunion with BirdPerson (now the cybernetically revived Phoenixperson), who did not take the news that Tammy was dead well (probably due to her programming him), ensuing a brutal brawl between the old friends. Oddly enough, it is Jerry, using Tammy’s corpse as a puppet as a distraction, that led to Phoenixperson’s defeat via off switch. Upon returning to the Smith house, it appears that Rick has Phoenixperson’s remaining parts stored in the garage and seems intent to bring him back to his old self again, which would be good for Rick as he does not have too many people to relate to anymore at the moment.
Rick Is On The Outs With The Rest Of The Family
The very end of the Rick and Morty Season 4 finale (before the post-credits “Invisible Garbage Truck Jerry” sequence that is) sees Beth and Space Beth admit to Rick that they have more important things to do than worry about which of them is a clone and that he is a “piece of shit either way.” Summer and Morty agree, telling Rick to give up on trying to lure them into his problems just because he is “losing control,” which is a statement that hit pretty hard for him, despite never being the openly loving type. It appears that Rick’s selfish ways have finally caught up with him in the most tragic way possible: the loss of his family.
Of course, as we could see from the Rick and Morty Season 5 trailer, the adventures of the titular grandfather-grandson duo and the rest of the Smiths are far from over. Yet, the nature of their relationship based on where Season 4 ends leaves much to be discovered when Rick and Morty - streaming on Hulu and HBO Max - returns on Adult Swim on Sunday, June 20, 2021. Wubba lubba dub dub!
