Rick and Morty has always had high expectations to meet. But the ending of season 5 might have been the most daunting since the end of season 2.
After a season with so many highs and lows, the team managed to patch things together with one of the best episodes in the entire series. Most fans knew that this first episode was going to make or break the show moving forward.
So did they meet those expectations?
Well that answer will change depending on who you ask, but to me, yes.
There's something refreshing about the show returning to it's roots. Embracing the narrative building season introductions of season 2 &3, but more importantly, further exploring the relationship between the Smith family.
This episode will make a lot of callbacks to previous seasons. Yet it never feels like pandering to the fans, rather a natural progression that the series had long abandoned. The result is some of the most memorable plot twists in ages and some incredible jokes as well.
The aspect that surprised me the most though...was how touching it was. I never knew how much I missed that aspect from this show.
It's nice to see the writers embrace such a simple theme too: family is more than just blood.
Here's hoping to a strong season!