Warning! Spoilers ahead for theRick and Mortyseason 8 finale.
Rick and Morty’s season 8 finale was great, but I wish it had committed to its darkest twist instead of quickly reversing it and undoing the consequences of it.Rick and Mortyseason 8, episode 10, “Hot Rick,” sees the long-awaited return of Memory Rick as he manages to make his way into Beth’s mind to reunite with Diane.
LikeRick and Morty’s other season finales, “Hot Rick” brought some surprising twists and turns. It teased the possible return of Diane as Rick jettisoned her memory into space. It revealed that, in the dimension that Mr. Poopybutthole infiltrated, his wife Amy has figured out he’s an impostor. Andit very almost killed off Space Beth.
It Seemed Like A Shocking Twist, Then Quickly Reversed It
As Beth’s mind gets more and more warped by Rick’s memory experiments and she becomes obsessed with bringing back the memory of her late mother, she unwittingly kills her clone, Space Beth. She’s horrified by what she’s done. Butwhen Rick finds Space Beth’s body, he promptly fixes her broken neck and brings her back to life.
It would’ve been more interesting if the series had committed to killing off Space Beth. I love that character and I love what the show has done with her over the years — including just within this season, whenBeth and Space Beth de-aged themselvesto their violent, sociopathic childhood selves — but the show should’ve stuck to killing her off.
It would’ve given Beth a lot of guilt to live with going forward, and it would’ve forced Rick to face a dire consequence for his refusal to deal with his grief. By instantly bringing her back to life,Rick and Mortyensured that no lessons were learned and no consequences would be carried into the next season.
Killing Off Space Beth Would’ve Been The Kind Of Game-Changing Twist That Made Rick & Morty So Iconic
By Bringing Her Back, The Show Played It Safe
Reversing Space Beth’s death is another example of recentRick and Mortyplaying it too safe. What made the show so iconic in the first place was that it would commit to huge, game-changing twists.This is the show that ended the world and moved to a new universe midway through its first season— it shouldn’t be afraid of death.
Rick and Mortyis streaming on Hulu and HBO Max.
Rick and Mortyhas a long history of undoing character deaths. It’s rare that it kills off a character and the death actually sticks.Birdperson came back as Phoenixperson. The show even keeps bringing back Diane in various forms. Making Space Beth’s death permanent would’ve been a good way to change those stakes.
