Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for the first five episodes of Rick and Morty season 8!
The Sanchez family are back for another series of zany, yet surprisingly emotional, adventures inRick and Mortyseason 8. With Scott Marder still at the showrunner helm, the new season picks up an unclear amount of time after the events of the prior season, in which the titular duo found themselves confronted by everything fromEvil Morty’s returnto Rick having to confront his trauma over Diane’s death with the mind-bending finale, “Fear No Mort”.
Rick and Mortyseason 8, which premiered on May 25, has similarly seen the return of key figures from prior seasons' storylines, including Space Beth and the Galactic Federation in “Valkyrick”, while also offering a wild, fantastical twist on the Easter Bunny in “The Last Temptation of Jerry”. However, one of the more notable episodes thus far was that of episode 3, “The Rick, The Mort & The Ugly”, which revealed where numerous Rick and Morty clones are in the wake of The Citadel’s destruction, including one of the former with a very dark past.
In honor of the show’s mid-season point,ScreenRantinterviewed Harry Belden and Ian Cardoni to discussRick and Mortyseason 8. The duo opened up about some of the new variants of the titular characters introduced this season, including how that allowed them to explore different layers of the mad scientist and grandson, as well as the emotional reveal of a new part of Rick’s backstory. Belden and Cardoni also offered an exciting update on season 9’s production, and their thoughts on The Citadel’s future in the franchise.
Two Of Rick And Morty Season 8’s Variants Are Belden & Cardoni’s Favorites
There May Also Be A Future For The Pair
As with previous seasons of the show,Rick and Mortyseason 8 has showcaseda number of wild new variants of the titular characters, particularly in episode 3, “The Rick, The Mort & The Ugly”, in which Rick C-137 and Morty Prime stumble upon a Wild West-like settlement on a planet near where The Citadel floated in space. After an emergency landing to repair their ship,the duo subsequently learn the settlement is inhabited by clones of Ricks and Mortys, all of whom are stranded after Evil Morty’s destructive escape from the Central Finite Curve in the season 5 finale.
One of the more notable introductions in the episode is that of Homesteader Rick, who lives on the outskirts of the settlement and focuses on tending to some bizarre-looking creatures. However, as the episode proceeds,it’s revealed that this variant was actually the one behind the cloning process on The Citadel, having taken to his newly quiet life in an effort to try and leave his dark past behind. As Cardoni explained, this also gave way to getting to explore a new sound for Rick, which now has “the darker, more brooding nature a little more front and center”.
“There’s a gruffness, there’s a texture in the voice,” Cardoni detailed. “I tried to put in a little bit of Harrison Ford in there, maybe a little bit of Clint Eastwood, given the episode title and all that. It’s just trying to highlight a couple aspects of the character that are always there somewhat. But in this particular version, it’s sort of his driving force. He’s, in some ways, a magnified version of Rick that, deep down, still cares, but is maybe even more reluctant to share that or show that.”
Cardoni went on to praise the writing trio behind the episode — Albro Lundy, James Siciliano and Michael Kellner — for giving him “a lot on the page for Homesteader to sink my teeth into”. The star also shared that it allowed him to “vent some of my own brooding frustration” through the character, who he says has “lived a hard life on the frontier” andhas “been through a lot more than some of the other Citadel Ricks we’ve seen”.
“And you did such a good job with that one too,” Belden praised. “Because, for a Rick that we see for one episode, I really cared about him by the end of it. And I know a lot of people did too. I know a lot of fans have been talking about how sad they were to see him [die], maybe. We didn’t see a body, but yeah, you did a fantastic job with that.”
Another variant with a darker edge to him introduced in episode 3 is that of Arcade Morty, who owns and operates the establishment that essentially acts as the settlement’s general store. When a group of raider Ricks come down and kidnap multiple Morty clones and leave Homesteader for dead,Arcade Morty and Homesteader Rick enter a tentative partnership to rescue the abductees and put a stop to the raiders, along with Doc Morty’s help.
From his first interaction with Homesteader all the way through the end of their destruction-filled quest, Arcade Morty proves to be a rare variant in how he carries himself with a form of confidence in a chaotic world,feeling like a mix of Slick and Cop Morty from “The Ricklantis Mixup”. When it came to figuring out the best way to play this version, not only did Belden find Arcade to be “super fun” to explore, but also came to realize that what sets him apart is he’s “a leader” compared to the other clones.
“He’s gone through whatever he’s gone through to rise to the top of this little society that they have in this Morty part of town, as Rick says,” Belden explained. “It’s definitely out of a sense of a kind of obligation. Somebody has to do it, somebody has to step up and kind of run things around here, because Mortys need leadership and need structure, in general. Somebody’s got to provide that, somebody’s got to protect these Mortys.”
Cardoni also shared his take on why Arcade Morty is important for the show’s future, feeling it to be “a great theme” about how other Morty clones “are able to rise to an occasion” and become leaders who “take a different perspective” than their others. He goes on to compare this theme to another Rick variant introduced in the episode,that being Boss Hog Rick, based on the iconicDukes of Hazzardcharacter of the same name that’s also quickly become one of Cardoni’s favorites.
He is a clone, but he’s got his own vision, and it’s beyond the original scope of what he’s created for, and it tells us an interesting story.
When it came to landing on Boss Hog’s voice, Cardoni recalls having started “way off the deep end” for the character, including adding “17 different vowels for different words” and giving us examples of some of the more out-there expressions he tested. He did, however,go on to praise the character’s creation as being “a true collaboration” between himself, Marder and the writers room, with all of them having “explored a bunch of different” voices and helping Cardoni to “rein me back into a little more Rick”.
One such element of Boss Hog Rick that Cardoni and the team toyed with was a line near the end of the episode in which, during a heated conversation with Homesteader,he lets down the thick Southern drawl and in a nasally voice says, “Whatever you say, man”. As Cardoni explained, the goal with the line was to make him “sound more pathetic by comparison” to both Homesteader and his “boisterous showman” personality, aiming for something “a little nebbish” and “kind of subdued”.
None of them are my actual speaking voice. I think some people maybe thought that was a little peek behind the curtain there but, yeah, it’s an exaggerated version of Rick. You want to start with the base voice, and then, “Okay, what’s that Rick like if you were a showman, if he was this southern oil tycoon?”
The PTSD-Addled Morty Was “A Little Tough” For Belden To Explore
“There’s Almost A Little Bit Of An Evil Morty Edge To Him…”
Even before “The Rick, The Mort & The Ugly”,Rick and Mortyseason 8 had Belden exploring new layers of the titular character in the season premiere, “Summer of All Fears”, in which Rick traps Morty and Summer in a Matrix designed to punish them for stealing his phone chargers. Having spent 17 artificial years in the system, the siblings come out changed in a different way than their grandfather intended, with Summer being a more confident and intelligent young woman,while Morty is a traumatized former soldier in a war that occurred within the Matrix, particularly due to his inability to die in the war.
While acknowledging it to be “so fun” to change what audiences expect from Morty, Belden also admits it being “a little tough” to get into the mindset of someone who “died God knows how many times fighting a war” and had “real, actual PTSD” while living in the Matrix, only to then have to revert to “a 14-year-old boy”. Belden also found that the resulting personality gave him “a little bit ofan Evil Morty edge to him”,particularly pointing to when Morty is repairing the Reg Rahc and traps Rick in the Matrix while stealing hisDeath Race-like monster truck.
“There’s sort of that cold, calculating demeanor to him that felt a little familiar from Evil Morty,” Belden explained. “So, for me, it was just an absolute blast, and collaborating with our showrunner, Scott Marder, and our producer, Suzanne Belk, just talking about figuring out where this character was, and just collaborating on, ‘Remember, he’s really been through it here. Let’s try that again, and let’s remember all the s–t he’s gone through in the past 17 years.'”
Rick’s Mid-Season Backstory Reveal Is Only Part Of New Vulnerabilities To Come For Him
“What’s Missing In His Life?”
While starting off as a seemingly humorous episode about stealing from a cryogenically frozen society,Rick and Mortyseason 8, episode 5, “Cryo Mort a Rickver”, gradually becomes a more emotional one as Rick finds himself taking his disguise as the aged son of one of the society’s affluent couples too seriously. As revealed in a heated conversation with Morty,this is largely because Rick felt himself a largely lonesome child, particularly when it came to getting love from his parents, therefore wanting to embrace the love he’s currently getting.
When it came to exploring this new backstory of Rick, Cardoni pointed to there being"a lot of conversation" with showrunner Scott Marder about the character’s new layers, from which he’s able to glean “insight from the writers room, and where Dan and the writing staff has gone”. “He’s sort of my go-to if I have questions about content in the script, or about anything,” Cardoni explained. “He’s there every step of the way. So, again, it’s a very collaborative process.”
As to how the show continues to unlock new emotions from Rick, Cardoni acknowledged that it “might seem counterintuitive to what we know about him”, particularly as “these impossible-to-get-them-out-of situations create a god”. However, he ultimately feels that it’s important to “explore the vulnerability” of said character,even comparing Rick to portrayals of Superman, in which the DC superhero’s “most compelling storylines” are those involving “kryptonite, Lois Lane, and the human aspects” that could be seen as “flaws”.
“Rick is a super genius who can get out of anything, and has tech far beyond anything we’ve ever seen, and yet, what’s he missing? What’s missing in his life,” Cardoni pondered. “We’ve got to make that real. We did so with ‘Fear Hole’ [in season 7], and showed a version of him getting back in touch with Diane. We’re going to see it in the Constellation Rick episode coming out soon, and see those vulnerable sides of Rick that may be a more youthful version. And we’ll also see that probably play out with the Smith family. Who wouldn’t love to see all that?”
The Pair Are Excited To See What The Future Holds For The Citadel
“…This Show Is Limitless…”
Building off of our conversation regarding episode 3, both Belden and Cardoni were asked their thoughts onThe Citadel’s future inRick and Morty,as well as their thoughts on what subgenre future episodes could explore, given “The Ricklantis Mixup” combined the likes ofTraining Day,Stand by Meand political thrillers. The Morty actor acknowledged that he doesn’t “want to argue for the limitations of the show”,but does feel confident to say “we’re not completely writing off The Citadel” from the show’s future, even while accepting that “if it’s done, it’s done”.
“There’s so much [to explore],” Belden expressed. “The things that these writers come up with are so insane, and they’re always things that I never would have thought of, that I can’t even wrap my head around, something that I would want to see more than what I know that I’m going to assume. It’s a really hard one to answer, because part of the immense joy that I get from this show when I was a viewer, tuning in and seeing what crazy thing was going to happen, versus now getting a script, or seeing an animatic and seeing what insane thing is going to happen.”
For Cardoni, while he echoed Belden’s sentiment to “trust the writers wherever they want to take it”, he did share his unofficial pitch for how the show could bring The Citadel back in the future. “It would be cool to pull off aWandaVision-type thing where it starts off, and you think it’s a certain thing, everything’s all good and hunky-dory, but then there’s like glimpses of, like, ‘Wait, is this a simulation, or is there something darker underneath this?’,” Cardoni shared. “I feel like our show’s really explored that space greatly in other episodes, where there are things aren’t always as they seem.”
In some ways, that could be a return to form, as well as a new version of telling a Citadel story. But I’m not one of the writers. I just think that would be cool, and as Harry said, this show is limitless, so whatever they want to do with it, I think that’s great.
Rick And Morty Season 9 Is Moving At A Great Pace
“Watch Very Carefully…”
After previously being renewed through season 10, Adult Swim greenlit the showall the way through season 12, with co-creator Dan Harmon and showrunner Scott Marder frequently expressing their desire to both maintain the show’s quality and maintain a more consistent schedule. With season 8 now halfway through, we turned our attention to the future, with both Belden and Cardoni confirmingRick and Mortyseason 9 is very far into the production process, with the former nearing the end of his work, while the latter “wrapped principal recording” and is “very excited for where this show is going”.
I wish I could say anything about it. I can’t, but season 9 is incredible. It just keeps getting better.
While both Belden and Cardoni were careful about saying too much about season 9, the latter did share that “the best way to prepare for season 9 is tohone in on 8”. “Watch very carefully, rewatch it, get all those moments,” Cardoni directed. “There’s going to be a lot that is built upon.”
New episodes ofRick and Mortyseason 8 air Sundays on Adult Swim!
Rick and Morty
Cast
Rick and Morty is an animated science fiction series that follows the eccentric scientist Rick Sanchez and his impressionable grandson Morty Smith as they embark on perilous adventures across space and alternate dimensions. The show explores the impact of these exploits on Morty’s tumultuous family life and personal challenges.
