Rick And Morty's Season 7 Finale Proved Season 8 Will Abandon Its Original Premise

Summary Season 7 of Rick and Morty hints at a shift away from the duo's original dynamic, focusing on Morty's independence.

Morty's realization in the finale proves he doesn't need Rick anymore, paving the way for solo adventures.

The series has successfully split its heroes before, giving both Rick and Morty a chance to shine individually.

While Rick and Morty's original premise has served the series well, season 7’s finale heavily implied that the show is finally ready to move on from this conceit. From the pilot's opening scene, wherein Morty talks a drunken Rick out of destroying everyone in the universe except for themselves, Rick and Morty has always lived up to its title. Although Rick and Morty’s cast of characters also includes the rest of the Smith family and a few recurring figures like Mr. Poopybutthole, the show centers almost all of its episodes on the eponymous duo and their troubled dynamic.

However, Rick and Morty’s season 7 finale implies that the show’s next outing will move on from this relationship. Throughout the show’s first three seasons, Rick and Morty shared a fairly imbalanced bond that was rarely challenged by the pair. Although Rick’s self-hatred was explored in the show’s more self-serious outings, his attitude toward Morty wasn’t altered until season 4. The finale of that outing saw the Smith family lose a lot of respect for Rick, resulting in Morty understanding his grandfather's flaws more deeply. This was exacerbated by the events of Rick and Morty’s season 5 finale.

Morty Doesn’t Need Rick After Rick and Morty’s Season 7 Finale

Rick and Morty’s Hero Outgrew His Reliance On His Grandfather

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When the Central Finite Curve was destroyed by Evil Morty, Morty learned just how much every version of Rick had exploited every version of Morty for years. Morty maintained his partnership with Rick but, by the time Rick and Morty season 7 killed off Rick Prime, it was clear that the series needed to revisit the pair’s dynamic. Rick and Morty’s first few seasons mined a lot of laughs out of Morty following Rick’s lead, but the show’s protagonist developed little independence in these outings. By seasons 5, 6, and 7, Morty was growing more self-reliant, self-aware, and altogether canny.

As a result, it was a welcome surprise when season 7, episode 10, “Fear No Mort,” finally questioned whether Morty really needed Rick at all. Rick and Morty visited The Hole, a strange psychic space/tourist trap that showed its users their greatest fear and allowed them to overcome it. Rick and Morty went through a traumatic adventure that involved Rick’s late wife Diane coming back to life and Rick losing interest in his adventures with Morty, but that wasn’t the scariest part of the ordeal. The episode’s twist ending revealed that Morty was alone in The Hole all along.

Rick and Morty Season 7 Already Experimented With Solo Episodes

Rick and Morty Both Had Adventures Of Their Own In Season 7

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He was undoubtedly shaken by the experience, but the finale proved to Morty that he was an independent character.

“Fear No Mort” proves that Morty doesn’t need Rick anymore by forcing Morty to face living a life without Rick, which he had never realized was his worst fear. Rick and Morty’s bleak season 7 ending saw Morty discover that Rick considered him replaceable. Instead of sending him into an existential tailspin, Morty chose to view this as liberating. No longer burdened with being Rick’s full-time sidekick, Morty had a new sense of purpose as he left The Hole. He was undoubtedly shaken by the experience, but the finale proved to Morty that he was an independent character.

This made sense since season 7 had already given both Rick and Morty solo adventures of their own before its finale. Episode 3, “Air Force Wong,” was the first episode of the series to send Rick on an adventure alone, while episode 8, “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie,” was Morty’s first solo story. Unfortunately, Rick and Morty season 7’s first Morty adventure left a lot to be desired, earning the season its lowest IMDb rating by far. This proved that the show still has to iron out a few wrinkles when it comes to its new formula.

Rick and Morty Has Successfully Split Its Heroes Before

Some of Rick and Morty’s Best Stories Separated The Duo

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Luckily, Rick and Morty prepared for Morty’s eventual independence in earlier seasons when the show gave Morty his own subplots while Rick took other Smith family members on adventures. For example, Morty’s Planetina romance in season 5, episode 3, “A Rickconvenient Mort,” was one of his most moving stories, and it was entirely bereft of Rick’s input as he attended an intergalactic bacchanalia with Summer. Similarly, various surprisingly funny adventures paired Rick up with Jerry in seasons 1, 5, and 7. Season 7 even reduced Morty to a side character for an episode that saw Summer and Rick work together.

While Rick and Morty’s season 7 finale marked the first time that Morty realized just how codependent he was, it is far from the first time that the series has given both its title characters a chance to shine on their own. Episodes like season 3, episode 3, “Pickle Rick,” and season 4, episode 2, “The Old Man and the Seat” illustrated the darker side of Rick’s tortured genius by sidelining Morty. That said, the show never delved as deep into Morty’s psyche in episodes that focused on him, like the zany season 4, episode 1, “Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat.”

Rick and Morty Season 8 Can Prove The Show Has Grown

The Series Doesn’t Need To Rely On Its Original Formula

Morty’s lack of introspective episodes was due to a broader issue that Rick and Morty finally faced with “Fear No Mort.” Since the series began, Morty has been begrudgingly content in his role as Rick’s sidekick. Rick and Morty season 7’s funniest episode even saw Morty react to Rick’s despondency after killing Rick Prime by insisting that the pair go on one of their classic adventures. Morty based his entire life around working for Rick, much like the show based its premise around the same idea. When Morty outgrew this in season 7, Rick and Morty proved it has grown too.

Rick and Morty season 8 can now send Morty on solo adventures and, unlike “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie,” these outings can explore his dreams, hopes, fears, and ambitions with the same level of focus and sincerity that the show affords Rick. Evil Morty’s backstory in season 7 revealed that he came into existence because his Rick failed to treat him as an equal and a human being with his own life. After “Fear No Mort” showed Morty his potential by forcing the character to face his fears, Rick and Morty season 8 can avoid repeating Rick's fatal mistake.