WARNING: The following contains SPOILERS for Rick and Morty season 5, episode 1, “Mort Dinner Rick Andre.”

The premiere of Rick and Morty season 5 suggests that the Adult Swim show will be addressing its biggest problems. Season 5 debuted on Sunday, June 20, 2021, and is the first of 10 episodes. Already, it appears that the animated series is making some major changes to its formula going forward. This is a positive sign: From repetitive storylines to problematic characters, Rick and Morty is due for an upgrade.

Rick and Morty season 5, episode 1, “Mort Dinner Rick Andre” follows two main storylines: the primary conflict involves peace-keeping talks between Rick and his “nemesis” Mr. Nimbus — a self-described King of the Ocean, and the second follows Morty attempting to woo his long-time crush, Jessica. There was also a subplot of Beth and Jerry debating having a threesome with the very sensual Mr. Nimbus.

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“Mort Dinner Rick Andre” is an interesting choice as the season 5 premiere for several reasons. For one, it is a relatively low-stakes (at least initially) story that focuses more on the characters’ relationships than the episode’s action. The episode also doesn’t follow up the major reveal in the season 4 finale that Rick had cloned Beth.  Instead, “Mort Dinner Rick Andre” (a play on the movie My Dinner With Andre) sets a new normal for the series — fixing many of the series’ problems in the process.

Rick & Morty Fixes Beth & Jerry’s Relationship

The fact that Jerry and Beth are so obviously incompatible has long been a core aspect of Rick and Morty, going all the way back to the very first episode. Initially, the dynamic was the hilarious contrast of Beth’s vibrancy and competency to Jerry’s pathetic uselessness, but over time, this shifted to examining the extremely toxic nature of their union. This was perhaps best embodied in the episode “Big Trouble in Little Sanchez,” which literally saw their codependency manifest into monstrous forms. Over four seasons, the show saw the characters attempt counseling, separate, explore the single life, and eventually attempt to reconcile.

It would be a mistake, then, for Beth and Jerry in Rick and Morty season 5 to be characterized by their marriage conflicts. Audiences have seen the two complete a full arc over the years — what the show needs to do now is find fresh stories involving these characters, without reverting back to the tired jokes of previous seasons. “Mort Dinner Rick Andre” does this by having the two repeatedly discussing their newfound identity as a “sex-positive couple,” thanks to their couples counseling. This sets up a new trajectory for them going forward, with Beth and Jerry rediscovering how to work together — and grossing out those around them in the process.

Rick & Morty Fixes Jessica

Easily one of Rick and Morty‘s biggest issues has been its female representation. Since season 1, Dan Harmon has made an effort to rectify this, in part by hiring much-needed female writers (with Harmon even slamming trolls for harassing these writers online).  For the most part, the show has done an excellent job of letting Beth and Summer share the spotlight — but there’s always been a relic from the show’s earliest season that contrasted this new direction: Jessica.

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Introduced as Morty’s high-school crush, Jessica has always been an underdeveloped character. Jessica typically lacked any agency in her storylines and was treated as a two-dimensional object of Morty’s sexual desires. Rick and Morty season 5 fixes this by finally removing her from this position: first by letting her have a real conversation with Morty, and later, by having her transcend into a “Time God,” as a result of being emprisoned over centuries. This definitively ends Morty pining for her, hopefully opening the door for his next romantic interest to be a more meaningful one.

Rick & Morty Fixes The Show’s Formula

For four seasons, Rick and Morty has followed the basic formula of Rick and Morty (and sometimes other characters) visiting a strange, new place — often with the aid of his portal gun — and getting into a dangerous situation. Given that Rick and Morty has infinite realities to choose from, it makes sense that the show would make best use of that and feature a wacky adventure in each episode.  The show has used other formats as well, including the fan-favorite improvised episodes (the Interdimensional Cable and the “Morty’s Mind Blowers”  episodes). Still, it has mainly stuck to a general formula that involves a strange new world, increasing danger, and eventually, Rick saving the day.

Rick and Morty strayed away from this format in season 4, with “The Vat of Acid Episode” in particular letting Morty be more of the focus. “Mort Dinner Rick Andre” similarly has Rick mainly in the background fighting with Mr. Nimbus, while the majority of the plot focuses on Morty and his frustrations with his grandpa. In many ways, the episode is also unique in how it encourages the audience to see the experience from Morty’s perspective, showing how uncompromising and difficult his grandpa can be — and just how dissatisfied Morty is with their dynamic.

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Rick & Morty Fixes Rick

Arguably one of the biggest issues with Rick and Morty is how its titular scientific genius had reached godlike levels, seemingly able to do anything — which actually raises significant narrative issues. It’s difficult to establish stakes in a story where one of the characters is essentially omnipotent. What’s worse, although Rick is obviously deeply flawed, he often gets a pass from those around him. After four seasons, having Rick being able to do virtually anything without suffering repercussions actually makes his stories less interesting. By showing Rick being vulnerable in this episode, not in control, and unable to save the day, “Mort Dinner Rick Andre” humanizes Rick without romanticizing his worst qualities.

The other major issue with Rick’s characterization in the past has been that his more destructive and nihilistic behaviors have verged on being glorified by Rick and Morty, which no doubt fosters some toxic ideas within the fandom. Rick works best as a tragically flawed character; if the show rewards him being sexist or racist within the narrative, it communicates a problematic message to viewers. By having Rick not be the victor in this episode — particularly after he’d been so horrible to those around him — it knocks him down a peg. This establishes new exciting directions for the character in Rick and Morty season 5, which will hopefully see him grow — without losing the aspects that fans love.

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Sarah Bea Milner
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Sarah Milner is the Weekend Lead Editor for Screen Rant’s Film/Television features (SR Originals) division. She is a writer, editor, and folk musician. She often watches movies — sometimes she reviews them too.

A graduate of Trent University, Sarah’s MA thesis examines Frankenstein adaptations and their relationship with popular culture. She has a fierce love of all things “spooky,” and a deep appreciation for classic cinema.

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