Why Rick & Morty Season 5 Episode 9 Didn’t Deserve Fan Hate

While Rick & Morty’s “Rickdependence Spray” (season 5, episode 9) was not the show’s strongest standalone episode, the outing didn’t deserve the fan hate, as it was secretly pivotal in the overall success of season 5’s arc. Even the goofiest episodes of Rick & Morty tend to sneak in some unexpected moments of profundity. Much like the show’s most serious moments are always followed by a tongue-in-cheek punchline, the most absurd moments in the Adult Swim hit show tend to still feature a thoughtful element.

For example, Rick & Morty’s season 4 heist movie spoof seemed like a broad parody of the crime movie sub-genre until the season 5 finale proved the outing illustrated a dark truth about Rick and Morty’s imbalanced power dynamic. Similarly, it was understandable that fans felt Rick & Morty’s “Rickdependence Spray” (season 5, episode 4) was too silly and gross for its own good upon the episode’s initial release, but a closer inspection reveals that the outing has a purpose in the show’s larger story after all. Unlikely as it may seem, the episode underlines a character flaw of Morty’s that later pays off in the explosive season finale.

Disliked by many critics due to its tasteless gags, “Rickdependence Spray” was abhorred by even some longtime fans of Rick & Morty, thanks to its gross-out plot and its exceptionally goofy tone. Season 5, episode 4 was hated mostly because even fans who didn’t mind the shocking jokes found the story pointless, while fans who didn’t mind the silliness of the story disliked the obscene elements of its premise. However, the outre episode’s shocking jokes were a necessary corrective for season 5’s increasingly dark tone, and the episode’s story secretly revealed more about Morty’s character than meets the eye.

“Rickdependence Spray” Fan Hate Explained

In short, “Rickdependence Spray” tells the tale of Morty accidentally turning his sperm into supersized, sentient, man-eating monsters, his sister Summer super-sizing one of her eggs to save the day, and a mortified Morty having to admit his mistake in front of the world to avoid accidentally creating a Giant Incest Baby. There are also references to the ‘80s cult horror-comedy CHUD, but most of the material that reviewers and fans alike objected to is encapsulated in that brief summary. Everything from the conceit of sentient sperm to the eventual, inevitable creation of the Giant Incest Baby resulted in the Rick & Morty episode being seen as a gross-out gag fest with little or no character development. However, that’s not quite true when the events of Rick & Morty season 5 are viewed again as a cohesive whole.

Why “Rickdependence Spray” Secretly Worked For Season 5

After the dark tone of both Rick & Morty season 5’s episodes 1 and 3, the series needed a lighter, sillier episode with no grim ending and no depressing realizations about the title character’s essential natures. “Rickdependence Spray” provided this while also subtly setting up Morty’s eventual finale character arc, something that the less hated, but equally silly “Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular” was not able to weave into its similarly goofy plot. The less tasteless “Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular” (season 5, episode 6) may have been similarly absurd, but it did not advance Morty’s character in the way that “Rickdependence Spray” subtly managed to.

Why Rick & Morty Season 5 Kept “Rickdependence Spray”

Centering one of the season’s stories on a mishap that was entirely Morty’s fault and depicting its disastrous consequences proved that the character wasn’t infallible in a season where his more obviously unhinged grandfather was frequently depicted as the cause of all the Smith family’s woes. Admittedly, few fans of Rick & Morty would have called Morty a flawless character before the events of “Rickdependence Spray,” but season 5 charted his personal growth for the first few episodes and seemed to be setting up a more independent, well-rounded version of the character. The so-called Giant Incest Baby episode reminded viewers that Morty was also irresponsible and immature and that these qualities could have serious consequences, making his growth in the finale all the more satisfying.

How “Rickdependence Spray” Secretly Foreshadowed Morty’s Character Arc

Morty’s self-centered short-sightedness caused him to accidentally create his giant sentient sperm, but it was his unwillingness to own up to this mistake that led the episode’s story to spiral out of control. As the consequences of this early mishap became increasingly dire, Morty proved that he was unable to take responsibility and own his errors despite the drastic problems that his continuing obfuscation caused. Morty had accidentally put the plots of episodes into motion before, as proven by Rick & Morty’s Terminator spoof. However, “Rickdependence Spray” is one of the first instances wherein the show depicts Morty’s inactivity as his fatal flaw. It is his unwillingness to engage with his mistake that proves his downfall and the episode’s tragedy (the creation of the Giant Incest Baby) stems from him taking responsibility and thus taking action when it is already too late.

Why Season 5’s Finale Needed “Rickdependence Spray”

Rick & Morty’s season 5 finale changed the show’s status quo for good when Evil Morty destroyed the Central Finite Curve, thus disempowering Rick and ending the show’s multiverse. While this was a show-shaking decision, it was born out of the character’s inability to face his circumstances rather than a desire to change them. When Morty asks Evil Morty, “What are you going to do about it?” the villain answers that he intends to do nothing and simply leave. Rick and Morty’s power imbalance has been in place since the show’s pilot episode, but Evil Morty’s plan didn’t fundamentally fix this issue since the character wanted to avoid the problem rather than solve it.

In contrast, Morty’s decision to save Rick in the finale’s closing scenes, despite Rick’s many betrayals and failures, proved that his character had grown since the event of “Rickdependence Spray.” His willingness to accept his grandfather’s character flaws while expecting him to improve on them was in direct opposition to Morty’s inability to face reality in the earlier episode, and the strength Morty displays in the finale’s last scene proves that “Rickdependence Spray”’s story had a profound effect on his approach to life. The episode’s story made Morty more able to trust himself – and therefore others – after he saw the results of his failure to take responsibility and take action, proving that Rick & Morty’s infamous killer sperm episode had a purpose after all.

About The Author

Cathal Gunning
(1434 Articles Published)

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Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies and TV online since 2020. His obsessions include The Simpsons, Stephen King, the Scream series, and the horror genre in general. He has spent more time thinking about Stranger Things than the writers of Stranger Things, and he has never seen a Star War.

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