Why Season 5 Of Rick And Morty Has Fans Eager To Learn About Diane

"Rick and Morty" has so far gone to great lengths to keep Rick's backstory in the dark. Even when it seems like he'll open up more to the audience, like when he revealed an origin story in Season 3's "The Rickshank Rickdemption," he's quick to pull the rug out from underneath us. While we witness an entire scene of Rick uncovering a way to travel across dimensions only after the Citadel of Ricks kills his wife, the scientist soon makes it clear the backstory was all a rouse so that he could make his grand prison escape. It's one of the best episodes of the series because it shows the immense lengths Rick will go to in order to come out on top. 

The episode clarifies how the show wanted to avoid having any hard canon established when it came to Rick's backstory. Such mystery allows the writers to do whatever they want with the character without going against whatever ultimately caused Rick to end up the way he is. However, Season 5 of "Rick and Morty" has shown that could all change shortly. Amidst all of the chaos Rick Sanchez has engaged in within the last two episodes, there are hints that the show could have plans to reveal what happened to Rick all those years ago.

Minor spoilers for "Rick and Morty" Season 5, Episode 2 ahead

"Rick and Morty" Season 5, Episode 1 "Mort Dinner Rick Andre" confirmed a significant detail of Rick's past by making clear the name of Rick's wife was, in fact, Diane. The audience saw this in the Rick backstory scene in Season 3, but when Mr. Nimbus says her name aloud, it establishes that while Rick may have made up the way she died, he didn't change her name. Mr. Nimbus also references the fact that she's dead (or at the very least believes she's dead). Knowing Rick, he could've sent Diane to another dimension to keep her safe, but again, we don't know anything at this point. 

Season 5, Episode 2, "Mortyplicity," continues on the Diane trail, when one of Rick's decoys is just about to mention what really happened to Diane until it receives an alert and promptly changes the subject. It's yet another fakeout, but it's weird that the show has teased more of Rick's backstory two episodes in a row. The running gag wasn't lost on Redditor u/ZMan2k03, who wrote on one thread, "That's 2 episodes in a row now where they in some way teased the backstory of Diane ([Beth's] mom) might mean something for later this season." It's a solid point, considering the season finales of "Rick and Morty" so far have always set up severe ramifications for the show moving forward. One could absolutely envision the final episode of Season 5 bringing Diane's story full circle in some manner.

Then again, u/NafetsWasTaken makes a good point: "Or they are trolling us." "Rick and Morty" has proven it loves to heighten viewers' expectations only to dash them in unceremonious manners. Regardless of whatever happens with Diane, fans will tune in to "Rick and Morty" for 100 more years if they have to.