Why Rick And Morty Fans Have A Serious Problem With Season 5 Episode 4

Liking things is hard. One minute you're flipping the tables at a McDonalds and screaming that you're a pickle to express your admiration. The next thing you know, you're staring at the end credits of a once-beloved series, wondering why Morty and Summer needed to have a kid, or worse, scrolling through the post-show Reddit discussion as a dozen anonymous contributors say "come on, it's not that bad."

This was the unenviable position that untold masses of "Rick and Morty" fans found themselves in following the fourth episode of the show's fifth season, "Rickdependence Spray." Previously unflappable devotees came out in force to voice their displeasure with the story. Szechuan-flavored tears flowed like "C.H.U.D." references. Some were underwhelmed by a strangely powerless Rick. Some just felt that the narrative could have used a second pass. A few of the more conspiracy-minded viewers continued to point out that Rick hasn't used a portal gun once this season and that the whole thing feels suspicious. Again, though, folks mostly seemed displeased by the idea that siblings Summer and Morty have produced a child, which, you know. That's pretty fair. We'll try not to harp on it too much, but as complaints go, it's tenable.

The internet served its opinions up hot and fast in the wake of "Rickdepence Spray." "Thought it was a below average episode," wrote Reddit user AntawnSL. "Rick was super under-powered. Needed to be saved from the station wagon by the military? What? Needed the military's nukes to take out the Grand Canyon base?"

That summation was on the polite side of the tracks. More colorful descriptions, like the one from user PearlSquared, called it "the most repulsive and unenjoyable" episode to date. "Like if in two years Dan Harmon reveals they were doing a prank and trying to write the worst episode of 'Rick and Morty' without telling anyone I would not be surprised at all (...) it just kept getting worse," they continued. Meanwhile, a few fans kept the faith, repeating their suspicions that something is awry in "Rick and Morty's" fifth season. "4 episodes and no portal gun," wrote ActionFilmsFan1995. "Something is up."

What, if anything, is going on with the show's uncharacteristically funky fifth season remains to be seen. There are still three episodes left, with the finale scheduled to air August 1. With any luck, we'll get through the rest of 2021 without any further Morty/Summer space babies.