Top 10 Times Rick and Morty Tackled Serious Issues
#10: Discrimination
“The Ricklantis Mixup” Discrimination is, sadly, still a massive problem in the world. Whether it's racial, sexual, or regarding mental illness, many are still being treated unfairly for the most ridiculously insensitive reasons. “The Ricklantis Mixup” addresses this in a deep yet simplistic approach. Despite the Citadel’s efforts in restructuring their government, you see many instances of Ricks and Mortys seeing each other as rivals rather than trying to live together. We even see how one law enforcement officer treats his fellow Mortys with unnecessary force. This may be a comedy show playing Rick and Morty’s voices up for laughs, but this episode hit somewhat close to home.
#9: Teen Parenting & Abortion
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“Raising Gazorpazorp” “Raising Gazorpazorp” touches upon various themes regarding the treatment of women across society. However, the focal point of the episode is on teen parenting and the chaos it can bring between families. Morty lets his hormones get the best of him, and he quickly finds himself needing to raise a violent alien known as a Gazorpazorp. In addition to facing skepticism from his own parents, Morty grapples with the sudden realization that he might be ill-equipped to responsibly raise a child. It’s a tale as old as time, and unfortunately, many teens still find themselves in similar situations as Morty.
#8: Environmentalism
“A Rickconvenient Mort” Striving to be environmentally-friendly and take care of the planet can be a tremendous thing. However, “A Rickconvenient Mort” shows the darker side behind this political topic. Morty begins dating a superhero, Planetina, a parody of Captain Planet. Things take a turn for the worst when she begins committing crimes in the name of Mother Nature. Although, on one hand it’s great that Planetina cares about the well being of the planet, on the other the lengths she’s willing to go is too much for us as well as for Morty. This episode is a dark reminder that even bad actors can corrupt good causes.
#7: Marital Problems
“Big Trouble in Little Sanchez” Beth and Jerry’s broken marriage is addressed within the first few minutes of this episode, and it might put your own relationships into question. Rick sends the two to an intergalactic couples counseling facility, and upon their arrival, Beth and Jerry learn about how they perceive each other. While Jerry sees his wife as a bloodthirsty, Xenormorph-like queen, she sees him as a pathetic, miserable slug. From there, much of “Big Trouble in Little Sanchez” comments on how marriage should be more of a symbiotic relationship built on communication rather than accusations and assumptions built off conflict. You can even see how it's taken a toll on Morty and Summer in “Rickmancing the Stone”. (xref)
#6: Depression
“The Old Man and the Seat” Throughout “The Old Man and the Seat”, we see Rick harass an alien named Tony for using his own private toilet. We quickly learn that he only does it for the sake of not feeling alone before we get a rather alarming glimpse at how Rick truly feels about himself. The mocking holograms may be addressing Tony by name, but much of what they’re saying is obviously how Rick feels about himself. This kind of attitude towards one’s self is often how those suffering depression feel about themselves. It can be cruel, heartless, and significantly damaging when ignored for too long. Honestly, not a subject we’d expect to come up after a twenty-one minute story about two people fighting over a toilet.
#5: Political Corruption
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Various Though it is often a theme across a multitude of media, the commentary on political corruption is present in a few episodes. From the President’s petty feud with Rick to the rise of Evil Morty, there have been several instances where folks at the top abuse their power to fulfill their own agendas regardless of how many lives it may cost. “Rick and Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular” touches upon this in a post-credits scene where a married couple struggles to buy groceries. (xref) Heck, we’d even lump Mr. Needful from “Something Ricked This Way Comes” as he uses Summer to build Needful Things into an Apple-like conglomerate before kicking her to the curb.
#4: Mental Health & Therapy
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“Pickle Rick” The need for therapy can be hard for some to accept, and the Smith family is no different. While Summer, Morty, and Beth reluctantly go on account of recent incidents, Rick goes to an obscene length to get out of going. Let us ignore the memes surrounding this episode for a quick second to acknowledge the rather serious topic of therapy, or at least seeking therapy. The way Beth and Rick swiftly dismiss and deflect it comes from an unhealthy viewpoint of “I just don’t need it”, which is quite common in the real world. Instead of being open to it, they make excuses, shift blame, and attempt to redirect the conversation until they’re left facing the cold, hard truth.
#3: Alcohol Use Disorder
Various Alcohol has a pretty heavy presence in “Rick and Morty”, and while it is mostly used for jokes, much of the cast use them as a severely unhealthy way to cope with their problems. Beth downs several glasses of wine in “Rixty Minutes” as she talks with Jerry about their potential mistake in marrying each other. Rick, on the other hand, is often seen throwing his flask back to tolerate Morty’s dumb questions or his own depression as seen in the pilot and “Auto Erotic Assimilation”. It isn’t until the first episode of season seven when Rick finally started taking care of his problems; all it took get the ball rolling was an intervention for Mr. Poopybutthole and finally getting Rick Prime.
#2: Relationship Toxicity & Guilt
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“Auto Erotic Assimilation” We could have shoved Beth and Jerry into this category, but we really want to focus on Rick and Unity here. “Auto Erotic Assimilation” is an interesting episode in how it addresses unhealthy relationships. Sure, the human and collective hive mind really enjoy each other’s company if you catch our drift. However, it is a relationship purely built off of substance use and unbridled lust. It isn’t love. Unity realizes Rick’s destructive influence and has to move on from him. It brings Rick to arguably his lowest point in the show. Later in “Air Force Wong”, Rick and Unity are able to come to an understanding.
#1: Existential Crises & Confronting Mortality
“Rixty Minutes” This is perhaps the darkest and most brutally honest moment “Rick and Morty” has seen in the entire show’s runtime. Just before Summer can run away, Morty stops her and reveals that he is not her brother, but a Morty from another dimension where the world got Cronenberged. He delivers an honest truth that many struggle to accept today. Nihilistic, yes, to some degree. “Rixty Minutes”, in general, themes around questioning our own life choices as Beth and Jerry talk about their alternate lives and choices they could have made. In the end, the episode does remind us that we make the choices we make; nothing can change that, and we have to accept that truth no matter how much it hurts.
