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Monday 8 June 2020

Rick and Morty: Season 4 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out Note: this is a spoiler-free review for Rick and Morty Season 4. If you want a more spoiler-y and in-depth look at Season 4, we've included links to our various episode reviews at the end. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rick and Morty is a series notorious for keeping its fans waiting. Season 4 premiered over two years after Season 3 wrapped up its run, and fans had to deal with another six-month gap in between the first and second halves. But if we've learned anything over the years, it's that the quality of the series tends to make those long gaps worth suffering through in the end. Season 4 is no exception. If hardly the most consistent Rick and Morty season to date, Season 4 often showcases the series at its very best. Every new season starts off with a mission statement of sorts, usually delivered by Rick himself in the form of a drunken, fourth wall-shattering monologue. Season 4 is a little different in that regard. The series picks up in the aftermath of Rick's resounding defeat in the Season 3 finale. Having been forced to abandon his feud with the president and failed to prevent Jerry from returning home, Rick is faced with a major shift in the balance of power and a family generally less willing to tolerate his toxic behavior. There's not really a strong narrative thread tying Season 4 together, but there is that greater emphasis on Rick as the self-defeating malcontent who loses many of the fights he picks. At the same time, several episodes illustrate how characters like Morty and Beth are the architects of their own misery rather than innocent victims of Grandpa Rick's ego. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/08/rick-and-morty-season-4-premiere-review"] Those hoping for a more story-driven season (especially in light of some of the big developments from Season 3) may feel a bit let down by the relative lack of continuity in Season 4. Ultimately, though, that doesn't really matter. We have dozens of new episodes to look forward to in the years to come. Season 4's only real missed opportunity on the storytelling front is its lack of focus on Beth and Jerry. The season does begin to make up for lost time on that front near the end, but it still seems as though more could have been done to explore Beth and Jerry's crudely repaired relationship and the growing rivalry between Rick and his perpetually inept son-in-law. Instead, Season 4 feels like an intentional return to basics in many ways. The Season 4 premiere helps re-center the series around the concept of a mad scientist and his grandson getting into zany sci-fi adventures. At the same time, never does it feel like Rick and Morty is resting on its laurels or failing to innovate. The premiere is one of many episodes that veers into unexpected territory, even finding ways of exploring Morty on his own terms rather than as Rick's befuddled sidekick. One of Rick and Morty's finest qualities is the way it still functions as a great, high-concept science fiction series if all the jokes are removed, and Season 4 continues that trend. Occasionally the show tries a little too hard to keep outdoing itself and add new layers to already complex premises. The midseason premiere "Never Ricking Morty" is one example of an episode that doesn't know how to quit while it's ahead. But plenty of other Season 4 installments like the heist movie spoof "One Crew Over the Crewcoo's Morty" and the Jerry-heavy "Childrick of Mort" show just how far the series can take a clever story idea. And perhaps no episode better speaks to Season 4's ability to break the mold than "The Vat of Acid Episode." After multiple attempts to recreate the novelty of Season 1's "Rixty Minutes," the series finally manages to put a fresh spin on the anthology format again. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=rick-and-morty-the-10-biggest-wtf-moments&captions=true"] The worst that can be said for Season 4 is that the quality never remains very consistent. Season 4 tends to seesaw between great and mediocre. "Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim's Morty" is easily the season's biggest misfire - the rare Rick and Morty episode that settles for being bizarre and irreverent rather than actively funny. "Promortyus" is another weak link in the chain. It starts out as a hilarious parody of the Alien movies with an unexpected twist, but that episode peaks early and never really manages to build from that point. There are times when Season 4 takes a style over substance approach, but that's not always a bad thing. The animation quality has improved to the point where sometimes it's enough to simply revel in the epic carnage and the intricately crafted battle sequences. The revamped Season 4 intro sequence illustrates just how much the show's visual fidelity has improved in recent years, especially when new scenes are juxtaposed with the handful of holdovers from Season 1. The spectacle really benefits episodes like "The Old Man and the Seat." While that episode is fairly unremarkable in terms of plot, the gorgeous animation and the copious amount of celebrity guest stars help elevate the fairly pedestrian material. Inconsistent or not, Season 4 ends with what is easily the series' strongest finale episode yet. "Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri" captures so much of what makes the series great - the impressive animation, the hilariously outlandish sci-fi concepts, Rick's deep-seated self-loathing, Jerry - and blends it all together in an episode that manages to pay off on some long-standing loose ends and add far more depth to Rick and Beth's relationship. That episode hints at some major status quo changes to come in Season 5, changes that can't be ignored as easily as those introduced at the end of Season 3. No doubt we're in for another long wait, but at least Season 4 proves Rick and Morty is in no danger of overstaying its welcome. Watch the trailer for co-creator Justin Roiland's animated comedy Solar Opposites below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/15/solar-opposites-official-trailer"] You can find links to IGN's individual Season 4 reviews below:

from IGN Reviews https://ift.tt/2BNhZ9x
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