'Rick and Morty' Season 4 Finale Review: Two Beths, Phoenix Person and no redemption for Rick
Spoilers for 'Rick and Morty' Season 4 Finale 'Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri'
The question of whether Rick is a terrible father answers itself. On not one but multiple occasions, he has proven to be quite exactly that. He has shared a lifelong tumultuous relationship with his daughter Beth (Sarah Chalke), which has bled recklessly into the family dynamics.
In the finale episode of Season 4 'Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri', Rick comes to the conclusion himself. Starting with a bang that reveals that Beth on Earth is a clone and the real Beth is wandering around the multiverse, the finale immediately grips you with a callback to Season 3 when Rick had presented Beth with the option to clone her so she could be free from the meaningless responsibilities of a wife and a mother and go on adventures through the multiverse like Rick. Meanwhile, on Earth, her clone would take over the responsibilities.
The one main highlight about Season 4 finale 'Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri' that sets it apart from all the other season finales is how seamlessly it ties multiple seasons, rides on the consistent arc it set for its main characters presenting its audience with shock value. Tapping on the ambiguous ending from Season 3, 'Rick and Morty' has impressed its loyal audience that had been grieving about quality of Season 4 since its return a month ago.
And even though creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland answered the question about Beth being a clone, they didn't quite answer it because we don't know which one really is the clone (which has left many fans restless).
Yet this is a query that hardly needs resolution since it answers the bigger, more important question - about Rick being a father. When it comes to the final steps of the cloning process, he takes the easy way out, without the truth of his daughter weighing on him and shuffles their identities. Now, Rick has lost control over his family - control and power that he had enjoyed for the better half of the first and second seasons. Now he is alone in his garage with the remains of a half-conscious Phoenix Person who is thirsty for revenge. Towards the end of the episode, it is indicated that the Smith family now has two Beths - the real one as the clone - as the entire family marvels at the very idea.
'Rick and Morty' delivers its strongest episode of the season and what is the best series finale so far. Spectacularly written and loaded with its signature punch, 'Star Mort Rickurn of the Jerri' also featured Phoenix Person who is desperate to kill Rick resulting in an epic battle sequence that could put Avengers to shame. Elsewhere, Morty and Summer bond by coming together to contribute their share by saving the day.
Jerry concludes the finale with a hilarious sequence of an invisible garbage truck - a spin-off that would have fared great had he not ruined it before it took off. All in all, the finale episode built itself to an explosive, impressive, deserving end.
When Season 5 is to return is not known. Hopefully, though, we won't have to wait as long as we had to wait for this season.
