One Rick and Morty the writer has opened up about the duo’s big breakup in the grand finale of season 5. Adult Swim aired the last two episodes in a two-part special event and it soon became clear that the two episodes would be related to each other when at the end of the first half, “Forgetting Sarick Mortshall,” the titular duo decided to go their separate ways. Fans have seen them slowly distance themselves from each other for the rest of the season until then, but that episode really consolidated him with their breakup.
The breakup between the two culminated a season in which they realized the toxicity they have for each other and as a writer Siobhan Thompson and Rick and Morty Co-creator Dan Harmon explains in the Adult Swim special video for the episode: it was the time it took to separate from the other that they needed to grow a little more than they had in recent seasons.
Although the fifth season had been very episodic during its first seven episodes, it was clear that all of this was not happening in a vacuum, as the emotional threads and rhythms of the characters had carried over between episodes. Morty had had an intense breakup with Planetina earlier in the season, and this episode had addressed the same kind of tension between Rick and Morty, as Thompson explained that they have had the “same kind” of fighting.
As Harmon explains, Rick and Morty maintain their respective bounce relationships, where Morty ended up with someone who was also a kid before discovering how that kind of relationship wouldn’t work for him either. But when Thompson clarified, Morty had hoped to return with Rick at the end of the episode because that was the status quo (which breaks for the final episode that sees Rick’s team with two crows), but the Rick’s rebound relationship allowed him to finally learn about the empathy he would need for a healthier partnership.
It is this empathy that stretches to the end, and through a series of revelations, Rick finally opens up to Morty in some important ways and allows them to introduce a new version of their relationship for future seasons. But what did you think of Rick and Morty’s big breakup at the end of season 5? Let us know all your thoughts on this in the comments. You can even contact me directly about all the lively things and other interesting things @Valdezology on Twitter!