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I never imagined that I would ever voluntarily watch an episode of “Rick and Morty,” let alone enjoy it–but that’s exactly what happened when I saw an episode over my friend’s shoulder last year, which of course led to many days of nonstop streaming, which led to me counting down the days until the next season. Each episode of every season was absurd, fast paced, and kept my attention fixed on the screen. Combined with its sharp dialogue from characters that constantly toe the edge of being overly caricatured and yet deeply self aware at times, the show has fantastic writing that knows how to have a good amount of silliness overlaying its darker existential plot points. On September 4th, the long awaited sixth season of the dark comedy hit series “Rick and Morty” aired on its streaming platform, Adult Swim. The first episode, “Solaricks,” tackles the aftermath of the fall of the Citadel of Ricks where the versions of Rick and Morty that we have seen throughout the past five seasons become trapped in space. Of course, part of the appeal of the characters is in their unpredictability, which makes the show more exciting to watch, and “Solaricks” was no exception. Instead of lingering where it left off last season, where it seemed all of the infinite universes were doomed because of Evil Morty’s plans, the show quickly resolves this problem and jumps into another fast paced episode filled with new revelations and mini adventures with members of the family that tie into previous seasons. Surprisingly enough, Jerry gets a chance to shine in this first episode of the new season, showing a side of him that almost lets us forget for a few seconds his designated role as the family’s punching bag in nearly every universe. Whether Jerry will continue to slowly develop a spine throughout future episodes remains to be seen, but what’s more important in the episode is another small reveal into Rick’s tragic past, something the show hints at throughout but always holds back on. For myself, these tiny moments are a big part of why the show isn’t just a bizarre and wacky cartoon about space adventures with an eccentric family, and why Rick in all of his dangerous mistakes and sociopathic behavior still stays as a likable character to the audience. The rare bits of vulnerability and surprisingly poignant scenes in which you see Rick ultimately choosing his family, despite his proclamations that the concept is meaningless, is something that makes me root for him, even though I know that he’ll probably cause irreparable harm to their relationships again about 10 minutes later (and the cycle continues). But even as patterns continue and characters seem to stay the same across universes in some ways, seeing Space Beth and Mom Beth learn to get along gives me hope for change amongst its more depressive and nihilistic one liners, and season 6 certainly offers that. Now that it’s here at last, stream Sundays on Hulu!