The real premiere of Rick and Morty season 8 isn’t episode 1. It’s episode 2, “Valkyrick.”
This one goes deep into Rick’s head, and it’s got the blend of action, emotion and character development that sets the tone for a season. That’s what I expected from the first episode, and I didn’t get it until now.
The quick version, before any real spoilers: “Valkyrick” has Rick teaming up with Space Beth for a high-stakes mission, and the episode digs into their very complex father-daughter relationship. Minor spoiler, Birdperson and his daughter show up too, and I’m here for that. I really am. It’s a good episode. Go watch it, you’re going to have fun with it. Everything after this is spoilers.
What the First Episode Should’ve Been
This is what I wanted. This is 100% what I wanted from the first episode.
Last week felt like a re-tread of an awful lot of territory we’d already been through. More than that, it felt like it rewound everybody. All the character development we’d seen since season 6, really, felt like it got thrown out the window, like they said, “Bro, we’re going to introduce some stuff and you guys are going to start from scratch.” Whatever.
Rick’s personal growth wasn’t on anybody’s bingo card when it started. I won’t say it was intimidating or even confusing, but it definitely wasn’t the kind of thing we were expecting. Then they got us there. They got us there, and they started showing us a lot more of it. So what I walked into season 8 expecting was a continuation of that, especially carried over from last season.
Rick Picks Up the Phone
There are two things at play in this one. The first is Space Beth’s decision to contact her dad. She looks torn up about having to make that call, which I found really amusing, to say the least.
The second is Rick’s decision to help her once she finally does. I believe we’re starting to see a truly empathetic side of Rick Sanchez. Maybe that’s the result of his final comeuppance on his nemesis. Maybe it’s that there’s been so much emotional growth to this point and the cost of all of it is starting to stack up, especially when the one thing he wanted more than anything was to reestablish himself inside a family.
His willingness to confront past mistakes shows a lot of character development, because that’s something Old Rick would never have done.
Space Beth Is the Best Version of This Story
I think Space Beth is one of the best versions of this kind of storyline you could have. She’s a unique character and she comes from a very unique place. She’s a will they, won’t they in physical living form, because she’s the physical manifestation of all the things Beth wanted in her heart. Whether or not she’s the clone, who knows. She comes out of this whole thing still a very strong and somewhat independent character.
And she challenges Rick, all the time, on a lot of his decisions. She tells him he got her fired, and he comes right back that it’s only because she blew her chance to quit. Their interactions highlight the unresolved tension between them, and the mutual respect sitting underneath it. In this episode especially, that’s the part of the two of them that really works.
Rick Called the Boys
There’s an interesting thing they do here, and it’s kind of just thrown in. Birdperson and Birddaughter go with Beth and Rick on the mission. I found myself going, I’m sorry, wait, what? When did Birdperson come back? Oh, okay. So Rick basically called the boys. Seriously. He made the call and the boys just showed up. And I was like, okay. And it was good. It was good.
You can’t tell me that bringing in Birdperson and Birddaughter doesn’t add emotional weight, especially because of who Rick is and who Birdperson knows Rick to be. Birdperson peeped it first. He’s been on Rick about who Rick was becoming this whole time.
The parallel goes past fathers and daughters. Both fathers feel like they have to make up for something, and both daughters could care less about their fathers. It’s a really good Father’s Day episode for this month, too. So call your fathers.
There are family struggles on both sides, man. Birdperson’s parenting journey mirrors the challenge Rick’s on. Rick’s not really parenting Space Beth anymore, but he’s definitely trying to rekindle or recover that relationship somehow. It’s like he can’t stand that either of the Beths, or either half of her, if she’s a clone or whatever, hates him. Because it means that no matter what road she went down, she was always going to hate him. I don’t know that he can deal with that.
Rick Law
Then there’s the betrayal. Rick spends the episode stacking up how much he trusts this one contact, how much the guy means to him, and Space Beth is standing there asking how she never knew this person existed, and what somebody has to do to earn the level of trust Rick places in this random man. She tells him to name two people he trusts like that, and the guy comes out of Rick’s mouth right next to Birdperson. Same level as Birdperson.
So of course it backfires, with all the unexpected complications that come with it. That’s just Rick law. I say Rick law because in my own house I have Mr. Know-It-All law, which is like Murphy’s law but worse, because it only happens to me.
The betrayal forces Rick to adapt and rely on other people. We call that growth. Rick doesn’t need to do any of that, not the Rick Sanchez we know. He very much could’ve rolled with the punches, come out clean and said, you know what, that’s it, nuke everybody, I’m out. He could’ve done that. He didn’t.
The episode is a balancing act, as Rick and Morty episodes often are. There’s enough action, there’s a lot of emotional depth, and you get a really nice story that’s comprehensive in the notes it covers. I fully see the story circle at work in this episode, and that’s a good thing.
Swap the Order and I’m Forgiving
Had you started with this one and then gone to the other episode, I feel like that would’ve been a great play. We normally get the Sanchez family and their perspectives immediately, so seeing Space Beth first would’ve just made sense. Then you go to the Rick and Morty centered episode, and at that point I’m kind of okay with the hiccup in logic.
I came in expecting something and they didn’t pay off on that something. And yes, I’m absolutely guilty of being the guy who wanted them to do a thing and then got disappointed because they didn’t do the thing I was imagining in my head. Yes. It broke the pattern they’d established. You can call that a guy mad the show didn’t follow a formula for how they write these things… but the rules are the rules for a reason, and it was jarring. It was just jarring.
Especially because this episode going first, with last week’s as episode two, would’ve worked very well thematically. If I’d seen last week’s episode second, I would’ve been much more forgiving, because they’d have already established the stakes, where Rick’s growth stands, and that we are indeed continuing that line of thought. That’s all I’m going to say.
The Verdict
Rick and Morty season 8, episode 2, “Valkyrick,” gets an 8 out of 10 on the Know-It-All Index.
It masterfully blends action, emotion and character development, all the things I want from Rick and Morty at this stage. It’s a standout episode that, arguably, should’ve opened the season.
I love the show. I’m glad the first week was just a stumbling block and that it kept moving forward. I’m all about it. One of you in the comments put it to me this way, and I’m taking it on: I need to check my expectations at the door and enjoy each episode as it stands. We’ll go from there.
Also, I’m checking out The Venture Bros. as recommended. When I’m done with season 1 I’ll probably do a retro review and let you know my thoughts, then keep going, because it’s actually kind of good.
So there you go. Now you know. And if knowing’s half the battle, you’re halfway to being a know-it-all yourself.
Let me know what you think. Should “Valkyrick” have been the season 8 premiere, or am I just the guy who wanted the thing he had in his head? The conversation lives in the comments on the video above. Never forget: everyone loves a know-it-all.
