A hushed return for Rick and Morty with season 6 dropping this September

Rick and Morty is back with Season 6 this Sept 5 on HBO Go.

Ok, you can go away now, there’s nothing more to see here. 

I mean, if you’re wondering why just dropping a date justifies a whole article in itself, it’s safe to assume that you’ve never seen a single episode of Rick and Morty, or the countless (ok like one or two) articles previously addressing this.

The brainchild of Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon is regarded as one of the most cleverly written adult cartoons of recent times – dumb, throwaway gags cast unceremoniously on top of a cleverly written premise spells the perfect excuse to laugh at crass yet intelligent humour.

Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith make the perfect proverbial odd couple: A sociopathic grandfather bonds with his neurotic grandchild, and they leave on zany, interdimensional, multiversal adventures to escape a mundane existence.

And as you would expect, it is borne out of a tragic past and self-loathing and a desire to find meaning in one’s life (with self-destructive behaviour) – Rick’s over-elaborate way of running away from problems.

Not many zany cartoons depict sombre moments for the stark helplessness as Rick and Morty have, and elicit genuine empathy for its flawed characters we would otherwise loathe in real life.

In many ways, the ability to convey true helplessness was what Thor: Love and Thunder didn’t do convincingly enough.

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Certainly not many will end an episode with a shocking reveal where Rick tries to end his own life, only for that attempt to fail because he passes out drunk, out of harm’s way a moment before the killing blow lands.

While it doesn’t look it, Rick and Morty is a show with great emotional depth in how it sympathetically addresses the ugliest human tendencies.

Unfortunately, information clueing us in about the events we can expect from the sixth season are slim pickings indeed, so we’re forced to turn to corporate statements from the networks for any semblance of a hint.

“It’s hard to overstate the impact of Rick and Morty. More than a hit show, it is truly a global phenomenon,” said Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim and Cartoon Network. “As we prepare to launch this soon-to-be iconic season, we will be giving fans a unique way to be part of the fun – so keep your eyes peeled.”

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What could this “unique way” be referring to, god only knows. Then again, we’re talking about a show that made an obscure limited-run Szechuan Sauce from McDonald’s into the hottest condiment ever, forcing them to re-release the sauce multiple times, including much this year.

In fact, only this team can get away with a description that can be described as the work of an intern given a mala hot pot buffet treat during lunch, who subsequently fights off the urge to hit the bathroom while losing a food coma battle despite two cans of monster energy drinks, resulting in this piss-take of a draft: “It’s season six and Rick and Morty are back!

Pick up where we left them, worse for wear and down on their luck.

Will they manage to bounce back for more adventures? Or will they get swept up in an ocean of piss! Who knows?! Piss! Family! Intrigue! A bunch of dinosaurs! More piss! Another can’t miss season of your favourite show.”

And someone in management signed it off.

But in the interest of objectivity, the more recent seasons have been relatively lacklustre. However, it’s so far ahead of the curve that it doesn’t come across as terrible.

Furthermore, Season 5’s ending twist opens up a whole new can of worms – and erstwhile unknown elements of the multiverse – is the perfect reminder that despite all the crazy adventures that the Smith family has gone through, the story of Rick Sanchez largely remains untold. And there’s more to come.

Rick and Morty Season 6 is set to air on HBO Go on Sept 5.

This article was first published in Potions.sg.