Rick And Morty Fans Loved The Spotlight On Rick's Heart During His S2 Sacrifice
On its best days, "Rick and Morty" can be fascinatingly deceptive. The Adult Swim cartoon has cultivated a massive fanbase based on Rick Sanchez's (Justin Roiland) nihilism paired with outrageous humor. But the animated series is at its best when it's heartfelt. It may seem like these are mutually exclusive dichotomies, but "Rick and Morty" contains many sad details throughout the series, even attempted suicide by Rick. Season 2, in particular, has its fair share of emotional resonance when Rick quickly makes peace with sacrificing himself for Morty (Justin Roiland). After Morty and Summer (Spencer Grammer) effectively break the space-time continuum, the only way to fix it is to synchronize their timeline using high-tech collars. But in typical-Morty fashion, his breaks, and Rick has to vault himself into the abyss to save him. This scene is a reprieve from the usual berating of Morty, and fans vocalized how touched they were.
"Gotta say, it's wholesome that when Morty dropped his collar, Rick didn't even yell at him, he just gave him his collar," Yitivitzen commented. Refusing to lean into real-world cynicism, Tarush Singh agreed that Rick's intentions were pure, stating: "The moment when Morty said 'he dropped it' Rick just instinctively gave his collar to Morty. At the end Rick will sacrifice everything he has to keep Morty safe."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The sacrifice isn't a fluke
The people that Rick has affection for are few and far between. His moments of vulnerability are usually devoted to those outside the family, such as the aptly named Birdperson (Dan Harmon). But even when he tries to keep his grandson at arm's length, Rick makes the right choice in every universe.
"Huh, timelines didn't split when Rick was faced with the decision to save or abandon Morty," vc180191 noted. "Didn't even hesitate or second guess the choice when it came down to it." Rick's decision was so integral to his character that every single Rick in every fractured timeline makes the same choice. No matter how many times Rick claims that the teenager is only a means to an end, his true heart shines through in this early season. Other YouTube commenters also found this subtle detail moving.
"[J]ust realized how much it meant that Rick's sacrifice didn't make another dot. It shows that no matter what, he's completely certain he'd give up his own life in order to save Morty's," Aurora posted. As the seasons of the show progress, Rick's love for Morty — and the rest of his family — comes into sharper focus. The more time he spends with them, the less he can remain true to his loner lifestyle. This moment is just a precursor of Rick Sanchez's character development, as much as he would probably deny it.