Rick And Morty: The Glootie Episode Put A Spotlight On Morty's Growth
"Rick and Morty" may play like a science-fiction sitcom that reverts to the status quo by the end of each episode, but tracking characters' development from one season to the next paints an intriguing picture. While Rick and the Smith family certainly fit into archetypes, they're definitely not the same people now as they were in Season 1, especially when it comes to Morty.
When the show began, Morty was a dumb, naive kid who mindlessly went on adventures with his grandfather. He's still pretty naive, but he's more than willing to stand up for himself and put people in their place when necessary. An excellent example of Morty's growth lies in Season 4's "The Old Man and the Seat." While Rick engages in literal toilet humor, Morty and Jerry are forced to contend with his new intern, Glootie, who tricked Jerry into developing a sinister app.
Among the three, Morty is the one who takes charge and threatens Glootie to take the app down. He takes on the role that would ordinarily go to Rick, and fans love seeing this side of the character. Underneath a Glootie clip on YouTube, numerous comments shower Morty with praise, like "I'm proud of Morty. He's beginning to find that balance between having a spine and not having a mental (psychopathic) breakdown." With plenty more "Rick and Morty" to come, there are a lot of places for the young adventurer to go.
Fans love seeing Morty's growth (even if Dan Harmon is against it)
In Season 1, Morty may have been more inclined to go with the flow, believing he's not smart enough to change anything. But him standing up to Glootie shows he's beginning to understand more of Rick's world and has no problem interacting with it. YouTubers see this, with one person commenting, "Morty is definitely changing. Poor kid has been through so much." Another commenter spun an often-used phrase, "damn morty is becoming more like rick ; i guess you either die a morty or you live long enough to see yourself become a rick."
Many fans don't seem to mind Morty's growth, but one person appears kind of against it — Dan Harmon. The co-creator of the show has long been caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to either serializing the show or sticking to self-contained adventures. He told Digital Spy, "As we move forward, Morty becomes less and less just a punching bag or a foil, and is becoming more and more of a partner to Rick. Which may destroy the show." Arguably, part of the appeal of early "Rick and Morty" was the dynamic between the titular duo, but seeing Morty take on more of Rick's traits could theoretically make for less dramatic tension.
Along with the fan theory that Rick only hired Glootie to break up Jerry and Beth's marriage with his app, this is definitely one of the more significant episodes to come out of Season 4.