Another finale, another trip into the multiverse as Rick and Morty‘s Season 9 Episode 10, “Field of Dreams,” finds Morty (Harry Belden) discovering that there is no place like home, or rather, the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know. Especially if it involves another Rick (Ian Cardoni) or Jerry (Chris Parnell). Warning: Spoilers ahead for Rick and Morty Season 9 Episode 10 “Field of Dreams.”
What happens in the finale?
After attending an estate sale in another universe for a dead Rick and Morty, Morty learns that alternate Morties travel from reality to reality attending their own funerals. Intrigued, he gets his hands on a portal gun and begins doing the same, attending countless funerals for countless Mortys (including Big Legs Morty, Toast Morty, Goth Morty and Balloon Morty) and seeing how different versions of his family and friends mourn him.
Eventually, Morty discovers a version of reality that appears perfect, where the Smith family and all “Mort’s” friends are truly devastated by their loss. That universe’s “Mort” has recently died, and the grieving Smith family is destroyed. When they discover Morty, they eagerly welcome him as their son.
The biggest difference between this Smith family and Morty’s family? Rick isn’t around. Jerry kicked him out of the family years earlier because of his alcoholism. Compared with the dysfunction Morty is used to, this Rick-free family begins looking increasingly appealing. The love “Mort” and want him to stay, and he considers it. Everything seems perfect.
Just wait…
What goes wrong with this reality?
Over time, Morty grows close to this universe’s Jerry, who takes him on a father-son trip and offers him the chance to permanently replace the son he lost. But the fantasy begins falling apart when Jerry demands that Morty destroy his portal gun so he can never return. During their struggle, the gun breaks, trapping Morty in the reality.
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It is only after the chance of escape is lost that Morty then discovers that the dead Morty’s supposedly idyllic life wasn’t so perfect. This version of Jerry relentlessly pressured his son to excel and ultimately pushed him into the mountain-climbing accident that killed him. The other Morty had actually been planning to run away.
How does the episode end?
Desperate to get home, Morty tracks down this universe’s Rick, who has become an MIT professor after getting sober. He’s built a seemingly healthy new life, complete with a new wife, a sweater collection, and a beard, but now with a Morty in his life, Rick is pulled back toward his old ways as the two attempt to build a functioning portal gun. Eventually, Rick realizes he needs his bad habits to crack the technology and starts drinking again, destroying his life in the process.
Everything explodes when Jerry, Beth (Sarah Chalke), Summer (Spencer Grammer), and the rest of the family arrive to stop Morty from leaving. The portal becomes unstable, triggering a gruesome confrontation that leaves Summer dead, Rick mortally wounded, and the rest of the Smith family destroyed. Morty is ultimately left as the sole survivor.
Almost immediately, Real Estate Rick shows up to start the bidding as alternate Ricks arrive for another estate sale, bringing the entire episode full circle. Among them is Morty’s own Rick, who happens upon the sale and brings Morty home.
Morty returns home to find Beth and Summer by the pool (sidenote: the Smiths got a pool this season), still in shock. He tells them he loves them, is quickly rebuffed, and goes to his room to lie down and recover.
A surprisingly sweet moment between Rick and Morty
The episode ends on a surprisingly bright note as Rick drunkenly bursts into Morty’s room and takes him on a bike ride, telling Morty that he’s his dad and giving him a rare bit of the love and acceptance he’s always craved. As Morty takes the wheel from a drunk Rick, the two ride off into the sunrise on Rick’s motorcycle, seemingly closer than ever. The season ends with an unexpectedly sweet father-son-esque moment, as Morty screams, “You’re my dad! I’m your son!”
Rick and Morty, Season 9, Streaming Now, HBO Max
