Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Rick and Morty Season 6 episode “Analyze Piss.” Read at your own risk!
Rick and Morty Season 6 has been quite the ride and, for the first time in a while, viewers are seeing some major character growth within the Smith/Sanchez family. The clearest evidence of that came in “Analyze Piss,” which saw Rick Sanchez actually taking the advice of returning face Dr. Wong. I consider the episode to be a major milestone for Rick, and fans seem to agree that this is a step in the right direction for one of TV’s best characters.
Rick sought out Dr. Wong’s help after struggling to figure out why he attracts and ultimately confronts so many inferior and weird villains who aren’t anywhere near as notable as an arch-rival like Mr. Nimbus. Wong suggested that Rick start ignoring these foes to see what happens and, initially, the eccentric scientist felt that the approach was ineffective. However, after Rick told the therapist about how the method led to Jerry becoming a hero due to destroying a planet full of Space Hitlers, Sanchez had an epiphany. He simply realized that nothing bad had actually happened, which seemed to bring about a sense of relief for him. It ultimately turned out that his shrink was onto something and, as Buizie pointed out on Reddit, the realization helped Rick grow as a character:
Dr. Wong really is a fantastic counter to Rick's cynical genius. The fact that he took her advice, it actually worked to resolve his problem, AND he scheduled more appointments with her speaks volumes. Ironic that Beth only signed up for her in the first place because Summer was huffing pottery and Morty peed his pants in class, but then it turns out she's a better therapist for Rick.
Therapy worked out for Rick, though he did find himself saddled with a different kind of burden after discovering one unfortunate side effect of his decision to step back. Pissmaster, the villain Jerry was forced to beat up when Rick wouldn’t intervene, was driven to suicide due to the shame of losing to the man. Rick, in an attempt to protect Jerry from learning about that as well as Pissmaster’s relationship with his estranged daughter, then worked to try and cover up the unfortunate accident by taking on the mantle of the late villain without anyone knowing. The fact that Rick cared enough to try and protect all parties involved really said something about his characterization and, even though the ordeal was gross, it spoke volumes:
Rick is the new Piss Master?Can’t tell if I am disgusted and impressed? #RickandMortyNovember 28, 2022
The moment of empathy may not seem like a huge thing to some casual Rick and Morty fans, but it’s worth mentioning when you think about just how little Rick has shown such emotion throughout the course of the series. Hell, even on the rare occasions that he's done something noble for his own grandson, Morty, there was a self-serving motive at play. (And let’s not even touch some of the objectively terrible things he’s done to Morty.) “Analyze Piss” was a big step forward for him and, if the events of the installment stick, it could mean big things for the character moving forward:
Is this...growth? Rick is growing?? Rick Sanchez is capable of empathy? #RickandMorty pic.twitter.com/rPOhvLdV8PNovember 28, 2022
For all the progress Sanchez made in the episode, however, one could still get the feeling that he'll have to work on himself even more. So at first, he successfully withheld the true story of what happened to Pissmaster and protected his family, but he eventually ruined that by showing the character's suicide note to Morty. The young man then informed the entire Smith family of what really happened, which more or less negated the goodwill the showed toward Rick at episode’s end. Redditor Zigzaggummyworm share some interesting analysis of the moment and, in the process, conveyed that elements of the old Rick are still present:
I love that we got to see Rick attempting to change but it wasn't a perfect metamorphosis in one episode. He tried to do the right thing and right his wrongs to Pissmaster, but failed to carry the burden of withholding that information from the family. At first, I thought it was a slip-up and that Morty kinda fucked him, til I realized he probably just wanted credit/applause for withholding that information rather than just trying to share that with someone. Rick perceived it as yeah let me just share it with one person but in reality, he subconsciously wanted to be told he's doing a good job.
Rick and Morty often makes it clear that Rick Sanchez has a big ego, so perhaps it’s not surprising that he struggled with having his impressive feat go completely unrecognized. Had he just left the suicide note behind, he might’ve avoided all of this, but he clearly needed evidence proving what he did was true:
#RickAndMorty Rick should NOT have kept that suicide note!November 28, 2022
Justin Roiland promised that the acclaimed sci-fi comedy would ease back into more serialized stories during Season 6 and thus far, I haven’t been disappointed. This is certainly a season I plan on rewatching with my HBO Max subscription, especially since fans are seeing big reveals in addition to less obvious ones like the Beth clone conundrum. Hopefully, the season finale closes things out with a bang and helps to further improve upon Rick's characterization.
Rick and Morty airs on Adult Swim on Sundays at 11:00 p.m. ET. Season 6 has definitely justified staying up late for the show thus far, and I hope this high level of creative quality continues.
