Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Rick & Morty season 8, episode 2, “Valkyrick”.Rick and Mortyhas continued to experiment with unique storylines and episode formats throughout the years, but season 8 just confirmed a harsh reality when it comes to the show’s solo episodes. As the name suggests,Rick and Mortyis all about its two titular characters, who constantly embark on all kinds of crazy adventures. While the rest of the Smith family are prevalent parts of the series alongside some frequently recurring side characters,Rick and Morty’s best episodesusually involve the two protagonists at the heart of the action, making it a huge gamble doing solo adventures.
Even when their stories aren’t intertwined, both Rick and Morty are usually involved in every episode to some degree, but"Valkyrick" decided to completely sideline Morty, just like “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie” did with Rick last season. Interestingly, this risk seemed to pay off, asRick and Mortyseason 8’s good reviewscontinued with episode 2 gaining a mostly positive reception. “Valkyrick” may be far from the franchise’s best episode, and it fell a little short of season 8’s premiere, but its solid performance pointed out an interesting detail when it comes to the show’s more isolated stories.
“Valkyrick” Proves That Rick & Morty Can Still Thrive Even Without Morty
Rick’s Adventure With Space Beth Didn’t Suffer Much Without Morty
Despite not featuring Morty, “Valkyrick” provided plenty of humor and entertainment throughout the episode, proving a story without one-half of the main duo can work. Season 8, episode 2, probably won’t go down as one ofRick and Morty’s most popular adventures, but it didn’t feel out of place either, fitting in seamlessly with the show’s usual style. Whereas the lack of Rick in “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie” was instantly noticeable, “Valkyrick” looked right at home and had more than enough action and suspense to keep viewers hooked, making Morty’s absence easy to forget about.
Given Rick and Space Beth’s relationship has so much potential to be explored, seeing the duo take center stage felt long overdue, and their chemistry was perfect.
Given Rick and Space Beth’s relationship has so much potential to be explored, seeing the duo take center stage felt long overdue, and their chemistry was perfect. Their battle against the Gromflomites left me wanting more, and with Space Beth possibly becoming a regular part ofRick and Mortyseason 8’s cast, it hopefully won’t be the last we see her team with Rick. Regardless, watching them work together and exploring their similarities was a lot of fun, and Rick’s connections across the multiverse meant we also got the return of Birdperson and Birddaughter without their cameos feeling forces.
It isn’t the first time Rick has starred without Morty, as “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort” saw Morty deliver just a single line during the entire episode. Once again, this adventure proved to be pretty popular among viewers, reinforcing the idea thatMorty’s presence isn’t always required considering Rick’s solo episodes managed to thrive without him.
“Rise of the Numbericons” Proved That The Series Can’t Work Without Rick
Morty’s Solo Episode Is Currently The Worst Rated Outing In Rick & Morty’s History
AlthoughRick and Mortyhas still shined without Morty, Rick’s only absence hurt the show drastically. We may only have a small sample size of one episode, but"Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie" confirms that the show’s only attempt to function without Rick simply didn’t work. Part of the problem was that Water-T felt like the episode’s main character, meaning Morty wasn’t even the star of his own solo adventure. However, without Rick by his side, the teenager just didn’t feel as interesting as he usually does.
This isn’t to say Morty always needs Rick to be compelling, as his story with Planetina in “A Rickconvenient Mort” provided some of his best character work, but considering"Rise of the Numbericons" becameRick and Morty’s lowest-rated episode, it’s hard to argue that his individual outing was anything other than a flop. Therefore, even if the show wants to focus solely on Morty again in the future, it would be a huge risk to exclude Rick completely. Instead, giving him a side story or allowing him to clean up Morty’s mess would be the safer route to go.
Rick Has So Many Enemies & Allies Across The Multiverse That Can Create An Engaging Dynamic
Image via Max
Considering both characters are crucial to making the series so great, it seems surprising thatRick and Mortycan succeed without Morty but not without Rick; however, there is a reasonable explanation. While Morty has plenty of aspects that make him a fascinating character, his influence is mainly limited to his dimension’s version of Earth. Sure, he has traveled across the multiverse with his grandfather, but he hasn’t made too many enemies or allies that allow him to carry his own adventures, whereasRick is one of the most iconic beings across every possible dimension.
Stories involving Morty’s school or home life feel far more logical than something like the Numbericon episode, which was a lot more random. In contrast, Rick thrives on the chaos of meeting random characters as his history means he can shine alongside almost anyone. Had he not been paired with Space Beth, Rick could easily have thrived alongside Birdperson, Mr. Poopybutthole, Mr. Nimbus, or anyone else in the Smith household. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Morty, who has a much more limited scope when it comes to crazy storylines taking place across different dimensions.
Perhaps giving him a newlove interest inRick and Mortyseason 8or potentially following up on his betrayal of Churry could make for great solo adventures, but their personalities and motivations make it far easier for Rick to function without Morty rather than vice versa.
Rick & Morty Should Still Give Morty Another Solo Episode
He Deserves At Least One More Chance To Shine On His Own
His last solo episode may not have gone to plan, but I don’t thinkRick and Mortyshould give up on giving Morty an individual adventure just yet. It may be difficult to find a plot that really helps get the best out of Morty without having Rick involved, but I believe there’s still plenty of untapped potential surrounding his character. “Rise of the Numbericons” failed to utilize many major side characters, with Mr. Goldenfold and Water-T being the main recognizable names featured in the episode, who simply aren’t complex enough to be given such big roles.
Rick and Morty Season 8 Episode Titles
Episode 1 - “Summer of All Fears”
Episode 4 - “The Last Temptation of Jerry”
Episode 5 - “Cryo Mort a Rickver”
Episode 10 - “Hot Rick”
June 10, 2025
As a result,pairing Morty with Summer would provide a real chance to focus on their sibling dynamic without getting Rick involved, a concept that has a lot of depth to explore. Morty attempting to go on adventures without Rick has been done before but focusing on him getting over his reliance on Rick - a story that was kickstarted in season 7’s finale - would also have a lot of potential and could be far more compelling to the audiences than the Numbericons ever were.
Another solo Morty episode would undoubtedly be a major risk and doesn’t need to happen anytime soon, but I thinkRick and Mortyshould at least give him one more shot in the spotlight before deeming his individual adventures a failure.
