Valkyrick

Seems like a return to form compared to the last season. New actors are settling in finally and I think so far the first 3 episodes of this season are solid 9s. All of them. This season is panning out nice to possibly be one of my favorites. Which is nice because 7 was 50/50. Some episodes were awful, some of the worse, but also some solid episodes like the hole. Season 7 seemed rushed, season 8 is seeming like they took their time on the scripts. I see a lot of h8 and I dont understand it. This season feels elevated, keeping the ball rolling. Hopefully the rest of the season follows this trend.

This episode feels like it wasn't written by a professional screenwriter, but by some Rick and Morty fan dying of leukemia through a Make-A-Wish foundation. The dialogue is stiff and clunky, and the stakes feel nonexistent (who even cares about the Galactic Federation at this point?). Hopefully, this is just a fluke, and we'll get more creative episodes moving forward.

Also, it feels like the potential for centering the plot around Space Beth's adventures has run dry, especially since Rick himself says from the very beginning that they're just meaningless side quests and she's gonna grow out of it eventually.

Ever since they switched up Rick's and Morty's voice actors there's been a few really bad episodes that have aired. Don't get me wrong, season 8's premiere was amazing, as well as season 7's finale. And I want to like every episode. But episodes like these it feels like I'm watching a show for kids instead of adults. I would never put this episode on and say "I love this. This is what good tv is all about, I approve of this." It lacks its usual adult dimensions of humor. Rick is ... more agreeable in these mid-grade episodes, and he spouts off "canned" stuff he would never, ever say in previous episodes. He's been "lobotomized" by people who don't understand he's a "sad old fart", not this "happy go lucky" guy who's eager to spout lazy garbage phrases for likability's sake.

I'm not going to lie, it also feels weird having episodes entirely centered around a few characters instead of featuring the usual full cast. That part I'm less mad about, but it signals to me that something is off beyond the voices, this seems more like a writer dilemma. I gave this episode a 6/10 for a show that is a 9/10 which is legendary that a show could reach that high of a rating. But I guess all good things must come to an end.

There's little hope for Rick and Morty if they can't figure out how to write episodes with A-plot and B-plot structures again. If this was an earlier season, Morty wouldn't be completely absent here, they would have established some sort of B-plot for Morty before Rick got the call and was summoned into space-

Which it seems like they easily could have squeezed in here by reducing slow paced or repetitive scenes and awkward jokes which grind everything to a halt, which there are a lot of.

For example we didn't need to watch the bug gangster guy falling through portals for a whole minute, and the action scenes could have been reduced overall, since Rick is an unstoppable murder god and the gromflomites pose no serious threat to him, never have, probably never will, so it all lacks impact.

Here's hoping the rest of season 8 has some classic-type episodes where Rick and Morty go on adventures together and/or there is a B-plot somewhere. A decent episode needs at least one of those things.

Episode 1 was surprisingly decent. It brought back a bit of that early-season Rick and Morty energy - chaotic fun, quirky dialogue, and a hint of emotional depth. It wasn't groundbreaking, but for a moment, I felt like the old magic was still there. Then episode 2 completely lost the plot. The writing felt lazy and uninspired, with no real stakes or clever twists. The humor was flat, and the story lacked any complexity or originality. It just felt like a filler episode made with no real effort or passion. Whatever momentum episode 1 created, episode 2 immediately crushed. It's sad to see a show that once felt so smart and exciting become this dull and empty. I really hope it turns around, but right now, it just feels like a shadow of what it used to be.