This episode of Rick & Morty just pulled off a risky first the show has avoided for 12 years

Rick & Morty, the long-running animated sci-fi series, kicked off with its eighth season on May 25, 2025. Created by the duo Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, this series delves into the life of a mad scientist, Rick, and his grandson Morty as they take adventurous rides to parallel dimensions and different planets via portals and Rick's saucer. Since its debut, the animated series has garnered positive reviews and critical acclaim. It boasts a 9.1/10 rating on IMDb and 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, Rick & Morty Season 7, which premiered in October 2023, failed to garner such ratings or viewership. After Justin Roiland was fired and the original voice actor was replaced, Rick & Morty lost its charm, and viewers struggled to connect with the series. To add to that, Season 7 featured a confusing plot, and thus several characters were sidelined.

Surprisingly, Season 8 seems different from its previous installments. After more than a decade of dimension-hopping absurdity, Rick & Morty has done something that it avoided for 12 years. In Season 8, Episode 3, titled The Rick, The Mort & The Ugly, the show, for the first time, avoided its titular leads and explored their alternate versions instead.

Rick & Morty Season 8 Episode 3 – A fresh change

The episode premiered on June 8, 2025, on Adult Swim and featured Homesteader Rick and Arcade Morty, two variants living in the remnants of the Citadel. However, this isn't the first time that the show has explored Citadel or the leads’ alternate versions, but what makes this episode exceptionally unique is the absence of the protagonists or titular leads, apart from a few brief appearances.

The episode follows Homesteader Rick, a weary, shotgun-toting survivor, who planned a revenge plot against the clone Ricks who attacked him when he was freeing Morty clones. Arcade Morty, on the other hand, is an anxious, observant figure who helps drive the emotional arc of the episode.

The logline of the episode reads,

"Some guys wanna rebuild the citadel, broh; seems like a bad idea, broh; yeehaw stuff, broh."

Currently, the episode has a rating of 8.2/10 on IMDb, which proves that sometimes a bold move can do wonders.

A calculated gamble that paid off

What makes The Rick, The Mort & The Ugly so effective is that it does not rely on nostalgia, slapstick, or dry humor. Instead, it bets on world-building, character development, and tone — and for the first time in years, the gamble feels meaningful.

In sidelining the protagonists, Rick and Morty, the show proved that it's capable of reinvention. After a chaotic period following Justin Roiland's departure, this episode is proof that Rick & Morty can still surprise, even in its eighth season.

Voice cast members of the show:

• Rick Sanchez voiced by Ian Cardoni
• Morty Smith voiced by Harry Belden
• Jerry Smith voiced by Chris Parnell
• Summer Smith voiced by Spencer Grammer
• Beth Smith voiced by Sarah Chalke
• Gromflomite General voiced by Stephen Root

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Also read: Rick And Morty Season 8 Episode 3 recap: Clones rebuild the Citadel in a western-style Wasteland

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