Man, I’ve been itching for Season 9 ever since the wait felt eternal, and this opener totally delivered – didn’t disappoint at all.
Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden crush it right out the gate as the new Rick and Morty duo. The multiverse chaos, Star Trek nods, and cosmic horror vibes hit that perfect Rick and Morty sweet spot of wild concepts executed with sharp writing and crude laughs. The Morty vs. Evil Morty tension crackled, and that clever Batman Gambit closer left me grinning.
It balances emotional family punches with over-the-top action better than a lot of Season 8’s mid-tier stuff, though maybe not quite hitting the highs of something like Hot Rick. Only real gripe? Dropping one episode at a time is torture when you just wanna binge the whole season.
8.5/10: Solid start to the new era.