Warning: Spoilers for Rick and Morty season 6, episode 7.
While Rick and Morty always flirted with meta-comedy, season 6, episode 7 implies that Rick knows that he lives in a television show and now, so does Morty. Since its inception, Rick and Morty has been more self-aware than most television shows. The anarchic Adult Swim hit has always leaned on its fourth wall, with Rick in particular regularly making throwaway jokes about Rick and Morty’s writing. However, the show took things a step further in Rick and Morty season 6, episode 7, “Full Meta Jackrick.”
The first episode of Rick and Morty season 6 part 2 addressed a question that has been around since the series began when the outing confirmed that Rick knows he is in a television show. While the chaotic cold open that started the episode also saw Morty discover that he and Rick are in a show, Rick’s response established that he already knew. The rest of the Rick and Morty outing never went on to retcon this, so it may well be a fact from now on.
Rick Knowing He's In A Show Explains His Entire Character
It is almost unsurprising for viewers to discover that Rick knows he is in a television show. In most of Rick and Morty’s episodes, Rick is aware of how every story will pan out, and he is rarely caught unawares in ways that can't be chalked up to laziness. While Rick and Morty’s Dr. Wong did stun Rick into silence once, this was because she demanded introspection from the usually self-absorbed, amoral antihero. When it comes to storylines, character arcs, and villains, Rick is always a step ahead of everyone else, as seen when he writes off his tragic origin story with a pithy “now everyone can shut up about it” in the season 5 finale.
However, the impact of Rick knowing that he is in a television show goes deeper than his ability to predict how most villains will act thanks to his familiarity with the medium’s conventions. Rick’s certainty that his family will forgive him no matter how heinous his actions have resulted in him doing some terrible things over the years, and this is also connected to his self-aware status. One reason Rick has never seriously stuck with his attempts at self-improvement might be that he knows Rick and Morty’s formula won’t change, meaning the Smith family will always have to forgive him and welcome him back into their fold regardless of his terrible behavior.
How Knowing He's In A Show Could Affect Morty
While it is no shock to learn that Rick always knew he was in a television show, Rick and Morty’s tone could be changed by Morty learning the same thing. Morty is different from Rick and this information could reshape how the good-natured, innocent character acts. Morty could start manipulating reality as Rick has done for years, but he also might expect better treatment now that he knows his life is a fictional series. Morty’s character growth from season 5' was seemingly reversed in the first half of season 6, but Rick and Morty season 6, part 2 could reinstate this as Morty learns to stand up for himself as the star of the series.
New episodes of Rick and Morty season 6 air Sundays on Adult Swim.