Previously, in Episode 6 of “Rick and Morty,” season 6, we saw that Rick’s portal gun was finally fixed. After a long hiatus, Rick and Morty returned with episode 7, “Full Meta Jackrick,” where recaps of previous episodes were shown, but some of the events we haven’t seen even Rick could not remember, like Summer getting pregnant and Beth being executed for Jerry’s death, which was caused by bee stings. Rick soon understood that none of this was real and that they were actually caught in a spiral that was showing their previous activities and also some other things that had never happened before. Or, it might have happened in another universe—who knows? So, let’s set off on their adventure to see how Rick and Morty get rid of the “previously” loop.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Caused the “Previously” Spiral to Happen? What Happened in the Meta-World?
To be released from the Previously Spiral, Rick requested that Morty say, “Next time on Rick and Morty,” so that the toxins would be neutralized so that they could get back to normalcy, but an insect named Previous Leon appeared to stop them. Rick recognized that Previous Leon was to blame for their being trapped in the previous loop. Rick devised a plan to capture the insect and transport it to the portal, allowing them to depart the previous universe. They went through the opening title, where both Rick and Morty were perplexed to see Jack the Ripper and other strange things that defied explanation. Rick and Morty, along with the Previous Leon, were eventually sent into a new world, but Morty soon understood that they were still confined in a meta world and were being watched, which is why they had an opening title. Rick worked hard to capture Previous Leon, but he slipped from his grasp and fled via a portal. However, Rick informed Morty that Leon would return to the meta layer via a hole in the fourth wall. So, Rick utilized his VR glasses to discover Leon. Rick and Morty traveled to another dimension, where the two of them continued their search for Leon. As they were trapped in meta-radiation, Rick understood that their credibility was deteriorating. Meanwhile, Leon arrived and was grabbed by Rick and Morty, but he prayed so powerfully that Jesus Christ appeared from the sky. Soon, Rick understood that Jesus Christ was really a pawn in a game primarily played by “Story Lord” (as seen previously in the season 4 “Never Ricking Morty” episode). Rick could not even recognize the Story Lord, but Morty recalled playing with a toy train where the Story Lord was one of the characters. However, in this meta world, the Story Lord duped Jesus Christ into transcending fiction and entering meta reality. He made Leon the bait for Rick and Morty’s capture. In response to the Story Lord’s demands, Jesus beat up Rick and Morty and took the portal controller from Rick. When Rick asked him why he was up to create such a fuss, the Story Lord replied that he yearned for motivation to come up with stories because he didn’t want to be captured in the Bible story. Story Lord used the controller to travel to another dimension, while Jesus Christ was sucked by Leon, who reminded him of his previous actions, including meeting a hooker named Mary. Leon fed on all Jesus’ freed potential, and he died. But Rick still didn’t want Leon to survive since he would then again plan to imprison Rick and Morty in their prior spiral and show them things that had never happened to them before.
Story Lord, on the other hand, came to his creator’s residence, where the creator or writer was eating sausages. Story Lord was outraged to find his creator living in a filthy and disgusting manner, but he arrived with a purpose; he forced his creator to generate motivation for him to make him more powerful. Elsewhere, Rick and Morty snuck inside the self-referential six’s headquarters to seek assistance from a prisoner held there. But as soon as they stepped inside, Miss Lead, Flashback, Connie TinuityError, and Protago Nick attacked them. While protagonist Nick was attempting to harm Rick and Morty, he accidentally attacked a random guard, who then spent his entire life as the protagonist of the story. Mr. Twist, the final and fifth member of the self-referential six, ultimately captured Rick and Morty; where Morty discovered that there was no sixth member in this league, but he says such things to everyone to make it look like a twist. Morty fooled Mr. Twist by pulling the bomb’s key, causing a blast and allowing them to flee. After Rick and Morty escape, they go straight to Mr. Rhett Caan, the prisoner with the power to change things, which had always been the other things. Rick sets him free to battle the self-referential six, but in the meantime, Cann stops Rick and Morty from escaping from there by stating that there is nothing outside the fortress and that the fortress is always an orange. Rick admitted that he had made a mistake, so Rick and Morty accepted their deaths on a freezing island until legendary American author Joseph Campbell saved them. Rick inquired how he could have been in there as Rhett Caan had already stated that there was nothing outside, to which Joseph replied that mythology never changes. Rick noticed Leon, who had also been saved by Joseph. With the assistance of Leon, Rick went back to the previous chapter and recalled how to make the portal gun. So, it took a long time for Rick to create his portal index, and eventually, they were forced to forget all that had transpired in this world, including Morty’s pregnancy, and enter the world where Story Lord resided.
‘Rick and Morty’ Season 6, Episode 7: Ending explained – What Happened To Story Lord?
The Story Lord eventually compelled the writer to construct a machine for him that sucked motivation from all dimensions. However, Rick and Morty appeared in the meantime. While Rick and Story Lord were fighting, Morty tried to persuade the writer to turn off the machine. Meanwhile, the spirit of Joseph Campbell appeared and asked Morty to explain his views to the writer. He claimed that the writer was only creative because his work was successful and that, in order to keep his fame alive, he was becoming a villain. As a result, the writer had to stop writing in order to stop the Story Lord. As the writer was so convinced by Joseph Campbell’s view, he stopped working the machine, for which Story Lord lost all of his strength and was beaten by Rick. Rick requested that the Story Lord be killed by the writer because a hero or villain could only die at the hands of their creator. As a result, the writer murdered the Story Lord with the “Rick doll” and returned home. But he couldn’t escape the feeling that he was being motivated by Joseph Campbell. So, he found his motivation again and picked up the pen to write more, which Joseph Campbell did not want him to do. He wanted him to stop writing, but being a spirit, he couldn’t reach him. In the post-credit scenes, we see another strong anti-hero, Tag Man, arbitrarily killing other animals and officers in that meta-universe, which might be another creation of that writer who wrongly interpreted Campbell’s idea and made another anti-hero like the Story Lord.
Final Words
After a lengthy break, “Rick and Morty” returned with the best and most unusual storytelling that is intellectual but confusing at the same time. Dan Harmon, as Joseph Campbell’s voice, brilliantly portrayed Joseph Campbell’s theory, which is connected with Rick and Morty’s journey. Joseph Campbell, who wrote “The Hero’s Journey,” indicates the monomyth theory, which explores the hero’s life in which he goes on an adventure, confronts a crisis, triumphs, and returns successfully. Here, Rick and Morty, the show’s main protagonists, gave the nod to Campbell’s ideas, which define the four stages of their lives. Dan Harmon beautifully depicted the work in which Campbell’s concept of heroism was misinterpreted by the writer while he was inspired to write anew. This might be interpreted as Harmon’s own representation of Campbell’s theories, which Campbell may or may not like. Anyway, we won’t have to wait long for the next episode or undergo a long hiatus because episode 8 will air on Adult Swim sooner. So, stay tuned in to see more tempting Rick and Morty adventures.
