While Jessica’s initially problematic Rick & Morty characterization was massively improved in season 5, this is all the more reason for the series to bring her back in season 6. Rick & Morty often forgets about characters for long stretches at a time, only to bring them back at the most unexpected moments. For example, one antagonist was not seen on the show for so long that a Rick & Morty fan theory claimed Evil Morty didn’t even have a role in the grand, overarching story of the series, only for him to end up being the major villain of season 5’s finale.
If there is any character who has earned a similar comeback in Rick & Morty season 6, it is Morty’s love interest, Jessica. While Jessica has appeared in as many Rick & Morty episodes as recurring supporting stars like Birdperson and Mr. Poopybutthole, it was a long time before she received as much characterization as them. Now, however, she is a fully fleshed-out character and one of the strongest beings in the Rick & Morty universe—both of which are great reasons for her to make a season 6 return.
“Mort Dinner Rick Andre” (season 5, episode 1) gave Jessica some much-needed depth, transforming her from the largely silent object of Morty’s affections into a character with agency of her own, and then into an immortal Time God. This character development means that there is now a lot more that Rick & Morty can do with her plot, as also proven by the show’s tie-in comics. Rick & Morty’s season 5 finale left the show’s universe in disarray and, as unlikely as it may appear, Jessica’s comic storyline proves she could be the best character to save the titular duo. This would also, of course, help to make up for the many seasons of Rick & Morty wherein she essentially acted as a human MacGuffin for Morty-centric stories.
How Jessica Became Rick & Morty’s Most Problematic Character
While Jessica didn’t say anything particularly objectionable during her screen time in seasons 1—4, this was part of the reason that she became Rick & Morty’s most problematic character during that period. Jessica didn’t say much that viewers could take issue with because she didn’t get a chance to say much of anything at all. Even though Rick & Morty is a show that has managed to make garbage monsters and characters with names like “Mr. Poopybutthole” into sympathetic, well-rounded figures, the series still never saw any need to give Jessica much in the way of characterization. She was only ever written as an unattainable girl for Morty to lust after and not a character in her own right.
While this may not seem like a major problem in the early seasons of Rick & Morty, as the series became more invested in character development Jessica’s status as a cliched “idealized hot girl” became less easy to excuse. The early, anarchic seasons of Rick & Morty featured divisive dark jokes about molestation and similar tasteless humor, but by season 4, the series was trying to add psychological depth to its writing and emotional heft to its plots. As a result, Jessica being a teen movie cliche and nothing more stuck out as a relic of the show’s past, something that Rick & Morty season 5 was quick to remedy.
How One Rick & Morty Season 5 Episode Saved Jessica’s Character
Ironically, by not letting Morty save Jessica, Rick & Morty saved her character. The events of “Mort Dinner Rick Andre” transformed her from a meek, almost wordless love interest into a Time God and even found time to give her and Morty a cute send-off as he acknowledged their timing was always off (which was, in and of itself, a cute pun on the plot of the episode). The episode fixed Morty’s love interest problem as Jessica, the longest-lasting and most prominent of Morty’s potential romantic partners, ceased to be a plot device with legs and became a character in her own right. More important than Jessica gaining powers was the character gaining a personality outside of Morty. It was a personality that Rick & Morty can—and should—now revisit, as proven by Jessica’s role in the show’s tie-in comics.
How Rick & Morty’s Comic Timeline Explained Jessica’s Powers
Rick & Morty’s tie-in comics featured an issue that detailed Rick and Mr. Nimbus’s long-running feud, but the story came with a twist. Instead of being told by either Rick or Mr. Nimbus, the issue was narrated by Jessica. The reasoning behind this choice became clear when Jessica intervened in the plot at the story’s end. When Mr. Nimbus and Rick’s recurring fight almost led to the destruction of the entire world, Jessica decided enough was enough and made use of her powers as a Time God. Overpowering both characters, Jessica forced the pair into a truce by destroying Rick’s portal and exposing both him and Nimbus to countless realities where they never started their feud (or at least, never let the fight reach planet-destroying proportions). This plotline proved that Jessica’s Time God powers weren’t limited to the episode in which she gained them and has vast ramifications on the series, particularly after Rick & Morty’s dark season 5 finale destroyed the Central Finite Curve.
Why Rick & Morty Season 6 Needs Jessica’s Return
Since Evil Morty destroyed the Central Finite Curve, Rick’s inter-dimensional travel abilities have presumably been destroyed along with it. However, as a Time God, Jessica can still access endless realities, something that could come in handy for Rick and Morty as characters and for the series itself. It will be far harder for Rick & Morty’s chaotic stories to wrap up without the ever-present option of simply jumping to a new reality, and the odds of the show making another inter-dimensional cable episode seem increasingly unlikely as it is unclear whether or not Rick and Morty can even access the TV of other realities anymore. However, bringing back Morty’s failed romance with Jessica could allow the duo to travel between different realities. This would not only be a great way to reincorporate Jessica into the show but would also allow Rick & Morty to explore how Rick reacts to no longer being the only character with almost God-like powers. Thus, Rick & Morty season 6 could use a once-problematic character in a more inventive way than ever before if Jessica’s return is handled right.
