[WARNING – Mild SPOILERS below.]

Rick and Morty is a favorite of the staff here at Kabooooom. Since the release of Oni Press‘ Rick and Morty comic in April 2015, the book has never failed to appear on The Pull List whenever it came out. We’ve all been looking forward to the release of season 2 of Rick and Morty. And we’re far from alone in that.

To say that Rick and Morty has become an instant cult classic would be an understatement. At the time of this writing, the show is rated #11 on IMDB’s list of best television series with a 9.2 average rating. And the show is a popular target for pirates, with the first two episodes of the new season being heavily downloaded once they were leaked online. Not bad for a series that originally started as a twisted parody [NSFW – No. Seriously. NOT SAFE FOR WORK!] of Back To The Future created to see how quickly Justin Roiland could provoke a cease-and-desist order.

The show centers upon super-scientist Rick Sanchez and his grandson/unwitting lab-assistant, Morty. Hilarity ensues as Rick’s inventions and adventures wreak havoc upon the mundane lives of his family – Rick’s put-upon daughter Beth, her bumbling husband Jerry and their insecure teen daughter, Summer.

The season opener continues some six months after the last season ended, with Rick having frozen time for everyone except himself, Morty and Summer, in order to clean up after a wild party. Shortly after time restarts something goes awry and an argument between Summer and Morty forms an uncertainty – a timeless oblivion made up of two realities. As Rick struggles to reforge the link between what is and isn’t, Jerry hits a deer with his car. And Horse Surgeon Beth fights a sarcastic veterinarian, a surly hunter and a snarky lawyer for the right to save its life.

Rick and Morty is an incredibly smart show. Not since Mystery Science Theater 3000 has there been a show that would freely name-drop Schrödinger’s Cat or base a plot around The Everett Interpretation. Yet the show also proved to be a well-spring of dark humor and hilarious twists on classic science-fiction scenarios and modern pop culture.

According to the show’s creators, the only planned change for the status quo of the show in season 2 was a push to make the family-drama based stories focused on the characters besides Rick and Morty equally absurd. Based on this first episode, it seems the writing team has been successful in this. Beth’s attempts to save an injured deer – while delightfully surrealistic – are at least somewhat grounded in reality but no less amusing than her father’s attempts to kill his alternate universe self.

Confused? That’s to be expected. But if you’re already a fan of Rick and Morty, rest assured that the new season is as enjoyable as ever. And if you aren’t already a fan of Rick and Morty, pick up the DVD set of the first season or watch the episodes online at AdultSwim.com. Rick and Morty forever!