Rick & Morty Season 8's New Jerry Twist Just Blew The Series' Future Wide Open After 12 Years

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Rick and Morty season 8, episode 8.

Rick and Morty season 8 just introduced a fascinating new concept for Jerry and his multiversal variants — and it’s only the tip of the iceberg in terms of its narrative potential. Rick and Morty season 8, episode 8, “Nomortland,” begins with Jerry finding one of his other selves from an alternate reality casually eating cereal at the dining table.

As it turns out, this Jerry has abandoned his original universe to live a free life as a multiversal tourist. He introduces our Jerry to “The Road,” an interdimensional pathway forged by a bunch of rogue Jerrys who have lost their families. The Road has infinite possibilities for future storylines — and “Nomortland” has only just scratched the surface.

Rick & Morty Season 8 Introduces An Interdimensional Pathway For Rogue Jerrys Called “The Road”

A Secret Society Of Jerrys Lives Off The Multiversal Grid

When Jerry chases down the impostor, whose five o’clock shadow differentiates him from our Jerry, he learns about the Road. Five o’clock shadow Jerry is a rogue traveler who drifts from reality to reality because he can’t go back to his own. In his own universe, five o’clock shadow Beth divorced him and married Paul Fleishman.

Rick with the creator of Earth World in Rick and Morty

Rick & Morty Season 8’s Genius Twist Has An Ironic Deeper Meaning

Rick and Morty usually shows alien worlds from our perspective, but season 8, episode 6 shows Earth from an alien’s skewed perspective.

Five o’clock shadow Jerry and other lost Jerrys like him have created the Road as a way of avoiding their problems back home. It’s a string of dimensions connected by secret portals that Rick forgot to close. The ringleader is a cool Jerry who wears a leather jacket and, unlike most Jerrys, stands up for himself.

This is a fascinating new addition to Rick and Morty lore, and a great vehicle for more Jerry-centric storylines in the future.

All the Jerrys who inhabit the Road are there because they have nowhere else to go. For most of them, the family went on an adventure and never came back, leaving their Jerry aimless and alone. This is a fascinating new addition to Rick and Morty lore, and a great vehicle for more Jerry-centric storylines in the future.

The Road Could Come Back For Future Rick & Morty Storylines

The Death Of Cool Jerry Will Surely Leave A Power Vacuum

Jerry visits a goat universe in Rick and Morty

Rick and Morty usually tries to avoid serialization and stay as episodic as possible. But it’s not above returning to a concept from a previous episode if there’s still some narrative juice left in the tank, like interdimensional cable or Blips and Chitz or the Numbericons. It feels like the Road is primed to make a comeback in the future.

Rick and Morty airs new episodes on Adult Swim every Sunday.

There are a bunch of different storylines that Rick and Morty could use the Road for in the future. Now that Jerry knows about the Road as a way to escape his problems at home, he could choose to run away there. The death of cool Jerry will leave a power vacuum, and our Rick could find out about it.

Rick and Morty

8/10

Release Date: December 2, 2013
Network: Adult Swim
Directors: Bryan Newton, Dominic Polcino, Anthony Chun, John Rice, Stephen Sandoval, Jeff Myers
Writers: Tom Kauffman, Wade Randolph, Eric Acosta, David Phillips, Erica Rosbe, Sarah Carbiener, Matt Roller, Michael Waldron, Caitie Delaney