Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Rick and Morty episode "Field of Dreams." Stream previous episodes with an HBO Max subscription, and read at your own risk!Rick and Morty ended Season 9 with one of its most depressing episodes to date, but according to its EPs, it had to happen. Morty driving an alternate Rick to ruin just so he could get back to his universe was pretty upsetting, but as Dan Harmon pointed out, it's what the show is about. "Field of Dreams" was definitely one of the reasons I declared Season 9 one of Rick and Morty's best, and a great endcap to its time on the 2026 TV schedule. Morty inadvertently became trapped in a reality in which another version of him died, and the grieving Smiths destroyed his portal gun to keep him around. With no means to create one on his own, Morty had to visit a sober Rick, who'd been cut off by the Smith family long ago and appeared to be the happiest version of the character we've seen on Rick and Morty. His abandoning his goal of developing trans-dimensional technology allowed him to turn his life around and even get remarried. Unfortunately, Morty needed to get back to his own universe, so he prodded and pushed sober Rick into destroying his life and returning to alcohol so that he could make the portal gun. It was a dark twist that ended with Morty feeling terrible once he successfully returned to his own time, but co-creator Dan Harmon explained to Polygon why it was necessary:If we stop putting him through [these situations], I guess there is a concern that the show becomes unrecognizable. Morty has been a 14-year-old boy for over a decade, and that decade has subjected him to hourly life trauma and a relationship with one of the most abusive people in the universe.Morty must suffer to create the best episodes of Rick and Morty. Sure, the show does feature some character development, and even did so in Season 9. This season saw Jerry finally get another job, for example, and his marriage to Beth is stronger than it's ever been. We still don't know who the real Beth is, but we have our theories. Co-showrunner Scott Marder continued talking about the Season 9 finale and how it shows Morty's development as a character. In short, adventuring with the worst grandpa in the multiverse can eventually rub off on you after a while: The finale actually examines it in a really cool way that Morty’s been corrupted by this relationship in a lot of ways, but he’s basically forced to corrupt Rick to get what he wants, which was a cool full circle thing for him at the end of season 9.Morty may not be any better than Rick, but in his defense, he's been through a lot in his young life. Maybe at this point it's good that he breaks the barrier for how far he's willing to go to protect himself. Because there's a whole universe out there largely unconcerned with his existence. I do wonder just how much bleaker Rick & Morty can get, especially with a movie on the way. You'd have to think at some point there's a fear that whatever the plot for this movie is won't possibly be able to contend with past episodes. Then again, this show just delivered one of its best seasons in Season 9, so maybe things are only getting better from here. Rick & Morty Season 9 just ended, but its spinoff, President Curtis, is already off to a great start. Check it out on Adult Swim, and see what CinemaBlend's Nick Venable had to say about the series.