Rick and Morty is now in the final slate of episodes for Season 8, and the newest episode of the season has brought back a surprising face that fans haven’t seen in ten long years. Rick and Morty Season 8 has been much different than seasons past as the large majority of its episodes have been episodic stories exploring new sides of the characters. But rather than reset its status quo as seen in previous episodes of this kind, this new season has instead used each of the characters’ changes over the years to approach these adventures from new kinds of angles.
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This was especially the case for Jerry Smith in the newest Rick and Morty Season 8 episode, “Nomortland.” The episode sees Jerry meeting another, more rugged Jerry and going on an adventure through the cracks in the multiverse. Through this new adventure Jerry sees all kinds of new realities that fans have never seen in the series before, and one of them actually features a version of the Smith Family where Beth has since gotten remarried. And like previously teased way back in Season 2, Beth remarried Paul Fleishman (who we haven’t seen since 2015).
Who Is Paul Fleishman in Rick and Morty?
Paul Fleishman was first introduced in the Rick and Morty Season 2 episode, “Mortynight Run” which first aired with Adult Swim way back in 2015. In the episode it was revealed that Ricks had been dropping off their Jerrys at a special daycare center known as the “Jerryboree” which was filled with all kinds of activities that the Jerrys love. But while Jerry met other versions of himself from across the multiverse there, it’s also where he came across Paul Fleishman. Paul had introduced himself as being from a universe where Beth gets remarried, but hilariously notes how he respected his boundaries as a stepfather and doesn’t try to overstep with Summer and Morty.
Now this ten year old joke has come full circle as Rick and Morty Season 8 Episode 8, “Nomortland” brings Paul back into the Smith Family fold. As Jerry accompanies “Mooch” (which is the nickname given to the bearded, multiverse traveling Jerry) to his home universe, he finds that this version of Beth has gotten remarried to Paul. There’s no ill will between that version of Beth and Jerry, however, as Jerry realizes he left the others behind instead of facing his feelings of insecurity. But with Paul in the picture, the Smith Family is much better off.
What Does This Return Mean for Jerry?
With Rick and Morty bringing Paul back into the picture, it’s a rather wild moment for Jerry’s history in the animated series. Through this multiversal take on Jerry, the episode is able to showcase how much our own Jerry has grown through his adventures in the series. Our Jerry knows he is not living in his own universe (especially after the initial mixup seen in “Mortynight Run’”s ending), but also knows that his version of his family truly loves him.
He also sees through this version of Beth that has remarried Paul that his family would be okay either way it all goes for them. So while this new Jerry was hit with a startling realization about his home universe, our Jerry gets to confidently take that back to his home universe because his family still wants him to be a part of their respective lives. It’s a long journey for Jerry to go on, but it’s even more effective when reminded of how far he’s come in the last decade of episodes.
