The return to "status quo" is important for a number of reasons, first and foremost IS the the stuff that happened at the Citadel. If the Smiths have something resembling a healthy familial relationship, with Rick as the odd man out, it puts things in a VASTLY more dangerous position for Rick insofar as the overarching reach of eyepatch Morty is concerned, since his most powerful tool at present is shifting peoples' perceptions against other Ricks.
Additionally, the entire confrontation with the President and Rick establishing an alternate "Fly Fishing Rick" persona with him definitely introduces a point where a stand-in "Fly Fishing Rick" could essentially turn the entire government against Rick – and Eyepatch Morty currently has access to a near-unlimited number of other Ricks.
Additionally, all of the stuff with Beth dives into the self-doubt that Rick doesn't face, because he's smart enough that he doesn't fear the consequences of his actions in a way that he can't control, even when he IS out of his depth (Pickle Rick being the prime example). Additionally, in attempting to do what's best for everyone with selfish motivations – splitting the family apart and destroying the Galactic Government – Rick ended up in reuniting the Smith family and making peace with the US Government in what ended up being a better situation for all of them EXCEPT him, so it exists as a perfect juxtaposition to how the season started.
I can see why some people are disappointed that all of the little background things didn't come to fruition in a big conflict in the finale, but Rick and Morty is perfectly capable of dropping those sorts of bombshells in whatever episode they feel like at any time, which helps it keep from feeling formulaic or pushing off all the plot threads to where everything feels expected and predictable (Game of Thrones). All in all, if you look at it as an episode that's meant to play the Yin to the first episode's Yang, it's completely successful.
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