James Gunn Guest Stars in New ‘Rick and Morty’ Episode!
Rick and Morty S8 Ep 7 Review
Sometimes, the stars just seem to align for a TV show, enabling it to be incredibly relevant to current events. South Park is notorious for covering events as recent as the last few days thanks to its six-day turnaround, but they’re not the only ones to do that. With James Gunn’s Superman film set to release later this week (I have my tickets), the world is focused on the return of the Man of Steel. So what does Rick and Morty do? They have a laugh at the expense of the Gunn, AI scripts, and toxic fans all at once.
It’s no secret that Rick Sanchez can be a pretty toxic person, but now we can say that toxicity extends to being a fan of long-running franchises. After hating the latest entry in the fictional Velocitree film franchise, Rick gets so mad he decides to take matters up with the director, James Gunn himself. Then, because he thinks he can do better, he swipes the script for the next film so he can do things his way. That way, of course, involving him building a machine that can help him come up with the perfect film. This inevitably backfires on him when he and Morty get sucked into the film before they come up with an ending, forcing them to take part in the film itself.
AI, TOXIC FANS, and A Gunn, Oh My!
There is a lot about this episode that makes it incredibly relevant to the times that we are living in, and thus making it brilliant. Firstly, there’s how the episode represents the fans of long-running franchises. On the one hand, we have Jerry, the casual fan who will enjoy whatever is put in front of him. On the other hand, we have Rick and Morty representing the long-term fans who have been with a franchise for years, even decades. These days, more and more hardcore fans of franchises like Star Wars and the MCU are growing disillusioned with the way the IPs are being run. They can’t stand to see that which they love be turned into something they hate. This isn’t a recent phenomenon either. When the Star Wars Prequels released, the OG fans hated them, especially for characters such as Jar Jar. In this case, the Velocitree has their own Jar Jar in the form of the comic relief robo-tree Tannebaum, who Rick initially despises.
Secondly, there is the way the episode addresses the toxic fans themselves. Many fans are like Rick: when they see their favorite franchise in the toilet, they think that they can do better. I myself have often wondered if I could’ve done the Star Wars Sequels better than what Abrams and Johnson did. However, the events of the episode force Rick to acknowledge that just because you think you can do better doesn’t mean you can do better. His and Morty’s attempts to get the film back on track only make things worse, and by the time they hit the climax, they’ve got both heroes and villains out to get them. The only reason they manage to make it out at all is because they have to rely on Jerry’s help. Rick had previously disparaged Jerry for not being “a real fan,” and thinking he’d do a terrible job. Yet for all his talk, it’s Jerry’s slapped-together ideas that bring the film to a successful conclusion.
Lastly, there is the fact that this episode makes a jab at the concept of AI-scripts. AI like ChatGPT has gone mainstream lately, and people think that by using it, they can become great writers. As this episode proves, though, AI writing isn’t going to be any better than what humans come up with. If you want my opinion, the best option we’ve got is to find a way to work in tandem with AI rather than let it do everything for us. Otherwise, storytellers like James Gunn will be out of a job.
James Gunn Played Himself!
Speaking of James Gunn, this episode is especially noteworthy for the two guest appearances: James Gunn and Zach Snyder. The staff of Rick and Morty managed to talk both directors into guest-starring as themselves in the episodes. Granted, Snyder’s only in one scene that has him poke fun at the differences between his version of Superman and Gunn’s, but it’s all in good humor. Gunn, on the other hand, winds up serving as the overarching villain of the episode, as he doesn’t want Rick and Morty to succeed, since that will put him out of a job. Yet, in the end, they managed to do just that, though Gunn thinks he got the last laugh by getting the completed script. Unfortunately, it just puts him out of a job…and out of life.
I’ve been a big fan of James Gunn since the original Guardians of the Galaxy, and I think that his decision to reboot the DC films is a good one. So much so that I’ve already bought my tickets to see Superman later this week. Needless to say, I think the timing on this episode couldn’t have been better. Here’s hoping that when I get back, I will have something worthwhile to write about, as well as a cool popcorn bucket to sell.
I Give “Ricker than Fiction” a 4/5
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