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Rick and Morty S7 Ep 3 Review

Rick and Morty is now three episodes into its seventh season, and the drop in quality is becoming more and more noticeable. Moving to the post-Justin Roiland era seems to be taking its toll on the show, even if the new voice actor’s seem to be giving it their all. The most glaring issue is the fact that Morty’s barely done anything thus far, with the first few episodes focusing on Rick with other characters. While this could be an attempt by the show to change up the formula by pairing Rick with other people, there are limits to how far this can go. Case in point, this week’s episode focuses on two adults that Rick has important, somewhat dysfunctional, relationships with: President Curtis, and his therapist, Dr. Wong. 

Also, Unity the hive mind from season two comes back.

After getting called into deal with yet another one of President Curtis’ problems, Rick has to deal with an even bigger matter at hand: the President wants to date his therapist. Understandably, Rick feels this is a step too far and tries to prevent that. Things get out of hand, though, when the President uses the state of Virginia achieving utopia as an excuse to get Dr. Wong involved. Which proves to be a mistake when it’s revealed that the utopia is the result of Rick’s ex, the hive mind Unity. 

Is Unity an Unnecessary Appearance?

Despite ghosting him all the way back in the second season, Unity came to Earth because she heard he resumed his hunt for Rick Prime. Being Rick, he brushes off her genuine attempts to reach out to him because he’s hurt and doesn’t want to be hurt again. However, it feels a little less than necessary. They could’ve included any character from Rick’s past and gotten the same denial of help from him.

Then again, had it been anyone else, then the episode wouldn’t have been able to work when President Curtis hijacks the Virginians in Unity’s hive mind. 

Over the course of the series, the love/hate relationship between Rick and President Curtis has become a major part of the show’s story. Both are men with unlimited resources, incredibly stubborn, and have a hard time admitting their shortcomings. In this case, when Curtis tries to hit on Wong and she bails due to seeing him for the man-child he is, he doesn’t take it well. Tired of no one liking him, he uses Unity’s hive mind to make everyone like him, forcing Rick and Unity to intervene. None of this does any good at impressing Dr. Wong, though, who remains as unflappable as ever.

A Concerning Decline in Quality?

To be perfectly honest, this episode wasn’t that good, which is concerning, since we’re now well into the season. Morty wasn’t involved once again, and having Rick and President Curtis fight again seems a bit tired at this point. The one good thing about this episode is that it shows why Dr. Wong is the Smith Family’s therapist. Even when faced with an end-of-the-world scenario, she maintains a calm, monotone manner of speaking. More importantly, she manages to talk Unity into helping Rick by pointing out something that almost no one else notices: Rick is changing for the better. It’s at a snail’s pace, but he’s doing it. 

That said, I don’t think Dr. Wong is cut out to get more involved in Rick’s adventures, by virtue of her job. The moment she becomes involved in Rick’s life in a non-professional manner, she loses her agency as one of the few people Rick listens to. At least she managed to get the President to admit he needs therapy, though.

I Give “Air Force Wong” a 2.5/5

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Rick and Morty S7 Ep 2 Review

Rick Sanchez and Jerry Smith couldn’t be greater polar opposites even if they tried. Rick’s a super-genius who can travel the multiverse at his leisure. Jerry’s the average Joe that married his daughter and represents the mediocrity that Rick despises. Yet as the show’s proven over the years, when they’re put into situations together, they mesh well. Jerry keeps Rick grounded, and Rick helps Jerry man up more than he would otherwise. It’s a genuinely fun dynamic to watch, and their last adventure at the fortune cookie company was a highlight of Season 6. The people writing Rick and Morty seem to enjoy making Rick and Jerry episodes, because this week’s sees them get closer than ever in a Freaky Friday-esque scenario. Now, they’re Burger and Fries!

Burger and Fries are Born

The episode starts off with how Rick and Jerry’s interactions usually begin. Jerry asks for help with the mundane problem of Gene stealing his rake, and Rick gives him the bare minimum of attention. However, when Jerry says that he’d do way more with himself if he had Rick’s smarts, Rick gets offended. Wanting to show him how being smart wouldn’t change Jerry from being Jerry, Rick comes up with a solution that parallels the Freaky Friday scenario. 

In the years since it was published, plenty of works of fiction have come up with some version of the Freaky Friday story. I even reviewed one in an episode of The Owl House on this blog. It’s a fun way to demonstrate how two characters would react to the situations in each other’s lives, and often fumble at it. However, the story goes out of its way to explain how this one differs. They’re only swapping their minds, memories and personalities, while their inherent intellect and brains stay the same. Or, as Rick puts it, they’re keeping the hardware. Their dare quickly goes off the rails, though, when both get hurt and Rick’s garage AI has to combine their brains. 

What results from this are two people who aren’t wholly Rick or Jerry. Instead, each of them has various aspects of both Rick and Jerry, and not only do they get along well, they end up becoming best friends. They also take to calling themselves “Burger and Fries” to show they’re now their own people. 

A Unique Take on the Freaky Friday Story

This is a very creative take on the usual Freaky Friday story, even if Rick says it’s not like Freaky Friday. Instead of gaining a better perspective on each other, viewers are shown what Rick and Jerry would be like if they weren’t always at odds as much as they are. It’s a compelling idea, and one that’s been touched upon at various points throughout the series. A major part of me wanted things to stay like this. Even if Burger and Fries wouldn’t last past the end of the episode, having their friendship remain would’ve been interesting. Alas, it was not meant to be, as when Burger and Fries fuse into a single entity called “Jerricky” to save the family from mobsters, the writing’s on the wall. Before the episode’s out, their true personalities resurface thanks to the rake that Gene did steal hitting them on the head. 

No, really. That’s how they get Rick and Jerry out from beneath Jerricky. I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be a funny way of doing it, but it seems like a lazy deus ex machina. That makes two episodes now where Rick and Morty has seemingly dropped the ball.

An Average, if Safe, Episode

The episode did have some redeeming features beyond the short-lived Burger and Fries, though. The whole mess started when Morty gets caught selling crystals in the Underworld. The sight of Morty acting unfazed as the mobsters try desperately to please him shows how experienced he’s become. He knows he can get out of that mess, or his Grandpa will do so, and acts like a badass. Seeing him not caring in this image makes it all worth it.

Plus, the stinger also reveals that Memory Rick still exists, albeit now he’s stuck inside Jerry’s head. Maybe more will come out of that down the road. As far as episodes go, though, this was pretty average. 

In other news, this episode doesn’t make it clearer if the new guys voice Rick and Morty or this is just Justin’s old lines. If it’s the former, then they’ve completely mastered their new roles.

I Give “Jerrick Trap” a 3/5

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