Ok! That’ll do it! Rick and Morty Season 7 is over.
Not only is it the end of Season 7, but it’s also the end of the first season without Justin Roiland at the helm. The first year with Ian Cardoni as Rick Sanchez and Harry Belden as Morty Smith has had some really high highs. But it also had whatever the frack “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie” was. Seriously, I’m still astounded that episode aired!
In general, I’m really happy with how this season has shaped up. So, let’s hope it’s not like a year and a half or longer before Season 8. OK?
But first, did season 7 end strongly, or did it go out with a whimper? Let’s find out!
After temporarily killing Jerry (Chris Parnell), Rick discovers the afterlife is real! And it contains an infinite source of energy. Huzzah! However, as a man of science, he doesn’t subscribe to organized religion, meaning he lacks the belief in any one version of the afterlife to harness the energy.
But there is a way.
Rick and Morty travel to a Viking holy site in Norway and arrange a warrior’s death. Rick locks himself in a cage with Bigfoot, who he had imprisoned in a Poké Ball, knowing he’d be mauled to death. All Morty had to do was push the button to activate Operation Phoenix allowing Rick’s consciousness to awaken in a clone of himself. As we know, Morty often fails.
Rick ascends to Valhalla and quickly convinces the Vikings he’s Odin so he can build a conduit for his infinite energy device. Predictably, Morty is hoodwinked and slaughtered by Bigfoot. The Pope, watching from afar, sees Bigfoot’s potential and persuades him to become a holy assassin.
When Rick and Morty return from Valhalla, they convince Bigfoot to help them stop The Pope, who is now nearly indestructible after stealing Rick’s infinite energy supply. Many deaths, Valhalla visits and resurrections later, Rick sacrifices his access to infinite energy to stop The Pope and trap him in a Poké Ball.
In a post-credits scene, we see Rick choosing The Pope to fight in an arena battle and an empty-headed Rick clone be sworn in as the new Pope.
Visiting a “Carnival of Nightmares”, Rick and Morty just aren’t feeling it. They’ve seen too much to be affected by this tame bullcrap. An unassuming man in a suit claims to know the scariest place in the galaxy, inviting them… to a Denny’s. This is no ordinary Denny’s, though. It contains a Fear Hole, complete with a VHS disclaimer video. Despite the existence of the hole being around since the time of VHS tapes, there have only been three confirmed survivors. Rick dismisses the hole of terror and goes to leave.
Morty jumps into the hole.
Inside, Rick and Morty face some creepy monsters, which briefly weaken their hardened facade, and then climb back out of the Fear Hole. They return home to be greeted by a dying alternate reality Rick, with a very alive Diane in tow. The other Rick dies, and so begins Rick C-137’s attempts to woo this version of Diane, the same Diane that Rick Prime erased from all realities (anything sounding hinky yet?).
It becomes clear to Morty they never left the Fear Hole, and it’s actively feeding on Rick’s fear of happiness. Morty snaps him out of it through a form of exposure therapy, seeking out public humiliation and facing his fear of lack of acceptance.
They leave the hole. Well, not really. They emerge from it a few more times, each time realizing they’re actually still in the hole! That’s until Rick tells Morty he’s irreplaceable, finally revealing Morty’s biggest fear: he is replaceable, and Rick wouldn’t risk himself to help a Morty like him. Rick didn’t even jump in the hole to save him.
Morty leaves the hole with a newfound sense of clarity. Rick, proud of his grandson, grabs Morty’s picture from his wallet and pins it to the noticeboard with the other Fear Hole survivors.
In a post-credits scene, Mr. Poopybutthole travels to an alternative reality to take a doppelganger’s place. His new wife knows something is wrong with her husband.
We finish with a bang! After the relative disappointment of episodes 7 and 8, the final two installments have been much better. These two episodes have character growth for our two leads.
Rick is searching for an infinite energy device, something to counter the Omega Device currently held by Evil Morty that was responsible for wiping Diane (and Slow Mobius) from existence.
Morty has finally faced his biggest fear, letting go of the notion he’s replaceable and that Rick doesn’t care about him. Hopefully, this will result in a more confident Morty in the future, kinda like the one from “Rest and Ricklaxation”, but less douchey.
I’ve really enjoyed this season. It’s a return to form after a lull. It had some shocking moments, great story and character development, and the return of some fan-favorite supporting characters like Squanchy, Unity and Mr Poopybutthole.
It also had “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie,” though, so you can’t have everything.
