The Mind-Blowing Truth Behind Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 2 Revealed!

Highlights

Rick and Morty season 7 is shaping up to be the show's worst year, with underwhelming episodes that lack originality and strong writing.

The repetitive storytelling, exemplified by the body-swap premise in "The Jerrick Trap," suggests that the show may have peaked and is now unable to recapture its previous greatness. It is disappointing that there is a lack of emphasis on the central dynamic between Rick and Morty, and the new actors voicing the title characters lack the same improvisational vigor as the original cast.

Rick and Morty season 7 is shaping up to be the worst year for the show, with its underwhelming second episode "The Jerrick Trap". Despite an interesting premise of Rick switching minds with Jerry to prove his intelligence, the episode falls flat with an unfocused script and lack of twists or catharsis. The disappointing start of season 7 with the premiere episode "How Poopy Got His Poop Back" is not solely due to the recasting of lead roles, but also because the writing lacks the sharpness and emotional depth that made the show great. Season 7 is far from fulfilling its reputation of blending touching emotional arcs and original sci-fi storylines with humor. Instead, it offers generic, thin plots that resemble any sitcom's, such as a failed intervention. The lack of a B-story in both the first and second episodes further weakens their impact.

The body-swap premise in "The Jerrick Trap" of Rick and Morty, while similar to when Rick switched bodies in season 3, sets up a story that the show has already told before. After the mind-swap, Rick and Jerry despise each other more than ever before gradually finding common ground and becoming close friends. This same storyline was seen in both "The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy" from season 3 and "Amortycan Grickfitti" from season 5. How many more times will this show rehash the same Rick and Jerry narrative? Relying on familiar plotlines is a worrisome indication that the TV show's best days are behind it, and it may never regain its former glory.

The core aspect of the series, which is crucial to its success, lies in the dynamic between the titular characters. However, in the first two episodes of season 7, there has been a lack of screen time shared between Rick and Morty. Towards the end of the episode, there is a brief exchange of dialogue between them, which hopefully suggests that the next episode will return to the classic Rick and Morty adventures. The focus of the first episode was on Rick and his friends, while this one centers around Rick and Jerry. It feels more like Rick and Everyone Else rather than Rick and Morty.

In last week's episode, the new voices assigned to the title characters, Ian Cardoni as Rick and Harry Belden as Morty, were somewhat distracting because they didn't quite match the original voices. However, it feels slightly less distracting this week as the new voices are starting to settle into their roles and sound more natural. Cardoni's portrayal of Rick still doesn't sound quite right, and it may never fully capture the essence of the original voice. On the other hand, Belden's performance as Morty is practically indistinguishable from the original voice. While it was the right decision to replace Roiland due to personal issues that came to light, the new Rick and Morty lack the improvisational energy that Roiland brought to the characters.

Spencer Grammer and Sarah Chalke, who voice Summer and Beth, once again have very little to do in this season. In previous seasons, the show did a great job of giving equal importance to all the Smith family members, but in these recent episodes, Summer and Beth have been put on the sidelines. What's perplexing is the decision to promote Gene, their neighbor, to the main cast. Gene has never really stood out as a memorable character, resembling the typical awkward neighbor seen in numerous sitcoms. Furthermore, after just two episodes as part of the regular ensemble, his presence has already become tiresome. However, the standout performance in this body-swap episode is delivered by Chris Parnell. He hilariously delivers profane lines for Rick using his mild-mannered Jerry voice.

It’s inevitable for TV shows to decline at some point during their run, and Rick and Morty may have finally reached that stage. Season 7's second episode, much like the premiere, suffers from an underdeveloped script and a lack of original ideas. While there is still hope for the season to turn things around – previous seasons have redeemed themselves with stronger later episodes – it has been disappointing so far. Perhaps Rick and Morty has simply reached its conclusion. Maybe Adult Swim should have chosen to conclude the series altogether when they fired Roiland.

Rick and Morty

"The Jerrick Trap" - Rick and Jerry switch minds, Freaky Friday-style, and have to save Morty from space gangsters.