While Rick and Morty season 7 included the show’s lowest-rated episode ever, I struggle to see the cause of all the hate that surrounds this outing. Rick and Morty’s critical acclaim is hard to deny. While the show’s fan base has been divisive for years, the series itself has remained popular with reviewers. Each season of Rick and Morty has a high Rotten Tomatoes critical rating, with even the most divisive outing, season 7, earning 75%. Rick and Morty season 8 might end this streak, but the series has consistently impressed reviewers throughout its first ten years on the air.

That said, while Rick and Morty season 7’s ending was the show’s highest-rated episode since 2020, the series isn’t without its occasional missteps. Season 5, episode 4, the infamously gross “Rickdependence Spray,” earned only 5.7 on IMDb. The rest of the season scored between 7.0 and 9.3 save for “Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion,” which earned 6.3 in part because it continued the divisive Giant Incest Baby subplot from “Rickdependence Spray.” Both of these outings proved that the show isn’t infallible despite its critical success, but it was a more recent episode that earned Rick and Morty’s worst reception yet.

Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 4 Isn’t As Bad As Its Rating

“Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie” Earned 4.5 On IMDb

I can’t see why season 7, episode 8, “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie,” earned a meager 4.5 IMDb rating, becoming the show’s least popular outing since “Rickdependence Spray.” I’ll concede that the episode’s story was a little more scattershot than most on account of Rick not being around to focus things. However, it wasn’t much more shapeless than many of the same season’s other outings, and its zanier sense of humor and fast-paced plotting made for a welcome change of pace. I’m a sucker for Rick and Morty’s spoofs, but I thought the ‘80s Saturday morning cartoon parody was great.

“Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie” began with a callback to the ending of season 2, episode 5, “Get Schwifty,” and things only get sillier from there. A galaxy-hopping adventure that borrowed liberally from both Star Wars and Transformers, the episode brought together Morty, Ice-T, and Mr. Goldenfold in a story of numbers warring with letters. It was all very silly, but so are most Rick and Morty episodes. I understand that Rick’s absence throws off the balance of the show’s usual formula, but Morty’s absence from season 7, episode 3, “Air Force Wong,” didn’t hurt the outing’s reception.

Rick and Morty’s First Solo Morty Episode Was A Fun Sci-Fi Spoof

“Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie” Felt Like Classic Rick and Morty

In many ways, “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie” felt like a classic episode of Rick and Morty. This isn’t to say that it was particularly great, but rather that both its strengths and flaws were reminiscent of the show’s wilder, sillier early seasons. The episode had the looser vibe of seasons 1 and 2, and I thought that was overdue after the intense canon-centric storytelling of season 5, episode 5, “Unmortricken.” Rick and Morty struggled with its own history in season 7, as some of the show’s swings at profundity ended up feeling like retreads of earlier successes.

The montage at the end of episode 4, “That’s Amorte,” was reminiscent of the “Roy: A Lived Well Lived” segment from season 2, episode 2, “Mortynight Run.” The silent sequence set on a desert island in episode 6, “Rickfending Your Mort,” was pretty similar to the plane crash scene in season 4, episode 8, “The Vat of Acid Episode.” In a season where the series wasn’t averse to replaying the hits, I thought the inspired lunacy of “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie” was a welcome surprise. The low-stakes plotting and absurd pace felt like the show’s early, playful years.

Rick and Morty’s Lowest-Rated Episode Didn’t Deserve The Hate

Plenty of Season 7’s Outings Were Equally Shapeless

Although some commentators online complained that the plot of “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie” was pointless, I don’t think this criticism holds up to much scrutiny. After all, the same could be said of season 7’s episodes after “Unmortricken” as the series scrambled to re-establish itself as a light, fun comedy. Morty becoming a Kuato and Rick fighting Bigfoot were equally pointless, stakes-free storylines, but neither engendered anywhere near as much outrage online. Rick’s absence was the most meaningful difference between these outings and “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie,” but this isn’t necessarily a fair scapegoat either.

As Rick and Morty’s under-explored Planetina romance proves, the show can shine when the spotlight is on Morty. The season 7 finale, “Fear No Mort,” was one of the show’s strongest episodes ever, despite the fact that Rick only appeared in its opening and closing scenes. Granted, that outing hid the fact that Rick wasn’t really in the Hole with Morty until its big reveal. Still, the idea that Morty’s solo stories are inherently inferior to Rick’s plots doesn’t sit right with me. Morty is as much the show’s hero as Rick, and his juvenile plot lines often succeed.

Rick and Morty’s Most Hated Episode Is Bad News For Season 8

Rick and Morty Will Have More Solo Adventures After Season 7’s Finale

While I can’t understand the backlash to “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie,” I do know that the episode’s reception could prove to be a problem for the show’s creators. “Fear No Mort” clearly sets up a new paradigm where Morty is less reliant on Rick and more capable of going on independent adventures. Rick and Morty season 7 set up more solo episodes for both Rick and Morty with “Air Force Wong,” “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie,” and “Fear No Mort.” Even episode 7, “Wet Kuat Amortycan Summer,” essentially wrote Morty out by making him a Kuato.

However, the overwhelmingly negative reception of “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie” proves that Morty’s solo episodes will need to change substantially before season 8 begins in 2025. I’m not sure how the show will pull this off since Morty’s first outing on his own seemed like a perfectly fine comedic cartoon adventure to me. Regardless, the creators of the series will need to find an answer. The public has spoken and, while I’m still at a loss to work out why, “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie” is emphatically not what they want from Rick and Morty season 8.