Rick and Morty season 7 made a few major changes to the series – some for the better, some for the worse – and season 8 has some lessons to learn from the ups and downs of those changes. The biggest change in season 7, of course, was that the show’s co-creator and lead voice actor, Justin Roiland, was fired by Adult Swim after several disturbing allegations came to light. This meant that the titular roles of Rick and Morty had to be recast with Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden, respectively, who got the voices so spot-on that the transition was practically seamless.
But that wasn’t the only major change in Rick and Morty season 7; the writers took the show in new creative directions as well. Some of these new creative directions worked wonders, like following up on plot teases and recurring villains from previous seasons, while others were more polarizing, like splitting up Rick and Morty and sending them on solo adventures. After the triumphs and missteps of season 7, there are a few key lessons for the producers to take on board before embarking on Rick and Morty season 8.
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Rick And Morty Season 7’s Worst Episodes Prove The 1 Thing The Show Can’t Live Without
Rick and Morty season 7 has been pretty hit-and-miss, and there’s a pattern with the misses that shows what the series needs to survive.
9 Rick & Morty Can Go On Solo Adventures
But only with a solid enough story
Previous seasons of Rick and Morty tended to keep the title characters together, but season 7 proved that the characters can split up and go on solo adventures. Episode 3, “Air Force Wong,” sent Rick on a solo adventure with President Curtis and Dr. Wong, while episode 8, “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie,” sent Morty on a solo adventure with Ice-T and his math teacher. Some of these solo adventures were more successful than others, but with a solid enough story, they can make for a classic episode exploring new sides of the characters.
8 Don’t Rehash Old Storylines
Rick and Morty season 7 had a lot of repetition
The biggest issue with Rick and Morty season 7 is its dearth of original ideas. Many of its episodes rehashed storylines from earlier, more successful episodes. Episode 2, “The Jerrick Trap,” saw Rick forming an unlikely friendship with Jerry yet again. Episode 3, “Air Force Wong,” brought back Rick’s strained relationship with Unity, his rivalry with the President, and his apprehension about going to therapy. Episode 8, “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie,” turned an old post-credits gag into a full half-hour episode. Season 8 needs more original story ideas.
7 Minor Characters Deserve A Spotlight
But only if there’s a good reason
After losing its lead voice actor to legal issues, Rick and Morty season 7 put a spotlight on minor supporting characters like the Smiths’ neighbor, Gene. In the first episode of the season, “How Poopy Got His Poop Back,” Gene got more screen time than Morty. Spending more time with these supporting characters is a great way for the writers to keep the show fresh and explore new dynamics, but they need to have a good reason to give those characters a bigger role.
6 Rick & Morty Needs B-Stories
Season 7 featured very few B-stories
Some of the most memorable Rick and Morty storylines have been B-stories, like Summer doing a Die Hard in season 6, episode 2, “Rick: A Mort Well Lived,” or Jerry trying to prove Pluto is a planet in season 1, episode 9, “Something Ricked This Way Comes.” But season 7 featured very few B-stories; most of its episodes just had one storyline. This meant that the A-stories felt stretched thin and Beth, Jerry, and Summer got sidelined in most episodes. Season 8 needs to bring back the B-stories.
5 Deep-Cut Sci-Fi References Are A Comedy Goldmine
“Open your miiiind!”
Rick and Morty has parodied the classics of the sci-fi genre since the very beginning of its run. Its second ever episode, “Lawnmower Dog,” is a spoof of Inception. The third episode, “Anatomy Park,” is a riff on Jurassic Park. Season 7 has proven that the writers can spin comedy gold out of sci-fi deep cuts, like the Kuato storyline referencing a subplot from Total Recall. The repeated line “Open your miiiind!” got funnier and funnier every time Morty said it.
4 The More Summer Is Involved, The Better
Summer is just as great a sidekick for Rick as Morty
Summer has consistently proven that she’s just as great a sidekick for Rick as Morty. Rick seems to respect Summer more than Morty, because she’s strong and independent, and he told her that she reminds him of his late wife, Diane. Rick and Summer made a terrific pairing in season 7, episode 7, “Wet Kuat Amortican Summer,” when they teamed up to save Morty from the underground Kuato trafficking ring. In season 8, Summer should join Rick on more adventures, so the writers can develop their dynamic even further.
3 Continue Exploring The Lore (But Subvert Fans’ Expectations)
“Unmortricken” has set a high bar for lore episodes
Traditionally, the writers of Rick and Morty have avoided digging too deep into the show’s mythology in favor of telling standalone stories. But season 7 really sunk its teeth into the series’ lore – particularly in episode 5, “Unmortricken,” which brought back Rick and Morty’s two biggest recurring villains: Rick Prime and Evil Morty. Fans thought they wanted a glorious revenge episode in which Rick avenges Diane’s death. But when the writers delivered exactly that, they subverted those expectations with a bleak, somber episode exploring the emptiness and futility of vengeance.
2 Don’t Stretch An Old Post-Credits Scene Into A Full Episode
“Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie” is one of Rick and Morty’s worst episodes
Season 7, episode 8, “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie,” is one of the all-time worst episodes of Rick and Morty, and it’s obvious where it went wrong. It followed on from the post-credits scene of season 2, episode 5, “Get Schwifty,” which revealed that Ice-T is from a planet full of letter-based elemental beings. “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie” drags that premise out to an entire half-hour episode involving a war with a number-based planet. Future Rick and Morty episodes should avoid stretching out jokes from post-credits scenes to a whole story arc of beating a dead horse.
1 Rick & Morty Works Best When Rick & Morty Are Together
The show is called Rick and Morty for a reason
There’s a reason this show is called Rick and Morty; it works best when Rick and Morty are together, bouncing off each other. They have a begrudging mutual respect that makes their interactions endlessly compelling. Splitting them up for solo adventures can make for an interesting change of pace once or twice a season, but the majority of Rick and Morty episodes need to revolve around Rick and Morty on adventures together. Throughout the years, the writers have forged a complex and endearing dynamic between these two characters. They shouldn’t waste that dynamic in season 8 like they did in half the episodes of season 7.
Rick and Morty
- Cast
- Spencer Grammer , Kari Wahlgren , Chris Parnell , Sarah Chalke , Ian Cardoni , Harry Belden
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu , Max
