Warning: Spoilers ahead for Rick and Morty season 7, episode 2.
While Rick and Morty season 7, episode 2 features a clever body swap plot, it’s the show’s inventive use of an unlikely pairing that makes the outing work. Rick and Morty usually focuses on the dynamic between its title characters, even though the show occasionally makes exceptions to this rule. One Rick and Morty season 4 outing sees Summer joining Rick and Morty on an adventure, while another episode focuses on Beth’s relationship with her father while relegating Morty to the background of proceedings. That said, it would make sense for Rick and Morty season 7 to recenter the show’s original heroes.
Since Rick and Morty season 7 recast both of the show’s title characters, it makes sense for its creators to prioritize continuity and keep the status quo in place. However, that is not what the writers of Rick and Morty season 7, episode 2, “The Jerrick Trap,” do. Instead, “The Jerrick Trap” brings together an unlikely pairing who have only collaborated on-screen a few times before. “The Jerrick Trap” pairs Rick with his son-in-law, Jerry, but it makes their connection feel fresh thanks to a clever plot device.
Rick & Morty Season 7 Reinvents Jerry & Rick’s Dynamic
Rick and Morty’s Rick/Jerry story in “The Jerrick Trap” subverts traditional body swap plots, as the characters only swap bodies for a few seconds at the start of the episode. Then, Rick immediately shoots himself, while Jerry dies soon after. Like Rick and Morty season 7 episode 1, “The Jerrick Trap” takes its storyline in an unexpected direction. For the majority of the episode, Rick and Jerry’s consciousnesses are blended between two bodies. Neither character is their usual self, and neither can tell where their brain begins and the other’s mind ends, resulting in an outing that proves the pair are not so different after all.
Jerry and Rick are paired off in previous episodes of Rick and Morty, including installments like season 6’s “Final DeSmithation” and season 3’s “The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy.” However, in these chapters, Rick helps Jerry out with his genius. In “The Jerrick Trap,” the pair is on equal footing for a change. Like Rick and Morty season 7’s first post-credits stinger, this twist signals a return to the more subversively silly writing of earlier seasons. Recent outings rehash the familiar dynamic between Jerry and Rick. By upending this, “The Jerrick Trap” makes the series feel unpredictable.
“The Jerrick Trap” Proves Rick & Jerry Need To Be Paired More Often
If Rick and Morty season 7 can continue finding fresh ways to exploit Rick and Jerry’s relationship, as seen in “The Jerrick Trap,” the show should revisit this surprisingly solid pairing. While a lot of Rick and Morty episodes see Rick and Jerry complaining about one another, “The Jerrick Trap” uses this routine as the basis for something new. It seems like Justin Roiland’s exit is exactly what Rick and Morty season 7 needed to reinvent itself, and the show should continue breaking with tradition. To do that, Rick and Morty needs more of these subversive, surreal storylines.
