TL;DR – For the first episode back, I am glad that they leaned somewhat into familiar territory while also amping up the weird

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix subscription that viewed this episode.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a post-credit scene.

Rick and Morty Review –

Rick and Morty was at an interesting place at the end of Season Seven. The one central plot line that has been burning in the background since the start of the show came to a grand conclusion in Unmortricken, and then the rest of the season was profoundly more experimental, including Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie, where Rick does not appear at all. Coming into Season Eight, I wondered if the lack of a central narrative will leave it with an unanchored feeling? Or will it let the series be cast-free?   

So, to set the scene, Rick (Ian Cardoni) might have decided to teach Summer (Spencer Grammer) and Morty (Harry Belden) a lesson about stealing his phone charger by locking them in a Matrix-like world, all about not stealing phone chargers. They were stuck in that jail for seventeen years and then brought all of those memories back with them. Beth (Sarah Chalke) thinks it would be great to let them keep the memories, and Rick believes it will all blow up in their faces. I wonder who will be right? We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

For the first episode back, I am glad that they leaned somewhat into familiar territory while also amping up the weird. Because Rick made a world all about ‘not stealing his charger’, every aspect of that society was wrapped around that concept. I liked that they took the time not just to have a couple of simple line gags about familiar things that are now phone-related, though they were also there. But it very much gets into the weeds of what a world based around such a silly premise would look like. I liked the small touches, like all of the bunkers being shaped like different outlets from around the world.   

While the silliness was the framework that the episode was set around, it also wanted to explore a couple of interesting topics. Summer is going from girlboss to teenager while also possibly being more mature than her mother, or at least someone with fewer regrets. There is an interesting interplay as to who has the best direction in life as you hit those middle ages, something that I relate to at the moment. Then there is Morty, who has suffered through the horrors of war in a body that can’t die, but that doesn’t mean his friends are safe. I think this part of the story needed the twist that it was Summer who sent him off to war to work. Otherwise, I feel it would have been disingenuous, even if the Mad-Max-style tank was very cool and the episode felt like one of those DS9 stories where Chief O’Brien had to suffer..     

In the end, do we recommend Rick and Morty: Summer of All Fears? Overall, it was a solid, weird, but also a little safe opening for the season. There were moments of guanine emotional exploration and Matrix jokes, so it was not bad in the end. Have you seen Rick and Morty yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Rick and Morty
Directed by – Fill Marc Sagadraca
Written by – Jess Lacher
Created by – Justin Roiland & Dan Harmon
Production/Distribution Companies – Justin Roiland’s Solo Vanity Card Productions, Harmonious Claptrap, Williams Street, Adult Swim & Max
Starring – Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, Sarah Chalke, Ian Cardoni & Harry Belden and Maria Bamford, Eric Bauza, Heather Anne Campbell, Phil Hendrie, Echo Kellum, Albro Lundy, Nick Reczynski, Rob Schrab, Kari Wahlgren & Debra Wilson