‘Air Force Wong’ Continues Rehashing Old Rick & Morty Plots
Rick and Morty S7 Ep 3 Review
Rick and Morty is now three episodes into its seventh season, and the drop in quality is becoming more and more noticeable. Moving to the post-Justin Roiland era seems to be taking its toll on the show, even if the new voice actor’s seem to be giving it their all. The most glaring issue is the fact that Morty’s barely done anything thus far, with the first few episodes focusing on Rick with other characters. While this could be an attempt by the show to change up the formula by pairing Rick with other people, there are limits to how far this can go. Case in point, this week’s episode focuses on two adults that Rick has important, somewhat dysfunctional, relationships with: President Curtis, and his therapist, Dr. Wong.
Also, Unity the hive mind from season two comes back.
After getting called into deal with yet another one of President Curtis’ problems, Rick has to deal with an even bigger matter at hand: the President wants to date his therapist. Understandably, Rick feels this is a step too far and tries to prevent that. Things get out of hand, though, when the President uses the state of Virginia achieving utopia as an excuse to get Dr. Wong involved. Which proves to be a mistake when it’s revealed that the utopia is the result of Rick’s ex, the hive mind Unity.
Is Unity an Unnecessary Appearance?
Despite ghosting him all the way back in the second season, Unity came to Earth because she heard he resumed his hunt for Rick Prime. Being Rick, he brushes off her genuine attempts to reach out to him because he’s hurt and doesn’t want to be hurt again. However, it feels a little less than necessary. They could’ve included any character from Rick’s past and gotten the same denial of help from him.
Then again, had it been anyone else, then the episode wouldn’t have been able to work when President Curtis hijacks the Virginians in Unity’s hive mind.
Over the course of the series, the love/hate relationship between Rick and President Curtis has become a major part of the show’s story. Both are men with unlimited resources, incredibly stubborn, and have a hard time admitting their shortcomings. In this case, when Curtis tries to hit on Wong and she bails due to seeing him for the man-child he is, he doesn’t take it well. Tired of no one liking him, he uses Unity’s hive mind to make everyone like him, forcing Rick and Unity to intervene. None of this does any good at impressing Dr. Wong, though, who remains as unflappable as ever.
A Concerning Decline in Quality?
To be perfectly honest, this episode wasn’t that good, which is concerning, since we’re now well into the season. Morty wasn’t involved once again, and having Rick and President Curtis fight again seems a bit tired at this point. The one good thing about this episode is that it shows why Dr. Wong is the Smith Family’s therapist. Even when faced with an end-of-the-world scenario, she maintains a calm, monotone manner of speaking. More importantly, she manages to talk Unity into helping Rick by pointing out something that almost no one else notices: Rick is changing for the better. It’s at a snail’s pace, but he’s doing it.
That said, I don’t think Dr. Wong is cut out to get more involved in Rick’s adventures, by virtue of her job. The moment she becomes involved in Rick’s life in a non-professional manner, she loses her agency as one of the few people Rick listens to. At least she managed to get the President to admit he needs therapy, though.
I Give “Air Force Wong” a 2.5/5
Click here to see my other animation stuff.
Categories
Adult Cartoons, Animation, Blog Posts, Rick and Morty, TV Shows
