A Clip Show that Makes Fun of Clip Shows
Rick and Morty S7 Ep 6 Review
Where do Rick and Morty go after resolving one of their biggest plot threads? That’s the question that fans spent the last week trying to answer, with little success. The season’s midway point not only saw the unexpected return of Evil Morty, but ended in the apparent death of Rick’s nemesis, Rick Prime. This, naturally, left many fans scratching their heads. What would the rest of the season be about? Would it have an overarching plot of Rick finding a new purpose for living? Would the follow-up episode have Morty drag Rick out of his funk? Not exactly. Instead, the follow-up episode is a clip show…that parodies clip shows and why no one likes them anymore.
Another Clip Show
After what feels like weeks of Rick dealing with the existential crisis thanks to Rick Prime’s death, Morty takes action. He cashes in all of his Morty Adventure cards to force Rick to get off his butt, and Rick doesn’t buy that they’re real. So, to resolve the issue, Rick calls in a cosmic Observer, who looks like a rock and can see everything at once. It’s a not-so-subtle nod at people who watch the show. Rick has the Observer audit Morty’s claimed adventures and…it becomes a clip show. The entirety of the episode becomes a clip show.
Clip shows are one of the most hated tropes in television, and for good reason. They used to be a way to catch people up on events in a show before reruns and syndication existed. Now people see them as a way for a show to save money while doing an episode. These days, it’s more common to see shows parodies of the concept by including events that viewers never saw, or from a perspective that isn’t accurate. In the past, Rick and Morty did clip shows, like Interdimensional Cable and Morty’s Mind Blowers. Those episodes were well-recieved by fans. However, all it does is elicit groans; which seems like the point.
No One Likes a Bad Clip Show
It doesn’t take long for the Observer to overstay his welcome as he continues to play unflattering clips of not just Rick and Morty, but the entire Smith Family. Then things escalate when the Observer dies and his people arrest Rick and Morty for murder and/or manslaughter. This also marks the only time in the episode where an actual clip from an old episode gets used.
At this point, though, I’m sad to say that the episode had almost lost me. I normally don’t mind clip shows. Some of the best episodes of Rick and Morty have been a clip show. However, to have this come on the heels of the mind-blowing events of last week, it doesn’t feel that interesting. In the show’s defense, though, the clip show thing does serve its purpose. It lights a fire in Rick, and he gets them out of this mess in the most Rick way possible: he uses their powers to drag them down to his level. Because one thing that Rick loves doing is ensuring no one has the moral high ground. Once the Observers start fighting each other, Rick and Morty are free to escape and go on more adventures.
This Episode Was Mid
I’ll be honest: this might be the weakest episode of the season yet. I don’t get too bothered by clip shows, but doing it right after the mind-blower that was episode 5? I would’ve preferred to have the rest of the season deal with the fallout and have Rick rebuild himself. Instead, we got a clip show that I forgot about almost as soon as I turned the TV off. Except for the jab at their Space Jam 2 Cameo. They didn’t like that.
It’s not a total loss for Rick and Morty, though. Today, the popular YouTube series DEATH BATTLE has Rick Sanchez fight against The Doctor from Doctor Who. Check out the video down below.
And check out my reaction to it. With the 10th birthday of Rick and Morty coming on December 3rd and the 60th birthday of Doctor Who this Thursday (happy Thanksgiving), the timing’s perfect!
I Give “Rickfending Your Mort” a 2/5
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