Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 10 Review

Join Swimpedia as we review the tenth episode of Rick and Morty Season 7 with major spoilers.

[MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD]

At the end of season six, Rick and Morty promised that season seven would be about Rick “hunting his nemesis,” and I don’t think any of us could have predicted that they would stick to that promise as much as they did. Nearly every episode this season has SOME reference to the ongoing storyline of Rick vs. Rick Prime, including their bloody, final confrontation in this season’s midpoint. The season finale, Fear No Mort, brings that storyline to its logical next step: what happens when Rick CAN be with Diane?

Rick and Morty find a theme park-type attraction inside a bathroom stall at a local Denny's, a magical hole that makes you face your greatest fear. After a quick fake out, Rick and Morty figure out they are still trapped inside the hole, but it has given Diane back to Rick. While Rick knows that Diane isn’t real, he is still content to stay inside the hole as long as he can spend time with this Diane. After finally succeeding in his goal of killing Rick Prime this season, we see Rick earn himself some happiness, even if it’s fake. However, Morty wants out, and if it’s one thing we know about Rick Sanchez, it’s that the safety and well-being of his Morty does ultimately come above everything else for him. Rick eventually does give up his fake life with Diane in order to save Morty, but it’s not enough for them to leave the hole. Instead, it’s revealed that Rick never entered the hole in the first place, and it was showing Morty his true worst fear: that he is replaceable, and that Rick would simply watch him jump into a pit of unknown terror without bothering to help. Turns out, that’s exactly what happened.

This is a fascinating episode that blends together the strongest aspects of Rick and Morty, showcasing the strong central dynamic, giving us an extremely fun sci-fi premise that allows for jokes that no other show on television can do, and giving us a strong emotional throughline, both with Rick and Diane and eventually Rick and Morty themselves. The show is at its best when exploring the toxic, codependent relationship that these two have that make them such a powerful and fun to watch duo. After seasons five and six focused heavily on the Smith family as one unit, season seven took its time to refocus itself on the dynamic between its two protagonists, and Fear No Mort is a perfect end cap on that theme. This episode also gives us another Mr. Poopybutthole end credits scene, this time featuring him swapping places with another version of himself in the multiverse that’s still happily married, which is a hilarious subversion of where we thought his quasi-arc was going.

As we’ve said in pretty much every one of these reviews, Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden shine here, and Belden playing Morty’s angst at realizing that Rick was never in the hole is some of the best voice work in the entire season. A recent interview with Sarah Chalke revealed that while season 8 is fully written, the cast hasn’t begun to record yet, which means that season 8 might be a little bit more of a wait than Rick and Morty fans have become accustomed to since the show got a steady schedule in 2020. It will be interesting to see Cardoni and Belden get to put their own spin on these character’s lines instead of just re-recording previous Roiland dialogue. However, 2024 won’t be totally devoid of Rick and Morty content, as during the commercial break of Fear No Mort, Adult Swim released another sneak peek of the upcoming Rick and Morty anime, teasing a 2024 release date.

While some feared Roiland’s departure would spell doom for the show, the excellent season 7 and the energy these new actors have interjected into their characters has only proven that Rick and Morty is just getting started.