Posted in: Adult Swim, Max, Review, Rick and Morty, TV | Tagged: Adult Swim, Episode 2, Review, rick and morty, season 7

Rick and Morty S07E02 "The Jerrick Trap" Redefines Rick/Jerry Dynamic

Adult Swim's Rick and Morty S07E02 "The Jerrick Trap" helped redefine the Rick/Jerry dynamic in some truly heartfelt and touching ways.

Not long after the previous season wrapped, we wrote about how the sixth season of Adult Swim's Rick and Morty was a profound one when it came to our dimension-hopping duo, as well as Jerry, Beth, Summer, and Space Beth. While we saw glimpses of it here and there over the previous five seasons, Season 6 was when the family legitimately tried to get better – individually and as a unit. Sure, there were some stumbles along the way – and things got messy at times. But that's why the season worked so well because it was time for this to happen – and for it to work, it needed to not always work (or maybe sometimes needed a body count). The creative team presented us with characters whose faults didn't magically go away because they began trusting therapy – but they were able to confront them. They stumbled, fell, got back up, and kept trying to move forward (usually with some "collateral damage"). And if we had to pick one character who deserves the spotlight in that regard, it's Jerry Smith (Chris Parnell) – because this was clearly not Jerry from the first season.

We got a sense of it from the season-opener, S06E01: "Solaricks" (directed by Jacob Hair and written by Albro Lundy), when Jerry saw what life was like for his second-season self… and he didn't like it. The way Jerry opens up to Beth after leaving the house (with a great, very "Jerry" goodbye speech) shows us that maybe Jerry was learning a little something about himself. But it was S06E05: "Final DeSmithation" (directed by Douglas Einar Olsen and written by Heather Anne Campbell) that saw a change that went beyond just Jerry – and it's the episode that sets up this weekend's chapter. Sure, there were any number of moments that we can point to during their adventure that we could point to, but it really comes down to… "The Moment When Rick & Jerry Became Friends." When Rick slaps Jerry and then offers him an apology, two major moments take place. First, Rick apologizes to Jerry, someone who he held not much more than disdain for over the year. But more than that, it was Rick's overall reaction that showed he had played his hand – venting his frustration over finally realizing that he might actually give a crap about his daughter's husband.

And that brings us to this weekend's episode, S07E02: "The Jerrick Trap." After getting called out over his "brain privilege" by Jerry, Rick puts the two of them through a mind swap that very quickly leaves two dead bodies, lots of brain matter everywhere, and one very pissed-off AI with very little time to work with. Because someone's going to need to rescue Morty – and that "someone" ends up being our less-than-dynamic duo, who need to get their patchwork brains working together if they want to rescue Morty. And when the dust settled, what we were left with was a heartfelt and (yes, we're going there) sweet look at two friends who could never bring themselves to call each other that – an episode that permanently changes how we look at their dynamic moving forward. So now, we're throwing on the "MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!" sign and throwing down an image spoiler buffer before we offer some random thoughts about this week's episode.

Rick and Morty Season 7 Ep. 2 "The Jerrick Trap" Thoughts

First up, serious props to the cold open for feeding us a Parents' Trap/Freaky Friday vibe – only for things to take a really, really dark turn that made sense yet still got a "Holy S**t!" out of us:

Okay – can we keep "Shuffled" Rick and Jerry for a couple of episodes? Because I'm really loving how these two are together – and I'm glad they had the opportunity to offer up some truths about their relationship – even if they won't remember them.

Because running away always works out soooo well… can we safely say that Rick and Jerry are both living out their own versions of mid-life crises? Oh, and serious bonus points to Summer for the great "hole" question…

END CREDITS MYSTERY? Should we be reading more into the idea of Rick leaving some "bits" of his mind in Jerry's? It felt like it could be something that could come into play down the road – like a portion of Morty being kept running over in the Blips and Chitz arcade storage area.

Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 2 "The Jerrick Trap"

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Review by Ray Flook

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9/10

Adult Swim's Rick and Morty S07E02: "The Jerrick Trap" Review: After getting called out over his "brain privilege" by Jerry, Rick puts the two of them through a mind swap that very quickly leaves two dead bodies, lots of brain matter everywhere, and one very pissed-off AI with very little time to work with. Because someone's going to need to rescue Morty - and that "someone" ends up being our less-than-dynamic duo, who need to get their patchwork brains working together if they want to rescue Morty. And when the dust settled, what we were left with was a heartfelt and (yes, we're going there) sweet look at two friends who could never bring themselves to call each other that - an episode that permanently changes how we look at their dynamic moving forward.

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