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Rick and Morty S07E07 "Wet Kuat Amortican Summer" Opened Our Minds

Rick and Morty S07E07: "Wet Kuat Amortican Summer" sees the ultimate Morty & Summer "team-up" and a major shift in their sibling dynamic.


The writing team behind Adult Swim's Rick and Morty continues proving why the series is already a multi-Emmy Award winner after only six seasons. One of the ways they've done that is by evolving our dimension-hopping duo, Beth, Jerry, Summer & Space Beth, in ways that work both for the individual characters and their respective family dynamics (with Jerry possibly being the best example). But the one dynamic that's always had us concerned was the one between Morty & Summer – which is why I was concerned when the cold open to S07E07: "Wet Kuat Amortican Summer" was released last week. Heading into S06E03: "Bethic Twinstinct" (directed by Douglas Einar Olsen and written by Anne Lane), the normal "big sister/little sister" trope had taken on some dark, violent, and twisted turns (an incest baby will complicate things, I guess). Add Rick's need to have some level of toxic sibling rivalry running between the two into the mix, and you can understand my concern.

rick and morty
Image: Adult Swim Screencap

But by the time the third episode of the sixth season, it felt like Morty and Summer had reached a place of mutual respect & understanding of just how fucked up their shared situation is. That seemed to be in doubt with the cold open – where we finally get to see firsthand what Summer alluded to previously – she does Rick's chores for some very interesting forms of payment. After Morty & Summer get into a back-and-forth, Rick takes an "emotional cheat day" and leaves the scene (kinda) – leaving the siblings. What followed was a bit disturbing, with Summer harshly berating Morty before throwing him across the room.

Look, I know Morty's no saint – but there was something heart-crushing hearing Morty begging for his big sister's help only to get that response. And when Rick and Summer gang up on Morty, I can't stop thinking that we're seeing the origin story of another Evil Morty. Thankfully, this weekend's episode tackled the issue head-on – with both developing a better appreciation of who they are – and who they are to each other. We're throwing on the "MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!" sign and throwing down spoiler buffer before we dive into "Wet Kuat Amortican Summer"

Rick and Morty S07E07 "Wet Kuat Amortican Summer" Thoughts

Okay – we definitely did not have Summer & Morty in a Total Recall/Kuato merging. I'm liking that, as screwed up as the situation is, how it's allowed Summer not to view Morty as just an anchor dragging her life down. Plus, as cold as it might seem that Rick had Summer work to earn his help to separate them, there was also a sense that he knew this could be a teachable moment for the two.

In every scene in every episode where Summer gets socially humiliated, my heart breaks a little more for her – and I loved how Rick took a "hands-on" approach to tracking down Summer (even if he was a bit rusty at the start).

Is anyone else getting a vibe similar to Eli Roth's Hostel?

It was nice to see that bonding moment between Rick and Summer when Rick tells her that she reminds him of Diane. Adding to that scene was the way they described Morty, only to see Kuato Morty more than holding his own.

In the end, we were left with yet another example of how the animated series is able to handle complex issues like sibling dynamics in ways that are honest & meaningful without ever letting us forget that we're watching Rick and Morty. No one's saying that Morty & Summer are going to be a brother/sister super team anytime soon – but each of them "opened their minds" to the important role each of them plays in each other lives. The fact that Rick seemed to actually help them get closer instead of hindering them or stumbling into a happy ending speaks volumes when it comes to where Rick's at post-Rick Prime.

Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 7 "Wet Kuat Amortican Summer"

rick and morty
Review by Ray Flook

9/10
The writing team behind Adult Swim's Rick and Morty continues proving why the series is already a multi-Emmy Award winner after only six seasons. One of the ways they've done that is by evolving our dimension-hopping duo, Beth, Jerry, Summer & Space Beth, in ways that work both for the individual characters and their respective family dynamics (with Jerry possibly being the best example). But the one dynamic that's always had us concerned was the one between Morty & Summer - which is why the cold open to S07E07: "Wet Kuat Amortican Summer" was not a good sign. Thankfully, this weekend's episode tackled the issue head-on - with both Morty & Summer developing a better appreciation of who they are - and who they are to each other.

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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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