Season 7 of ‘Rick and Morty’ is proof that change can be good

Not too long ago, my heart was ripped out of my chest when it was revealed that one of the co-creators and main voice actor of “Rick and Morty,” Justin Roiland, had been accused of domestic violence, sexual assault and workplace harassment. Obviously, I do not know Mr. Roiland personally and I really don’t want to, but I was worried about how his repulsive behavior would impact the fate of the show.

Roiland was fired by Adult Swim, the subsection of Cartoon Network that airs “Rick and Morty,” and the fate of the show was now up in the air. Many “Rick and Morty” fans were happy about Roiland’s departure but began speculating about the show’s cancellation, despite it being recently renewed for 70 more episodes prior to Roiland’s scandals, due to the fact that Roiland voiced both Rick and Morty as well as other side characters.

Now I was definitely not upset by the fact that Roiland’s services were terminated, however, I was borderline depressed about the prospect of “Rick and Morty” ceasing to exist. I’m sure that some of you are questioning my sanity after that statement, but those who get it, get it. 

In a statement released via the “Rick and Morty” Instagram page, the show made it clear that they were no longer affiliated with Roiland and that the show would indeed continue. In fact, it was also stated that season seven was already in the works. It was later revealed that Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden would be the new voices of Rick and Morty, respectively. As I’m sure many were, I was ecstatic to know that my beloved television entertainment would continue to live on.

At first, I was skeptical of whether or not the show would even continue to be great in spite of losing an integral part of the cast. Questions that swirled around in my mind were “Who would voice Rick and Morty?”, “Will the new voice actors be able to nail these iconic characters?” and “Will Rick and Morty ever be the same?”

On Oct. 15, 2023, all my questions had finally been answered, as that was the premiere date for the first episode of “Rick and Morty” season seven, “How Poopy Got His Poop Back.” As I sat in front of my laptop and started watching the episode, I was slightly anxious and a bit scared. However, by the end of the episode, all that anxiety and fear had turned into pure contentment and approval.

The episode followed the current events of the life of Mr. Poopy Butthole, one of Rick’s close friends. He’s currently living in the Smith household because his wife, Amy, and son, Poopy Jr., have abandoned him and run off to an unknown location. He is now a depressed hot mess.

Beth, Rick’s daughter and Morty’s mother, is tired of his presence, mostly due to the fact that he just sits around all day and drinks himself into a stupor. I, personally, found this ironic because Rick does the same thing, just with the flair of a mad scientist. Once Beth makes Rick aware of her concerns, Rick decides to call up his other friends, Bird Person, Gearhead, Squanchy and Jean, so that they can do an intervention for Poopy Butthole. 

Rick makes the dumb decision of taking the gang to a bar. At the bar, Mr. Poopy Butthole lies and says that it’s his birthday, as he knows that the gathering is a secret intervention. The rest of them fall for the lie and pretend that the night is about celebrating his birthday.

After a night filled with drugs and alcohol and an appearance from Hugh Jackman, Mr. Poopy Butthole decides to go looking for his wife and son. He ends up finding this creepy monster man, who he tries to fight with the rest of the gang and they lose. 

Rick steps in and severely injures the monster man. Suddenly, Amy and Poopy Jr. come out from the trees. Amy starts yelling at the gang and Mr. Poopy Butthole because it turns out that the monster man is her new beau. Poopy Butthole pleads with Amy for her to come back to him and bring their family back together.

However, Amy tells him that she doesn’t love him anymore and that she is happy with her new family. Poopy Butthole is disheartened, but he lets her go. He and the gang go back to their car and reminisce on their insane evening. 

Poopy Butthole lets everyone know that he appreciates the fact that they came together for him and that he feels like they should be better friends to one another, even if one of them isn’t going through a hard time. All of them agree and start randomly fading away. It turns out that Rick gave everyone “fading away pills” that he invented. 

Essentially, the episode was about the importance of friendship and having a support system. I truly love how “Rick and Morty” chooses to explore important themes and lessons through comedic and wacky storylines. 

Season seven of “Rick and Morty” currently has five episodes out as of Nov. 12. The sixth episode comes out on Nov. 19, 2023. As far as my evaluation of the season so far goes, I am thoroughly impressed. 

At first, I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between the new voice actors and Roiland. However, as I continued to watch, I picked up on certain vocal nuances that weren’t there before. The storylines, as usual, were extremely hilarious and engaging.

From a diehard fan’s point of view, I believe that the show is still as great as it was. There were no major differences that were noticeable in the episodes and I still very much enjoy watching the show. 

“Rick and Morty” has reaffirmed, at least to me, that not all change is bad and that you can still prosper in spite of it. I’m sure that a lot of others will probably be a bit more meticulous when it comes to how the characters sound, but from where I’m standing, there’s no need to be. The new and returning cast, writers and production staff should consider the season so far a job well done.