Where do I even begin...?
The past few seasons of Rick and Morty have been... well, mediocre at times. Whilst some of the later episodes are my absolute favourites, the more recent episodes tend to be duds rather than the charming, witty, entertaining R&M I've grown to love. When an episode of modern Rick and Morty is bad, it tends to be really bad... however, the good episodes have been absolutely AMAZING!!! To me, at least.
Season 7 was interesting in that it had some of the worst episodes of the series (cough, looking at you, Ice-T episode) and yet, some of the best. Fear no Mort and Unmortricken are some of the best episodes to come out of the show's entire lifetime.
It was that which gave me hope that season 8 would be very good. That they had finally finished ironing out the kinks in their writing, and season 8 would be an all-around, consistently great season. I was confident that they would learn from their mistakes, and I must say... not to suck my own dick, or anything, buuuut... I THINK I WAS RIGHT!!! OH YEAH!!!
That's right, we got one of the episodes we've seen in ages! It may be too soon to tell for sure how well this season will pan out, but I have so much hope!!! WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN? Summer of all Fears was so fast-paced, so quick-witted-- entertaining and funny-- while still having the signature dark undertones of your average Rick and Morty episode. Sid & I watched it together, and man were we I loved seeing how Morty and Summer's lives unfolded in the matrix, and then afterward, how it affected their lives in reality. Even if it's been done before, the episode felt extremely fresh. GOD, I love Rick's pettiness. All of that over a PHONE CHARGER is really the icing on the cake. All the phone charger-related names and places had me cracking up.
I love the part at the end, where they trick you into thinking that the events we've been watching unfold were just ANOTHER matrix... my stomach genuinely DROPPED. The sequences with Morty in the military were a well-welcomed gritty underbelly to an otherwise SUPER funny episode. Also, can I just say how good Summer's hair looked? Beth's, too. I wish the show had continuity for things like that, sometimes... it would be a welcome change to Summer's character design. Though I suppose the short hair is meant to encapsulate her newfound maturity after getting stuck in the matrix, so keeping it after she had her memory wiped wouldn't make too much sense. Not to mention all the merch that would become "non-canon" if that hairstyle were to become permanent. Morty's tattoo, however... I feel like that's a small enough change to keep consistent. It would be a super cool easter egg, even if he'd probably be begging Rick to get it off of him after having his mind blown.
I liked how self-contained the episode felt. Of course, deep down, you knew Morty and Summer would both get their memories wiped at the end, but I found that didn't hinder my enjoyment of the episode in the slightest. It felt... odd, how there wasn't a single mention of the episode being the season's first. I can't say for sure off the top of my head, but I believe every other season opener has had some meta-humour bit where Rick spiels about how it's the new season, first episode, RAHHH!!!, yadda yadda... not that those are bad, but I found it to be a welcome change!
I don't think present Rick and Morty should necessarily strive to be more like "classic Rick and Morty," something that seems to be a common criticism among my fellow fans. I like the direction the show has gone in... a lot, actually. And even if the earlier seasons have a consistentcy that the newer ones haven't quite been able to match, I still find all the good newer episodes being my favourites. The lack of Justin Roiland's signature improv has actually done the show some good, in my opinion.
ON THAT NOTE... the new voice actors are better than Justin Roiland's interpretations of Rick and Morty. And I'll DIE on that hill.
I got a little off-track, there... one last thing that I wanted to note about Summer of all Fears was how good the animation felt... I absolutely adore the art in the later seasons of Rick and Morty. I know the artstyle isn't conventionally "pretty," but GOD does something about it just look so genuinely good to me. Watching the part where Rick goes inside the nuclear reactor, I immediately noticed how well-animated it was. Kudos to everyone who worked on this episode!
Speaking of... Rick asking for-- or rather, DEMANDING-- a tip after containing the uranium was just... muah. Chef's kiss. Made me chuckle out loud. I love what a petty bastard Rick can be.
On one, final note... if the Rick and Mr. Nimbus kissing scene from the opening doesn't happen forreal, I'm going to KILL MYSELF. Paint the wall with my brains. SLOBBER all over the barrel of a SHOTGUN. I NEED this... PLEASE, DAN HARMON!!! Rick and Mr. Nimbus are already established to have sex, , (not to mention how their whole "nemesis" business is an alagory for being exes) so SURELY it'll happen, riiiight..?? Sigh... a man can dream, anyway.
Here's to all my fellow Dick n' Morty fans, and a good season 8!