Rick and Morty season 7, episode 2 review: "Rick and Morty, 100 years? If it’s anything like this, sign us up"

This is a spoiler-free review of Rick and Morty season 7, episode 2. For more from the show, check out our ranking of the best Rick and Morty episodes.

In ‘The Jerrick Trap’, it all starts with a rake – and a fatality. Jerry’s protestations that his neighbor Gene has stolen his gardening tools leads to an argument with Rick and words that Jerry instantly wishes he could take back: that Rick was “born smarter".

Ever the vindictive, petty type, Rick goes above and beyond to debunk that theory: by putting his mind into Jerry’s brain and vice versa. As Rick points out, it’s not quite Freaky Friday but each of their grey matters get mixed up after a surprise death that proves the show still has the capacity to shock. The end result? They’re now an unholy Jerry-Rick/Rick-Jerry alliance – the best (or worst) of both worlds. 

It’s deliberately impossible to follow and the show gleefully preys on the confusion, with Jerry voice actor Chris Parnell offering up some of his best, most nuanced work as Jerry playing Rick, with a little bit of Jerry’s extra insecurities thrown in for good measure. Try not to think too hard about that, it’ll make your brain hurt.

As you can imagine, that premise is a ripe comedy vehicle as Rick-Jerry and Jerry-Rick quickly become fast friends.

The duo quickly take over the episode, with one highlight involving the Hawaiian-shirt-clad Jerry-Rick smashing through a wine mom's house amid a crystal heist. That, when coupled with flourishes like their burger calling card, are all pure gold. Your sides might split just as often as the hastily-stitched together skulls of Jerry and Rick. 

Honestly, it’s a setup so good we almost wish the show could have extended the partnership across multiple episodes. It’s frustrating to see how often Rick and Morty shakes up the status quo, only to make it a meta punchline (see: Space Beth or the Cronenberg universe). Here was a prime example of something that works and would have continued to work, but we have to make do with crumbs.

That feeling of restraint is present throughout. The episode could have also dug a little deeper into Rick and Jerry’s relationship or offered up more hijinks between the pair because, when the inevitable switchback happens, the desired emotional beat doesn’t quite land. 

We watch them mellow and sand off each other’s edges in the interim, sure, but their realization dissipates just as quickly as it arrives. An extra scene or a montage of the pair growing closer would’ve helped strengthen their adventure. The post-credits scene of Rick inside his memory, too, feels like a brilliant first draft of an idea that maybe should have been expanded upon.

Two heads are better than one

It’s impossible to know whether new actors Ian Cardoni (Rick) and Harry Belden (Morty) recorded these episodes in order – or, indeed, went back and did pickups on certain lines – but they seem even more at ease here than they were in the already-excellent premiere.

Rick playing a half Jerry/half Rick hybrid could have been a challenge, yet all it does is prove how effortless Cardoni has been so far in stepping into the role. Morty even gets to showcase his awkward charms after being kidnapped by a crime boss who keeps recurring throughout the episode. We don’t believe in magic, but there’s some stardust in Belden’s vocal chords; it’s hard to overstate just how perfect he’s been so far.

The only issue with Rick, Morty, and Jerry dominating the season so far, however, is how little Beth (Sarah Chalke) and Summer (Spencer Grammer) have had to do. Hopefully that’s a trend that doesn’t continue, especially as Summer being the devil on Rick’s shoulder is always a pleasure.

The episode ends, much like last week, by saving its best gags for last – and signing off on a high note. The emergence of Jerricky is the icing on top of an absurd cake, while the rake fakeout – a rakeout, as it were – is a superbly stupid way to poke fun at traditional sitcoms while also giving the writers a quick get-out-of-jail card for an episode that had to hastily wrap up.

Rick and Morty has often joked about being on the airwaves forever. On the evidence of ‘The Jerrick Trap’, that isn’t an empty promise. Season 7’s second episode gives viewers a taste of the infinitely anarchic barrel that’s in no danger of being scraped just yet. Rick and Morty, 100 years? If it’s anything like this, sign us up.

New episodes of Rick and Morty season 7 air every Sunday on Adult Swim and every Tuesday on E4 in the UK.