At the end of last season of Rick and Morty, Rick breaks the fourth wall to reveal that this season will follow his quest to find and defeat Rick Prime. And in the post-credits scene, Mr. Poopybutthole reveals that he is on the rebound, only to break his legs. The premiere of the new season seemingly ignores Rick’s comments, but as the title implies, focuses on the fan-favorite supporting player.
WARNING: If you have not watched Season 7, Episode 1 of Rick and Morty, “How Poopy Got His Poop Back,” you should stop reading now because this article contains MASSIVE spoilers.
Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 1 SPOILER Breakdown
The episode begins with the reveal that, after having lost his job and wife due to the events in the season 4 episode “One Flew Over the Crewcoo’s Nest,” Mr. Poopybutthole has spiraled hard, causing him to turn to Rick and the Smiths for help. Crashing in their living room, it has reached a point where the entire family is uncomfortable by his aggressive drinking and drug use, so they ask Rick to do something about it.
After much hesitation, Rick decides to round up the gang for an intervention, picking up Birdperson, Gearhead, Squanchy, and the Smiths’ neighbor Gene (who was in the middle of mowing his lawn). However, when they arrive at the restaurant where they planned to hold the intervention, Mr. Poopybutthole reveals that it is his birthday, and the night turns into a wild bender instead.
After going on an epic intergalactic pub crawl, Rick and the gang end up at a club where movie star Hugh Jackman (in a hilarious cameo) is partying. Jackman invites them to party with him, giving them some hallucinogens that cause the night to get even crazier. Mr. Poopybutthole decides that he wants to try to save his marriage and reunite with his son.
Rick, not agreeing that this is the best course of action for Mr. Poopybutthole, tries to leave and not go along with the plan. However, he is hit by a sudden wave of guilt and a sense of obligation to be there for his friend, so he rejoins Mr. Poopybutthole and the rest of the gang.
As Hugh Jackman tries to serenade Mr. Poopybutthole’s ex-wife in an attempt to win her back over, it is revealed that she is now in a relationship with the Predator (yes, the monster from the Arnold Schwarzenneger movies), who Mr. Poopybutthole hired as a private investigator to tail his wife.
Rick tries to convince Mr. Poopybutthole to just accept that his ex-wife has moved on and attempt to rebuild his own life, but Mr. Poopybutthole resists, attempting to kidnap his child. The Predator follows and a battle ensues. However, right before the gang is able to kill the Predator, Mr. Poopybutthole realizes how bad of a father and husband he is and decides to go his separate ways from his ex-wife.
After getting tacos and more booze, the gang reminisce on the wild night they’ve had. As Mr. Poopybutthole discusses how each of the individuals’ actions affected him — and how they grew themselves — they all fade out thanks to “fade pills” given to them by Rick in an absolutely brilliant gag.
In the post-credits, it is revealed that the lawnmower Gene had been using when Rick picked him up was not ever turned off, and it ended up destroying much of the city, plunging it into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. After the sheriff is unable to stop the lawnmower and is killed by it, the lawnmower runs out of gas.
This season premiere of the new season of Rick and Morty makes it clear that we are in for a more emotional bunch of episodes. The focus seems clearly on Rick finding his humanity — in this case, by understanding the value that his friends hold in his life. It will be interesting to see if the character — known for his stolid facade — continues down this more vulnerable arc.
Rick and Morty airs on Adult Swim every Sunday at 11pm ET/PT.
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