Rick And Morty Season 7 Continues The Show's Most Surprisingly Emotional Character Arc
After allegations against "Rick and Morty" co-creator Justin Roiland resulted in him getting fired from the show and recast as the voices of the two title characters, the beloved adult animated comedy is back for season 7. The season premiere puts us back in business as usual, with Rick getting into some shenanigans while slowly teasing the canonical larger story of Rick chasing after the version of himself that killed his wife.
But the episode's focus is not on Rick and Morty, or even on Rick himself. Instead, the episode brings back a fan-favorite side character to continue his tragic arc: Mr. Poopybutthole, a very good friend of the Smith family who got shot by Beth back in season 2 when she thought he was an imaginary creature.
Since then, Mr. Poopybutthole has appeared at least once each season, usually breaking the fourth wall to update us on his story. In season 3, we learned he had a family, including a baby. In season 4, Mr. Poopybutthole was fired from his tenure as a professor after an encounter with Rick in his heist era. By the end of season 5, his marriage had collapsed after losing his job, and Mr. Poopybutthole considered turning evil. Lastly, at the end of season 6, Mr. Poopybutthole gets jacked up in an attempt to rebound from his divorce, but breaks his legs in the process.
We meet Mr. Poopybutthole again in the season 7 premiere of "Rick and Morty," and he is having a rough time. He apparently failed the bar exam since last we saw him, and has been crashing with the Smiths for a while. The episode is all about Rick getting the gang back together for an intervention for Mr. Poopybutthole after Beth asks him to either kick him out or help him get back on his feet.
Getting the gang back together
Of course, Rick has no moral high ground to call an intervention on anyone, given how much of a massive drunk he is. Nevertheless, he arranges a hang with all his friends so they can talk to Mr. Poopybutthole about his drinking problem. This includes Squanchy (who apparently survived the attack on Birdperson's wedding), Birdperson (who is now a father), Gearhead, and a random neighbor who isn't an alcoholic.
When Poopybutthole tells them it's his birthday, Rick turns the intervention into a big party, which quickly gets out of control once Hugh Jackman joins them and encourages Poopybutthole to try and get his wife back. This leads to a fight with Predator, who is now in a relationship with Poopybutthole's wife. In a fit of rage, Poopybutthole fights Predator, and in the process, scares his young son. In the end, he realizes his mistake and leaves the family, resolving to get better.
"Rick and Morty," like all sitcoms, is a show that's slow to change. Like Bojack Horseman once said to an unsuspecting audience at a funeral, "You can't have happy endings in sitcoms, because if everyone's happy, the show would be over, and above all else, the show has to keep going."
Co-creator Dan Harmon has previously said "Rick and Morty" could go on forever. Sure, there are episodes that move the plot forward, or that reveal something big about Rick's backstory, but even the seemingly biggest character arcs eventually reset (even in small ways). Except when it comes to Mr. Poopybutthole.
The unsung tale of Mr. Poopybutthole
The only characters in this show with actual continuity and character arcs are side characters like Birdperson, who died, got brought back as a cyborg, and now discovered that he has a daughter. When it comes to Mr. Poopybutthole, he's had by far the saddest story in the show. He has no super intelligence that helps him get back on his feet after his wife leaves him, or after he gets shot. No, he simply continues to suffer. Any attempt at self-improvement comes not from a wish for vengeance, but willpower.
Of course, the Evil Morty saga was great. Seeing Rick get more humiliated each season and having to (very, very slowly) learn to like others is fantastic. But "Rick and Morty" is never going to be a show about people who change. Despite frequently having episodes and storylines that are about self-improvement, its characters willfully reject those lessons. This is not a show that's going to end with Rick becoming a good father and grandpa. But it is a show that is letting us see the continual tragedy of Mr. Poopybutthole, and perhaps, one day, his eventual triumph.