Rick and Morty Explains Heartbreaking Reason Why Rick Treats Summer Differently

Rick and Morty might have made some major shifts to the canon with Season 7 already, but the newest episode is taking the characters even further by having Rick confess why he's been treating Summer the way he does in the series so far! As fans have seen over the course of Rick and Morty, the more Summer has been developing as a character and going on these adventures with Rick and Morty, she and Rick have had a much different dynamic. Rick sees her as an equal, and one that he doesn't really need to coddle in the same way he does Morty. 

This comes to a head in the newest episode of Rick and Morty Season 7 as Summer finally asks Rick why he goes through such lengths to basically give Morty anything he wants, but she doesn't get it so easily. Rick explains that he sees Summer as an equal, whose affection has to be earned and not just a given like it has been with Morty. In fact, Rick even explains that Summer reminds him of her grandmother, Diane. Which is something that's even more heartbreaking in Season 7. 

Rick and Morty: Rick and Summer's Relationship Explained

Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 7 kicks off with Summer doing chores for Rick to earn an attribute slider, and when things go south and she and Morty end up fusing together, Rick refuses to help for free and asks her to do more chores. This goes even further south and leads to Morty getting taken away from Summer, and Rick and Summer need to find him before Morty's sold off to some millionaire. It's here that Summer asks why Rick gives everything to Morty for free, and Rick says it's because Morty is a "dog." 

Rick's logic for this explains that people get cats because a cat's affection is earned, and he treats Summer like an equal because he sees her as one. It's a reminder of Diane, which is something he needs even more of as it was previously revealed that Rick Prime wiped out Diane across all universes with the Omega Device. It's further emphasizing why Rick's gone the extra lengths to keep these reminders alive through his computer (which has Diane's voice) and Summer. 

How do you feel about Rick and Summer's changing relationship in Rick and Morty so far? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!