Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 5’s End Song Is a Powerful Thematic Callback to Season 1

While Rick And Morty has spent its history covering the wild adventures of the Smith family, the Adult Swim series has also taken the opportunity on more than one occasion to examine Rick Sanchez’s psyche. Such was the case with Rick And Morty’s fifth episode of its seventh season, “Unmortricken” as Rick was able to scratch a major item off his bucket list. Despite finding closure in the recent confrontation, Rick remains struggling with his emotional state as the latest episode’s closing theme harkens back to a depressing moment from the show’s past.

The latest installment of the popular Adult Swim series saw the return of both Evil Morty and Rick Prime. Following his escape from the multiverse that was tailored to the Council of Ricks, Evil Morty comes to discover that the Rick and Morty we know are mucking up his current “Rick-free existence”. Following a confrontation with the titular pair, the three find themselves facing off with Rick Prime as the big bad places the trio in a fight for their lives against Ricks from other dimensions. While our Rick is ultimately able to kill Rick Prime with his bare hands, he doesn’t quite get the sense of satisfaction he was expecting.

Rick And Morty’s Callback

The latest episode ends with the song “Look on Down From The Bridge” by Mazzy Star, which is a callback to an episode from the first season. Specifically, the theme first made its appearance in the Adult Swim series in “Rick Potion #9”, the episode that changed the series forever. In this special episode, Morty mistakenly used a love potion to transform the world into “David Cronenberg” style monsters and the pair were forced to abandon their universe for a new one.

Rick Potion #9 came to an end with both Rick and Morty being forced to bury their dead alternate reality selves, taking their place and living their lives in this new universe. With this tune playing at the end of “Unmortricken”, we see Rick Sanchez struggling with his feelings of emptiness following the death of Rick Prime. Since we’re only halfway through the seventh season, it will be interesting to see where the show takes the Smith family next now that the biggest villain is off the table.

What did you think of this return of this classic Rick And Morty theme? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Adult Swim.