Do you feel that? Episode 8 just dropped and empathy is on display! Let's dive into Rickuiem Mort a Dream!

Semi Pertinent News

• Emmy Nominated Rick and Morty — There's Something About Morty nominated for Outstanding Animated Program; Smiling Friends too
• President Curtis premieres July 26th — review next week, following along all season
• Reddit AMA with Marder and Levy on the 21st at 12:30 Pacific
• Adult Swim on the Green, July 23–26, 1–10pm: https://www.adultswim.com/sdcc

MAIN THANG - S9E8 - Rickuiem Mort a Dream

Episode Details

• Air Date: 7/12/2026
• Written by: Heather Anne Campbell
• Directed by: Douglas Einar Olsen
• Guest Stars: Bill Camp, Andy Serkis

Broh-nopsis: Hold still broh. It'll make you nice broh.

Our Synopsis: It's hard to see the world through other's eyes, unless you have a brain parasite.

Discussion

• Title Reference: Requiem for a Dream - Movie (2000)
• Themes (A/B Plot): Empathy Bug (Sympathid) — Rick's chasing personal happiness and Morty isn't helping; Jerry Cosplaying as a Serial Killer — Rick sends Summer and Jerry shopping, Jerry ends up having tea with a killer

Favorite Bits

• Rick's apartment gags: reading Being and Time, the bedroom wall of Abredolf Lickler and Dr. Xenon Bloom, the butt food dispenser, farting alien earbuds
• Morty wrecking Rick's distillery for a ride to buy Pokemon cards (and the portal later dropping a pack right back)
• Rick's credit card blocking Jerry's purchases
• The sympathid/empathy effect throughout — the empathy montage, the Dancing with the Stars bit (real dancing, fake trust), Rick and Morty swapping ship seats depending who has empathy
• Jerry's full serial-killer turn as "The Birthday Butcher," with a metaphorical parent-kill double and a quadruple-kill twins joke
• The drum-hoarding subplot — Jerry wants to save the girl, Summer just wants the drums — plus the bus bully and the paycheck-to-paycheck irony
• Random Jessica sighting in history class, "Miss Under-stood," the jar of wallets on the fridge
• Morty's empathy whiplash — sympathizing with an explosion, then losing all empathy right after
• The unhinged police standoff — the negotiator, "his juice is coming out," "I want a hug" then gunshots, an entire police force out of bullets
• Rick killing the parasite with vodka

Best/Worst Parts

• Opening sequence as a whole
• The stark scene change when the sympathid is removed (and turns out giant)
• Morty and the teacher post-credits bit, including the shushing

Listener Suggestions and Shout Outs

Reddit

• Pppprrky shared a June 25th article on whether there'd be another episode like the spaghetti one: https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/rick-and-morty-bosses-on-whether-show-will-have-another-episode-similar-to-spaghetti-episode
• "If we're in the writers' room and Heather starts to giggle before a pitch, then you know you're about to hear either, 'What if they all killed themselves?' or something that's going to make you go, 'Jesus, Heather!' It genuinely starts with her giggling. She derives joy from that."

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