Blink And You'll Miss This Season 1 Callback In Rick And Morty Season 6 Episode 4
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Rick and Morty Season 6, Episode 4 ("Night Family")
"Rick and Morty" continues to draw thousands of eyeballs to the Adult Swim lineup. During Season 6, fans have watched the entire Smith family get in on Rick and Morty's shenanigans, which have begun to include more family members as the years have passed. The result is chaos, naturally. Danger, bonding, and deep emotional trauma ensue with the added fun of alien wars and interdimensional travel. And yet somehow, the Smith family manages to stick together, even in the worst times.
It's a show fraught with callbacks and references to past episodes. Some of them speed by so quickly that you barely have time to register a laugh before the show's on to its next tangent. There's an extremely tiny callback to a Season 1 moment during "Night Family," and unless you were paying very close attention, it's likely it went over your head. Let us pause and illuminate this fun easter egg that was so easily missed.
Rick and Summer do not value each other's opinions
Rick and his granddaughter, Summer, have had a semi-antagonistic relationship over the years, though when the chips are down, they're usually able to put their issues aside. During Episode 6 of Season 1, "Rick Potion #9," Summer refers to her Uncle in a derogatory manner due to his behavior. "I'm sorry, Summer," he retorts, "your opinion means very little to me."
During "Night Family," Summer finally gets to turn the tables on her grandfather. The Smiths are split into two different existences — day selves and night selves — thanks to Rick's invention, the Sonambulator. Each Smith forces their night selves to master some skill or perform some unpleasant task they'd rather not do during their waking hours. Unfortunately, havoc soon descends when the Night Smiths rebel against Rick's bondage. Night Summer leads the team and seems to gain the upper hand, but the day Smiths seem to win. That is until Rick takes down the force field. "You know, for a second there, I thought Night Summer was going to win," he says. "That chick is the absolute worst."
"Sorry, Rick," Summer says. "But your opinion means very little to me." The family quickly realizes that she's Night Summer in disguise. The rest of the Night Smiths emerge, forcing a confrontation between themselves and their daytime counterparts. Per a behind-the-scenes segment that aired after the episode's first run on Adult Swim, this was purely intentional, marking another fun callback to the show's past.