Rick And Morty: Summer Slander Has Fans Divided
It's not particularly easy to find a character in "Rick and Morty" who you can call "likable." Sure, it doesn't change anyone's personal admiration for them, but if we're looking at the cartoon cast from a moral standpoint, the bar has been set pretty low. So when one character is egregious enough for several fans to deem them the show's worst, it's really saying something.
Such is the case for the Smith family's eldest child, Summer (Spencer Grammer). The angsty teen has gone through some intense experiences that helped shape her into a laser-blasting dimension-hopper that can go toe-to-toe with Rick. But as she admires practically every aspect of her grandfather, she has also picked up on some of his less desirable tendencies, much to the displeasure of many fans.
Reddit is ablaze with opinion after opinion on what the deal is with Summer. One of the character's naysayers on the platform goes as far as to say, "Summer is literally the worst main character in the entire series. I genuinely ... hate her." The user goes on to describe how Summer's rude attitude toward her parents, lacking qualities as an older sister and cringey one-liners have made the character practically irredeemable in their eyes. "I've watched every episode of 'Rick and Morty' several times individually and I sincerely cannot find a single good thing about her." But even with such a laundry list of downfalls, there are still some who don't dislike Summer in the slightest.
Summer is supposed to be one of the good guys?
Summer Smith's sour reputation with some fans isn't entirely unwarranted. While many of her rude moments can be attributed to her simply being a teen, other times, she can be downright sadistic to the point where it's hard to connect with her. This is especially true in how she openly berates her family, with u/Joba-Brown pointing out that "She sure is brutal with Jerry." Sure, her father (Chris Parnell) has plenty of his own issues, but even Jerry's attempts to be kind to Summer are often met with ridicule.
Her most cynical critics are still trying to decipher what makes Summer so irritable. Redditor u/AFCFinalistsColts, while admitting to loving Summer, admits that the character is not especially consistent. "I think she's the most inconsistently written character of the family," the user comments. "Everyone else has a defined personality and you can expect how they are going to react to each situation, but Summer is just all over the place."
Another user also believes that Summer's issues stem from the writing, particularly with how the show's creators want audiences to feel about her. "But what makes Summer so difficult to watch is the fact that she's portrayed as a good person," they comment. "I never saw her as the 'lonely black sheep' of the family." Summer may be far from angelic to many, but there are still others who wouldn't have her any other way.
Summer shouldn't be the only one to blame for her behavior
It's easy for some to dislike Summer Smith for her less-than-desirable traits, but that's also what makes the character so interesting to fans. One user goes as far to believe that Summer is an underutilized member of the cast as well as " ... probably my favorite character in the series."
Redditor u/sadpluffie brings up an interesting point that Summer's personality is not entirely the fault of her own. They comment, "Yes and Jerry and Beth are terrible parents which is why they have such strong personalities ... Morty and Summer developed their personalities because of them. So you hate the parents, arguably if anybody to hate it should be the parents." The user also comments that Summer has had to learn many of her lessons the hard way, shaping her into the no-nonsense person she is now.
It's that headstrong and stubborn personality that has drawn other viewers to her. Redditor u/Father-Sha not only admires Summer but feels that her viewpoint gives her a special place amongst the cast. "I feel like she's a great character honestly," they say. "She's a basic teen that's too cool for school. She's the only character that can make Rick feel like he's lame/uncool ... Doesn't matter how smart he is, Summer gives zero f**ks. That's dope." Whether you find her dope or demented, "Rick and Morty" certainly wouldn't be the same show without Summer.