The greatest type of comedy is when a story makes fun of a genre by honoring it. When a storyteller mocks something but doesn't completely understand it, the mockery can often fall flat. This is because in order to truly tear something apart, you have to admire it and be a fan of it first. Then you can know its structural nuance and what makes the genre tick. Then the comedy comes from a place of love rather than a place of criticism or even hate. Rick and Morty excels at this type of storytelling, and the show does it especially well in its season 7 finale.
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The episode revolves around the idea that Rick and Morty have become completely numb to any sort of fear because of all the adventures they've been on. This brings them to a very eerie hole in a bathroom that's supposed to lead to the greatest of all fears. [SPOILERS AHEAD] Eventually, Morty realizes that he is in the hole by himself because Rick didn't jump in after him, thus uncovering Morty's true fear, which is that Rick believes he is replaceable. However, along the way the episode completely mocks and tears apart the storytelling device of a mental prison. Multiple times Morty believes that he 1has come out of the hole only to learn that he in fact didn't conquer his true fear and was still inside of it.
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Admittedly, this is a genre I know well. I grew up watching Are You Afraid of the Dark and loving the concept of spooky, mine bending stories that were pioneered in sci-fi horror shows like The Twilight Zone. This is ultimately what the episode is making fun of. In fact, I embrace the genre with my own title, The Macabre Motel. Rick and Morty appeared to have escaped the hole dozens of times only to discover that they were still inside of it. The routine happens so many times that it gets absurd and out of control. The show completely tears apart the genre, but it does so in a way that understands what it's about. In this way, I can admit that I'm a huge fan of the episode even though it ridicules something I love.
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