Rick and Morty Season 9, Episode 9, titled "Salute Your Morts," shifts focus to Beth and Jerry, providing a long-awaited Beth-centric chapter. The episode's premise centers on Summer and Morty devolving into entitled "brats" due to their constant exposure to Rick's interdimensional adventures, leading Rick to send them to an "afluenza camp" designed to curb their behavior.
This setup results in a dual-pronged storyline. While Summer and Morty navigate a chaotic camp environment, Beth and Jerry find themselves with newfound freedom. Their storyline quickly escalates as they utilize Rick's intergalactic transportation to visit a world that is essentially a massive shopping mall. The episode leverages the novelty of Beth and Jerry as protagonists, with Sarah Chalke and Chris Parnell delivering strong vocal performances that enhance the silliness of their cosmic misadventures. Rick is used sparingly, allowing Beth and Jerry to take center stage before they ultimately seek his help.
The narrative further develops when Rick himself is incapacitated, leading to humorous situations, including a subplot where he transforms people into oversized carrots. A stinger scene at the episode's conclusion provides an additional comedic payoff.
Meanwhile, the Summer and Morty storyline also provides comedic moments, including a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reference. Their experience at the camp quickly devolves into a nightmare scenario, though the narrative falters slightly with a less developed conflict between the camp kids and local inhabitants. Despite this, the episode concludes with a drugged-out Rick engaging with their potential kidnappers, showcasing the entire Smith-Sanchez family.
Earlier episodes of Season 9 have also offered entertaining narratives. "Erickerhead," while fun, shared thematic similarities with the superior "Ricks Days, Seven Nights." "Mortgully: The Last Rickforest" was praised for its strong premise and execution, while "Rickuiem Mort a Dream" experimented with inverting the traditional Rick and Morty dynamic, resulting in memorable scenes.