When you first see her, she’s just sitting there. She’s a therapist in a beige office. She has a bowl of calm-down candies on her desk and a voice that never hits a frantic note. But honestly? Doctor Wong might be the only person in the entire multiverse who truly terrifies Rick Sanchez.
It’s not because she has a portal gun. She doesn't. It’s because she sees through his "smartest man in the universe" routine like it’s cheap glass.
The Pickle Rick Encounter: More Than Just a Meme
Most people remember "Pickle Rick" for the over-the-top violence. You know the drill—Rick turns himself into a pickle to avoid family therapy, ends up in a sewer, builds an exoskeleton out of rat corpses, and slaughters a Russian agency. It’s peak sci-fi action. But the real climax doesn't happen in that blood-soaked office building. It happens in a quiet room with a family therapist who specializes in coprophagia recovery.
Doctor Wong, voiced with incredible deadpan precision by Susan Sarandon, doesn't care about Rick’s gadgets. When Rick finally shows up to the session—covered in blood and literal sewer filth—he tries to intellectually dominate the room. He gives this big, cynical speech about how therapy is a "work" used by people who are afraid to be bored. He calls it a tool for the weak.
Wong doesn't blink. She doesn't get angry.
She basically tells him that he uses his intelligence as a drug to avoid the "work" of maintaining himself. She identifies that Rick thrives on crisis because, without it, he’d have to deal with the fact that he’s just a lonely, hurting guy. It was the first time in the series we saw Rick completely speechless. He had no retort. He just sat there, a literal pickle, defeated by a woman with a notepad.
Why Susan Sarandon Was the Perfect Choice
Casting is everything in Rick and Morty. If Wong sounded too high-pitched or too judgmental, the character wouldn't work. By bringing in an Oscar winner like Sarandon, the showrunners gave the character an immediate sense of authority.
📖 Related: The A Wrinkle in Time Cast: Why This Massive Star Power Didn't Save the Movie
Sarandon plays Wong as someone who has seen everything. You get the feeling that before the Smith family walked in, she was probably dealing with someone who eats their own fingers or a couple whose marriage is failing because of a sentient toaster. To her, Rick’s "god-like" status is just another symptom. It's a coping mechanism. A flashy, dangerous, interdimensional coping mechanism, but a coping mechanism nonetheless.
The Return in Season 6 and 7
A lot of fans thought Wong was a one-off character. A gag. But she kept coming back. Why? Because the show shifted. It stopped being just about "wacky adventures" and started digging into the actual trauma of the characters.
In the episode "Final DeSmithation," we see Rick actually seeking her out. Think about that for a second. The man who destroyed empires and redefined physics went to a strip mall therapist because he couldn't handle his own head.
Their relationship evolved into something weirdly respectful. Rick still insults her, sure. He calls her "Wong-man" or makes digs at her profession. But he listens. When he’s struggling with the "Rick Prime" obsession or his own self-loathing, her office is the only place where the Fourth Wall of his ego starts to crumble.
What Most People Get Wrong About Doctor Wong
There is a common take online that Doctor Wong is "boring" or that she’s a "killjoy" designed to lecture the audience. That’s missing the point entirely.
Wong isn't a moralist. She isn't telling Rick he’s "bad" or "evil." She’s telling him he’s unhealthy. There’s a massive difference. She treats his universe-hopping the way a normal doctor would treat a smoking habit. It’s a thing you do to feel better in the short term that is killing you in the long term.
👉 See also: Cuba Gooding Jr OJ: Why the Performance Everyone Hated Was Actually Genius
Also, can we talk about the coprophagia? The show runners (Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland) gave her that specific specialty—helping people stop eating poop—for a reason. It anchors her in the most grounded, disgusting reality possible. It’s a hilarious contrast to Rick’s high-concept sci-fi life. If she can talk a guy out of eating his own waste, she can definitely talk a guy out of his nihilistic god complex.
The Psychology of the "Wong Effect"
Psychologically, Doctor Wong represents External Validation vs. Internal Peace.
Rick wants the world to acknowledge he’s the best. He wants the "validation" of winning. Wong represents the "internal work."
- The Boredom of Maintenance: Wong argues that being healthy is boring. It’s about brushing your teeth, telling the truth, and not running away. Rick hates boring.
- Vulnerability as Strength: Rick views vulnerability as a weakness to be exploited. Wong views it as the only way to actually grow.
- The Limits of Genius: Being the smartest person in the room doesn't mean you’re the happiest. In fact, in Wong’s view, it’s usually the opposite.
The Impact on the Smith Family
It’s not just Rick. Wong has a profound impact on Beth and Summer too.
Beth, who spends most of the series desperately seeking her father's approval, starts to realize through therapy that she’s inheriting his toxicity. Summer, who usually acts like she doesn't care about anything, actually finds a weird sort of solace in Wong’s directness.
Even Jerry—poor, pathetic Jerry—finds a place in the therapy sessions. Wong doesn't treat him like a loser. She treats him like a person with specific, manageable boundary issues. For Jerry, that’s probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for him.
✨ Don't miss: Greatest Rock and Roll Singers of All Time: Why the Legends Still Own the Mic
How to Apply "Wong-Style" Logic to Real Life
You don't need a portal gun to have a "Rick" problem. We all have ways we avoid the "boring work" of being a person. Maybe it's scrolling through social media for six hours, or maybe it's diving into work to avoid a difficult conversation at home.
The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed or like the world is "stupid" (a classic Rick move), try to look at the situation through the lens of Doctor Wong. Ask yourself:
- Am I using my "intelligence" or "logic" to avoid a feeling?
- Is this a crisis I created so I don't have to be bored?
- What would happen if I just sat in the room and didn't try to "win" the conversation?
Doctor Wong is a reminder that no matter how far you travel or how many aliens you kill, you’re still taking yourself with you. You can't outrun your own brain. Even if you're a pickle.
If you're looking to revisit her best moments, start with "Pickle Rick" (Season 3, Episode 3) and then jump to "Analyze Piss" (Season 6, Episode 8). The contrast in how Rick treats her between those two episodes shows the entire character arc of the show in a nutshell. It's the difference between a man fighting the truth and a man finally tired of his own BS.
Watch the subtle shifts in the background of her office, too. The certificates, the books—everything about her environment is designed to be the "Anti-Garage." It's organized, it's clean, and it's quiet. That's her superpower. In a show defined by chaos, she is the only one who can force the characters to stop moving.
And for Rick Sanchez, stopping is the scariest thing in the world.
Actionable Insight for Fans: Pay attention to the "coprophagia" references throughout the series whenever Wong is mentioned. It’s more than a gross-out gag; it’s a thematic anchor showing that all human (and alien) problems, no matter how "shitty," are manageable with the right perspective. If you're feeling stuck in your own "infinite loop" of stress, seeking a neutral third party—a real-life version of Wong—is often the only way to break the cycle of high-functioning self-destruction.