Wubba Lubba Dub Dub and Weep — The 10 ‘Rick and Morty’ Episodes That Prove This Show Is Untouchable

Few animated series have managed to balance absurdist comedy, genuine emotional devastation, and mind-bending sci-fi storytelling the way ‘Rick and Morty‘ has across its run on Adult Swim. The show may not make headlines as often as it once did, but that’s arguably for the best, as it has evolved from a hip new upstart into a genuine animated legacy show. What has never changed, though, is its ability to deliver episodes that linger long after the credits roll.

Fans are often in discussion about the series’ highlights, with plot-driven episodes usually being fan favorites. In the early seasons, the show’s goofier and lighter standalone adventures were some of its strongest outings, while the heavier, character-focused episodes have grown more dramatically satisfying over time. Here are the ten episodes that, by near-universal consensus, represent ‘Rick and Morty’ at its brilliant, chaotic best.

“Meeseeks and Destroy” (Season 1, Episode 5)

“Meeseeks and Destroy” premiered on Adult Swim on January 20, 2014, written by Ryan Ridley and directed by Bryan Newton. In the episode, Rick provides the family with a solution to their problems, freeing him up to go on an adventure led by Morty. It is the episode that introduced Mr. Meeseeks to the world, and the internet has never really recovered.

In a show full of unique characters, Mr. Meeseeks is one of the most iconic ‘Rick and Morty’ characters ever created. While he returns in later seasons, most notably in a hilariously uncooperative Kirkland version, this episode remains his best showing. The chaos that unfolds when Jerry simply asks a Meeseeks to lower his golf score is peak early-era ‘Rick and Morty’ comedy.

“Rixty Minutes” (Season 1, Episode 8)

In “Rixty Minutes,” Rick hooks up the family’s TV with interdimensional cable, allowing them to watch infinite TV from across the multiverse. What follows is an episode built largely on improvised sketch comedy from the voice cast, giving the show a freewheeling, anything-goes energy that felt genuinely unlike anything else on television at the time.

The episode’s subplot, however, is where real emotional weight lands. “Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind” is among the show’s most acclaimed Season 1 outings, but “Rixty Minutes” holds its own by pairing its anarchic comedy with a genuinely moving story about the Smith family confronting alternate-universe versions of themselves and choosing to appreciate what they have.

“Rick Potion #9” (Season 1, Episode 6)

Morty’s perennial longing for his classmate Jessica comes to a head in “Rick Potion #9,” one of the best ‘Rick and Morty’ episodes and one that showcases Rick’s fallibility for the first time. Rick first formulates a love potion for Morty to get Jessica to fall in love with him, but the flu virus interacts with Rick’s potion and the entire world soon becomes desperate for Morty.

Rick seeks to rectify the situation with two other serums, but these only inflict more damage, transforming the planet’s population into hideous Cronenberg-inspired creatures. The gut-punch ending, in which Rick and Morty simply abandon this destroyed dimension and take up new lives as recently deceased versions of themselves, is one of the show’s most genuinely shocking moments and still hits like a truck on rewatches.

“Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind” (Season 1, Episode 10)

Upon its airing, the episode was seen by 1.75 million American viewers. Den of Geek praised it as a really solid episode, both narratively and comically, noting that ‘Rick and Morty’ does some of its best comedic work when it gleefully indulges in the absurd possibilities that a sci-fi universe of limitless possibilities allows for.

This is the season one finale that first pulled back the curtain on the Council of Ricks and the wider multiverse mythology. Many iconic members of Rick’s friend group also make their debut in this episode, including fan-favorite characters like Birdperson and Squanchy. It set the foundation for everything the show would go on to build across its later seasons.

“Auto Erotic Assimilation” (Season 2, Episode 3)

Rick runs into an old flame when he answers a distress call with Morty and Summer in “Auto Erotic Assimilation.” Rick’s ex, Unity, voiced by Christina Hendricks, is a hive-mind organism who has assimilated an entire planet into its consciousness. The two quickly pick up their romance where they left off, leaving Morty and Summer to question the morality of a hive mind while Rick and Unity go on a bender of drugs and sex.

The plot of “Auto Erotic Assimilation” is effective emotional sleight of hand, directing the audience toward all the outlandish comedy before revealing deep insight into toxic relationships and loneliness. “Auto Erotic Assimilation” is the first time the viewer sees how deeply depressed and unhappy the smartest man in the universe truly is. The final scene, set to an aching piece of music, remains one of the most devastating moments in the show’s entire run.

“Total Rickall” (Season 2, Episode 4)

In “Total Rickall,” memory parasites infiltrate the Smith household and implant false memories. Rick warns the family to be wary of any new zany characters that appear out of nowhere, including his new friend that he just met, Mr. Poopybutthole. The family must kill all the parasites, even ones that appear to be family and friends, before they lose their grip on reality.

The episode is a gleefully clever piece of television that uses its own premise to keep the audience just as disoriented as the characters. Season 2 counts “Total Rickall” among its very best episodes, and fan consensus has only solidified its place as one of the all-time greats. The final twist involving Mr. Poopybutthole became one of those moments the fanbase still debates with genuine passion.

“The Vat of Acid Episode” (Season 4, Episode 8)

Sick of the constant dangers of their adventures, Morty demands Rick build him a save-game device so that he can live without fear of fatal consequences. Rick agrees, but prefers his original break-in-case-of-emergency device: a vat of acid. What unfolds is a masterclass in setup and payoff, as Morty uses his new power to live recklessly and fall in love, only to have Rick reveal the horrifying truth of what the device actually does.

The episode tugs at the heartstrings through a subplot where Morty falls in love with a girl, only to erase her via the accidental use of a save point. It is one of the most quietly devastating episodes in the show’s history, wrapped inside what initially appears to be a simple comedic premise about Rick getting revenge on Morty.

“Pickle Rick” (Season 3, Episode 3)

It’s easy to see why “Pickle Rick” became such a cultural phenomenon. It’s a simple premise but quintessentially ‘Rick and Morty’: Rick turns himself into a pickle to get out of family therapy. Despite his initial plan to revert back to being human, a series of unfortunate events cause him to go on a ridiculous adventure where he has to give himself limbs.

This episode is a tale of the extreme lengths Rick Sanchez will travel to avoid emotional vulnerability, and it provides a strong case for why counseling is valuable. Underneath all the gloriously absurd action sequences is a genuinely pointed critique of emotional avoidance, and the therapy scene with Dr. Wong remains some of the sharpest writing the show has ever produced.

“The Ricklantis Mixup” (Season 3, Episode 7)

In “The Ricklantis Mixup,” Rick and Morty prepare to visit Atlantis when they meet a parallel Rick and Morty collecting donations for the Citadel Redevelopment Fund. While our Rick and Morty jet off to Atlantis, the episode tells the story of the Citadel, which has not only been rebuilt but is now populated entirely by Ricks and Mortys.

When the end theme plays, viewers feel that rare gut-punch feeling, the same one felt at “Rick Potion #9” and “Auto Erotic Assimilation.” The writing raises the bar, sets the tone, and gets talked about extensively, representing something genuinely rare in the landscape of adult animation. It is, by almost every critical and fan metric, the single best episode of ‘Rick and Morty’ ever made.

“Unmortricken” (Season 7, Episode 5)

The search for Rick Prime takes Rick and Morty to the vast reaches of the multiverse, where they have to team up with an old enemy to bring him down for good. The episode opens by showing Evil Morty’s backstory: having grown tired of demeaning adventures with his Rick, Evil Morty implanted devices to control him, leading into his actions throughout the series.

One of the show’s most impactful episodes in terms of canon, “Unmortricken” remains the single most surprising episode of ‘Rick and Morty’ ever. Beginning with a dark cold open that finally revealed Evil Morty’s mysterious backstory, the episode never let up from this shocking revelation onward. The series took a long two years to fulfill the promises made in the Season 5 finale, but “Unmortricken” was ultimately worth the wait. If you ever need to convince someone that ‘Rick and Morty’ has earned its place among the great serialized dramas on television, this is the episode you show them first — so which of these ten hits hardest for you, and does “The Ricklantis Mixup” still deserve the crown?