In Rick And Morty's 9 years of being on the air, they've hammered home to fans that they don't operate on canonical adventures. Ironically, however, many of the seasons' episodes center around canon story and season-long plotlines. Fans aren't complaining, though, and the canon-centric episodes are some of their favorites.
The more run-of-the-mill, classic adventure-style episodes also have a passionate fan base, but people don't talk much about the filler episodes. In these entries, nothing moves the plot or characters forward, but there are still some amazing moments and the installments themselves are great.
"Anatomy Park" - Season 1, Episode 3
"Anatomy Park" almost exclusively serves as Rick And Morty's chance to do a Jurassic Park parody, and doesn't do much else with the plot. That being said, the episode is great for any fans of the original film franchise, as there are a lot of Easter eggs and references.
Furthermore, the episode has a hilarious B-story where Jerry finds out his parents are in a polyamorous relationship with a man they brought to the family Christmas, Jacob. Jerry's utter horror and emotional turmoil with this revelation make the episode especially comical.
"Meeseeks And Destroy" Season 1, Episode 5
Mr. Meeseeks is one of the most well-known Rick And Morty one-off characters, and the star of this filler. Morty has the chance to lead his own adventure, while the family is given a Mr. Meeseeks box to fix their problems.
Although not much happens as a result of this installment, as everyone ends up practically where they started on their journey, it does a great job of highlighting the nuances of the family's relationships. Beth and Jerry go on a rollercoaster of her almost leaving him to her being impressed with his bravery, and Rick shows off his soft spot for Morty when he defends him against King Jellybean.
"Rixty Minutes," "Interdimensional Cable 2," and "Morty's Mind Blowers"
In season 1 of the show, Rick And Morty did something a little different in an episode where they didn't go on an adventure at all. In fact, they sat on the couch and watched TV. The idea seems uninteresting, but it was a chance for the writers to improv through some of their wackiest sketches.
For those just starting Rick And Morty, these episodes are great because there is no Rick And Morty lore to remember or fast-paced science jokes to catch. Instead, fans can sit back and watch weird alternate versions of television shows and movies, and laugh along with Rick and the Smiths.
"Total Rickall" - Season 2, Episode 4
In another one of the show's opportunities to show off funny yet unused characters and situations, the writers manufactured a "closed room" type of episode for the show. The Smith family unknowingly tracks in a space parasite that multiplies by implanting fake happy memories into real peoples' minds.
The house quickly fills up with zany personalities and the family has to figure out who's not a parasite. Nothing in the overarching plot is achieved through this episode, but it shows the breadth of the Rick And Morty universe and all of the things that are possible. It also opened up a popular fan theory about Mr. Poopybutthole that's yet to be resolved.
"Pickle Rick" Season 3, Episode 3
No one would think that an entire episode about Rick turning himself into a pickle to avoid going to family therapy would be entertaining or exciting. It had the exact opposite effect, though. There wasn't any adventure and half of the tale took place in the therapist's office, but it still managed to be jam-packed with action.
In fact, this mid-season filler actually garnered some of the most buzz in pop culture. From fans yelling "Pickle Rick!" any chance they could get to people creating screen-accurate cosplays of Pickle Rick, this episode will go down in Rick And Morty history as one of the most popular.
"Vindicators 3" Season 3, Episode 4
This is the first instance where the show tackles the concept of superheroes and all the problems they pose. They also use it as an excuse to do several parodies of well-known superhero groups such as the Justice League and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
In a shocking turn of events, the group ends up the villains and poses a genuine threat to the survival of Rick and Morty. The episode doesn't even have a B-story, but it still manages to be fun, while also touching on Rick and Morty's relationship and the value that Rick places on Morty's opinion.
"The Old Man And The Seat" Season 4, Episode 2
Rick And Morty truly answered the question: can an episode purely about using the bathroom have substance? The answer is yes. "The Old Man And The Seat" opens with Rick going to a special planet he created to poop and follows him as he tracks down someone using his toilet.
After finding the culprit, Rick ends up actually liking Tony, who is one of the best characters to only appear in one episode. The episode is more about Rick's characterization and the intense loneliness he feels a lot of the time, in addition to his ample self-hatred. For a filler installment, it gives a lot of perspective about a deeply flawed genius.
"One Crew Over The Crewcoo's Morty" Season 4, Episode 3
As in previous seasons, Rick And Morty dedicated an episode to a parody of a popular film franchise. The victim in season 4 was Ocean's Eleven and other heist movies. The entire episode surrounds a heist that's over before it's even started and features several double-crosses.
Even though the whole concept of the episode is that everything happened before audiences' even got to see the action, it still ended up being wildly entertaining. There are lots of little jabs to the heist film franchises that are, in Rick And Morty's opinion, all very much the same in format.
"Never Ricking Morty" Season 4, Episode 6
Rick And Morty took a mid-season break in the airing of season 4 of the show, and fans were surprised to find that the mid-season premiere contained an entirely self-contained and very meta story that addressed many of fans' theories over the course of the show.
Rick and Morty are on the "Story Train" and have to face off with a myriad of different characters, both new and familiar. The show also nodded to fan-favorite character Evil Morty, who made a brief appearance for the premiere. However, at the finale of the episode, it was revealed that they weren't the show's Rick and Morty, simply characters from a gift shop toy train.
"The Vat Of Acid Episode" Season 4, Episode 8
One of the best installments of the show was an end-of-season filler episode before the canonical story picked back up in episode 10. Morty pressures Rick into inventing a "save place button for real life" and he pulls a ton of wild stunts with the idea that he can go back to his "save spot."
However, Rick had turned the whole situation into a cruel learning experience, and revealed that he wasn't actually saving his place, but instead killing off other versions of himself and taking theirs. Rick and Morty end up leaving the realities that Morty messed up, and return home as if nothing had happened.