Everyone's favorite sci-fi involved, pottymouth-positive cartoon leans into the irreverence in daily or desired life just as hard—sometimes for an entire episode (beeeeeelch).
The following are 10 examples of moments within Rick and Morty where gags, non-sequiturs, or simply a character's decisions won over audiences in ways that required neither months of scientific research nor enhanced layers of animation beyond the typical load.
Morty Critiquing The Lighthouse Keeper's Tale
As the show settled quickly into its dimension-hopping journey, a mutual respect between creator and viewer formed. One where fans were as delighted to detect personal grievances, as the makers were to supply them.
The related moment in question: Morty's evisceration of the lighthouse keeper on the quote-unquote "Purge planet (Morty!)" for a script he deemed rather subpar. It did not take long for diehards to determine his specific critiques were values shared by the story circle champion himself, Rick and Morty co-creator, Dan Harmon.
Ice Cream Used As A MacGuffin
When one binge-watches Rick and Morty on an endless loop enough, they quickly realize that, when their writers' room is ever in doubt, they typically always go with ice cream.
Traveling to different dimensions specifically for the flavor they fancy. Dismissing death-defying events in favor of a few licks. Rick and Morty's infinite timelines are dense with dairy goodness. Discussed, eaten, and pursued by everyone from the principal characters seen each episode to the deeply missed one-offs like Dr. Xenon Bloom (John Oliver) of "Anatomy Park."
Rick Not Knowing Jerry's Age
"Jesus C****t Beth, is- is Jerry 50?"
That a mastermind in Rick, who full well knows Jerry and Beth conceived the now-teenaged Summer at their high school prom, most likely placing Jerry in his mid-30s, could genuinely ask the above is as gold as it gets. Moreover, it may be a testament to how even the best in-store can occasionally falter.
Every Plot Involving Principal Vagina
The possibly-Scandinavian head of school is as hands-on as they come. Whether it was ascending to power as the leader of the almighty Head God worshippers in season two's "Get Schwifty" or going to bat for Morty by firing a substitute teacher after misreading a situation, Principal Vagina has uniformly proved to be beloved in small but memorable doses. Here's hoping he turns up in season four's second half, because the sheltered-in-place masses need him bad, Momo.
Jerry's Parents (And His Mother's Lover)
"Sometimes from a chair. And sometimes from a closet. Almost always dressed as Superman."
Season one's "Anatomy Park" served as a wake-up call for the oft-emasculated Smith patriarch. Jerry is unsure how to react upon discovering his mother has a young lover named Jacob with sign-off approval and Christmas-ruining encouragement from his father. Despite Jerry's initial discomfort, the power trio eventually win him over, paving the way for Dad to pay an as-promised visit to the closet.
Family Therapy
He turned himself into a pickle. Funniest s**t I've ever seen.
Though the context of the episode constitutes an ultra-bloody sci-fi affair, the B-plot—Beth, Morty and Summer awaiting Rick's arrival at a therapy session with family/feces consumption expert, Dr. Wong (Susan Sarandon)—arguably contributed just as much to what made "Pickle Rick" an Emmy-winning episode. The ever-disruptive Rick eventually made it to the party in all his pickled glory, but not before real headway was made to humorous effect.
The Rick Dance
"It's the, it's the, it's the Rick Dance!"
Though many otherworldly creatures were in attendance for the iconic moment, those crying bull-spit need not even trip, for it did not take any convoluted Sci-Fi-based algorithms for Rick to treat party guests to the new craze that all the cool kids are doing. Dance-bug Rick would strike again the following season as his Tiny Rick self, begging and pleading for help on the dancefloor. Tiny Rick!
Titanic Excursion
Beth could not have been more unimpressed by her day-tour with Jerry to the recreated site of his favorite movie.
Instead, Jerry has the time of his life with Lucy, the "Titanic 2: Experience the Romance" employee who eventually becomes overly entranced and makes sexual demands. Jerry is then saved by Beth, although the crazed Lucy hangs on from beneath their car as if it were Cape Fear at episode's end.
Morty Pitching To Netflix
Though the remainder of season four looms, an episode-ranking frontrunner exists with the heist-spoofing heist-fest that culminated in an on-brand wink to the camera.
Proudly, Rick reveals having "heisted" his influence into the throes of Morty's impressionable mind. Fearing he was losing Morty's commitment as a sidekick, Rick successfully causes Morty to doubt himself in a pitch meeting with Netflix despite company executives assuring him he was "crushing this."
Rick And Summer Taking Steroids To Beat Up The Devil
The liquid in the syringe may have been galactically pink, but, if Rick had access to rapid muscle production chemicals, then why complete an extensive training montage cut to DMX's "X Gon' Give it to Ya?"
Of all the ways they could have dealt with the devil, the lab-coated genius and his equally scrawny-armed granddaughter beat him, local bullies, and Westboro Baptist Church members up with their apparently hard-earned bodybuilder guns. Simply divine. The unanticipated happenstance also foreshadowed Summer's expanded involvement in Rick and Morty's adventures from then on out.