Jam-packed with ridiculous adventures, the quick-witted Adult Swim animated comedy Rick and Morty created by Justin Roiland has seen the Smiths embark upon countless quests on Earth, in outer space, and even in other dimensions! 51 episodes of intergalactic shenanigans have shown fans the Smith family dynamic is complicated.Despite their explosive (and sometimes deadly) disagreements, the Smiths share a one-of-a-kind bond we can’t help but love to watch on screen. So strap in to your spaceship made of garbage! We’re listing the 10 most epic adventures that ended up bringing the Smith family members a lot closer.
"Mortyplicity" (Season 5, Episode 2)
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If one thing is made evidently clear throughout Rick and Morty, it's that there's an infinite number of our favorite characters. Rick (Justin Roiland) mentions more than once that he, Morty, Summer (Spencer Grammar), Beth (Sarah Chalke), and Jerry (Chris Parnell) all exist in alternate dimensions parallel to theirs. Being the smartest man in the universe makes Rick Sanchez a high profile target. In order to protect himself and take heat off the real Smiths in times of crisis, Rick created a family of clones to look, sound and think just like their carbon counterparts. What Rick didn’t anticipate was that the clones—decoys—would become self-aware and make more decoys… leading to a trail of countless copies who all believe they are the real Smiths. Pretty soon, it becomes unclear who's a decoy and who isn’t.
The moment that paints the episode with color comes from Rick and Beth who, disguised as decoys “too cute to kill”, share a heartwarming moment in hiding. Rick often argues that nobody matters due to their infinite replacements scattered across infinite dimensions. But Beth notes that if Rick didn't love his family, then he wouldn’t have created the decoys. For one of the few times in the series’ history, Rick apologizes… right before they’re both killed. Decoys! This heartwarming moment shared between two faux versions of Rick and Beth leaves Rick's sardonic character intact but also communicates what the real Rick is too stubborn to ever say.
"Rickdependence Spray" (Season 5, Episode 4)
Nothing brings families closer than incest! In this episode, the Smiths battle giant mutant sperm born from (shocker) Morty’s adolescent perversion. After he misuses the machinery at Beth’s horse clinic, Rick experiments on what he thinks is horse sperm and accidentally creates a race of monsters that begin terrorizing humanity. The President makes his fifth appearance in “Rickdependence Spray” as he works with Summer, Beth and Jerry to destroy them. Along with biting anecdotes about feminism and womanhood, the episode serves up a hilarious story where Summer provides an egg to lure the “cumplestilskins” towards Las Vegas, where they'll be destroyed by the military. The group tries to keep the mutated sperm away from the egg but fail, launching—yes—a giant incest baby into outer space. This makes Morty and Summer siblings… and also co-parents.
"The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy" (Season 3, Episode 5)
One of the most prominent rivalries in the series lives through frosty tension between Jerry and Rick. When Rick returned home after years absent, Beth’s biggest dream came true. But his reappearance put a significant strain on her marriage with Jerry, which wasn't all that strong to begin with. Ultimately, Rick’s incessant chaos is what finally forces Beth and Jerry to separate. A culmination of micro-aggressions, the tension comes to an explosive climax when the pair arrive at a luxury alien resort protected by an “immortality field”. Jerry is approached by one of Rick's enemies, who persuades Jerry to bring Rick aboard a ride that subtly dips out of the field… letting them assassinate Rick using the element of surprise. Spiteful, Jerry agrees. Rick exhibits real growth when he takes accountability for his role in ruining Jerry's marriage on the way up the Whirly Dirly. Jerry has a change of heart but before he can act, the assassins make their move! The pair narrowly escape death when the Whirly Dirly crashes and burns. Rick accuses Jerry of trying to kill him and Jerry accuses Rick of stealing his family. Rick hates himself for not being around to guide Beth down a path that didn’t include Jerry and Jerry hates himself for never standing up to Rick. This long awaited exchange slays the elephant in the room and establishes an element of respect between both men that didn't exist before.
"Big Trouble in Little Sanchez" (Season 2, Episode 7)
In this episode, Beth and Jerry go to couples counseling on another planet and boy… do they get results! As we come to learn, Beth and Jerry’s marriage is anything but healthy. Lingering resentment drowns whatever love they once shared. Although they inevitably separate in Season 3, this episode follows Beth and Jerry as they try everything they can to get it right. Fed up with their fighting, Rick brings them to the best couples counseling in the galaxy. The pair are hooked up to a futuristic device capable of creating matter and turning the pair’s perceptions of each other into real-life monsters. The way Jerry views Beth paints her “mytholog” as a massive, angry, and frightening praying mantis-like monster. When Beth thinks of Jerry, a weak spineless slug wearing a permanent frown is created. After seeing other couples’ mythologs killing one another, it's clear this exercise is supposed to prove that viewing each other this way is unsustainable. Unfortunately for everybody around them, Beth and Jerry’s toxic relationship proves to be "the worst marriage ever" when the monsters cooperate and begin hunting everybody down. After understanding how they both see each other, Beth and Jerry work together in order to stop Beth’s mytholog from taking over the Universe. Although not what was originally intended, Beth and Jerry end "Big Trouble in Little Sanchez" in each other’s arms... meaning the counselling actually worked.
"Total Rickall" (Season 2, Episode 4)
In this episode, the Smiths are locked inside their house with parasites who implant fake memories into their minds, making it difficult to discern who at their family barbecue is really family. The showrunners boast their ability to create “wacky, zany characters” in “Total Rickall”, where we meet Mr. Beauregard (Tony Barbieri), Pencilvester (Tom Kenny), Sleepy Gary (Matt Walsh), Hamurai (Kevin Michael Richardson), Ghost in a Jar, Tinkles (Tara Strong), Amish Cyborg, Mrs. Refrigerator and Mr. Poopybutthole. When Morty is about to execute Rick thinking he's a parasite, they argue about how they’ll remember each other. Rick’s rant causes Morty to think about the awful memories he shares with Rick, leading to a realization that the parasites can only fabricate pleasant memories. Ironically, the Smith family unites by using their worst memories of each other to exterminate the parasites, knowing that although the five of them aren’t perfect... they are family.
"The Wedding Squanchers" (Season 2, Episode 10)
Rick, eternally cynical and lonely, despises the idea of attending his best friend’s wedding when an invitation arrives in the mail. In “Wedding Squanchers”, Birdperson (Dan Harmon) gets married to Summer’s high school friend, Tammy (Cassie Steele). Despite his relationship with the groom, Rick is unwilling to accept that weddings are celebratory. Morty argues that there’s no need for Rick to be guarded; they're surrounded by loved ones. Rick remains hesitant, never one to put his walls down for anyone, but eventually opens his heart to the possibility of enjoying the ceremony. Before we can celebrate Rick’s assimilation, Tammy reveals the wedding was a way to get Rick, Birdperson and their accomplices together in order for the Galactic Federation to capture them. Chaos ensues and the Smiths are forced to go on the run. When they find refuge on a comically small version of Earth, Rick is forced to take accountability for his actions when he realizes he’s now subjected the people he loves to a life as the Universe's most wanted. This guilt weighs on Rick in a way we haven’t seen before. In a noble act of love, Rick turns himself in to give his family another shot at a normal life.
"The ABC’s of Beth" (Season 3, Episode 9)
A fan-favorite episode, the “ABC’s of Beth'' takes us deep into the father-daughter relationship between Rick and Beth. It becomes more obvious as time goes on that Beth inherited most of Rick’s personality and genius, leaving her cynical, often unimpressed and sometimes even lethal. When the father of one of Beth’s childhood playmates named Tommy is put on death row for Tommy’s murder, Beth is forced to accept that she was the one responsible for Tommy’s disappearance after trapping him in a pocket dimension Rick created for her as a child. In order to save Tommy’s father from a wrongful conviction, Beth and Rick head back into Froopyland. But a harmless little boy isn’t who they find. Tommy, now King of Froopyland and surrounded by loyal subjects, refuses to come home and save his father. Beth, keen on righting her wrong, doesn’t take no for an answer and realizes that she’s a lot more like Rick than she thought. This frightens her... but also makes her happy. After being constantly alluded to, it's validating as a fan of the series to know that the Beth-apple doesn’t fall far from the Rick-tree.
"Pickle Rick" (Season 3, Episode 3)
Rick and Morty is well known for placing consequential meaning into hilariously simple scenarios… like using groundbreaking science to turn oneself into a pickle. Keen on missing family therapy, Rick coincidentally claims he won’t be able to make it due to him currently being a vegetable. Unable to admit the syringe tied above him contains the antidote, Rick finds himself in a tricky situation once Beth leaves for therapy with it. While the Smiths are with Dr. Wong (Susan Sarandon), Rick battles rats, spies and mercenaries before finally arriving. Beth, afraid to ever trigger her father into leaving again, has often found it difficult to challenge him. After finally admitting that the syringe carries anti-pickle serum, Rick voices his distaste for therapy. Luckily for audiences, Dr. Wong counters with the most accurate read of Rick Sanchez literally ever. Rick is always the smartest person in the room and is always equipped with an intellectual counter, but after Dr. Wong psychoanalyzes him, he remains totally silent. "Pickle Rick" shows us the first and only time in the series that Rick is left totally speechless and defeated.
"Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion" (Season 5, Episode 7)
Rick and Morty is no stranger to making parodies of popular movies. In “Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion”, the creators do their best rendition of if Power Rangers ever met The Godfather. Rick cancels a trip to Boob World once he notices the blue Gotron Ferret when passing a nearby moon. Accompanied by the rest of the Smiths, Rick fuels his latest obsession by uniting all five animatronic robot warriors in every color to fight monsters. Besides the family becoming the family, Rick and Summer come up with a plan to collect the Gotron Ferrets across all dimensions. Morty tries to warn Summer that Rick gets obsessed and will eventually freeze all of them out of his obsession, but she remains deluded by his attention. Eventually, Summer takes the job too seriously and fires Morty, Beth and Jerry. Thinking she’s finally won Rick’s approval, Summer is blindsided when Rick replaces her too. Before the Smiths can swear off Rick forever, Morty uncovers that Summer’s replacement is plotting to kill Rick with the other Gotron Ferrets. Summer reveals she’s been emotional for more reasons than working for Rick, explaining that the U.S. government introduced her to the giant incest baby she and Morty accidentally created in “Rickdependence Spray”. Moments before Rick is assassinated, the Smiths arrive in outer space aboard the newest member of the Smith family Naruto, who effortlessly saves the day. As Rick says when Morty, Summer, Beth, Jerry and Naruto show up to save the day: “Welcome to the Smith Family!”