The 10 Most Rewatchable 'Rick & Morty' Episodes, Ranked (2024)

Rick and Morty has quickly become one of the most successful and recognizable adult animated series of the modern era, quickly etching its name in the history books alongside some of the greatest animated series of all time. Since its first season debuted in 2013, the show has explored a wide variety of creative topics and adventures thanks to the endless possibilities of its sci-fi world and premise. Especially as the series continues to achieve new heights and levels of success, a select few episodes manage to scratch an itch for themselves as endlessly rewatchable.

Because of the show's meta self-reflection and winks to the audience, the show feels almost built to be closely examined and rewatched in able to pick up on easter eggs and background gags on additional viewings. While not every episode of the show is catered to this level of rewatchability, the few that are directly tied to these strengths are easily considered some of the best episodes of the entire series. The majority of these episodes are also self-contained, not requiring much of any prior knowledge or lore to be able to fully enjoy and appreciate.

Rick and Morty

TV-14

Animation

Comedy

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Release Date

December 2, 2013

Cast

Chris Parnell , Spencer Grammer , Sarah Chalke , Justin Roiland , Dan Harmon

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

6

10 "Rest and Ricklaxation"

Season 3, Episode 6

An episode that efficiently cuts to the core of the literal toxic aspects of Rick and Morty's characters, "Rest and Ricklaxation" sees the duo spending time at an intergalactic spa after an especially chaotic adventure. The spa uses a detox machine so powerful that it physically extracts a person's negative and toxic personality traits, transforming Rick and Morty into more positive and healthy versions of themselves. However, these toxic traits have been personified into their own counterparts, with the toxic Rick and Morty planning their revenge of escape and transforming the world into a toxic one.

Especially in contrast to how they are portrayed throughout the entire series, it makes for a unique watch to see the positive and negative aspects of these characters split apart and mass-amplified for comedic effect. The episode also provides a deeper look into the actual love and care that Rick has for Morty, acting as a surprising source for character development and perspective on Rick's views and relationship with Morty.

9 "Pickle Rick"

Season 3, Episode 3

Easily one of the most recognizable and iconic episodes of the entire series, "Pickle Rick" plays into the absurdity of the show's premises by following Rick transforming himself into a pickle to get out of going to therapy. It doesn't take long before Rick's plans go haywire, getting him stuck in the sewers with nothing but his mind and his mouth to escape. At the same time, the Smiths' new therapist, Dr. Wong, begins to come to conclusions about the archetypes and problems that are creating divides between the family.

It's easy to find the rewatchability in "Pickle Rick", thanks to its recognizable status and long-lasting legacy even outside the show, yet this still doesn't take away from the episode's many strengths. For what begins as a seemingly uninteresting premise, the episode quickly transforms into some of the best and most creative action that the show has seen, with Rick laying waste to anything in his path to escape his pickle prison. The episode also features an effective psychological examination of Rick and his relationship with the rest of the family, Beth especially, which still holds 4 seasons later.

8 "Mortyplicity"

Season 5, Episode 2

Easily one of the most underrated episodes in the series, "Mortyplicity" follows a chaotic, never-ending brawl between decoy versions of the Smith family. With each version of the Smith family believing that they are the original family, each of the different, increasingly comedic, and nonsensical decoy families begins an all-out war against one another. The episode is filled with twists and turns as it constantly deceives the viewers and keeps them on their toes as to which family truly is the original.

Especially with the context of how the episode ends, "Mortiplicity" quickly becomes an exhilarating and hilarious watch of exponentially increasing stakes and chaos around every corner. The vast creativity of some of the decoy families, from a family made of wood to a family made of scarecrows, never ceases to get old and continuously gets more creative as the episode goes on. The episode also works perfectly as its own stand-alone experience, as it has little to no bearing on the rest of the series, and is just a simple and effective self-contained story.

7 "Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat"

Season 4, Episode 1

The long-awaited season 4 premiere after 2 years between seasons, "Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat" immediately put season 4 on a high note with its simple yet effective story of fate and death. The episode sees Rick and Morty harvesting "death crystals" from a far off planet, a high commodity artifact that allows people who touch the crystals to see all the various outcomes of their death. Morty soon becomes enamored by the crystals, determined to follow one specific death where he dies being comforted as an old man by Jessica. At the same time, Rick is stuck jumping from clone to clone in an attempt to transport him back to his original dimension after dying.

There's a lot to love about this season's premiere, from the top-notch visuals and inspiration from films like Akira and Edge of Tomorrow to the underlying themes about living life to the fullest and not being so caught up in how it ends. The episode is also filled with self-reflection and references to other episodes in the series, with one specific gag where they directly take aim at the more toxic aspects of their fanbase. It's also always fun to see different universes in the Rick and Morty multiverse, with Rick's increasing annoyance at getting stuck in fascist universes being a hilarious recurring joke.

6 "Meeseeks and Destroy"

Season 1, Episode 5

One of the quintessential, classic episodes from the first season of the show, "Meeseeks and Destroy" helped mold and fine-tune the identity of Rick and Morty into the show that it is today. The episode sees the consequences of Rick introducing the Smith family to the Meeseeks Box, a box that will summon a "Mr. Meeseeks" who will do any task they are given before vanishing. Jerry attempts to use the Meeseeks to improve his golf game, but his inability to improve eventually leads to a chaotic revolt among an army of Meeseeks who seek nothing more than death.

Meeseeks are easily some of the most iconic one-off characters that the show has ever seen, proving to be so popular that they have popped up a multitude of other times throughout the series thanks to their popularity. This episode can also be seen as the true beginning of the series' style of humor as well as its ability to balance said humor with incredibly dark and heavy subject material. The episode's B-plot, which sees Rick and Morty adventuring in a medieval fantasy world, features the first true, uncomfortable and painfully real moment in the series, setting the stage for more heavy content in the series.

5 "The Ricks Must Be Crazy"

Season 2, Episode 6

One of the most acclaimed and beloved episodes in the series, "The Ricks Must Be Crazy" sees Rick and Morty traveling to a pocket dimension inside of Rick's car battery in order to get it working again. As they attempt to convince the citizens of the dimension to go back to supplying power the way that Rick intended, he ends up meeting his scientific match in Zeep Xanflorp (Stephen Colbert), who has created his own pocket dimension. In the episode's B-plot, the car is tasked with keeping Summer safe inside the car, creating an increasingly dangerous situation as the car begins murdering people who get close to the car.

Very few times throughout the entire series does Rick meet his match when it comes to scientific capabilities, yet Zeep instantly makes an impact as one of the most prominent and compelling foils to Rick in the entire series. The duo share many parallels, with the inevitable realization that Rick created Zeep's universe only adding to the ever-building hatred and feud between the two. The B-plot is also easily one of the most hilarious and satisfying of the entire series, with its stakes and conclusion even having a major impact on the pacing and stakes of the A-plot.

4 "The Vat of Acid Episode"

Season 4, Episode 8

One of the most critically acclaimed and beloved episodes in the entire series, 'The Vat of Acid Episode', despite its simple name and initially bottle-episode concept, quickly became one of the most powerful and impactful episodes of the series. The episode sees Rick enacting his plan for him and Morty to escape a group of gangsters, where they jump into a fake vat of acid to make them believe that they are dead. Morty's insistence that the idea was stupid and would never have worked entices Rick to create one of Morty's ideas to prove him wrong, creating Morty a "save point" button as a result.

There are so many layers and perspectives to 'The Vat of Acid Episode' that help it become not just one of the best episodes of the series, but one that can be endlessly rewatched for its significant themes and moments. The true highlight is the montage of Morty using the "save button," featuring an extended story of love and heartbreak which stands out as easily one of the greatest individual moments in the entire series. The episode shows the chaotic lengths that Rick will go to prove a point, painting a hauntingly effective image over the rest of the episode in subsequent rewatches.

3 "Fear No Mort"

Season 7, Episode 10

The most recent episode of the series to date, "Fear No Mort," has proven that the series still has the capabilities to create exciting, dynamic, and endlessly rewatchable experiences 7 seasons in. The episode sees Rick and Morty entering a mysterious "fear hole", which makes anyone who enters it face their greatest fear, and won't let them leave the hole until they've overcome said fear. After seemingly leaving the hole immediately, Rick's dead wife, Diane finally returns, immediately making the duo believe that they are still in the fear hole.

Diane has been one of the biggest mysteries and unknown factors of the entire series, with her character constantly being referenced as a part of Rick's character, but never having a chance until now to be a core, speaking character. As if this wasn't enough of a love letter to long-time fans of the series, "Fear No Mort" also features one of the best individual twists in the series, one that recontextualizes and adds a multitude of layers to the entire episodes on rewatches.

2 "The Ricklantis Mixup"

Season 3, Episode 7

Considered by many to be the best episode of the series so far, 'The Ricklantis Mixup' is a standalone episode that follows a variety of stories on the Citadel of Ricks, following its destruction during the season 3 premiere. The variety of stories includes that of a group of Mortys having their own, Stand By Me-inspired coming-of-age adventure, a cop duo of a rookie Rick and a jaded, older Morty, and a hostage at a Rick-based wafer factory. The biggest of the stories is easily the campaign for the new Citadel president, and the unexpected rise of Morty as a leading candidate.

Even despite the episode requiring knowledge of the state of the citadel at this point in the show, 'The Ricklantis Mixup' is a brilliant and endlessly dissectable microcosm of societal struggles and the facets of life. Nearly each of its storylines has something powerful and dynamic to say in a way that is rarely possible from the standard setup of the show, brilliantly using the concept of the Citadel to tell its stories. The episode also had massive implications for the rest of the series, playing directly into the progression of the primary overarching story of the series.

1 "Total Rickall"

Season 2, Episode 4

More than just one of the best episodes of Rick and Morty, "Total Rickall" is good enough to be considered one of the best episodes in animated TV history. Its premise is built around the show's creativity and endless potential, seeing the family forced to self-isolate after the perceived outbreak of an alien parasite that spreads through people's memories and flashbacks. As the parasite spreads and more and more quirky side characters appear, it doesn't take long before the Smith family begins to turn on one another, not even trusting their own memories.

"Total Rickall" excels for a multitude of reasons, but it's endless rewatchability can be partially attributed to its brilliant ending twist surrounding the parasites and how the family defeats them. It's a simple yet brilliant solution that helps recontextualize the entire episode, as well as provide a closer look and development into the psychology of the Smith family as a whole. It certainly also helps that the episode is one of the funniest of the entire series, filled to the brim with iconic moments and quotes, as well as filled with hilarious character designs that would take a multitude of rewatches to see them all.

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