Best Episodes of Rick And Morty (#1)

#1
'Rick Potion #9'
Season 1, Episode 6

Morty's crush on his classmate Jessica leads to him asking Rick for a love potion that will make her love him back. Not knowing that it's flu season and the effects of this potion will infect everyone else, Rick mixes up a serum that winds up making everyone fall in love with Morty. He attempts to cure this by making more potions that turn everyone into monsters. Meanwhile, Beth is working late at the hospital and Jerry gets nervous that she might cheat on him with her attractive co-worker.

When I think of all the best things about Rick And Morty, this is the first episode to come to mind. Everything from the dark and twisted sense of humor to the dark and twisted reality-bending story to the dark and twisted animation design is...well, dark and twisted -- also, everything that I love about the show. While the previous episodes definitely had their fair share of layers in humor, character development, and plot eccentricities, this is the first time you really start to see how completely demented and complex this show is. The finale where Morty has to bury his own corpse accompanied by the haunting Mazzy Star track is among the best moments in the show. The crazy animation of the "Cronenbergs" is disgusting and awesome, and the massive effect of the events of the episode feel far greater than anything leading up to this point -- and most everything that followed. This is easily one of the funnest episodes of the show, filled with hilarious moments and some of the best scenes with Jerry and Beth (who shamefully discover how much happier they would be without Rick or Morty around), and it's also one of the most dramatically charged and poignant. All in all, this is the ultimate combination of every aspect there is to love about the show. It's hilarious, dramatic, insanely clever, and an amazing character study. What more could you want? It's the best episode of the show. Here's hoping season 3 offers up some more like this.

Check out my other Rick And Morty mini-reviews on my page!