Best Episodes of Rick And Morty (#10)

#10
'M. Night Shaym-Aliens!'
Season 1, Episode 4

Rick wakes up one day and realizes something is slightly off. He and Morty are actually in a giant Earth simulation created by aliens who intend on tricking Rick into revealing his recipe for a special kind of fuel intended for high-speed space travel. Meanwhile Jerry, who is also in this simulation, doesn't notice anything is off (in spite of a plethora of obvious clues) and winds up having the best day of his life in this very fake and lazily robotic simulation of a normal and mundane day.

This show is all about being high-concept and self-aware, and this episode is among the best examples of that. Rick's attempts to not be outsmarted by aliens while running around inside simulations make for some mind-bending entertainment, and is equally hilarious in showing just how dumb and boring Jerry is by rewarding - and subsequently punishing - him for his simplicity. I've probably watched this episode five times now and I'm still picking up new things about it. It's very complex and hard to follow at first as the plot does become slightly convoluted, or "up its own ass" at times, but the main subject is handled well, it's incredibly clever, and is just another showcase for the genius of Rick. Anytime David Cross makes an appearance is something worth noting, as he voices the head alien with his trademark delivery, making for one of the more memorable guest appearances. It's a funny episode, it's exciting, and about 5× more clever than it ought to be. Also, this is probably the best use of Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty known to exist.

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