Best Episodes of Rick And Morty (#2)

#2
'Total Rickall'
Season 2, Episode 4

One day while sitting at the kitchen table with their beloved Uncle Steve, the family are horrified when Rick blasts Steve with a gun, revealing he was actually a parasite who wormed his way into their minds to convince them he was always part of the family. Rick believes someone must have brought the parasite with them on their shoe, as a whole series of other wacky characters begin to emerge and have the family questioning who is actually real and who is a parasite.

This is a rare episode that is decidedly lacking a B-plot, which automatically helps it to stand out, but it isn't just the novelty of this that makes the episode so special. Filled with imaginative animation and hilarious character designs, this episode uses the parasites invasion into their minds to force flashbacks that never actually happened, revealing different layers to the characters that had previously been unseen. Affording Morty the chance to wind up the hero was a nice resolution, ultimately giving the family a reason to stick together *because* of their flaws, not in spite of them. The writing here is suitably concise, adding layers cleverly and even allowing wacky side characters to have some decent bits of dialogue, one of which being a reverse giraffe voiced by Keith David (possible homage to his performance in John Carpenter's The Thing) whose presence in any episode will automatically be a highlight. I probably quote lines from this episode more than any of the rest of the show, and admire the insane amount of detail and character moments that make up most of the plot. It's hilarious, intelligent, and even has a card game based on it that I've heard is pretty good. This episode is one of the defining moments of the show, and my favorite of the season season.

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