Which is Rick and Morty's best ever episode?

Rick and Morty season 3 may have ended but that doesn’t mean we can’t reflect on some of the best moments the entire series has to offer, does it?

Picking the single, greatest episode is a helluva task, but after careful consideration have managed to select the top three of all time.

3. Meeseeks and Destroy (s1, ep5)

A stonewall classic from season 1, the introduction of Mr. Meeseeks (and the many that appear thereafter) is a stroke of genius and a genuinely standout episode.

Not only is it particularly funny seeing a moon-headed character appear to solve personal problems, the comedy that comes with it is high-end Rick and Morty. In short, it’s laugh out loud funny, and for a while this was my favourite story from the series; largely because the lanky blue freaks are so darn quotable.

2. Pickle Rick (s3, ep3)

Season 3 offered a really strong collection of all new episodes and certainly didn’t disappoint after the massive wait fans endured.

Pickle Rick is outstanding. Again, when the show executes an ingenious concept and lands, it’s just the best — and Rick turning himself into a pickle is no exception. Aside from the pre-credits that’s since become insanely quotable and one of the most used memes of them all (‘I’m Pickle Riiiick’ and its various reenactments), the adventure The Smartest Man in the Universe goes on is one of the most bonkers to date.

Just how they came up with Rick’s sting to lure a cockroach to his saliva brine, chew its head open, tongue its brain and use its corpse as a vessel culminating in a rat massacre and the taking down of a mob boss, is beyond me.

1. The Rickantis Mixup (s3, ep7)

However, despite there being some particularly sterling efforts over the seasons, near the end of the third is where I believe the show has peaked. While other crown contenders are brilliantly conceived in all their oddball inventiveness, The Ricklantis Mixup is a multilayered and cleverly structured episode.

Not only does it include a host of film references during our exploration of what the Citadel is like now — such as Harry Potter, Training Day, and Stand By Me — it’s a hugely well-constructed tale about a plethora of different Ricks and Mortys. It’s an episode that dramatically improves with repeat viewings, too.

Granted, it may not be the funniest episode ever, but the story threads of a much more expansive world than we’re used to seeing really blows open the scale of infinite Ricks in infinite universes and the concept of a single city that’s totally inhabited by Ricks and Mortys. It’s sad, often poignant, and shocking with its revelations and how it ties each story thread up — a little different in tone to what we’re used to seeing. It replaces irreverence with something altogether more meaningful.

But what’s great is its real-life political subtext on display. With plenty of nods to the 2016 US election, the end revelation that Evil Morty had manipulated his way to the pinnacle of government, having infiltrated the political sphere to become a somewhat malevolent and totalitarian President speaks volumes.

Indeed, this episode feels particularly cinematic in its approach to the splintered narratives it incorporates; making the world appear bustling and epic in size. The fact they’re all intertwined and so smartly explored before a climax that suggests season 4 and beyond will open up new adventures with President Evil Morty is mouthwatering. The notion of him ruling the Citadel before taking over the multiverses and destroy all Ricks is a genuine game-changer.

But let’s not forget the splendid number of other episodes that are worthy of special mention.

Get Schwifty (s2, ep5) is somewhat hypnotic with the oh-so-random and juvenile songs the grandpa-grandson combo come up with.

Then there’s Total Rickall (s2, ep4), as the Smiths residence goes into lockdown after alien parasites posing as life-long friends and family must be eliminated. It’s violent and (at the start) confusing, but it’s also the point we’re introduced to Mr. Poopy Butthole.

Lawnmower Dog (s1, ep2) is really clever and the first time we get to witness a really strong concept come to fruition. Switching the roles of humans and canines is not only hilarious but kind of makes you question how we’ve been treating man’s best friend and how they’d react if they ever revolted.

Rick and Morty season 1-3 is available on Netflix now.

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