10 Best Rick And Morty Episodes

8. The Ricks Must be Crazy

Rick and Morty
Adult Swim

Existential dread is a concept that has a significant impact on many people, and cosmic horror is a freighting idea of our place in the universe, when the two are combined it makes for a horrifying way of looking at our place in the universe, and how insignificant we are, it also makes for hilarious cartoon shenanigans.

In this episode after exiting a movie theatre Rick, Morty and Summer discover that Rick's car battery is dead, and we are introduced to the method that he uses to power his car. That being a microverse that he created, with intelligent life inside it working to power the vehicle. Scientifically a great idea, but morally pretty reprehensible, Morty defines it as "slavery with extra steps".

Rick soon discovers that Zeep, a leading member of the microverse, has created a miniverse which is similarly unaware of the existence of a higher plain, inside that miniverse a leading member called Kyle is working on a teenyverse. It is, of course, apparent where the cosmic dread in this episode lies.

The idea of simulation hypothesis and the thought that we have no proof we don't live in a universe similar to these is a pretty tough subject to think about, and it's an element of the show that makes it both fun and nihilistic.

Add in a hilarious side story with Summer surviving in Rick's car, and you have a perfect episode to enjoy and dread simultaneously.

Contributor

Michael is my name, overanalysing comedy is my game! Anime, wrestling, TV, movies and video games all live in my head rent free!