Recently finishing its seventh season, Ricky and Morty has been a standby of adult animation for the past several years, and this success is due to the familiar things that happen in every episode. Created by Dan Harmon, the series is well known for its frequent subversions of the science fiction genre. Harmons earlier TV show, Community, was a sitcom that subverted genre expectations, so this approach is expected from fans of the writer. However, Rick and Morty has pushed boundaries and become even more experimental in exploring the theories of multiple realities that Harmon touched upon in Community.

Though Rick and Morty began with a more episodic approach, throughout the seasons the story has become serialized and the overarching narratives have become increasingly important to the fabric of the show. The show revolves around the titular characters Rick and his grandson Morty as they travel the universe. The rest of their family frequently joins in and is affected by their behavior. However, the central pair has always been the central part of the show. However, Rick and Morty‘s season 7 finale indicated that the series will stray from its origins and see Rick and Morty having adventures alone.

10

Rick Insults Jerry

His son-in-law who he thinks isn’t good enough for his daughter

Rick isn’t nice to anyone in Rick and Morty, but the person he seems to despise the most is Jerry, the bumbling man who married Rick’s daughter, Beth. Beth and Rick have a strained relationship because he was absent from her life for many years before suddenly appearing and changing everything by moving into their basement. In many ways, Beth is just as smart and capable as Rick, and it’s for this reason he expects so much from her and spends so long hating Jerry for holding her back.

Jerry shares this animosity, but he’s rarely quick enough to dish out the kind of insults that Rick does. However, some of the best Rick and Morty episodes focus on Jerry as he develops significantly throughout the series and gains respect from his family. However, even as Rick and Jerry grow and change, their central dynamic needs friction for the show’s formula to work. In many ways, the characters are opposites, which is bound to cause disagreements and conflict even if the hatred they once had for each other isn’t as intense as when the show started.

9

Rick Invents Something In The Garage

His laboratory and the frequent source of catastrophe

Every experimental scientist needs a lab, and unfortunately for the Smith family, Rick chooses their garage to be the place where he invents wild machines and devices that usually try to take over the world. One of the best parts of Rick and Morty is that, unlike other animated shows, actions have consequences, and the plot moves forward from episode to episode taking into account past events. Sometimes, Rick creates something terrible that alters the fabric of the universe.

However, there are plenty of moments when the series refuses to reset and forges on with a new premise and context for the story. Almost always, these events and the premise of every storyline are kicked off by Rick messing around in the garage and creating something he finds interesting. Rick might be the one who causes most of the problems on the show, but it’s also this inventive nature that ultimately solves many of these problems. However, as the seasons have progressed, Morty and the supporting characters have proven themselves to be just as capable as Rick.

8

The Fourth Wall Is Broken

Leaning into the metatextual themes that Dan Harmon loves

Breaking the fourth wall can be risky for a TV series, as it can take the audience out of the narrative and easily become a crutch for including exposition. However, Rick and Morty has no interest in letting a fourth wall break grow stale. Instead, the series makes them feel fresh even when they’re used in practically every episode. Self-awareness in film and television has been running rampant lately. However, Rick and Morty, and Harmon in general, were early adopters of the practice and the ability to comment on overdone TV tropes while revitalizing them.

Within the Rick and Morty universe, few plotlines are off-limits since the multiple realities and universes that the characters frequently jump through make essentially everything possible. It’s hinted and sometimes fully acknowledged that the characters know they’re in a TV show, or that it’s a conceivable part of the larger universe. Outside of explicit awareness of the fourth wall, Rick and Morty frequently plays with the concepts of story structure and common TV episode formulas like the clip show or the bottle episode.

7

Rick Uses One Of His Catchphrases

Rick has many catchphrases that can easily mean nothing or everything

The catchphrase is a standby of older TV sitcoms and is considered a lazy comedic element by the standards of today’s critically acclaimed media. However, this doesn’t stop many popular franchises and series from utilizing the catchphrase to punctuate a scene and create an easy laugh when the writers don’t know how to punch up a moment. Rick and Morty pokes fun at the weakest parts of television, like the catchphrase, but always do so in a way that supports and furthers the story. Rick makes up nonsense catchphrases that change constantly but they’re not always insignificant to the plot.

Rick and Morty‘s biggest catchphrase, “Wubba Lubba Dub-Dub” has been called out within the show for starting to capitulate to the very trope it was intended to subvert. However, it’s still a memorable part of the show and proves how far-reaching Rick and Morty has become. At their best, Rick’s catchphrases are completely unexpected. They should simultaneously give the audience further insight into how Rick is feeling and what his ultimate plans are. The state of Rick’s catchphrases can be a good indication of where the episode will end up.

6

An Alien Has A Wild Name

Something silly and slightly uncomfortable that the characters have to repeat

Like any good sci-fi show, Rick and Morty has its fair share of aliens, and the ones the characters encounter throughout the show have been known to be both friends and enemies. It’s not uncommon for Rick or Morty’s actions to unwittingly make everyone their enemy and require them to flee the alien planet back to Earth. However, no matter the alien’s outlook or desire to destroy the universe, they will have a name that’s easy to laugh at. Even Rick, who has traveled the universe extensively, has been known to crack up at a particularly unbelievable alien name.

These names can be anything from a series of sounds smashed together, the name of a real person, or an inappropriate word made suitable for TV because it’s technically a name. The series has been incredibly innovative in creating these names, the visual character designs of the aliens, and a fully fleshed-out culture for the various planets Rick and Morty find themselves on. Even though the names and events are fictional, Rick and Morty makes it easy to get lost in the story’s world and for the audience to suspend their disbelief and go along for the ride.

5

Morty Has A Violent Accident

Though he’s grown up a lot, Morty still struggles to be the hero

Rick and Morty season 8 will be the most unique season of the show so far, as it’s setting Morty up to be a new character from the previous installments. Evil Morty, a Morty from another timeline, demonstrates Morty’s potential for darkness, but also his ability to strike out on his own, and the fact that he doesn’t need Rick as much as he thinks he does. When the show began, Rick dragged a helpless Morty across the universe, using him as bait and putting him in dangerous situations.

Unfortunately, Morty was rarely quick enough to avoid these perilous events. Gratuitous violence is something that Rick and Morty has made its name on just as much as the references to other pieces of media. Animation is primed to allow for more graphic uses of violence and disgusting imagery, and Rick and Morty uses this ability to its fullest extent. Due to his characterization, Morty was often saddled with being the butt of the joke and getting seriously beaten up by the end of an episode.

4

Beth And Jerry Rekindle Their Love

After fights, betrayals, and deaths the couple manages to stick together

Beth and Jerry are a somewhat unlikely pair, but when looking at the fear of abandonment and pain that Beth experienced from having Rick as a father, it makes sense that she would seek out a partner who felt as safe and secure as Jerry. Rick spends a good deal of the first few seasons trying to break up the couple, and it’s easy to root for him considering how many times Jerry messes up, and Beth’s clear exasperation with his optimism and penchant for mistakes. However, even when pushed to their limits they always choose to stay together.

Many episodes see the couple on the brink of divorce and issuing ultimatums to the other, making it easy to describe their relationship as unhealthy bordering on toxic. However, they are truly a case of opposites attract, as they each have something the other person needs in their lives. Jerry is an anchor and constant for Beth, while Beth pushes Jerry to be more spontaneous and get out of his comfort zone. Seeing the pair threaten to leave and ultimately get back together has become a familiar story arc for the series.

3

There’s A Pop Culture Reference

Whether in a throwaway line or an episode-long pastiche

All of Dan Harmon’s projects are intimately connected to and concerned with the wider reach and criticism of popular culture, especially when it comes to film and television. A prerequisite for understanding many of the jokes on Rick and Morty is a near-encyclopedic knowledge of movies and TV shows of all genres and decades. This deep knowledge and understanding of television indicates the love the creators of Rick and Morty have for media, making the satirical takes on directors, writers, and storytelling imbued with plenty of respect.

There are few things as exciting as being in on a joke, especially when it’s an obscure oneliner in a show like Rick and Morty. Though the series ensures that the plots are understandable even if the audience isn’t familiar with the show or movie it’s referencing, it is more fun when it’s a familiar work. No project, no matter how prestigious or unknown, is off-limits, so throughout the seasons, there are plenty of references for everyone.

2

Rick Underestimates Summer

Rick’s preference for Morty is a constant motivator for Summer

Summer, Morty’s older sister, is much more than the apathetic teen archetype that she’s a stand-in for. Like her mother, Summer is a sharp character and has much more to offer than Rick gives her credit for. Rick and Morty are always leaving her out of their adventures, or treating her poorly when she does get to tag along. However, Summer has proven herself time and again on alien planets and alternate dimensions. This means that if she’s given the chance, Summer could be a true star on the show.

Rick and Morty season 7 revealed a Summer transformation that has been years in the making and signals that Summer will have a larger role moving forward. She’s just as strong a character as Rick or Morty, and seeing her get to reach her full potential is a great way for the show to evolve and stay fresh. Rick and Morty has received criticism for being a bit of a boys club and male-centric in its storytelling, but adding more Summer to the mix would be a great way to change this.

1

Rick Creates Sentient Life

Even when he doesn’t mean to, Rick can’t avoid playing God

Every character on the show is acutely aware of Rick’s selfishness and his inability to think about the effect his actions have on other people. Though he’s frequently thinking ten steps ahead, this is almost always only concerning him and his desires. Even though part of him does want love and to be accepted by his family, he can’t get out of his own way or put aside his singular drive for revenge. Due to his intelligence, it’s easy for Rick to play God and mess with the fabric of reality.

This is put on full display through his continuous creation of life. From the Meeseeks to developing an entire civilization to run a battery, Rick’s creation of life clearly indicates how little regard he has for the lives of others. Though the lives he creates on Rick and Morty are positioned as throw-away gags, even this speaks to Rick’s inner psyche. As far as Rick has come since audiences met him in season 1, he still has a long way to go, even if it’s fun seeing what he’ll come up with next.