Posted in: Adult Swim, Preview, Rick and Morty, TV, YouTube | Tagged: Adult Swim, dan harmon, Justin Roiland, preview, rick and morty, Season 6, trailer

Happy Birthday, Rick and Morty! S06 Eps Ranked; S01 Deleted Scenes

On this date in 2013, Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland's dimension-hopping duo first entered our lives with its pilot episode, and the future of animation would never be the same. It's hard to believe that it's been nine years & close to six seasons since Adult Swim's Rick and Morty first graced our screens. And now, after two Emmy wins and a ton of global attention, the series is nearing the end of what could easily be its best season yet. So with that in mind and to honor such a special occasion, we've revised our look at how we see the episodes from Season 6 stacking up. But first, a couple of things we need to put out there. Since the episodes all rated between 8 and 9 in our reviews, we're basically ranking a pool of excellent episodes in their own right. So we're ranking them more from a "playlist"-like perspective. What follows is how we would prefer to run them (top choice first because we like starting strong), but, as they say, "mileage may vary." Also, I'm linking to our past reviews but offering a quick thought on each one that may have come to mind since the original review or building on a previous thought.

So with this in mind, here's a look at the first eight episodes of Adult Swim's Rick and Morty Season 6:

Rick and Morty Season 6: Ranking the First 8 Episodes

(1) Season 6 Episode 7 "Full Meta Jackrick" (directed by Lucas Gray and written by Alex Rubens): So why did this episode work so well? Because I'm a sucker for fourth-wall-breaking, meta encounters, found-footage films, and anything else that blurs the lines between the creative work and our reality. And what Harmon & Roiland's animated series offered us with its midseason return episode was about ten tons of pure, uncut meta. But what it did by doing that, even more so than in "Never Ricking Morty," is to educate the viewer on the complexities (and anxieties) that exist in the storytelling process. Perhaps the biggest compliment that I can give the episode is that it will be required rewatching to make sure that none of the references were missed because this was a well-crafted adventure.

(2) Season 6 Episode 8 "Analyze Piss" (directed by Fill Marc Sagadraca and written by James Siciliano): I appreciated how the episode flipped our expectations by taking what starts as a typical "Rick vs. Supervillain" episode scenario, pressing the pause button on it, and then using it as a springboard into an examination of Rick's very damaged psyche. From Rick coming around to the idea that he might be his own worst enemy (and to the idea of therapy) and "Flamingo Dad" Jerry showing serious character development, there was a lot to appreciate about this chapter. But the ending surprised me because I saw it as a chaotic yet positive one. Because while the family is still a long way away from getting to the heart of their issues and tackling them, we see them going through the messiness to get there… and doing it together. There's something twistedly noble about that. But Rick's comfort with Dr. Wong (Susan Sarandon) might be the headline-grabber in this one.

(3) Season 6 Episode 4 "Night Family" (directed by Jacob Hair and written by Rob Schrab): The only thing more shocking than the depths of Rick's stubbornness? That "Night Summer" is not only a badass not to be messed with but has also been biding its time in Summer's mind, waiting to strike. It feels like there's more to come with this one…

(4) Season 6 Episode 5 "Final DeSmithation" (directed by Douglas Einar Olsen and written by Heather Anne Campbell): Holy s**t! A Rick & Jerry adventure that doesn't end with us wanting to punch Jerry! On a number of levels, a nice personal game-changer between the two that sees them becoming… friends? Because this might be the first time I felt bad for Jerry after Rick hit him… and interestingly enough, so did Rick. Big difference compared to what went down with Cronenberg Jerry and Rick Prime…

(5) Season 6 Episode 3 "Bethic Twinstinct" (directed by Douglas Einar Olsen and written by Anne Lane): This might've been the strongest spotlight on Beth & Jerry's toxicity yet. Because instead of focusing on the couple, we got to see the impact it has on Morty and Summer, sadly bonding them closer in the process. But being able to see Rick as the caring figure trying to distract them from their parents' drama was a bit of a mind-blower, especially that moment when even "The Man with All of the Answers" couldn't figure out how to help his grandkids.

(6) Season 6 Episode 1 "Solaricks" (directed by Jacob Hair and written by Albro Lundy): We saw clues that it was going to happen in the previous season, but this was the one where the show decided to stop worrying and learn to love its own canon. And they did an impressive job of tying a number of previous storyline threads together in some very intriguing ways. And with Rick Prime on the scene… Evil Morty? Who's that again?

(7) Season 6 Episode 2 "Rick: A Mort Well Lived" (directed by Kyounghee Lim and written by Alex Rubens): Do you like your "Die Hard" satire with a healthy serving of "punch to the feels"? Well, this is the one you've been waiting for. From Peter Dinklage as the alien terrorist group leader Chans and Summer turning "Die Hard" into her own version of "Squanch," this episode would've been fine just on those points. But the "Roy" storyline that finds Morty fragmented into the game did a beautiful job of examining Morty and his role with his grandfather, and how much of himself he gives away with every adventure.

(8) Season 6 Episode 6 "Juricksic Mort" (directed by Kyounghee Lim and written by Nick Rutherford): Look, we love smartass, know-it-all Rick. But we also love those moments when he gets schooled by someone (in this case, uber-brilliant dinosaurs) who might actually know as much (if not more) as he does. And bonus points for the wonderfully passive-aggressive ways they help each other out as a way of spiting each other. But the best part? Interdimensional travel's back, baby!!!

And in honor of the show's birthday, here's a look at two deleted scenes from the first season:

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