Posted in: Adult Swim, Rick and Morty, TV, YouTube | Tagged: Adult Swim, Chris Parnell, dan harmon, jerry smith, Justin Roiland, rick and morty

Rick and Morty: 5 Major Jerry Smith-Defining Moments From Season 6

We're just going to put it out there. The sixth season of Adult Swim's Dan Harmon & Justin Roiland-created Rick and Morty was the best season yet on any number of levels. Looking over the entire 10-episode run, I can't find a single episode that I would consider a weak link in the season's chain (not a claim I can necessarily make about the previous five seasons). One of the reasons for the season's success was the way it presented the entire family as legitimately looking to get better, to be healthier… both as a unit and as individuals. Did it always work? No. Was it messy along the way? Definitely. Because the writing team presented us with characters who have faults that don't go away just because they begin trusting therapy. But we saw changes that made sense, changes that worked with where things are at six seasons into the Emmy Award-winning series' run. And when it comes to having defining moments and making the most of them, we have to turn the spotlight on Jerry Smith (Chris Parnell). Because this was clearly not our Season 1 Jerry, and the series overall is better for the following moments that helped us see Jerry in a different (but not completely different) light.

Rick and Morty Season 6: Those Jerry Smith-Defining Moments

Here's a look at those five game-changing, Jerry Smith-defining moments from the sixth season of the Adult Swim series (including episode director/writer) that we believe make a pretty strong case for Jerry being the season's all-star:

S06E01 "Solaricks" (Jacob Hair/Albro Lundy): That moment when Jerry sees what life was like for his second season self… and he doesn't like it. The way Jerry opens up to Beth after leaving the house (with a great & very Jerry goodbye speech) showed us that maybe… just maybe… Jerry was learning a little something about himself.

S06E03 "Bethic Twinstinct" (Douglas Einar Olsen/Anne Lane): Jerry's willingness to explore his sexuality isn't new to this season, but the way he was able to shift from being a "cuckold beta" to someone so sexually in control that it frustrates both Space Beth & Beth into a threesome wasn't something we saw coming heading into the episode.

S06E04 "Night Family" (Jacob Hair Rob Schrab): Look, sometimes Jerry takes positions that leave him twisting out on a limb by himself. And 98.73% of the time, he deserves to be left out there. But this time around, Jerry's willingness to break from the family and actually look to bond with Night Jerry not only speaks to his want to connect with someone but also very well kept things from getting far worse.

S06E05 "Final DeSmithation" (Douglas Einar Olsen/Heather Anne Campbell): Short of a major "Rhett Con" (you're welcome), we refer to this episode as… "The Moment When Rick & Jerry Became Friends." Sure, there were any number of moments we can point to during their adventure that we could point to, but I would rather direct your attention to Rick slapping Jerry and his subsequent apology. First off, the apology threw us for a loop but more than that? It felt like Rick slapping Jerry was Rick venting his frustration over finally realizing that he actually does give a crap about Jerry (I know, right?).

S06E08 "Analyze Piss" (Fill Marc Sagadraca/James Siciliano): And there is no better episode to end our case with than the one that set up Jerry to fail on so many occasions… but he didn't. Sure, it wasn't the best look when he tried taking down Pissmaster as he attempted to save the planet, but in his defense? He had no way of knowing that Rick was attempting to save Pissmaster's honor (while not admitting that it also allowed him to get back into a "game" he has a love/hate relationship). And while his arrogance ended up being his own worst enemy, the episode didn't end with the feeling that Jerry had taken any steps back. Because that "pink flamingo" fight against Pissmaster (regardless of how tragic the fallout from it was) was the most honestly confident we've seen Jerry smith so far. No false bravado, a sense of what his limits are, and a willingness to step up to defend his family were nice traits to see. Hell, we even got a rare moment of pride from Summer in her father.

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