Rick and Morty,created by the minds ofJustin RoilandandDan Harmon,is an adult animation following the adventures of scientist and sociopath Rick Sanchez and his grandson, Morty Smith (Justin Roiland). The pair, alongside their family,take us along on their adventuresthroughout the universe, which on face value seems like fairly wholesome animation. However, the show is filled to the brim with absurd, grotesque, and crazy moments from never-ending clones,pickle adventures, and expeditions across the multiverse. The Adult Swim sitcom has been widely renowned and the recipient of many awards, but what separatesRick and Mortyfrom other media of the same nature, is the incomparable out-of-pocket moments that leave it for better or for worse.
The Weirdest ‘Rick and Morty’ Moments Cannot Be Justified
There are a plethora of weird moments in the show to consider, one contender including “The ABC’s of Beth.” In the episode, Rick and his daughter Beth (Sarah Chalke) visit Froopyland, a world that Rick created for her as a child. Though the episode turns surprisingly sinister, gross, and plain weird, it is important in learning about Rick and Beth’s ambiguous backstory.We learn a bit more about Rick as a father, and Beth’s childhood — so while it is a weird episode, it actually does have a purpose. Another bizarre moment is in Season 2’s “Auto Erotic Assimilation,” where Rick gets involved with Unity, a population with one mind whom he used to date. There is astrange philosophical debate between Morty and Summer(Spencer Grammer) and Unity about the utopia she created before a race war ensues. However, the episode gives us a rare insight into Rick’s vulnerabilities and limits, leaving him attempting suicide in the final scene. The point here is that most of the weird moments inRick and Mortycan be justified in some way — whether it is to progress the plot or to give us a little insight into the family. Thetrulyweird moments ofRick and Mortyare the ones that cannot be justified in any way, not even for laughs.
When talking about the weirdest moments inRick and Morty,Summer and Morty’s giant space incest babymust be mentioned. This monstrosity first appears inSeason 5, Episode 4, “Rickdependance Spray"as a result of an army of Morty’s mutant sperm among other things. It is sent into space, and appears in future episodes, reminding us of the strange incestuous elephant in the room. It is an infamous moment in the show that serves as a reminder that in the world ofRick and Morty,there are no limitations or boundaries. Giant space incest babies roam the solar system and Rick is exes with an entire alien race, and that’s canon.
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This Moment in ‘Rick and Morty’ Takes the Crown for the Weirdest of All
Many of these moments definitely come out of the strange and sometimes stomach-turning sexual exploits of Rick along the way. The mad scientist doesn’t limit himself to just the human race but has sexual explorations with various aliens, horse-human hybrids, and planets. However, the weirdest of them all has to go to Rick’s soul-bonding moment with Morty’s dragon, Balthromaw (Liam Cunningham) in"Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Morty.“This moment is incomparable due to the uncomfortable and profoundly sexual nature of the episode that outweighs any form of humor or progression to the plot. The weirdness of it all stands alone, making it one of those episodes that you skip on a re-watch, and cringe as you remember it.
Everything begins as normal — Morty claims his dragon from Rick as part of a promise for fighting robots with him. (If we had Rick Sanchez for a grandpa, we’d ask him for a dragon, too.) Later on, Rick has to confront the dragon and finds out that these mythical creatures are cooler than he had thought. After a montage set toFuture’s"Mask Off,” a soul-bonding occurs between the pair, and the sexual nature of the episode is then revealed. Morty and Summer walk in on them, and it becomes an awkward moment of betrayal for Morty from both the dragon that he had harbored innocent thoughts of and his own grandpa. A reel of innuendos then ensues, and we cannot help but empathize with Morty — we thought we were getting a fun D&D episode too!
These dragons are found to be strangely sexual beings, and the episode instantly becomes plain weird. As a viewer, you are not laughing, but rather trying to wrap your head around when Morty living out his D&D fantasies became an episode about dragon orgies. A wizard then appears, spouting names like “slut-dragon” and takes Balthromaw to be executed. The “lair-wrecker” and his grandchildren begin an adventure through Dragon World to save Balthromaw, and the whole situation turns way more sexual than expected. In this alternate world, Rick’s scientific defenses are rendered useless, and they are forced to rely on Morty and his book of magical spells to save the day. Rick becomes turned off by the dragon after the adventure, and Morty is disgusted and disappointed. The episode ends ona post-credits scenein which Balthromaw and the talking cat from Jerry’s sub-plot are about to soul-bond together, and we are all thinking — what the hell did I just watch?
However, it is to be said that the weird bits ofRick and Mortyare fundamentally what makes the animated series so good. It is incomparable, and although sometimes it makes us cringe, it also makes us laugh and come back aftereach and every episode. The show’s creators are not afraid to tackle any concept or idea, or to stretch the limits of the imagination. So, while sexually active dragons are weird as hell, it is the epitome of what makesRick and Morty,well,Rick and Morty.
Read up oneverything we know so far aboutRick and Morty’s upcoming Season 7, which will featurenew voices for its titular characters.
