Every Rick and Morty episode, ranked (Including Season 7)

Rick and Morty is back!, and what a pleasant surprise this premiere was. A spiritual crossover between Roy: A Life Well Lived and Fear no Mort, it continues the show's trend into maturity and heavier topics. Much like That's Amorte with the theme of death, the premiere of this season takes a step back and has us look into what a universe like that of Rick and Morty would mean for our protagonists. Someone like Morty has gone through a plethora of unfortunate events so far, and as the show progressed, he got colder, more calculated and mature. Summer of All Fears serves as a reminder that our characters grow, that, while the show can go on for "100 years", it will have an end at some point, and we have to adjust to the idea that change is welcome, even with an episodic approach.

The humor takes a step back to make for a sweet and warm resolution to the heavy subjects of the episode. Similar stories such as the one from Analyze Piss comes to mind. The show couldn't be further away from what it was back in its inception, and I couldn't be happier that it took this route. I look forward to the rest of the episodes, hoping that it continues to be just as refined, bold and wholesome.

Reminder: As of October 2023, the rating system is changed to a scale of 1-10 (with one exception), .5 decimals only. I believe the previous system was confusing and didn't give readers enough of a basis to understand the scores, so I am going for a simpler approach.
The way I judged the episodes stays exactly the same, as I give each of them scores that justify their position in regards to another.
That being said, enjoy!

Season 7 episode ranking:
1. That's Amorte
2. Fear No Mort
3. Unmortricken
4. Mort: Ragnarick
5. The Jerrick Trap
6. Rickfending Your Mort
7. Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie
8. How Poopy Got His Poop Back
9. Wet Kuat Amortican Summer
10. Air Force Wong

Season 6 episode ranking:

1. Bethic Twinstinct
2. Analyze Piss
3. Solaricks
4. Final DeSmithation
5. Night Family
6. Full Meta Jackrick
7. Rick: A Mort Well Lived
8. Ricktional Mortpoon's Rickmas Mortcation
9. A Rick in King Mortur's Mort
10. Juricksic Mort

Note that I'm taking into consideration the following:

• the quality of the episode, counting humor, character arcs etc. (reflected best in episodes such as The Rickshank Rickdemption);
• the pacing (great episodes like Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort or Rickmurai Jack are dragged by fast-paced screenplays);
• the science-fiction/movie-spoof concepts presented, and their tie-ins with the other humorous or emotional beats of the episode (Total Rickall is a great example of these elements);
• the overall enjoyment of the episode (episodes such as Bethic Twinstinct or Rest and Ricklaxation are great examples of a mostly subjective high rating on my part);
• the general consensus and popularity (The Ricklantis Mixup deserves to be considered the greatest episode of the show so far).

Seasons Averages/Ranking (Updated):

- Season 3: 8.75 Best episodes: The Ricklantis Mixup, The Rickshank Rickdemption, Rest and Ricklaxation;
- Season 2: 8.05 Best episodes: Total Rickall, Auto-Erotic Assimilation, The Wedding Squanchers;
- Season 4: 7.75 Best episodes: The Vat of Acid Episode, Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat, Never Ricking Morty;
- Season 1: 7.45 Best episodes: Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind, Rick Potion #9, Meeseeks and Destroy;
- Season 7: 7.35 Best episodes: That's Amorte, Fear No Mort, Unmortricken;
- Season 6: 7 Best episodes: Bethic Twinstinct, Analyze Piss, Solaricks;
- Season 5: 6.65 Best episodes: Mortiplicity, Rickmurai Jack, Mort Dinner Rick Andre;

I believe the third season is the strongest, as it managed to write funny, silly episodes such as Pickle Rick, Morty's Mindblowers or The Whirly-Dirly Conspiracy, and alternate them with serious, gritty looks into the minds of the main characters (The Rickshank Rickdemption, Rest and Ricklaxation), or of the world around them, the best example being the highly-regarded, brilliantly-written The Ricklantis Mixup, which packs social commentary, world-building and heavy lore in 22 minutes.
The second and the first season are classics, and I apologize if these scores somehow undermine their importance in the show and the culture surrounding it. At their strongest, it feels like one couldn't watch any other show, as they cram jokes, poignant moments and world-building effortlessly, but it's their worst episodes that drag them down, score-wise.
The fourth season, though a bit more underwritten and distinctive than the third, follows the same formula of random adventures, mixed with occasional lore.
The fifth season though, has (almost) no redeeming qualities. It features generic sitcom jokes, little to no character development except for the lore episodes, no rewatch value and a couple of episodes (Rickdependence Spray, Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion) which despite certain solid jokes and moments, are tedious and never manage to make me care. The only exceptions this season are the premiere, the second episode, and the heavy lore ones (Rickternal Friendshine and Rickmurai Jack), though even those have unnecessarily rushed screenplays and half-baked premises.