Top 10 Times Rick and Morty's Family Was Completely Dysfunctional

Top 10 Times Morty's Family Was Completely Dysfunctional

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Times Morty's Family Was Completely Dysfunctional.

For this list, we'll be ranking the Smith family’s most messed up moments on "Rick and Morty."

Can you think of any we missed? Let us know in the comments!

#10: Dimension C-137

Dimension C-137 is where we first meet Rick and Morty during the pilot episode, but it's since been overrun by Cronenbergs. These hybrid monsters were accidentally created by Rick thanks to a love potion made for Morty, so the pair leave the dimension behind, as well as their family. Yep, Jerry, Beth and Summer C-137 are forced to fend for themselves in this new hellish wasteland, and we don't find out what happened to them until season 3, when Morty and Summer make their return. The Smith family in the Cronenberg Dimension, abandoned by Rick, are now feral warriors of the wasteland, living out their days in a Mad Max-styled apocalypse.

#9: Rick's Emotional Unavailability

Ok, so we know that Rick can occasionally show some empathy and caring for his family, like the time one iteration of the scientist sacrificed himself for Morty, but more often than not, it's every Sanchez for himself. Rick usually takes pains to either project his personality over others via insults, or over compensates via drug use or alcohol. In fact, alcoholism seems to run in the family, as both Rick and Beth suffer from this addiction. But it's Rick's friend Birdperson who puts it best when he tells Morty that Rick's latest catch phrase, "Wubba Lubba Dub Dub," actually translates to "I am in great pain, please help me."

#8: Which Beth Is Beth?

Will the real Beth Smith please stand up? It still hasn't been determined whether or not Space Beth is the Beth from the Replacement Dimension or a clone. Either way, however, the relationship between every Rick and every Beth is, well, "complicated." We know that young Beth was so much of a sociopath that Rick had to create Froopyland to save the neighborhood kids from being terrorized, but we're also not even sure if Rick knows which Beth is Beth. Although an update to the mobile game "Pocket Mortys" did seemingly confirm Space Beth is the Clone Beth, the confusion as a whole just leans into the family's dysfunction.

#7: Morty's Mindblowers

We get it: memories can be a painful thing, but is a line crossed when the smartest man in the universe can take them away? This is the plot behind "Morty's Mindblowers," an anthology episode similar to Interdimensional Cable, and where we see a host of memories Rick has erased from his grandson's mind. Some of these were at Morty's request, but still others were either traumatic disasters in Morty's life as a result of Rick's actions, or instances when Rick was embarrassed by Morty. We ultimately see that Rick needs to control everything around him at all times, even his grandson's mind.

#6: The Attack of the 50 Ft. Summer

Beth isn't always the best mother to either Morty or Summer, echoing her own troubled childhood as the daughter of Rick Sanchez. Summer is fairly well adjusted, however (well, given her circumstances, anyway) so we can't really blame her when she's having body image issues and wants to talk with her mom. Beth, however, blows Summer off, resulting in the daughter playing with Rick's equipment in the garage, in an attempt to enlarge her bust. It goes predictably pear-shaped, but Beth is so determined to fix Summer's accident by herself, she continually makes it worse. It isn't until a now giant sized and inverted Summer is consoled by Beth (who has done the same to herself) that things get rectified.

#5: Rick's Master Plan

Did you really think that the Galactic Federation could get the better of Rick C-137? Never underestimate how far Rick Sanchez will go out of spite. The proof in this proverbial pudding was found in the third season opener, "The Rickshank Redemption," Rick reveals he allowed himself to be captured in order to destroy the Federation from within, and to finally get rid of Jerry, once and for all. By the episode's end, Beth and Jerry are due for a divorce, Rick is firmly in charge, and now he can finally get down to the REAL business at hand: getting his hands on that Szechuan dipping sauce, baby!

#4: Jerry & Beth's Marriage

One of Rick and Morty’s strengths is how well the show can blur the lines between real world emotional problems and their outlandish animated embellishments. The idea of a married couple "staying together for the kids" isn't anything new, with Jerry and Beth's dysfunctional marriage having some disturbingly grounded problems. The pair are sent to off world marriage counseling for their troubles, but their co-dependence is so violent and self-destructive that it astonishes their therapist, Glexo Slim Slom. He states that the pair should've never gotten married, which is probably the understatement of the universe.

#3: Like Father, Like Daughter

When Beth rediscovers Froopyland in “The ABCs of Beth”, she’s dead set on showing how unlike her father she really is. However, she comes to a firm realization that she IS her father's daughter when she’s unable to apologize to Tommy for pushing him into the Honey Swamp when they were kids. Is she brilliant, resilient and dangerous? Sure, but she's also emotionally unavailable, narcissistic and neglectful of her family. We have no doubt that it couldn't have been easy being Rick Sanchez's daughter, and unfortunately it seems like many of Rick's worst qualities have affected Beth as an adult.

#2: Soul Bonding

It may be called a "Soul Bond," but we have another word for it: gross. The episode "Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktims Unit" features a scene that made headlines when Rick, Summer and Morty engage in a mass soul bond with a handful of outcast "Slut Dragons" in order to defeat a wizard. But, said "soul bond" is basically a dragon analogy for, how can we say this? A group hang out. The Smith family responds with similar, um, outbursts of enjoyment? It's weird, uncomfortable and more than a little dark, and Rick himself describes it best when he tells Morty and Summer, "maybe don't tell your parents we did this."

Before we name our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions!

Rick's Self-Destructive Mood Swings
His Split From Unity Almost Left Us With One Less God-Like Scientist

Pickle Rick
Because Anything's Better Than Therapy, Right?

Mermaid Puss
Because What Happens in Atlantis, STAYS in Atlantis

#1: Self-Contained Adventures

Ah, a nice little self-contained space adventure: the basic roots of "Rick and Morty." Our number one pick is quite simply the entire premise of the series, as it's COMPLETELY dysfunctional that Beth and Jerry would even let Morty hang out with Rick, even for a minute! We understand that Rick is Morty's grandpa, and that the pair DO save the universe time and time again, but Morty Smith finds himself in danger all the time by a member of his own family. That, if you ask us, is the definition of dysfunctional....although, if we're being honest? We wouldn't want it any other way.