Adult Swim released a trailer for Rick and Morty Season 4, Part 2 on April 1, confirming the hit sci-fi cartoon will continue on May 3. And based on the trailer, these remaining five episodes are going to bring back a ton of important characters and unresolved plotlines from Rick and Morty lore. In other words, now is the perfect time to freshen up on the dimension-hopping duo.
But if you don't have time to watch all three-and-a-half seasons of Rick and Morty, here are the nine most important episodes you need to revisit before Season 4 Episode 6. We even ranked them from least to most important for extra convenience.
9. Rick and Mort Season 1 Episode 7, “Raising Gazorpazorp”
Often considered one of the all-time worst episodes of Rick and Morty ever, the late Season 1 episode where Morty copulates with a sex doll that gives birth to an alien hybrid Gazorpian is a weird one. But if our assessment of “The Other Half” trailer is accurate, then Evil Morty may have assembled an army full of Gazorpians — and they might be an army of Morty Jrs from other realities. We won’t know for sure if this is true until the episode in question airs, so mark this one low-priority for rewatching.
8. Rick and Mort Season 1 Episode 5, “Meeseeks and Destroy”
For similar reasons to “Raising Gazorpazorp,” the trailer for the back-half of Rick and Morty Season 4 opens on a massive army that includes a legion of Meeseeks standing next to an army of Ricks. The myriad of Ricks makes it clear this is Evil Morty’s army, so if only to get a refresher on Meeseeks, consider watching their excellent debut from Season 1. This episode also marks the first appearance of Summer’s classmate Tammy, a spy for the Galactic Federation who’s slated to return later this season.
Bonus: The Season 4 premiere, “Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Repeat” also has a few fun uses for the obedient blue creature, so if you have the time, consider adding that one into the mix.
7. Rick and Mort Season 4 Episode 4, “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Unit”
The only Season 4 episode that might wind up being relevant before the end of this season, “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Unit” introduced the mysterious Talking Cat voiced by Matthew Broderick in a B-plot where he goes to Florida with Jerry. We never really come to understand why he’s here or what his purpose is, but Rick and Jerry peer inside his mind and seem some atrocious horrors.
In that episode’s post-credits scene, the Talking Cat joins up with Balthromaw, Morty’s former dragon. Then, in the new trailer, we see a cat in some kind of mecha fighting against Snuffles the dog. While this is definitely a different intelligent cat based on the markings, this does mean we’ll probably learn a lot more about the character and his terrifying origin story.
6. Rick and Mort Season 1 Episode 2, “Lawnmower Dog”
The first truly great episode of Rick and Morty, “Lawnmower Dog,” introduced us to Scary Terry in an A-plot that made fun of Inception, but its B-plot became the focus in the end. And it could matter a lot in Season 4, Part 2.
Rick enhances the family’s dog’s intelligence and gives the pooch the ability to speak. Snuffles the dog leads a rebellion of intelligent mech-enhanced dogs who eventually migrate into a different dimension, but the new Rick and Morty Season 4 Part 2 trailer confirms that Snuffles will return to fight some intelligent cats in one of the upcoming episodes.
What’s he been up to all this time? Does he still love Morty? We’re bound to find out.
5-3: Rick and Morty's Birdperson trilogy
5. “Ricksy Business” (1.11), 4. “The Wedding Squanchers” (2.10), and 3. “The Rickshank Rickdemption” (3.1)
The Season 1 finale where Rick, Morty, and Summer throw a house party is a hugely important episode for many reasons, chief among them the introduction of Rick’s longtime friends Birdperson and Squanchy — along with showcasing the budding romance between Birdperson and Summer’s friend Tammy, who is actually a spy for the Galactic Federation.
We see Tammy and Summer fighting with lightsabers in the new trailer, so brushing up on her wedding and betrayal of Birdperson is pretty important. The post-credits scene of the Rick and Morty Season 3 premiere also revealed that she had transformed the presumed-dead Birdperson into some kind if Terminator-Darth Vader cyborg that calls himself Phoenixperson. These three episodes together present one of the few ongoing arcs in the series that'll become important in the rest of Season 4.
Bonus: If you’re looking to experience the full Tammy Cut, be sure to include “Meeseeks and Destroy” (1.5) and “Get Schwifty” (2.5) mixed in with these, as she has cameo roles in those two episodes.
2-1. Rick and Morty's greatest villain ever returns
2. “Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind” (1.10) and 1. “Tales From the Citadel” (3.7)
We never see him in "The Other Five" trailer, but Evil Morty's presence looms large. A brilliant, menacing Morty from a reality we don't know anything about, this character emerged as the hidden mastermind behind a plot to pin multiple murders on Rick in “Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind.”
We didn't catch up with Evil Morty again until the excellent "The Ricklantis Mixup" / "Tales From the Citadel" episode late in Season 3, when he wins a democratic election in the Citadel where Mortys and Ricks from across the multiverse reside — only to murder all of the naysayers to assume a dictatorial role over the society. He's finally coming for Rick and Morty, and we know this because he's assembled an army of Ricks to help.
If you’re looking for a more clean-cut rewatch rundown in chronological order (with links to where you can watch them on Hulu, if applicable), then look no further:
- “Lawnmower Dog” (1.2)
- “Meeseeks and Destroy” (1.5)
- “Raising Gazorpazorp” (1.7)
- “Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind” (1.10)
- “Ricksy Business” (1.11)
- “The Wedding Squanchers” (2.10)
- “The Rickshank Rickdemption” (3.1)
- “Tales From the Citadel” (3.7)
- “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Unit” (4.4)
