The Entire Rick And Morty Story Finally Explained

Rick and Morty is a show that includes a lot of crazy things like space, the multiverse, and action-packed adventures with medium-to-high stakes. However, at its core, the series is actually about a family. 

Let's start with Rick Sanchez, the smartest man in the universe. The series opens with Rick having just reunited with his adult daughter, Beth Smith. Because she's desperate for her dad's approval and traumatized by him leaving in the first place, Beth welcomes his dysfunction into the home she shares with her husband, Jerry, a perpetually down-on-his-luck beta male who is (to put it politely) nowhere close to Rick's level of super intelligence. 

Together, Beth and Jerry have two kids. Their eldest daughter, Summer, is in many ways the average American teenage girl. She's worried about fashion, her friends, and the various boys she likes at her school. However, what sets her apart from the rest of her peers is how utterly unfazed she needs to be by her parent's failing marriage and her grandpa's high-risk space adventures. 

Finally, that brings us to Morty, the youngest in the family and Rick's greatest ally in his maddening adventures. Prior to Rick's arrival, Morty was a troubled kid charting well below average at his school. A big reason why could have to do with his crippling crush on a girl named Jessica. After Rick showed up, though ... none of that really changed, but Morty's life got very different.