History Recap / RickAndMortyS1E5MeeseeksAndDestroy

* {{Irony}}: Jerry takes Rick's warning of not assigning difficult tasks to Mr. Meeseeks to heart, but Summer and Beth end up doing just those (Summer wanting to become popular and Beth receiving tips to being a better woman) and succeed in their issues. Jerry, meanwhile, drives a whole bunch of Mr. Meeseeks ''crazy'' because they can't help him take two simple strokes off his game.

* TheBet: Rick allows Morty to choose his own adventure in this episode. He then invokes this bet: If Morty backs out midway for any reason, he is forbidden to complain about any and all adventures going forward. If Morty finishes, however, he gets the right to choose his own adventure after nine of Rick's.

** Jerry has a more humorous example, if still a little sympathetic. Beth and Summer completed their tasks fairly quickly, but Jerry struggles with his (knocking two strokes off his golf game). Not only does he anguish about it, but so does his Meeseeks.

* {{Homage}}: The concept of the Meeseeks, a creature brought into existence for the purpose of a single task who then self-destructs when said task is done, is borrowed from ''ComicBook/ScudTheDisposableAssassin''. Co-creator Dan Harmond wrote several issues while the comic's creator Rob Schrab had been a writer on Harmond's ''Series/{{Community}}''.

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: King Jellybean has supposedly been using his identity to get away with molesting children for years. Not only does victimising Morty end with him suffering a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown, but Rick then later disintegrates him with his laser pistol while [[HumiliationConga he is paraded by his worshippers battered and disheveled]].

* OffOnATechnicality: Rick and Morty leave court as free men because they weren't read their MirandaRights.

* SanitySlippage: With Jerry having so much trouble with his golf game, his Meeseeks summoned another one and that one another one and so on and son. Eventually, after panicking and blaming each other, they agree to go on a murderous rampage in order to complete their task.

* SeriousBusiness: A simple golf handicap becomes a matter of life or death when the Meeseeks drive themselves mad trying to improve Jerry's. They divide into factions over whether the solution should be to choke up or follow through, get into fights, and eventually band together to kill Jerry.
* SherlockScan: Part and parcel for Rick's extreme intellect, he immediately deduces what happened to Morty in the bathroom when he sees Morty's terror and disheveled appearance and how beaten up Jellybean is. [[PapaWolf Rick]] is emphatically not thrilled.

* ASimplePlan: Despite Jerry picking a rather simple request the Meeseeks couldn't help him with his golf, but were able to help the rather complex task of making Summer more popular at school and Beth's life more fulfilling.

* TheBet: Rick allows Morty to choose his own adventure in this episode. He then invokes this bet: If Morty backs out midway for any reason, he is forbidden to complain about any and all adventures going forward. If Morty finishes, however, he has the right to choose his own adventure after nine of Rick's.

* {{Irony}}: Jerry takes Rick's warning of not assigning difficult tasks to Mr. Meeseeks to heart, but Summer and Beth end up doing just those (Summer wanting to become popular and Beth receiving marital counseling) and succeed in their issues. Jerry, meanwhile, drives a whole bunch of Mr. Meeseeks ''crazy'' because they can't help him take two simple strokes off his game.

* AmusingInjuries: One scene involves the Meeseeks fighting each other, causing a lot of these.

* AttemptedRape: Morty is almost raped by King Jellybean, but finds just enough strength to fight him off. Rick realizes what happens when Morty, beat up and shaking, leaves the toilet, with King Jellybean eventually leaving as well. It ends with Rick murdering King Jellybean in revenge.

* ImpossiblePickleJar: Jerry's inability to open a jar results in Rick giving him the Meseeks box, sparking the B-plot of the episode.

* PetTheDog: Rick quickly realizes what happened to Morty in the bathroom and goes out of his way to make sure he wins their bet.

* RealityEnsues: When the Giant slipped and dies from his head wound, his wife wants legal justice and the story changed from an adventure into a CourtroomDrama.
** After the Meesheeks disappear, Beth and Jerry try to get their meal to go, but are instead told that they can't leave until the police arrive, since they have a lot to explain for the hostage situation.

* SherlockScan: Part and parcel for Rick's extreme intellect, he immediately deduces what happened to Morty in the bathroom when he sees Morty's terror and Jellybean's disheveled appearance. [[PapaWolf Rick]] is emphatically not thrilled.

* TapOnTheHead: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. The Giant die from the hit to his head.

* BrokenPedestal: Lampshaded, Discussed, and intentionally averted. The two who discover compromising photos of King Jellybean after his death decide to DestroyTheEvidence to protect the public's perception of him.

* DeathSeeker: Existence is pain for a Meeseeks. The only way for Mr. Meeseeks to die is for them to complete their tasks. They'll do anything they can to finish their job.

-->'''Mr. Meeseeks''': No, we won't. But we will get ''all'' strokes off his game.... When we ''[[JustEatGilligan kill him]]''!

* SeriesEstablishingMoment: This is the first episode of the show to draw a line in the sand about it's stance on [[BlackComedyRape rape jokes]], that ''comments'' about it can be funny, but the act itself isn't. Rick's joke about PrisonRape is meant to be funny, but Morty getting assaulted in the bathroom isn't in the slightest.

* PunBasedTitle

* TapOnTheHead: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] The Giant die from the hit to his head.

* SherlockScan: Part and parcel for Rick's extreme intellect, he immediately deduces what happened to Morty in the bathroom when he sees Monty's terror and Jellybean's disheveled appearance. [[PapaWolf Rick]] is emphatically not thrilled.

** Minor example: when Jerry sinks the shot with the tomato proving he's better at golf, one Meeseeks holds out for a while longer because he's unsure about Jerry's putting.

* {{Irony}}: Despite Jerry picking a rather simple request the Meeseeks couldn't help him with his golf, but were able to help the rather complex task of making Summer more popular at school and Beth's life more fulfilling.

* BreakTheCutie: Morty is almost sexually molested in a bathroom. The whole thing is played extremely seriously.

* CryIntoChest: Morty does this to Rick after he is almost raped in the bathroom. Rick comforts him by offering to take the schmekles he won to the villagers so Morty would win the bet.

* ShoutOut: The name of the episode is a reference to "Seek and Destroy," a {{Music/Metallica}} song.
** Also a very common phrase, especially in military use.

'''Season 1, Episode 5'''

[[caption-width-right:350:'''''[[NoIndoorVoice I'M MR. MEESEEKS! LOOK AT ME!]]''''']]

'''Meeseeks And Destroy'''
-> Written by Ryan Ridley
-> Directed by Bryan Newton

After Morty is traumatized (again), he refuses to go on any more adventures with Rick because they're not "simple or fun". Rick dares Morty to come up with a better adventure. However, the rest of the family needs Rick's help, so Rick gives them a meeseeks box. A box that summons a blue man (named Mr. Meeseeks) to do tasks for them.

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