Every now and then, our
Jerkass characters have their redeeming moments.
- When Rusty refuses to shoot an adorable squirrel as a part of some messed up redneck "coming of age" ceremony. So he aims down and shoots the ground instead - only he actually shoots his own grandmother. Yeah, call it a subversion, but it works.
- There was also the moment in the Christmas episode when, genuinely moved by a live nativity singing "O Holy Night", Early shares a rare father-son moment with "Well Done, Son" Guy Rusty... until the nativity turns out to be an elf black ops team sent to rescue the captured-and-tortured Santa. They are promptly mauled to death by Granny's attack dogs.
- The ending of "Rusty and Tammi Sitting In A Tree, B-A-S-T-A-R-D", where Rusty has a tender moment with his newborn son, Macho Man Randy Cuyler.
- Made even more tender by the fact that Granny believes the baby to not actually be Rusty's, but taking steps to not enlighten him of the fact.
- "Dead Squid Walking" has Early comforting Rusty after he's duped by his outlaw grandfather.
Early: Son, I know you disappointafied, but I told you. He just ain't no damn good.
Rusty: But he-he done lied to me...
Early: Just forget about it, sport. What do you say we play us some catch?
- Granted, Early's version of catch involves using a BB Gun to shoot at Rusty's head. Though, Early does say he loves his son (in his own way).
- Some of the themes. John Prine's for "Duel of the Dimwits" is especially happy, giving the indication that the episode is going to be pretty warm and fuzzy.... and it IS in a warped way.
- The ending of "Blue Lives Battered" when Sheriff, Early, and Denny are hugging and embracing. Yes, you read that right. And unlike most examples, this moment is played completely straight.
- When Early uploads the video of his reconciliation with Sharif, he titles it: "Re-United & Damn Excited!!!".
- In a weird way, Rusty being Easily Forgiven by everyone when he had brutally ripped off their throats in a blind-rage. Even Early, prime Abusive Parent, forgives him wholeheartedly.
- Dan Halen's first (and so far only) true Pet the Dog moment in "The War on the War on Christmas", where he, along with everyone else, try to save Randy from a tolerance-hating Early. Dan is even the first person to grab the Christmas Tree before it falls down and urges everyone else to do the same. Too bad he gets crushed alive.
- "No Space Like Home" is an oddly nice episode about how Early and his father had to live in a storage space for sometime. Unlike many other flashback episodes, Ga Ga spends the whole episode not really being abusive towards Early, just inept at taking care of him. It even ends on a semi-sweet note with Early and Rusty carrying on the family tradition of hiding animal bones in stores to get free stuff.
- Once finding out that the mask Early stole from Sheriff is very important to him (and is practically worth nothing on the internet), Early goes out of his way to get the mask back — which included getting ruthlessly mauled by dozens of angry dogs — just to cheer him up. He even returns it to him in secret, not even asking for a reward or trying to bribe him with it.
- Rusty showing concern for Sheriff when he nearly drowns in the lake in "Squidbilly Manfishing". He even comforts Sheriff as he is being wheeled to emergency services.
- The series finale "This Show Was Called Squidbillies" is a surprsingly sweet and sentimental episode as we see all of our much abused characters getting their happy ending. Except Early.
- Rusty admits to Tammi that the only reason why he still stays with Early is because he wants to make sure that Granny is taken care of.
- Dr. Bug, Durwood, and several other people all show up to Granny's funeral looking quite saddened. Even if Granny was a depraved old woman she had her loved ones and even if they had cut ties with her they still cared enough to see her one last time.
- Granny's spirit returns to save Rusty from a beating from Early. She urges him in her usual warped way to leave Early behind and start a new life with Tammi. She even lets him keep her ring despite getting mad when Early had tried to grave rob it.
- Rusty proposing to Tammy and leaving Dougal County behind, severing ties with Early and his abusive ways once and for all. A Time Skip shows Rusty and Tammi Happily Married in Elberton, having at least six children now who all appear to be happy as well.
- In the same episode the Sheriff decides to let Rusty go so he can live his life even he was technically complicit in grave robbing and had stolen Early's precious truck. Thus he did for Rusty what his father failed to do for Early, helping Rusty escape his abusive father. It is particularly sweet when you realize that for most of the show, Sheriff had always seen the good in the Cuylers and tried to support them even if it backfired all the time. But now at the end of the show it finally paid off with Rusty now becoming a mature adult and Lil Cuyler being sober with a happy boyfriend. Without his help, they would likely be forever stuck with Early and the perpetual Cuyler stink.
- A Freeze-Frame Bonus on Rusty's social media profile shows Sheriff smiling happily with a teenage Randy; even if Rusty left Dougal County behind he still lets the people he knows are good in his life.
