Is This The Best Version Of Rick From Rick And Morty?
In the first few episodes of Rick and Morty, the audience is introduced to all kinds of science fiction tropes and ideas. From traveling to other planets to shrinking people to go on fantastic voyages inside the human body, the show proved it wasn't afraid to go in every direction imaginable. However, the universe of the show literally got bigger on "Rick Potion #9" when it was revealed Rick had the ability to travel to parallel universes with his grandson Morty and in this instance, take over this reality after destroying their own.
Things only got more extreme with the introduction of the Council of Ricks, which is an interdimensional coalition of Ricks to rule over all Rick-dom. It's here we encounter various Ricks outside of the one from the main continuity, known to fans as Rick C-137. There's Insurance Rick, Plumber Rick, and even Juggling Rick, and while C-137 may be the Rickest Rick of them all, does that necessarily mean he's the best?
While "best" is hard to quantify, we'd have to say it would be the version of Rick you'd most want to be. For the most part, pretty much every Rick out there is estranged from his family in some manner due to his severe alcoholism. But there's one particular Rick out there who's really nailed down this whole "life" thing.
Simple Rick seems to be the only Rick who's found peace
On one of the best Rick and Morty episodes ever made — "The Ricklantis Mixup" a.k.a. "Tales From the Citadel" — we're introduced to Simple Rick. He comes from 60 iterations off the finite curve, and it's abundantly clear he's the only Rick that's found true happiness. We learn he hasn't pursued a life of science and adventure like almost every other iteration of him. Instead, he spends his time woodcrafting in the garage after realizing his most important invention was his family.
Simple Rick is there for Beth growing up. He's not tormented by the same grand pursuits and likely hasn't given into the degree of nihilism all over that Ricks have because he hasn't explored the universe and realized how microscopic his place in it is. That's why the Citadel of Ricks has hooked him up to a loop that plays a moment with his daughter over and over again so that he can secrete tears that make those special wafers oh-so-sweet.
It's clear that every Rick wants what Simple Rick has. They want that feeling of contentment with life rather than living on the verge of death all the time. But they've all chosen their various lots in life, and the closest they'll get to feeling true, utter happiness is by eating cookies made by his tears. Simple Rick has discovered the one thing all Ricks need, and he didn't even have to find a toilet on another planet to get it.