Rick Sanchez is a nihilistic, genius scientist who drags his anxious grandson, Morty Smith, on dangerous, interdimensional adventures. Morty's mother, Beth, is Rick's daughter and a horse surgeon grappling with her identity, while his father, Jerry, is insecure and often disapproves of Rick's influence. The family dynamic is strained, especially after Beth and Jerry's recent divorce.

The season kicks off with Rick escaping the Galactic Federation prison, orchestrating the collapse of the Federation's economy and the destruction of the Citadel of Ricks. This event directly leads to Beth divorcing Jerry. As Rick, Morty, and Summer (Morty's angst-ridden sister) cope with the divorce, they embark on various escapades. Rick avoids family therapy by turning himself into a pickle to survive a sewer adventure. Later, a visit to the Citadel of Ricks, now without its Council, reveals that Evil Morty has risen to power, manipulating events to become President. Beth confronts her past in a childhood fantasy world Rick created, realizing her own dark, destructive nature mirrors her father's.

Ultimately, Rick and the U.S. President engage in a petty conflict. Meanwhile, Beth and Jerry reconcile, leading to Rick begrudgingly accepting Jerry back into the family, sacrificing his dominant position. The Smith family appears to be back to their dysfunctional normal, but Morty secretly steals Rick's portal gun.

Season 3 of Rick and Morty covers episodes 1-10. Here's everything that happened:

Season 3, Episode 1: The Rickshank Rickdemption - Rick, having intentionally allowed himself to be captured, manipulates the Galactic Federation and the Citadel of Ricks, leading to the collapse of the Federation's economy and the destruction of the Citadel. He orchestrates this to exact revenge on Jerry for betraying him. The episode concludes with Beth divorcing Jerry, and Rick revealing to Morty that his entire plan was to remove Jerry from the family and secure his own dominance, all while obsessing over Szechuan sauce.

Season 3, Episode 2: Rickmancing the Stone - Rick, Morty, and Summer travel to a post-apocalyptic Earth to process their parents' divorce. Summer embraces a nihilistic lifestyle, becoming the leader of the Death Stalkers after killing their previous leader, while Morty uses a powerful, sentient arm to channel his rage. Rick ultimately steals the valuable Isotope 322, causing the wasteland to revert to its previous state. The episode concludes with Summer and Morty returning home, having found a way to cope with their emotional turmoil.

Season 3, Episode 3: Pickle Rick - Rick turns himself into a pickle to avoid family therapy. After a cat knocks him into the sewer, he crafts a cockroach exoskeleton and then a rat-suit to survive and escape. He partners with Jaguar to escape a heavily guarded compound, and upon returning, Rick apologizes to Beth. The episode concludes with Rick and Beth deciding to go drinking, ignoring Morty and Summer's desire for more therapy.

Season 3, Episode 4: Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender - After a drunken Rick defeats the villain Worldender, he sets up a series of Saw-esque deadly trials for the Vindicators. The next morning, a hungover Rick forces the remaining Vindicators to complete his twisted games. Supernova kills Million Ants, and the episode concludes with a party hosted by Rick, where the rapper Logic performs, and the Vindicators are left in disarray.

Season 3, Episode 5: The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy - Rick takes Jerry to an intergalactic resort with an immortality field, where Jerry is recruited to assassinate Rick. Summer attempts to enlarge her breasts with Rick's tech, resulting in her becoming a giant, then being turned inside out by Beth. Rick and Jerry survive an assassination attempt on the Whirly Dirly, leading to Rick killing Risotto Groupon. The episode concludes with Rick and Jerry parting ways, acknowledging their roles in Beth and Jerry's divorce.

Season 3, Episode 6: Rest and Ricklaxation - After a grueling adventure, Rick and Morty visit a spa that uses a machine to extract their negative traits. This creates sentient "Toxic" versions of themselves. While the "Clean" versions become more considerate and confident, the toxic counterparts escape. Ultimately, Rick realizes they need their flaws and forces a re-merger with his toxic self, while Morty, now a confident sociopath, chooses to remain separate, pursuing a life as a stockbroker.

Season 3, Episode 7: The Ricklantis Mixup - This episode focuses on the Citadel of Ricks after Rick C-137 destroyed its Council. Multiple storylines unfold, including a cop Rick and Morty investigating crime, Mortys graduating school, and a Morty presidential candidate. The episode culminates with the reveal that Candidate Morty is actually Evil Morty, who has orchestrated his rise to power. Cop Morty dies after killing Big Morty, and Cop Rick surrenders, lamenting the destructive nature of Ricks.

Season 3, Episode 8: Morty's Mind Blowers - After Morty requests a traumatic memory be erased, Rick reveals a vault of forgotten memories. Rick begins restoring them, leading to increasingly disturbing revelations, including Morty inadvertently causing an innocent man's suicide and Rick's own foolishness being erased. This culminates in Rick and Morty deciding to kill themselves, only to be saved by Summer, who restores their memories.

Season 3, Episode 9: The ABC's of Beth - Beth confronts her past when Rick reveals her imaginary childhood world, Froopyland, was a real dimension he created. There, she discovers her childhood friend Tommy has survived by engaging in disturbing practices. Beth grapples with her own nature, realizing she is remarkably similar to Rick. The episode concludes ambiguously, with Beth presented with the option of being replaced by a clone, leaving her ultimate choice unconfirmed.

Season 3, Episode 10: The Rickchurian Mortydate - Rick and Morty feud with the U.S. President after completing a mission, leading to a battle of egos and property destruction. Meanwhile, Beth grapples with her identity, ultimately reconciling with Jerry. Rick begrudgingly accepts Jerry back into the family, sacrificing his own patriarchal position. The episode concludes with the Smith family seemingly back to normal, though Morty has stolen Rick's portal gun.