Rick and Morty

[Fandom Trash]

This episode was interesting to say the least.

With the way the episode ended, we have no idea if Beth took the clone option and left the kids, but we'll see what happens.

Of course reddit is already latching onto the stone cold steve austin phrase

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

Holy shit, is Beth fucked up. Those childhood toys have some intensely messed up implications.

EDIT: by the way, if you don't have cable, here's a YouTube streaming the episode on repeat. Catch it while you can.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

I liked it because I'm a sucker for Rick trying to be a "good" dad. Objectively, I don't think this episode was anything special. Too much slice of life, not enough off-the-rails sci-fi.

I also feel like the core theme of the episode, that Beth is just as bad as her father, was already established in the episode where she shot Mr. Poopybutthole in cold blood and tried to cope with the situation by running to the kitchen and pouring a glass of wine. For an episode that was supposed to be character driven it doesn't seem like we learned anything new.

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

 

[CWCissey]

'I'm not bending the knee, suck my dick'

Fairly interesting episode, if a bit light.

 

[BrunoMattei]

Fantastic episode.

 

[Shokew]

I loved it... Beth getting some legit character development (realizing Rick isn't someone to look up to, let alone be proud of, honestly.), plus the kids putting Jerry in his miserable place (like he deserves for being such a pussyass bitch!), is always a welcome site, IMHO... What's NOT a welcome site? Next week being the last episode of the season, then another BS long hiatus. Ugh...

 

[Johnny Bravo]

I loved it... Beth getting some legit character development (realizing Rick isn't someone to look up to, let alone be proud of, honestly.), plus the kids putting Jerry in his miserable place (like he deserves for being such a pussyass bitch!), is aleays a welcome site, IMHO... What's NOT a welcome site? Next week being the last episode of the season, then another BS long hiatus. Ugh...

I actually enjoyed Jerry's story more and I think I've realized why. Jerry's story had stakes. If he didn't break up with his new girlfriend then the kids would be killed. It's also fun to see Jerry in over his head. With Beth's story, there were no compelling stakes. It was about saving a childhood friend we'd never heard of so that another character we'd never heard of wouldn't be put to death. Beth's story would have been more interesting if Tommy had died and we saw Beth have to cope with being a murderer. We could still have the dangerous monsters, they could just say that Tommy starved to death and his DNA corrupted the ecosystem. Maybe some of the wildlife fed on Tommy's corpse and it caused them to acquire a taste for human flesh. The only part of Beth's story I really liked was the ending, where we don't know if Beth took Rick's offer or not, but you could change the middle part and still keep the ending. More than any other this episode feels like the victim of deadlines.

 

[Shokew]

I actually enjoyed Jerry's story more and I think I've realized why. Jerry's story had stakes. If he didn't break up with his new girlfriend then the kids would be killed. It's also fun to see Jerry in over his head. With Beth's story, there were no compelling stakes. It was about saving a childhood friend we'd never heard of so that another character we'd never heard of wouldn't be put to death. Beth's story would have been more interesting if Tommy had died and we saw Beth have to cope with being a murderer. We could still have the dangerous monsters, they could just say that Tommy starved to death and his DNA corrupted the ecosystem. Maybe some of the wildlife fed on Tommy's corpse and it caused them to acquire a taste for human flesh. The only part of Beth's story I really liked was the ending, where we don't know if Beth took Rick's offer or not, but you could change the middle part and still keep the ending. More than any other this episode feels like the victim of deadlines.

Good criticism there. I can see why people would disagree on my otherwise glowing opinion of things here.

 

[Kamen Rider Black RX]

I actually enjoyed Jerry's story more and I think I've realized why. Jerry's story had stakes. If he didn't break up with his new girlfriend then the kids would be killed. It's also fun to see Jerry in over his head. With Beth's story, there were no compelling stakes. It was about saving a childhood friend we'd never heard of so that another character we'd never heard of wouldn't be put to death. Beth's story would have been more interesting if Tommy had died and we saw Beth have to cope with being a murderer. We could still have the dangerous monsters, they could just say that Tommy starved to death and his DNA corrupted the ecosystem. Maybe some of the wildlife fed on Tommy's corpse and it caused them to acquire a taste for human flesh. The only part of Beth's story I really liked was the ending, where we don't know if Beth took Rick's offer or not, but you could change the middle part and still keep the ending. More than any other this episode feels like the victim of deadlines.

I think the whole thing is that the stakes only really matter to Beth... and the guy on death row really. The whole story is about how selfish a person she is and she doesn't want that guy's execution on her hands. No one else really cares and she was content to call the guy a monster, even playing it up to seem rather important, until she learned she played a role in Tommy's disappearance. Then it's just her blaming Rick for what she did while trying to say she's pure and innocent, ultimately escalating things to their conclusion.

Beth's story is ultimately about breaking down the illusions she has about herself and Rick. She wasn't this sweet lil angel she believed she was, and possesses the same traits she faults Rick for. It's ultimately a damaging moment for her as everything sinks in, and in the end she has the option to follow in Rick's footsteps and leave. The one thing that really gets me is the final photo she looks at, which could either imply she's not over Jerry or she's remembering the shotgun wedding that effectively caged her with a family. Whatever choice she made at the end, it's going to say many things about her as a person.

And I just can't help but wonder if Rick worries about turning Morty into another Beth, considering some of his reactions to Morty's violence.

But in the end, I feel the Beth plot should have had all the focus here. The Jerry plot could have been a great episode on it's own or it could have remained a good B-Plot, but they both detract from each other. Though I guess together they highlight that Jerry is just a selfish as Beth, so both parents are shown as shitty at the same time.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

I think the whole thing is that the stakes only really matter to Beth... and the guy on death row really. The whole story is about how selfish a person she is and she doesn't want that guy's execution on her hands. No one else really cares and she was content to call the guy a monster, even playing it up to seem rather important, until she learned she played a role in Tommy's disappearance. Then it's just her blaming Rick for what she did while trying to say she's pure and innocent, ultimately escalating things to their conclusion.

Beth's story is ultimately about breaking down the illusions she has about herself and Rick. She wasn't this sweet lil angel she believed she was, and possesses the same traits she faults Rick for. It's ultimately a damaging moment for her as everything sinks in, and in the end she has the option to follow in Rick's footsteps and leave. The one thing that really gets me is the final photo she looks at, which could either imply she's not over Jerry or she's remembering the shotgun wedding that effectively caged her with a family. Whatever choice she made at the end, it's going to say many things about her as a person.

These are good points. I should probably watch the episode a second time. Usually I don't have a full appreciation for Rick and Morty until I've watched an episode twice.

EDIT: Yeah, it plays better the second time. I still think the episode could have used bigger stakes but that feels more like a nitpick now.

And I just can't help but wonder if Rick worries about turning Morty into another Beth, considering some of his reactions to Morty's violence.

I have a theory about this. Morty takes after Jerry a lot, which is especially obvious in the first season, and has grown more assertive as the series progressed. In a way Rick is saving Morty from becoming a failure like his father by putting him into situations that force him out of his comfort zone. Rick attributes most of Beth's unhappiness to Jerry, so making her son less like him should be a good thing to him. He can't let Morty get too cocky of course, then he wouldn't be able to use him as his sidekick, plus he'd risk making a second Evil Morty, but I think he's fine with Morty becoming stronger as long as it doesn't threaten his status as patriarch of the family.

Besides, off the top of my head, Morty only uses violence re-actively. Beth seems different. She tried to murder one of her "friends" because she was jealous of him. I can't picture Morty doing that.

But in the end, I feel the Beth plot should have had all the focus here. The Jerry plot could have been a great episode on it's own or it could have remained a good B-Plot, but they both detract from each other. Though I guess together they highlight that Jerry is just a selfish as Beth, so both parents are shown as shitty at the same time.

Agreed. Even though I feel the Jerry segment was the better part of this episode, I also believe that Beth's story would have benefited tremendously from more focus and screentime.

 

[Kamen Rider Black RX]

I theorize that Rick's made-up backstory in the season opener wasn't made-up, it's just Simple Rick's. Otherwise, I shudder to think what became of SR's Beth.

 

[Cosmos]

This was a great episode, and this season's been fantastic, but I'm honestly getting bothered by the constant cynicism and nihilism. Cynicism and nihilism have been present since episode 1, but there were still heartwarming moments mixed in. As much as a jackass as Rick is, in seasons 1 and 2, we still got the impression that he genuinely loves his family; he's just too broken and cynical to show it properly. Season 3 is going out of its way to make it seem like Rick just doesn't care about his family.

Idk, I'm just really not a fan of the "nothing matters, intelligence breeds misery, apathy is the best policy, pretend not to care about the people you care about" philosophy that the show is leaning on more and more heavily each episode.

Also, this review neatly summarizes how I feel about the recent episodes:

Spoiler

 

[Johnny Bravo]

I theorize that Rick's made-up backstory in the season opener wasn't made-up, it's just Simple Rick's. Otherwise, I shudder to think what became of SR's Beth.

I'd wager our Rick's backstory is a lot worse than what he shared with the Galactic Federation.

This was a great episode, and this season's been fantastic, but I'm honestly getting bothered by the constant cynicism and nihilism. Cynicism and nihilism have been present since episode 1, but there were still heartwarming moments mixed in. As much as a jackass as Rick is, in seasons 1 and 2, we still got the impression that he genuinely loves his family; he's just too broken and cynical to show it properly. Season 3 is going out of its way to make it seem like Rick just doesn't care about his family.

Idk, I'm just really not a fan of the "nothing matters, intelligence breeds misery, apathy is the best policy, pretend not to care about the people you care about" philosophy that the show is leaning on more and more heavily each episode.

Also, this review neatly summarizes how I feel about the recent episodes:

Spoiler

View attachment 287040

If that was true Rick wouldn't even be there. If Rick didn't care about his family he'd just leave forever, taking Morty with him only because of his cloaking power, and spend the rest of his life drinking and becoming more powerful through science. The simple fact that he sticks around and occasionally does nice things for his family is proof that total nihilism is bullshit.

Rick gave Beth the option to leave because he wanted her to be happy. He also promised that if she ever came back he would simply destroy her clone and everything would go back to normal. I guess you could call that whole scenario a kind of nihilism, but to me it sounds like freedom.

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

Rest and Ricklaxation proved that Rick cares a lot for his family. Hell, he even managed to bond with Jerry in that one episode. But he views that attachment as a weakness or a flaw, mainly because when he does end up letting his guard down like that, it turns out bad for him. At the wedding with Birdperson getting killed, on the Whirly Dirley finding out Jerry was planning to help kill him right after Rick opened up to him a little, the whole thing with Unity...even in the Vindicators episode, although it ended up being about Noot Noot, he admitted Morty was important to him and there was a fear that he'd choose the Vindicaters over Rick.

 

[BrunoMattei]

Idk, I'm just really not a fan of the "nothing matters, intelligence breeds misery, apathy is the best policy, pretend not to care about the people you care about" philosophy that the show is leaning on more and more heavily each episode.

Also, this review neatly summarizes how I feel about the recent episodes:

Spoiler

View attachment 287040

I don't look at it that way. If this show was just called Rick then yes you'd have a point. There's a duality to the show because of Morty and while Morty is naive he does possess more humanity than Rick. It's the classic clash of philosophies, Nature VS Nurture, and etc.

I would also argue that being a scientific person or the smartest man in the universe in Rick's case does not immediately lead to nihilism. Or at least an ongoing nihilistic philosophy. Nietzsche wrote about this in his Reevaluation of All Values where he speculates then when man finds that there is no god that it is assumed that our society will plunge into chaos because nothing matters. Nietzsche states that once that happens that man will then find new values. I.E. you discover that there is no god and the value system relating to that god is flawed. Solution, you look to a new value system while applying that same logic. This can be dangerous in certain instances because it can lead to cults but by the same token religion is just as dangerous.

But I'm getting a little off topic.

 

[Kamen Rider Black RX]

Idk, I'm just really not a fan of the "nothing matters, intelligence breeds misery, apathy is the best policy, pretend not to care about the people you care about" philosophy that the show is leaning on more and more heavily each episode.

I don't really think that's what the show's been talking about. It's not that Rick's intelligence cultivates his misery, it's how he uses it. Rather than dealing with actual problems, he uses his mind to avoid them. Beth was a scary kid that was a danger to the other children? Rather than dealing with Beth's issues it's better to create a pocket dimension for her explore in order to keep the other kids safe (so Rick wouldn't have to clone replacements). Rick makes a mistake that breaks his image of being infallible? Erase the memory of the witness. Turns the world into Cronenberg monsters? Find a world where another Rick fixed it only to die shortly afterwards and replace him. Don't want to go to family therapy? Turn yourself into a fucking pickle.

Rick doesn't deal with his problems, he just finds different ways to run away from them. This has caused him to become so detached from everything that he views his attachment to Morty as something he'd rather be rid of. He's just like Jerry in this regard, which says a lot about Beth's daddy issues.

I was wrong, this season isn't about tearing down the escapist fantasy that is Rick and Morty. It does more than that. It's about how we have all these methods to not deal with things, and how they ultimately hurt us. You can not think about it, forget it, run away, blame others, live vicariously through others (Simple Ricks comes to mind), create a self-serving narrative, give into despair, none of those things will make things better. That's what this show is about right now, selfish people looking any easy alternative to real self-improvement. And because of that, everyone is fucking miserable.

This really should have been the season finale imo.

 

[TheLateGreatBate]

I've only just decided to start watching Rick & Morty, and after binge watching the series on Netflix, I have no idea why I didn't start watching it sooner.

 

[Shokew]

I've only just decided to start watching Rick & Morty, and after binge watching the series on Netflix, I have no idea why I didn't start watching it sooner.

I'm in the same boat as you - a former college friend of mine recommended it to me. I was reluctant at first, as looking at it, it didn't look too appetizing for me. However, I started watching some random episodes from Season 1, then I watched a majority of Season 2 proper - and I have been keeping up with it ever since. Now I'm just sorry I didn't watch this from the beginning.

 

[Broseph Stalin]

Well, looks like one of the Alt Right's favorite fashwave artists made a tribute song for Evil Morty. It's actually pretty good.

Then I read the description. There might soon be some kind of Alt Right following for Evil Morty if this meme catches on.

Rick And Morty, a symbolic battle of the generations.

Rick, the degenerate, drug-addicted, nihilistic boomer that leaves ruined lives and ruined worlds in his wake; "Evil" Morty, the highly intelligent, highly driven Generation Z'er, that has set his mind to sorting out the mess Rick has made.

I know who I'm rooting for.