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Rick and Morty Season 8, Ep 6 Review

Back in the season three episode, “The ABCs of Beth” we learned from Rick that when she was a kid, Beth was kind of nuts. Besides leaving her friend in the imaginary world her dad made for her, she apparently had a penchant for violence and a desire to hurt people. Since we’ve never met a kid version of Beth, we had to take Rick’s word for it…until now. Not only do we seethe Beths become kids again, but they’re every bit as psycho as Rick claims.

At least, most versions of Beth were like that. We don’t know what Rick’s original Beth was like.

Beths Become Kids Again

The Smith family is going on a day trip to this alien-made amusement park that Rick claims is a hilariously bad version of Earth. However, Beth and Space Beth are in too foul a mood to want to go and stay behind. That leads them to discussing when they were last genuinely happy, and that leads them both to turn themselves back into kids using a device on Space Beth’s ship. Unfortunately, the device also reverts them mentally as well as physically. As a result, both Beths become psychotic, bloodthirsty kids who terrorize anyone they come across, like their neighbor, Gene.

I’m a kid at heart myself, so I understand the appeal of wanting to return to being a child. After all, life was simpler when most of us were kids; ergo, it was happier. However, I’m also smart enough to understand that nostalgia has a tendency to blind us to what the past was really like. I loved being a kid, but that also meant dealing with my growing body, going to school every weekday, and the stress of homework. In Beth’s case, we see that Rick was not exaggerating when he said his daughter was nuts as a kid. Rick’s aren’t always the best dads, but at least they had the common sense to make sure their daughter couldn’t hurt anyone…most of the time.

Aww, Rick Really Does Love Beth!

Meanwhile, Rick is also dealing with his nostalgia crisis when he discovers that the theme park he loved, Earth World, has become cleaner and more gentrified. It’s more like how Earth is, at least in America, and it irritates him to no end. He’s the kind of person who thinks a park of inaccurate rides and rusty nails everywhere is hilarious. That leads him to seek out the park’s creator, voiced by Danny DeVito, which leads him to what’s left of the original park. In keeping with the warning about nostalgia filters, it’s not as cool as Rick remembers, and he opts to bail on it to fix the crisis the Beths have started. They end up turning the tables on him, though, and age him up to 360 years old! Those implants of his mean he’s going to live for a long time.

As messed up as the entire thing is, it does lead to a heartfelt moment between Rick and his daughters. The Beths vent their anger at how they were abandoned by Rick (their Rick), and Rick admits he’s proud of both his daughters. It’s another small example of how their relationship has become healthier as the series has progressed, and it’s nice to see.

Another Disastrous Theme Park

Meanwhile, things go downhill for the rest of the Smiths. Morty almost gets it on with an alien, only to realize she’s only into him because he’s human. Summer and Jerry discover that the park owner is insane and sics its mascots (humans with giant heads) on the park to kill everyone. Why? Because that’s what happens in movies involving amusement parks. The trio are barely able to escape with their lives, and in the end, they all agree that the place sucked.

This was a fun episode of Rick and Morty. It’s not one of its better episodes, but it was still entertaining enough to watch. Plus, I really liked how it satirized all those horrible amusement parks we see in movies. The fact that it overtly references Jurassic Park is funny.

“The Curicksous Case of Bethjamin Button” a 3.5/5

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Rick and Morty Season 8 Ep 2 Review

Rick and Space Beth have never had the best relationship, have they? From Rick planting a potential bomb in her to deliberately ensuring neither he nor Earth Beth know which is the clone, Space Beth has every reason to hate her dad. This is something that Rick is all too aware of, but unlike the rest of his family, he hasn’t tried to fix things. It isn’t until Space Beth is forced into asking him for help that the two make any headway. And even then, it’s set against the much greater threat of a rogue Federation scientist and alien parasites. The bugs are back at it again!

Rick Gets Space Beth Fired

Despite her becoming an important side character in the show, Rick and Morty never really focuses on what Space Beth has been up to since she left Earth. The most we know is that she’s part of a greater rebellion against the Gromflomite-led Federation. It isn’t until this episode that we get to see what this rebellion is like, and it’s not that flattering. The show makes it clear it’s what the Rebel Alliance was like until Rogue One had them get their act together: arguing amongst themselves rather than fighting. And when Space Beth goes rogue to conduct an unauthorized assassination that fails, forcing her to turn to Rick for help, they’re happy to kick her out.

To be fair, it’s pretty much shown that they only did that because Rick talked down to them, so it’s more or less his fault.

As Rick and Space Beth have to work together throughout this episode, we see just how Space Beth’s concerns about asking her Dad for help were justified. His follow-up attempt to fix things and uncover the conspiracy taking place leads to them relying on someone that never shows up and getting involved in a massive shootout. The fact that said shootout is juxtaposed against Rick and Space Beth arguing over how Rick’s plan could go wrong is the icing on the comedic cake. It also serves to emphasize just how tense the father and daughter’s relationship is, and to great effect.

These sorts of conflicts between parent and child are not new, but they are still interesting to watch. Seeing Rick stumble in trying to prove himself to his daughter is never not going to be enjoyable, since Beth is one of the few things that keeps him grounded. And as the episode goes on and the two fight the rogue Federation scientist using symbiotic parasites to create super-soldiers, the pair seem to achieve a deeper level of respect for each other. Given that it’s Rick and Morty, whether this will stick is up for debate. But it can’t be any less likely than the truce with the Federation.

The Federation Actually Helps them?

In the biggest twist of the episode, Rick and Space Beth end up calling a truce with a Federation General who’s just as unhappy about what’s happening as they are. As a result, the two groups wind up cooperating to defeat their common enemy, and the General proves to be rather competent. Even crazier, though, is that instead of returning to their usual fighting, the rebellion and Federation keep the truce going! They might actually have peace!

The Gromflomites have been the longest recurring antagonists in Rick and Morty, going all the way back to the pilot. They were responsible for some of the best episodes in the entire series. If this truce sticks, this could seriously affect the status quo of the entire show. Then again, it is Rick and Morty, so nothing is certain.

This episode felt like a notable improvement over the season premiere, helping to keep the show fresh as it enters such a late time in its run. Even more notable, though, is how this episode is the first to not feature Morty in any capacity. Given how the series previously did an episode without Rick, this feels appropriate.

I Give “Valkyrick” a 3.8/5

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Rick and Morty S6, Ep 3 Review

You know, when Rick and Morty first introduced Space Beth, I remember thinking, “Wow. Suddenly there are two Beths in one universe? Jerry’s going to love this.” It took an extra season, but I turned out to be right. Jerry did end up loving it…and the two Beths. In this low-stakes episode of Rick and Morty, two Beths and a Jerry explore their relationship. Everyone else tries not to cringe.

Me? I’m mentally laughing my butt off at having called it.

Two Beths Eating Ice Cream and Chilling

Like Space Beth promised, she’s visiting her double’s family on Earth more often, including for Thanksgiving weekend. After a quick nod to Rick turning into a turkey for a Federal Pardon (again), it’s all about the Beths.

The Beths have gotten closer with each appearance since both allow themselves to see what their lives would be like if they chose to stay or leave their family behind. This episode, though, sees them really bond together. And then…this happens.

I don’t know if this is an example of literal self-love or just incredible narcissism. Either way, it took me for a loop, and I never let go. It’s both fascinating to watch, yet also new kinds of cringe.

Everyone Tries Not to Tell Jerry

Everyone reacts differently to the Beths new relationship. Morty and Summer do what many teens would do in this situation: use video games as a form of escapism. This made for some pretty solid jokes about gaming, especially how hyper-realism could suck the fun out of them. Rick, surprisingly, gives some sage advice, having done something similar in his younger years: don’t let it take over your life, or it will affect everything else. Like Jerry.

Jerry remains clueless as usual until Space Beth flat-out tells him. And he completely shuts down into his shell. Literally.

Two Beths and a Jerry Do…Stuff.

So, remember what I said about Jerry would love having two Beths? I said it with the implication that this would lead to a 3-way relationship. I called it because it turns out Jerry’s more upset that the Beths didn’t tell him rather than them cheating on him with themselves. He’s cool with it.

In the funniest moment of the whole episode, we listen from Rick, Morty, and Summer’s perspectives as the conversation evolve into what is a three-way. Everyone cringed at this, with Morty begging Rick to fix the Portal Gun. Even Rick cringes from the whole thing.

I wasn’t. I laughed my butt off over being right about Jerry and the Beths.

This Episode is So Cringe, and I Loved it!

The episode ends with Space Beth going back into space, and there’s no indication that this relationship will last. However, the damage has been done, and it’s hilarious! This was the slowest episode of the season thus far, but I think it will be the one I might remember the most. It’s just so crazy that two Beths and Jerry did that. The fans will go nuts over this with the writing and artwork.

That, and I loved the video game jokes. Those were funny.

I Give “Bethic Twinstinct” a 4.5/5

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