In the naughtiest episode of Rick and Morty Season 6 thus far, Mom takes center stage, with Space Beth and Housewife Beth getting together, though unfortunately, the pay-off isn’t as interesting as that set-up.
Season 6 of Rick and Morty has dealt in big sci-fi storylines with big narratives and themes about life, the universe, and – well – everything.
But Episode 3 – entitled “Bethic Twinstinct” – is a smaller story, about giving into our baser instincts. With Beth Smith getting down and dirty with her good self.
But while it features the odd twist and turn – most notably Jerry’s amazing defense mechanism mid-way through proceedings – it’s far from classic Rick and Morty.
Numbing the Pain
It’s Thanksgiving in the Smith household, and during a pre-turkey toast, Jerry reveals that he couldn’t live without Beth. Literally. “If something were to happen to you, or if you were to leave me or be unfaithful, I would die… probably by my own hand.”
Meanwhile, Morty just wants to play video games, on his brand-new futuristic console. But once Rick kicks the realism setting up to 10, the “Space Invaders” game gets boring, and the “Street Fighter” rip-off is even worse.
But then Summer hears something that sends her into a gaming trance. Before Morty sees the same and joins her to numb the pain.
Till Beth do us part
That’s because they both bear witness to Mom’s new secret. It begins with Space Beth helping Housewife Beth become a better person. The pair then they realize how much they have in common, from favorite Culkins to favorite Britney songs.
The twisted twins head into space to visit Gloopy Drop, but rather than getting ice cream, they get it on, going – as Rick so deliciously puts it – “full San Junipero.”
The pair of them “forgetting the ice-cream” (a euphemism here) sends their kids into the aforementioned tail-spin, while the effect on Jerry is even more devastating.
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Jerry bugs out
Dad takes the news that his wife is doing the dirty with his wife pretty badly. He flashes back to High School when he was warned that Beth would be too much for him. Then in the present, Jerry rolls into a bug.
“Forgot I installed that,” Rick says of his pill-bug protocol, before revealing that his son-in-law can stay in metabolic hibernation indefinitely should he choose.
It’s the best visual gag in the episode, while at the same time summing Jerry up, the character taking control in his own bizarre and passive-aggressive way.
Eternal sunshine of the Beth-less mind
To rescue their family situation, the Beths decide to Eternal Sunshine the Multiplicity porn from their minds, though admittedly Housewife Beth is more interested in making amends than Space Beth.
We then get a Deus Ex Husbanda, as Jerry returns to berate both Beths, only to then show his true colors, giving them permission to double up because it turns him on.
The episode ends with the children hearing this and becoming even more traumatised, before Space Beth takes off, leaving behind a bunch of broken Smiths.
The Verdict: Is Rick and Morty “Bethic Twinstinct” good?
There’s some suggestion that Rick planned this in the final shot, but “Bethic Twinstinct” was really about Space Beth causing trouble, and though she flies away at the end, one wonders if she’ll return to be yet more antagonistic as the series progresses.
Jerry claims everyone learned a lesson over the weekend, which is ironic, as the post-credit sting shows him committing a similar relationship crime with a clone of his own.
Making this a mildly diverting Rick and Morty with a slight sting in its tail, but one with few laughs, and not much to say.
