Finally, 'Rick and Morty' Will Focus on Beth for Once
Season 3, Episode 9 is "The ABC's of Beth" — and we get to see the magical world Rick made for her.
Rick will finally go on an adventure with Beth in the next episode of Rick and Morty, and we’ll learn what it’s like having Rick Sanchez as your father. If the latest teaser is any indication, then it’s about as traumatic as having him as your grandpa.
What Happened
In a new promo teaser for Rick and Morty’s “The ABC’s of Beth,” Rick uses what looks like a chemically-enhanced piece of chalk to carve out a rainbow portal to “Froopyland.” Rick created the colorful world for Beth when she was still a little girl, but now she calls it a “nightmare” and a “glorified chicken coop” because Rick probably dumped her there often so she wouldn’t be a distraction. (Remember that this is the same guy who made an interdimensional daycare for every version of his son-in-law.)
In Froopyland, there are procedurally-generated clouds and a literal rainbow river, and Rick says he “put real elbow grease into this place.” But we don’t know much beyond the fact that it looks like Mario might bounce into the scene at any moment.
Throopyland looks like something out of a Mario game.
What It Means
The easy assumption is that Rick made this place to keep Beth busy, but it’s also possible that he genuinely wanted to entertain his daughter. He gets almost offended when Beth talks negatively about Froopyland, saying, “A dad makes a toilet look like R2-D2 and it breaks the front page of Reddit, but I’m Charles Manson because I gave you your own world instead of an iPad.” Did Rick build an entire world in a misguided attempt to show Beth that he actually cared?
Rick and Morty co-creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland previously attributed newfound gender diversity in the show’s writers’ room for creating better Summer and Beth stories in Season 3. So far, we’ve seen Summer take center stage at least once, and we’re finally getting a story all about Beth.
Beth loves red wine.
Sarah Chalke, who voices Beth, also told The Hollywood Reporter in July that we’d learn a lot more about Beth’s childhood in Season 3. Finally, “The ABC’s of Beth” will make good on that promise.
“It’s definitely been fun for me because Rick and Beth’s relationship gets fleshed out. … You get more time with Rick and a little more insight into her childhood which is one of my favorite episodes and then obviously the separation [from Jerry] and what that’s like for Beth. One of the cool things about this year is they really paired different characters together who haven’t been together before and really flesh out those relationships.”
Those different pairings included a Rick and Jerry adventure and a lot of Morty with Summer in the first few episodes.
Beth constantly seeks her father's approval, even if it means neglecting her own children.
What’s Next
Rick will take Beth back to Froopyland in “The ABC’s of Beth” for some reason, and it’ll no doubt dredge of a lot of traumatic memories. Rick abandoned his family for 20 years before returning just before the start of the show, so Beth probably has a lot of unresolved conflicted feelings towards her father.
In “Pickle Rick,” Beth was almost as contemptuous of therapy as her father was, and the two of them actually bonded over avoiding their emotions.
Even if “The ABC’s of Beth” avoids outright flashbacks, it’s all but certain that Rick and Beth are going to work some stuff out in bizarre ways that only Rick and Morty can manage.
Rick and Morty Season 3 airs Sundays on Adult Swim at 11:30 p.m. Eastern.
