Rick and Morty season 3 episode 9 review: Beth discovers herself in Froopy Land

** Spoilers for 'The ABCs of Beth' ahead **

There’s been one long-running, perhaps surprising theme flowing throughout Rick and Morty’s third season: consequence. From Beth and Jerry’s divorce to the Council of Ricks being blow up, these nine episodes have focussed on what happens once the adventure’s over. Perhaps ‘The ABCs of Beth’ best encapsulates this.

We start with Beth having flashbacks to a wonderful imaginary world named Froopy Land, something she truly believes was fictional. Wrong! Like some bizarre version of Willy Wonka, Rick actually created the colourful world, where rainbow water’s breathable and the ground’s bouncy.

However, there’s a dark secret looming over this fantasy playpen: Tommy, one of Beth’s school-friends who has been trapped among the cute creatures for many years. As retold in an incredibly funny play, Tommy humped these animals and ate the children to survive.

This whole time, Beth believes Rick caused Tommy this pain. Of course, Beth’s right; the mad scientist created a world where a child could be abandoned without any way home. But she’s also to blame. As told by Tommy’s children, Beth was the one who pushed Tommy into the honey, trapping him in Froopy Land.

The problem stems from Beth refusing to believe the past. Perhaps she’s traumatised, who knows. Thanks to a box of increasingly weird toys — including fake fingerprints and a mind-controlling comb — we know she’s slightly bonkers, a bit like someone else. Come another trip to Froopy Land and Beth finally realises she’s just like Rick.

We’ve known this for a while. Look back to the episode ‘Pickle Rick’, when Beth went to therapy. That episode finished with Summer and Morty asking to go back to therapy while Beth and Rick blissfully pretend the session had no consequences. Further back, we see Beth’s alcoholism and desire to be something more than a horse surgeon and mother. Rick has the same desires; drinking to forget there’s nothing more for Rick to be than just Rick.

For Beth, through, there’s an option. She can disappear from the family without any recourse. The episode leaves us with that major question; are we now watching clone Beth or real Beth? Something tells me we’re looking at clone Beth. Unlike Rick, she hasn’t realised travelling the galaxy to fill some inner hole won’t achieve anything. Beth needs an adventure, and her’s won’t require having a Morty around. Then again, would Beth leave, knowing the damage Rick leaving caused her? Has she learnt from Rick mistakes?

Whereas Beth and Rick’s half-adventure was a revealing, bonkers trip through Froopy Land, Summer and Morty were having their own with Jerry. Again, we’re seeing the consequences of another of Rick’s decisions; Jerry only met his alien girlfriend through a dating app recommended by Rick! Luckily, Summer and Morty are hardened enough to deal with their father themselves.

So what will the consequences from this episode be? Beth could be on a wild ride around the galaxy, travelling from planet to planet using a borrowed portal gun. Whatever the case, for Rick, Morty, and Summer, life goes on as it always has.