Rick and Morty Episode 54: Bethic Twinstinct

Rick spends Thanksgiving as a giant turkey, while Space Beth comes home to stay with the Smith family and quickly reconnects with Beth. The two Beths bond over drinks and private time together, and their flirting escalates into a secret affair that the kids notice before the adults do.

Morty and Summer react by escaping into an ultra-realistic video game console, using it to distract themselves from the increasingly obvious tension in the house. Rick eventually figures out what is happening and confronts Beth, warning her that the situation will affect the rest of the family, especially Jerry.

When the affair is exposed, Space Beth tells Jerry directly, and he immediately curls up into a pillbug-like defensive shell, a reaction tied to a safeguard Rick had built into him. Rick explains that Jerry can only come out on his own, and forcing him will only make things worse. As the Beths continue arguing over Jerry, they realize they disagree on how much he matters to them: one Beth sees him as pathetic, while the other still cares about him.

The two Beths then decide to erase their memories of the affair using Rick’s memory-wiping device, but Rick points out that this would only leave the rest of the family stuck with the fallout. Jerry overhears this, comes out of his shell, and refuses to let them erase themselves over him, although he still insists on leaving Beth. The episode ends with Rick trying to calm Morty and Summer as they finally break down over everything that has happened.