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observationnationstation · 7 years

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The Path To Froopy Land

“It was just more practical to sequester you before I had to start, you know, cloning a replacement for every less-than-polite little boy or gullible animal that might cross your socio-path.”

Let’s dive a little deeper into that gullible animal bit, shall we?

Warning: mature content. Animal abuse and gore. Also these are all drabbles. I do not spell check or recheck them before posting.

Even at a young age the girl acted like her father. Science enthralled her as if it were part of her. But not science in a mechanical way. Not one of dimensions and creating. Oh no. The science that gnawed on her constantly was biology. The way flesh intertwined with blood to create something living. Fascinating even at her young age.

She managed to catch a squirrel once. It trashed in her grip, already wounded, and chittered away in an attempt to free itself. Beth chewed on her lip, peering behind her shoulder at the house. Inside she could hear her parents voices, raising and falling in volume.

They wouldn’t notice. The six year old was sure if it.

So she makes her way to the shed with the wounded animal held tightly in a way to keep it from biting at her flesh. In truth there were tools in the garage that would be more useful, probably, but she wasn’t allowed in there if her father wasn’t there. Even than she was shooed away more often than not.

Almost gingerly she places the squirrel inside an old box with random items left to rot. She clasps it close before twirling around. She hums to herself as she looks for the old forgotten tools that were replaced at one point or another.

A giggle escapes as she finds when she needs, placing an array of tools on the chipping desk neatly. Once done she places her hands on her hips, smiling because she loves to play surgeon. Though she isn’t very good /yet/ she had to keep trying. Trying like Daddy does until he finally makes his invention.

She grabs the squirrel out of the box by the scruff of the neck. It seems weaker now, chest rising and falling like a humming birds wing.

Well, one that she hadn’t failed to fix anyway.

“It’s okay Mr. Squirrel.” She reassures. “Doctor Beth is here to help.” And with her left hand she pins the squirrel to the surface of the desk. She debates where it’d be best to restrain the animal with minimal damage. Knocking them out or making them sleep was impossible without killing them. So she had to make do with what she could find.

Without second thought she picked up a heavy metal object and pressed it into the scruff of the animals neck. Smoothing the flesh onto the table she brings the tool down.

Thunk!!

Eeeeeeeeeck!! eerk eeeerkk!!

The staple gun pierced the flesh like butter, connecting the creature below her. She hums as she ignores the sharp, pained squeals of the animal and continues to staple it completely to the table. The entire time she soothes it with promises that she was there to help. It would all be /okay/.

A new ruby red smears across old browned stains of blood along the table. With the belly exposed she could really see the way the chest swelled and emptied at an amazing speed, irregular and frantic as the animal realized it wouldn’t be escaping today.

“Now we begin.” She states, turning her head as if talking to an invisible person. “Now, nurse. Scalpel. I know it looks like a-a simple broken arm but…but…i think there is something wrong with his heart.” Her head turns pitifully toward the animal. “But we will fix him right up! Now scalpel!” She demanded before snatching the tool up. Changing the pitch in her voice as she answered herself. “Yes Doctor Sanchez, right away Doctor Sanchez.”

She runs a finger down the animals exposed stomach, feeling dizzy with excitement bubbling and popping within her. Than, slowly and precisely, she presses the tip of the kitchen knife into the squirrel ribs. It’s shrill cries consistently ring in the air. She ignores the blood leaking everywhere as she pries it’s ribs apart. They crack like small twigs between her fingers. The animal is making noises she hasn’t heard before. Gutteral and broken shrieks and chitters as she digs around the animals insides with her fingers. She tries to not let it distracted her. It was the first time she got to practice with a squirrel. More often than not it was just birds with broken wings.

Sling shots did a lot more damage than Beth originally thought. She practiced a lot and daddy even praised her when she could knock off beer cans from the fence.

The young child didn’t even notice when the animal stilled with a few last desperate noises. She was to enthralled with the heart she’d carefully pulled from it’s chest. The flesh like arteries snapping like old rubber bands.

She frowned though. It was bigger than the birds hearts she caught but still much to small. It was another failed attempt. She sighs in frustration as she sets the organ in the table. She pulls open the drawer and grabs a sandwich baggie, ones she saved from her school lunches so her mother wouldn’t notice things going missing again. She plucks the heart from the table and drops it into the bag. She twists it up and sets it next to the other baggies she filled with other failed attempts at gaining a good enough heart.

She pokes at one of the older bags, now more a puddle of brown mush than a pinkish lump. A small smear of red lingers on the plastic as she pulls her hand away, slamming the drawer shut. So gathering a bunch of little hearts wouldn’t work either. They went bad too fast.

In her rage she tugs the dead squirrel from the table. Fingers digging into the wet warm fur. The skin makes a squelch like noise when it slowly rips free from the stables. An agitated grunt escapes her as the intestines smack against her hand. She squeezes her hand around the middle to keep most of the organs inside as she stomps out the door, the long tube of pink dragging along the dusty wooden planks of the shed as she went.

She stops dead in her tracks when she swings the door open and a few paces away stands her father. She falters, lip quivering, because he wasn’t supposed to find out yet.

“Beth? What–what the…fuck.” The man stuttered, staring with wide confused eyes. Beth shoves the hand clutching the dead animal behind her back. Her father snaps out of it and strides forwards. He stands like a tower above her.

“Yes daddy?” She cooes hoping that he wouldn’t spoil the surprise. Hoping he wouldn’t figure it out.

“Show me what you’ve got.” Rick demands, unibrow knitting downward. A pout formed as she down casted her eyes, flinching at the distaste in his voice. The authority. She was in trouble. “Now Beth.” He added on, irritation growing in his voice. Concern somehow managing to seep into them as well.

“I was just trying to help.” She declared as she rashly pulled her arm back, throwing the dismembered creature into the ground as hard as she could. The corpse bounces and spilled it’s insides along the ground. Tears burned in the corner of her eyes at the frustration of it all. “I just wanted to help daddy! I swear.” She continued, fists bunched at her sides as tears began to fall freely onto her redden cheeks.

Rick didn’t hesitate to pick the child up into his arms, hushing her.

“Next time come get me.” He tells her gently, staring at the disfigured squirrel before him. “If daddy can’t make it better we can take it to a vet.” He explained, a matter of fact. Beth curls against him and nods.

“I just wanted to help.” She repeats with a sniffle.

“I know sweetie. I know. It’s not your fault it didn’t…didn’t make it. Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up. Than we can have some ice cream.” Rick consoles her.

“Okay Daddy.”

She doesn’t tell him she wasn’t trying to help the squirrel. She heard him and mommy fighting. She heard her dad’s slurred words and most importantly she remembered what her mom told her when she asked what was wrong with Daddy. Why daddy didn’t stay long and why he was always sad now.

Her dad’s heart was broken. So she had to find him a new one.

#rick and morty #abcs of beth #animal abuse #gore #young!rick #young!beth #the path to froopy land #fanfic

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phoneboothproductions-blog · 7 years

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‘Put a Saddle on Your Universe’: One Guy’s Uneducated Thoughts on Purpose vs. Choice in ‘Rick and Morty’

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR RICK AND MORTY S3E9 “THE ABC’S OF BETH”

I want to talk about season 3 episode 9 of the insanely successful sci-fi comedy series Rick and Morty. In the episode, entitled “The ABC’s of Beth”, Rick’s daughter Beth finds out that Froopy Land, which she originally thought to be her imaginary childhood fantasy land, was actually a real place constructed by her genius scientist father to keep her occupied. This discovery comes with a number of realizations, some involving cross-breeding and cannibalism (Do you really expect any less from this show at this point?); but the biggest bombshell comes when Beth learns that Rick created this imaginary realm not to avoid parenting responsibilities, but because Beth was, in his words, “a scary fucking kid”, and he felt that she would have been a danger to “every less-than-polite little boy or gullible animal that might cross [her] ‘socio’ path”. Beth is resistant at first, but soon the aforementioned cross-breeding/cannibalistic plotline pans out in such a way to convince her that Rick is absolutely right: she’s as cold and indifferent as her father. This realization leads us to this scene:

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This clip has been driving me nuts since this episode aired. In a conversation less than two minutes long, this show manages to both present and address, in a satisfying manner, a pretty big question when it comes to existence: if you were presented the choice to either stay in your current life, or go out into the world and live an entirely different one consequence-free, what would you do? What makes this idea and this entire episode great is that it’s a question with no answer. Rick doesn’t tell Beth what to do. He gives her advice based on his experience. He makes it clear that whether she chooses to be replaced by a clone, or stay with the family, both options are logical and understandable. It’s her choice. As Rick says, “...no matter what you choose, you’re finally gonna chill the fuck out.” At the end of the episode, we don’t know what she chose. And I think that’s the point.

(Granted, this could ALL be undone in the season finale on Sunday, but as of this writing, the answer has not been revealed.)

Now, a disclaimer before we go any further. My professional experience with philosophy does not extend past two introductory courses in college, and honestly my Rick and Morty experience isn’t much better. I tend to be resistant to pop culture phenomenons due to some misplaced sense of hipster-like superiority, and because of that I was really only brought on board just barely in time to be caught up for Season 3. Much like Rick, I’m an asshole, but I’m not oblivious to my shortcomings. So if something in here doesn’t add up or misses some greater point, just chalk it up to my idiocy. These are just the rambling thoughts of an overthinking fan.

The show, and specifically the character of Rick Sanchez, seems to be built pretty heavily on the idea of nihilism; that is, the belief that life and the universe are completely devoid of objective meaning. This is illustrated and even explicitly stated in several episodes. For example, in the episode “Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind” from season 1, Morty, presented with the knowledge of infinite Ricks and Mortys from infinite universes, questions whether that devalues his relationship to Rick or elevates it since it’s strong enough to sustain itself over so many different realities. Rick’s response is to quickly debunk Morty’s theories by revealing that Ricks needs Mortys to camouflage their intelligent brainwaves, thus ridding the duo’s relationship of any meaning. Morty subsequently becomes upset about this loss of meaning, only for Rick to point out that it’s Morty’s choice to take it personally.

This could very easily be seen as a metaphor for the universe itself under the guise of nihilism. We may see something in the world that seems to have inherent meaning, such as the intricacies of nature or the idea of love, but in the end, it can all be explained away logically, and stripped of its meaning. Indeed, nature’s complexity, as well as the reason we feel love, can be dismissed as accidental results of evolution; ways for the planet and humans to adapt and survive. If you take this way of thinking far enough, you can rob anything of its supposed meaning until you’re left with a vast, meaningless void that is our universe. For much of the series, we’re led to believe that this is where Rick parks his outlook on life. He recognizes the utter pointlessness of trying to have a meaningful life, so he does the opposite, constantly trying to indulge in as much pleasure as possible. The only time meaning enters the equation is with the inclusion of Morty.

In the example I mentioned before, Morty ultimately decides to assign his own meaning to his and Rick’s relationship, and tries to demand that Rick does the same. Rick does finally give in, and tells Morty that since he’s “the Rickest Rick”, it would make sense that he has “the Mortyest Morty”. This is an answer which he very clearly doesn’t give a lot of thought to, and seems to be given solely to quell the upset Morty who won’t shut up. This is characteristic of much of the series; Rick only allowing meaning to exist in his life when forced into it by someone else, usually Morty, but also at times Summer and Jerry. The one character who’s been largely absent from these deeper moments, and who up until now has barely been involved in Rick’s adventures...is Beth.

Beth, in a weird way, has become one of the show’s most intriguing characters to me. The daughter of a super-intelligent mad scientist forced into an unhappy marriage due to a pregnancy, who then has her mad scientist father reenter her life several years later. It really feels like there should be more to Beth than this largely typical suburban mom with which we’ve been presented until now. Thus, “The ABC’s of Beth” was a very welcome episode to me. I wanted to see what happened when Beth dove headfirst into her father’s world. Is she just as intelligent as her old man? What was her childhood like with Rick as a father? How does someone with that background end up in such an ordinary vanilla family life? Well, luckily, this episode shed some much-needed light on Beth’s backstory, elevating her from a character I really wasn’t that invested in, to perhaps one of the show’s best.

Beth laments in several episodes about being robbed of her choice when Jerry got her pregnant with Summer. The life she’s lived since then has not been of her own choosing whatsoever, but rather out of necessity to provide for her children. This is demonstrated in the episode “Rixty Minutes”, where she gets to see an alternate reality where she never had Summer or Morty, and she’s living out her perfect life. In the end, however, she realizes that, even in this ideal world, she still ends up falling in love with Jerry. This episode hints at the idea that, given the choice between perfection and her current reality, she might just choose the latter. Of course, a lot has happened since that season 1 episode, including a pretty cold and heartless divorce from Jerry, so it weirdly makes sense to bring up this question again, and “The ABC’s of Beth” does so rather explicitly.

Which brings us back to the clip I presented at the top of the article. Beth had to realize and accept who she was: a sociopath too smart to care about purpose, just like her father. Rick is quick to point out that, “When you know nothing matters, the universe is yours”. Once again, Beth is offered a choice; a glimpse into what life could be like without having to be tied down by “the kids, Jerry, [her] job, and...ABC’s The Bachelor”. The difference here, as Rick says, is that she now realizes that she’s too smart to believe in a higher purpose. Or as Beth herself says rather bluntly, “I’m all out of excuses to not be who I am.”

This is where existential, or optimistic, nihilism comes in, which follows the backbone of nihilism; that there is no objective meaning in the universe, but puts an optimistic spin on it by pointing out that because the universe has no meaning, it’s up to the individual to apply their own meaning. In other words, if you accept the pointlessness and chaotic absurdity of reality, it gives you the ultimate excuse to live life however you want to, knowing you are fully in control. This is the “gift shark”, so to speak, that Rick presents to Beth. She can agree to be cloned, go out and fulfill her dreams, and come back when she feels like it, and that’s perfectly okay because it’s her choice. Or, she can stay with the family and change nothing about her life, and that is also perfectly okay for the same reason. It is Beth’s decision alone. Nobody, not even Rick, has any business telling her what she should choose. She is, in essence, putting “a saddle on [her] universe”.

Thus, the moral of the episode, as I understand it, is that whatever you do in life, make sure it’s your choice, because the only person capable of creating meaning in your life is you. If you want to go out, work your ass off, and carve out a life of wealth and power, you should go do that. But I really appreciate that the episode throws in the other side of that coin, which so much pop culture fails to represent; the idea that it’s equally okay to “stay, and luxuriate in a life you finally know you’ve chosen”. Society will always want you to go with the status quo and achieve some universally agreed upon benchmark for “success”. If that path is something that resonates with you, go for it. But for everybody else who feels hollow and empty following such a common way of life, you should be allowed to create your own definitions of success and meaning. We don’t know what Beth ultimately chose, and that’s okay. Her decision is hers, and your decision is yours.

But, hey, as I said, the next episode could make everything I just wrote here completely irrelevant. This series is absolutely unpredictable from episode to episode, but that’s just part of the insane, chaotic joy that Rick and Morty brings to the table, and I’m okay with that.

Thanks for reading! :)

#rickandmorty #purpose #choice #beth #smith #sanchez #squanch #abcsofbeth #froopyland

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