Last week’s Rick And Morty ended with a tantalizing, almost Inception-like bit of ambiguity: Is Beth a clone now? Did she take Rick’s offer of a totally repercussion-free chance to sow her wild oats? Given the knowing way the show stokes the flames of fan theories, this will likely remain unresolved for awhile, but right now, going on one scene, it’s an issue of particularly fertile debate.
Spend much time scouring the various Rick And Morty-fan-filled corners of the internet—so, Reddit, basically—and you’ll see people mulling it over with the same fervency that the rest of the internet reserves for the Mueller probe. The above video from Nerdist runs down the basic arguments in favor of Beth taking the clone option: Her long-simmering regrets about starting a family due to a pregnancy when she was 17; her attachment to her dad despite his abandonment; her increasingly dark disposition even following her separation from Jerry. There’s also the swiftness of her about-face in the episode itself, moving from switchblade-wielding interdimensional avenger to pleasant, pizza-ordering mom in a single cut.
On the other hand, maybe her newfound contentment in the episode-closing scene came by declining Rick’s offer, happy in the knowledge that she’s consciously chosen to be with her kids rather than pursue the sort of adventures that only left Rick a brazen, alcoholic misanthrope. Expect zero resolution to this issue when the season concludes this Sunday.