RAMBLE ABOUT EVIL MORTY'S BAGGAGE
I don't really have too many friends who watch Rick and Morty, so I'm putting this on my blog. WARNING for mentions of CSA and Incest.
So, like everyone I generally enjoyed the season, but similarly to other EM enthusiasts I have a complicated relationship with There's Something About Morty. I do acknowledge that the episode and it's entire framing was intended to be humorous, taking the piss out of EM, but I can't help but see it otherwise and the season finale really isn't helping. Maybe this is something the fandom’s already discussed at length, maybe not, I’m not too active here, but either way this is how I see EM’s situation. FOREWORD!!! I hope to believe that with everyone reading this, that we’re in the general agreement that all Mortys are to a lesser or greater extent victims of grooming and otherwise inappropriate behaviors from Rick. From using foul, sexually-charged language towards them to exposing them to vile sexual behaviors or simply putting a Morty in explicit circumstances.
There's Something About Morty
The entire episode coats EM and C-137’s relationship in a romantic-sexual wording. The framing is initially established by EM herself through asking if she "isn't interrupting something" and calling Prime Morty and C-137 a couple. This is a projection on her part, very deliberately. The Collective is largely unimportant to me, so I'm going straight into the diner part, where the language is continued and at a rate that it's a bit hard to even keep up with "What even are you?" "He's a big softie once you get to know him, huh?" "He even showed me some... (dreamy sigh) time travel stuff" "Homewrecker!" "Maybe I will steal your grandpa. But not because I love him, because you do.” (yes, familial love exists, but read the room) Most important to me however is the whole milkshakes ordeal, having received the milkshakes EM makes this comment:
"Two milkshakes for the two kinds of Mortys. The one who does whatever he wants. And the the one who sucks my grandpa's dick." There's a couple things to address here:
Her using "my" grandpa instead of "his" as she should while talking about Prime.
Her then adding "You know what? I'll drink both milkshakes". Having believed she is 'doing whatever she wants', she instead implicitly alluding to incestual abuse, what is later especially punched home after Prime and C-137 leave and as she goes for a drink, she isn't drinking her own milkshake, but instead the "sucking dick" one.
BUT HERE IS ACTUALLY WHERE WE TAKE A SMALL DETOUR ALL THE WAY BACK TO UNMORTRICKEN, because with the blue glass with cream on top of a milkshake and EM's own words, this isn't even the first time she's been surrounded by such allusion.
UNMORTRICKEN: DETOUR 1
Unmortricken starts with EM saying “Woah, another adventure where I went up an ass” and Ev!Rick replying “Oh good, are we having this fight again?” reinforces the mentioned in the foreword tendency of Mortys being put into inappropriate, sexually-charged situations, with Rick’s “again” and EM’s “another” additionally highlighting how this is a repeated offense. EM’s annoyed tone shows her being desensitized to such situations, most likely because of said repeated exposure. Having Ev!Rick raise his tone, EM is visibly frightened, falling over and shielding herself. This is as “Morty” as she is ever portrayed (when she is not intentionally mimicking regular Morty behavior) in the series, going against the notion of her being ontologically Evil (as by her title, to which we will go back to later) and her usually shown cold demeanor being a learned defense mechanism. After EM’s “pacified” her Rick, in her room we see two posters. For which I simply attach this image as it’s easier to point directly on the image than explain here. Those posters like actually had me going mental.
When EM comes back into the garage is when the dynamic “reverse” officially happens, as EM “gains control” over her Rick. This exchange happens: “You drunk yet?” “You’re my little buddy, you know that? It’s you and me, Morty. Rick and Morty, 100 years, forever” “Yep pal. Rick and Morty. A 100 years. Forever” “Get off me, what, what are you doing?”
We are going to split this into two:
Are you drunk yet/Get off me, what are you doing || This seemingly would put Morty as the aggressor here, however we have mentioned that the “reverse” just happened. With EM being the “Rick” in the relationship now, how this can actually be read, is EM replaying something she’s already experienced. While obviously pacifying Rick with alcohol is a regular tactic, then the current switch places Rick in the role of a “Morty”, alcohol inflicts Mortyish defenselessness upon Rick while keeping Rickish EM in power (+ additional note: EM is additionally Rickish through inflicting robotic elements onto her Rick, just like how C-137 made multiple robotic alterations to Morty Prime /ref. Morty being able to turn into a car [The Ricks Must Be Crazy], mention of Morty having too much metal in him which he didn’t put there [Field of Dreams].)
You’re my little buddy, you know that? It’s you and me, Morty. Rick and Morty, 100 years, forever/Yep pal. Rick and Morty. A 100 years. Forever || First the use of “my little buddy”, having previously verbally abused EM, Ev!Rick is now trying to lull her back at the same time claiming possession (“my”). With EM’s dejected attitude, it is likely she’s heard this multiple times therefore becoming numb to it and also, with that, the only displays of affection she gets from Rick are being tied to his drunken state. (+++ association Alcohol->Rick->Power, President Morty's repeated consumption of alcohol)
The statement of 100 years is more of a threat, even if not intended as one. Rick(s) in a large sense is virtually immortal, if he so desires he can live and outlive Morty through scientific or other means. It’s you and me [...] forever also has me thinking of “blood being thicker than water” where EM is forced with Rick due to them being family.
but also, CLOSE RICKCOUNTERS DETOUR:
In the beginning of the second quarter of the episode, we are introduced to the concept of Mortys being a cloaking device for Ricks, which is preparing us for when we get to EM’s lair in the next scene. When Prime Morty is terrified by “a bunch of people” being used for a shield, Rick replies (in what is meant to be somewhat humorous to the viewer way) of it “not (being) people, (but) Mortys”, right after having Rick explain how he considered such an idea. Through C-137’s speech we are introduced to how most Ricks generally tend to dehumanize their Mortys, but what’s a more important takeaway from Rick’s speech is how such setup lets someone hide even from Ricks. THIS is where we officially begin the backwards-and-forwards thing of EM’s attempts at escaping her abuse and gaining back power over her life.
THE CLOAKING DEVICE
The shield around EM’s lair is made up of hundreds of Mortys, naked and constantly being stabbed. This amount of violence and humiliation is so excessive even C-137 comments on it despite his own view of Mortys as not-so-human. We need to address something, EM is 14 years old, despite her intelligence, she is still a child. EM’s over the top shield could stem from her own experience, where she is now pushing onto other Mortys the way through which she was abused, but also from her being a kid – she is intelligent, but she isn’t really mature; she could calculate the “optimal amount” (~5 as Rick said), but she can’t emotionally estimate what she actually needs. She’s acting on her trauma, where to gain power she’s becoming “a Rick”. I’m again highlighting how the Mortys being naked ties to just how exposed Mortys are to vile sexual displays while adventuring with their Ricks. When thinking of what would cause the most pain to a Morty, EM’s mind goes to sexual humiliation. — As Prime Morty suggests to EM rescuing the shield Mortys, she says “It would be pointless, Mortys have no chance of defeating a Rick”, it is both her deceiving Prime Morty so she can trap him, but also echoing something she probably believed prior to her finally going against her own Rick. When it comes to Ev!Rick’s spiel about ‘You and I not being so different’, we can’t be quite sure over how much of it is Ev!Rick and how much is EM as they’re both in control of the host body and mind (Ev!Rick was able to ask for death and attempt suicide after all), I will however point out how with this most likely being EM’s phrasing, it once again reestablishes how to free herself she began mimicking Rick, how the “reverse” happened.
At the same time, Prime Morty is becoming a leader for the Mortys, explaining how they “‘re not defined by our relationships to Rick!” (something that really stops being true for Prime as seasons go on) standing opposite to EM whose entire existence, along and especially with her attempt at escape being entrenched in who Rick is to her. They both share the belief of “Our destiny is our own!”, while taking its meaning in opposite directions. Back to Ev!Rick, (most likely) EM’s words are: “You’re crying? Over a Morty?” Abuse she’s experienced causes her to see Mortys (along with herself) as worthless and subhuman, just like how in this episode it was established Ricks do. “We both know that if there’s any truth in the universe, it’s that Ricks don’t care about Mortys.” Again, she’s experienced no real comfort, so she believes that to be an universal constant and with her by that point being part of the Citadel, she probably had this belief confirmed over and over through seeing other Ricks and Mortys. AND ACTUALLY WE ARE TAKING ANOTHER DETOUR
The Ricklantis Mixup + RICKMURAI JACK DETOUR!!!
I actually don’t have that much to say about too many specific things in these episodes, as what they do for EM. The Ricklantis Mixup shows us a couple important things about the Citadel:
Obvious and even more harsh division between Ricks and Mortys
A more widespread resentment of Mortys by Mortys.
The existence of Morty entertainment clubs, and although no Morty is ever shown in a truly explicit manner in here (with closest being Cowboy Morty jollily jumping around a pole and the Creepy Morty poster at the entrance) and even with the clientele consisting of Mortys, then due to it being an establishment under the Citadel of Ricks, it again ties and tints the Rick and Morty relationship through an inherently perverse lens. // ALSO!!! One of the Mortys wishes being "for incest porn to have mainstream appeal" while obviously a joke on writers' part, on the in-universe part it shows desensitization to the topic among Mortys.
Being at the core of the Citadel calls back to EM’s high intelligence, low maturity (a child placing herself in a possibly easy to exploit, vulnerable spot with hopes of coming out on top), unfortunately, her as the Citadel president is as close to “forwards” as she gets. As Rickmurai Jack (another episode where the relationship between Ricks and Mortys is likened to a couple at the beginning) shows, her doing is for the purpose of going outside the Central Finite Curve, to escape Ricks completely she surrounds herself with Ricks as much as possible. Her monologue regarding the nature of Ricks and Mortys in the same episode is self-explanatory, so I feel no need to quote it. Instead what I will point to is EM’s “You can’t outrun your past, Rick”, while indeed applying to Rick, then it is a bit of bitter irony regarding EM herself, just before her “forwards” turns drastically into a “backwards”. Following C-137’s backstory, EM explicitly states her resentment for Rickkind being due to their abuse and running from responsibility and consequences (once again, shell of the Unmortricken poster snail being portal color). But finally comes an important piece of why I’m writing this:
Evil Morty’s relationship to her title
Throughout the last few appearances, Evil Morty seems to have in a way “accepted” her title, joking about it in both Unmortricken and There’s Something About Morty, but let’s look at her most proper acknowledgement of her title. “Every version of us has spent every version of all of our lives in one infinite crib, built around an infinite fucking baby. And I'm leaving it. That's what makes me ‘evil', being sick of him. If you've ever been sick of him, you've been evil too.”
EM’s actions in no way were ever worse than the actions of an average villain-of-the-week or even the Smith family, but especially Rick. As she puts it herself, it’s her desire to escape Rick that really is what makes her “evil”. When I think of EM’s title, what comes to my mind is how when coming out about their abuse, a victim may ultimately be faced with rejection from what should be their support group, especially so within the family. Confronting the fact that someone you knew could hurt another member of the family, especially a child is hard and uncomfortable, it may be easier to simply not believe the child or blame them for trying to rip the family apart. Evil Morty is evil, not even because she’s gone against her abuse, but because she simply acknowledged it. EM likening the Curve to a crib while meant to put Rick down, can also read as her calling out her own precise grievances. All the way back at the beginning of the post I said how every Morty is in a way a victim, but EM especially just screams to me as a victim of incest. Hell, even her intelligence, but as I said - not maturity, can point to needing to 'grow up too fast' to be able to defend herself. And AGAIN to the imagery, the Citadel, the rift, it all circles back to the same image of this exact kind of abuse.
BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS, UNMORTRICKEN DETOUR 2:
I said how what EM's doing is a going-backwards-and-forwards and how now it's time for a drastic backwards. EM seemingly has escaped all Ricks, however the bitter irony came back for her as even in her Rickless paradise, her world is still affected by Rick. While Rick affecting her world is shown in a literal sense, then I won't surprise you by saying that a victim's trauma (especially untreated) will affect them in the years following it, even if the person escapes the source of said trauma, it may never even leave them. EM showing up at the filter and bringing up the pickle incident is 1. A meta reference on her part, while most of the characters gained the meta awareness by now, then it is undoubtedly most associated with Rick, EM having "escaped" Ricks is still mimicking their behavior, not un-common for victims to take on the abuser's traits 2. It is a yet another instance of something phallic having to do with Rick and EM. Unmortricken FORCES EM backwards, which then leads her to move backwards willingly although unknowingly. Her life still revolves around her connection to Ricks, it breaks through by small comments on her part like after the mention of Diane being killed across infinty "Now I wanna meet this guy too" seemingly just a continuation of Morty's curiosity regarding the Device, but at the same time a callback to her hatred of Rickkind - the idea of them hurting is enticing for her. She actually lets C-137 be the one to kill Prime and lets C-137 walk out alive under the guise of using a weapon not having a person be 'left alone' and a sarcastic bull about vengeful Summers coming after her. But her most obvious step backwards is her acknolwedging C-137 as "different" and possibly being able to use it someday, while right after threatening C-137 and Prime to not go after her. They didn't need to, as she was the one to go after them, hi, we are finally back at
There's Something About Morty cont.
She's made her big step backwards, her "blackmail" adventures are nothing more than an abuse victim going back to what they know best, she believes she's in power while actually she's gone back to where she's started. Through the "blackmail" she still centers her life around Rick. Let's again bring up how she's a child. EM doesn't actually have anyone in her life, while it is 'of her own doing', then how much really is it? She's 14, she can't actually "choose" isolation, she may think it's what she wants, but she isn't mature to know how it actually affects her. So she ultimately goes back to the only people she has, and one of them is a Rick.
The language continues, although chemistry isn't inherently romantic, then with all the other language around, I'm going to pin Prime Morty saying Rick and EM had "real chemistry" under the language as well. "You leaned in hard because you thought it was real" "He's got a big ol' crush on you!" And then after EM is defeated "Morty's right, you do have a crush." "Sorry, Morty made it weird" "We were never a thing" . And we can close this episode off on the jailbars, which to me, again, invoke a crib. It's enough of my semi-professional, I'm back to regular speech. I'm just repeating myself. Finale. Finale happened. People have already pointed out how both There's Something About Morty and Field of Dreams leave a rather sour taste in one's mouth when it comes to their treatment of abused Mortys (one jailed, other having to accept his abuse). As for Morty Prime, that is for the Morty Prime people to dissect (which they're already doing, thank you). The "belongs more to me than to you" thing the "I'm your dad" thing. The entire Rick and Morty interdimensional pull being rotten, I just can't stop thinking about it and feeling for the Mortys, I feel like I'm reaching, it's like too much and not enough at the same time. Either way, that's it.
