Hey, don’t be ashamed about not understanding something, especially with a show like Rick and Morty that is so complex and fast. It’s pretty difficult to keep up with everything in it. I find myself discovering new things every time I rewatch an episode, no matter how many times I’ve seen it before. (Which is always many, many times.) Honestly, I’ve started watching things with subtitles when I can, because I miss so much. To be honest, I’m really nervous to answer this. Mostly because I’m afraid I’ll misinterpret something, or miss something really obvious. Or just not be that helpful. So, followers - please, feel free to add!(I’ll literally analyse Wong’s speech word-for-word, so I apologise for any delay in replying. Thanks to @freedricksanchez for typing up the whole thing.)Rick: Because I don’t respect therapy, Because I’m a scientist. Because I invent, transform and destroy for a living and when I don’t like something about the world, I change it. And I don’t think going to a rented office in a strip mall to listen to an agent of average-ness explain which words mean which feelings has ever helped anyone do anything. I think it’s helped a lot of people get comfortable and stop panicking, which is a state of mind [burp] we value in the animals we eat, but not something I want for myself. I’m not a cow. I’m a pickle – when I feel like it. So… you asked.
Wong: Rick, the only connection between your unquestionable intelligence and the sickness destroying your family is that everyone in your family, you included, use intelligence to justify sickness. [Rick and Beth justify the dysfunction in their family and Rick’s poor mental health (which is the initial cause of the dysfunction) because Rick is a genius. Typically, smart people get away with things just because they’re smart. I suppose it’s natural to assume that they know what’s best in every aspect of life, since they definitely know best in at least one aspect to be called a genius. Higher intelligence is also linked with a higher chance of depression (IRL) - hence the saying “ignorance is bliss.” People - especially Beth - tend to brush aside flaws when they’re caused by or are in conjunction with a strength. Dr. Wong is pointing out that Rick’s genius shouldn’t be used to excuse his sickness, and the sickness it inflicts on the family as a whole.]You seem to alternate between viewing your own mind as an unstoppable force and as an inescapable curse. And I think it’s because the only truly unapproachable concept for you is that it’s your mind within your control.[Here, Dr. Wong theorises that Rick can’t have a constant opinion on his own intelligence and whether it is a hindrance or a strength, because he refuses to believe he is responsible for it. Rick’s apathy for everything, including the Beth he abandoned in the Cronenberg world and almost everyone he ever meets, is essentially caused by his intelligence. His intelligence allows him to travel across universes, which allows him to see people as completely dispensable, since there’s an infinite amount of them. What Rick doesn’t acknowledge, or doesn’t want to acknowledge, is that his intelligence and ability is entirely controllable by him.]You chose to come here, you chose to talk to belittle my vocation, just as you chose to become a pickle. You are the master of your universe, and yet you are dripping with rat blood and faeces. Your enormous mind literally vegetating [haha, that’s a good pun] by your own hands.[Rick chooses to occupy himself in ridiculous and destructive ways. There’s an infinite amount of safe, yet entertaining ways to occupy oneself, but Rick wouldn’t be captivated by any of them (for long). He chooses to throw himself into disgusting, life-threatening situations, because those situations are the only things that can truly entertain him, despite the fact that he is, essentially, a god.]I have no doubt that you would be bored senseless by therapy, the same way I’m bored when I brush my teeth and wipe my ass. Because the thing about repairing, maintaining, and cleaning is it’s not an adventure. There is no way to do it so wrong you might die. It’s just work. And the bottom line is, some people are okay going to work, and some people… well, some people would rather die. Each of us gets to choose.[This part hit me hard, because I relate to it waaaay too closely for comfort. Dr. Wong describes therapy for Rick as how brushing teeth is for anyone else. It’s simply looking after the body, no matter how tedious it is. Not many people like brushing their teeth. It feels like a waste of time, and the payoff isn’t something you gain. It’s just to keep the teeth you have from rotting. Wong describes therapy as the same thing. It feels wasteful and boring, but it is necessary for some people to keep their mind healthy. It’s not fun, it’s not an adventure, and there’s no reward aside from staying healthy.Dr. Wong also describes how Rick would rather die than be bored. This ties into the previous point - Rick needs a constant stream of activity to keep him from wanting to die. And that’s apparently not normal, but I wouldn’t really know????]Anyway, it’s 2:39AM, so this is probably terribly written, and I apologise for that. I hope it helped, though??(Again, please don’t feel embarrassed about not understanding all of it immediately! I didn’t either (aside from the last part), and I basically just got all of that by reading it just then!!) :) <3