The following contains spoilers for Rick and Morty Season 6, Episode 3, "Bethic Twinstinct," which debuted Sept. 18, on Adult Swim.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Rick and Morty is how it blends its sci-fi missions and tools with shots at pop culture. Season 6 nodded to several Marvel characters with Rick's Iron Man-like gauntlets and Summer's Wolverine claws, reinforcing that while Rick likes original weapons, he doesn't mind nodding to what exists in the mainstream consciousness. Of course, more often than not, he makes fun of these things -- a way of deflecting, as Morty noted, from his own sinister endeavors. However, in "Bethic Twinstinct," the series adopted a more sentimental approach to a concept seen in Black Mirror. This came via a direct homage to the highly-acclaimed, very popular "San Junipero."

"San Junipero," in Black Mirror's third season, focused on Kelly and Yorkie in a digital simulation, traversing different decades. People plugged in to live lives they couldn't in the real world, with these women falling in love after their trysts. This led to a lot of drama as Yorkie, paralyzed in the real world after a car accident, wanted to be euthanized to stay in the construct permanently. Kelly, though, didn't want to be stuck here, as she lost her husband and child before this tech came out, so she wanted to ascend into whatever spiritual afterlife existed with them.

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The main characters of the Black Mirror episode San Junipero

Eventually, Kelly gave love a second chance, marrying Yorkie, approving her death, and in time, she uploaded her mind for good too. It was a statement on their bond and suggested they may well have been soulmates after all. It was a powerful romantic episode with a rare happy ending in the franchise that usually harped on dark swerves.

Rick and Morty played off this when Space Beth and Domestic Beth started an affair after working out their differences over Summer. They completed each other, not caring which one was the clone and the original. Eventually, they decided that sneaking around physically may have gotten them caught, so they used Rick's Holodeck.

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Rick and Morty nodded to Black Mirror's San Junipero

While fans didn't see an array of adventures like with Yorkie and Kelly, they were shown on a pier at a Carnival, looking out as old ladies. They spent decades in the simulation, but Rick broke it up, after he and the kids found out. He didn't mind the affair, but he chided them for misappropriating his tech like this. He even compared it to the famous Black Mirror episode. It was pretty hilarious seeing Rick disgusted over people using his simulation to hook up, but from a human perspective, it made sense as both women wanted to live full lives with each other.

Despite Rick's disgust, this further strengthened the Beths' relationship, which is why Space Beth didn't want to end things, even after Jerry found out and pushed to have control. Ultimately, while Jerry and the Beths healed with a threesome, this take on "San Junipero" might have lasting consequences because of how the Beths grew old and happy together. Domestic Beth and Jerry never had that nuance and long run, so if conflict plays off again, chances are Jerry might get the short end of the straw, with the Beths having something more meaningful between them thanks to years of virtual bliss.

Rick and Morty airs Sundays at 11:00 p.m. on Adult Swim.