#how you view beth and rio's business relationship

[ks-dreams-fantasies]

Rio smut? Where the couple argues over him sleeping with Beth during there break up and the reader then saying she slept with someone too and rio gets super mad

“I said I couldn’t wait” - Rio (Good Girls) 

I feel like Rio would be such a “Do what I say, not what I do” type of boyfriend in this situation. 👀 We all know this man is possessive as f*ck, so of course he would get mad knowing his girlfriend slept with someone else (even if they were broken up). Anyways, thanks for your request, hope you like it 🥰

Warning : Angst, Smut (Teasing, Female receiving)

Word Count: 1.8k (Not proofread sorry)

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You walked fast, Rio following your every step from afar, as you were almost running towards the car. You had just gotten into an argument over his associate, at least that’s what she called her. You were at dinner, when you ran into her, Beth Boland. Well, she just found you and decided to join you, interrupting your date night

“I have to talk to you” she had said, batting her lashes at your boyfriend

“Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of my girl” he stated pointing towards you, already annoyed by her presence

“You sure you don’t want like a bathroom break, we had so much fun last time” she responded smirking lightly, trying to bug you. Of course, her comment had bothered you, but you didn’t want to let it show. Rio clenched his jaw, irritated by her remark.

“Na, I’m good” he shrugged his shoulders “Now, let us enjoy the rest of our evening and leave” he continued, looking her straight in the eyes. She stood there, annoyed by the fact he was choosing you over her. Ever since she had slept with him, she didn’t want to admit it, but she always wanted to be around him in a way and the fact that he was now back with his girl and not paying attention to her, drove her somewhat crazy. He stopped paying attention to her and proceeded to cut a piece a steak, his focus now on the piece of meat in front of him. She huffed loudly, stomping her feet before leaving the two of you alone as your eyes focused on your boyfriend’s figure. You couldn’t believe what had just happened.

“So, what was that about?” You asked, trying to get him to talk, although you knew exactly what it was about. He took one last bite, clearing out his plate, while you pushed yours aside, not being hungry anymore

“Nothing” he said taking a sip of his drink, dodging your question

“Didn’t seem like nothing to me” you muttered under your breath before finishing your glass of wine

“What was that?” he said looking right at you, the waiter interrupting you. Rio knew well enough what you had said, and it was clear to him that you were bothered by the situation

“May I get you anything else?” He said smiling softly at the both of you,

“The check, please” you demanded, before Rio could say anything. The waiter nodded before leaving quickly, feeling the tension between the two of you. He came back shortly after, Rio handing him a hundred-dollar bill, thanking him, as you both stood up to leave. You walked rapidly in front of your boyfriend, wanting to get away from him. Rio couldn’t help but noticed the different pairs of eyes looking at your beautiful figure as you moved towards the front of the restaurant. All he wanted was to put these guys in their place, showing them what was his, but he knew he didn’t have time for that, following you as you exited the building.

You walked at a fast pace, Rio following your trail closely, a small grin on his face, almost amused by your behavior. As you got to the vehicle, you waited for him to unlock the door, but much to your dismay, he didn’t.

“Lose the attitude baby” he said approaching you, as you stood near the passenger side of the car.

“I have every right to have one” you replied “And don’t call me baby” you sighed, annoyed

“Why? Because of what she said? Come on ma, I told you already, we weren’t even together when that shit happened” he stated, rolling his eyes, something you hated for him to do when you were mad.

“I know we weren’t together when you slept with that woman, I did the same” you said nonchalantly “But it’s the fact that you’re still in contact, hell your still in business with her” you through your hands in the air “That’s what annoys me”

“You slept with someone else?” he asked through gritted teeth, not finding the situation amusing anymore.

“You said it yourself, we weren’t in a relationship anymore. And what if we had never gotten back together, what was I supposed to do? Never have sex again?” you asked your voice getting slightly louder, fully irritated by his reaction

“Who is he?” he questioned, taking a step towards you, as you took a step back leaning against the car door

“It doesn’t matter Rio, I don’t even talk to the guy anymore. But you on the other hand, you’re still in contact with her.” You replied getting frustrated “I saw how she was looking at you, the bitch wants more than to just be your business associate” you stated

“I’m going to ask again and you better answer. Who is he?” he asked, pushing his body to yours, grabbing your neck with his hand, squeezing it slightly, taking you by surprise.

“And I’ll repeat, it doesn’t matter” you said, emphasizing every word “Don’t turn this on me” you continued, as he groaned before pushing you against the car as you gasped, trapping your body between his and the vehicle, his aggressiveness arousing you.

“You better not think about him again or worse, be in contact with him anymore, or else I’m-“

“You’re going to what, huh? So, you’re telling me this thing works for you, but not for me, is that it?”you asked, your tone laced with attitude.

Rio looked you up and down, breathing through his nose, trying to calm himself. The thought of another man touching you was enough to get his blood boiling.

“Is that it?” you repeated, getting to him as he crashed his lips hungrily onto yours, biting your bottom lip, earning a muffled moan from your throat. Your hand found its way into the waistband of his black jeans, pulling his hips to meet yours. He groaned at the friction of his pelvic bone, against your crotch before you decided to push him away to get some air. He looked at you, panting, detaching himself from your body.

“Get in the car” he demanded sternly. You could already feel yourself pooling into your underwear

“Don’t tell me what to do” you responded, opening the car door, hopping inside as Rio walked around to the driver seat, getting in as well, shaking his head lightly at your comment.

“Just wait till we get home (Y/N)” he noted, putting the keys in the ignition, turning it on, as Bryson Tiller’s voice filled the inside of the car.

“And what if I don’t want to wait” you said, challenging him. Something you both had in comment was your love to provoke the other. His head turned to look at you, his brown eyes getting darker with every word leaving your mouth. You bit your lower lip in anticipation of what was coming next.

“In the back. Now!” You obliged quickly, scared that the two of you would get caught, but turned on at the same time. Rio always got what he wanted and once again, even if he was in the wrong, you gave in, wanting him to please you like he knew how to do perfectly. He looked at you, still sitting in the driver seat, as you pulled your hips up, allowing you to remove your panties, throwing them onto his lap with a smirk. He didn’t say a word, as he continued to stare at your every move, licking his lips slowly. You decided you wanted to tease him so, you proceeded to pull up your dress slightly, opening your legs slowly, giving him a view of your dripping core. He grunted loudly at the sight of you, your finger making their way to your slit, spreading your warm fluid, a soft moan leaving your lips.

“Rio” you whimpered, toying with the small bundle of joy sitting in between your legs. It felt good, but you couldn’t wait for him to replace your fingers with his.

“I love hearing you moan out my name” he said, his voice deep and filled with lust. He couldn’t wait any longer, joining you on the back seat, placing his head to your neck, leaving an overwhelming amount of open mouth kisses. His left hand traveled to your needy core, while his right hand massaged your breast, making you let out a sight, pleased by his actions.

“Rio, please” you whimpered, gripping his bicep tightly, wanting to feel him where you needed him the most. He inserted two of his fingers inside of you, smirking at the wetness leaking from your warm fold.

“Did he made you this wet baby?” he asked you, enjoying the sight of your pleasured face, only getting a moan as a response to his question.

“I asked you a question (Y/N)” he stated, his voice harsh, adding a third finger still waiting for your reply.

“N-no, only you can make me feel this good” you panted heavily as he fastened his pace, making you moan louder, his name leaving your lips over and over again. Hi touch was magic and all you wanted was to feel him hitting your deepest spot. You whimpered, asking for more, as he moved his thumb to your swollen clit, making you shriek in pleasure, the feeling already overpowering your body. Rio loved to hear you beg, and listening to your every moan, indicating that he did everything he was asked to do to please you perfectly. You grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him closer, your lips meeting his, your tongue dancing together, feeling Rio, hard as a rock beside you. You let out a loud gasp against his mouth, as he curled his fingers inside of you, tickling your special spot.

“I’m so close baby” you mumbled, your head now down his neck, digging your fingers into the leather seat of his G-Wagon, trying to contain yourself.

“Cum for me mama” he whispered into your ear, the sound alone being just enough to throw you over the edge, moaning loudly as you came all around his fingers. He smiled at you, once you had calm down from your high, removing his fingers and placing them in his mouth, sucking slowly, enjoying the taste of your cum on his tongue. He moved his hand down his belt before you stopped him.

“I said I couldn’t wait” looking at him entertained by his not so amused expression.

“Wha-“ you cut him off, leaving a small peck on his lips, moving to the front of the car, buckling your seatbelt, waiting for him to move to the front of the vehicle for the both of you to get home.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t wait though” you smirked, feeling accomplished, seeing the astonished look on Rio’s face.

Let’s just say that he didn’t go easy on you when the both of you got home.

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Thanks for reading

Hope you liked it, let me know what you think

-K

[pynkhues]

HI! this is about the ask response where you said "The want and the desire and the feelings are about him, not about the circumstances"

Do you think we would also see that from Rio's point of view? And how do you think they would go about it? Because I actually think that he needs to earn a bit of her trust back physically (does that make sense? lol). There are so many moments he used her attraction to him against her (she did as well with the dresses, but not in the same way, not with touch) or used his attraction to her to unnerve her.

(God they robbed us of being able to watch these two train wrecks learn to trust each other in a none business way and I'm so annoyed)

(this asks sucks I'm so sorry)

(x)

Hi, anon! Your ask doesn't suck at all, you have absolutely nothing to apologise for!

And yes, I agree! I think Beth proved herself on a trust level with Rio at the end of the season by not turning him in after she was shot, and I don't think Rio's reaaaallly earned that back. After all, he was already on the outs with his brousin and he used Beth again to get him out of the picture in a big way. I do think he was absolutely motivated by his personal feelings for Beth and a desire to protect her too, of course, but there's a lot more ambiguousness with what he did than what she did, something further hindered by Annie's arrest.

That physical relationship adds another layer to that too, like you said – he's used her attraction to him against her a lot, and of course there's the whole wire stripsearch too, but even beyond that, he's used her blind trust against her in physical ways – from getting her fingerprints on the gun in the first place to using her face as the banker. When you mix that up with the way Beth's used their intimacy against him too, particularly through the pregnancy lie and hiding the wire, that's - - a lot! To put it lightly! Haha.

It's less of an issue I think when they're in the midst of their push-pull power games and antagonism, but with the show moving them towards being true partners, seemingly both professionally and romantically, I think there would've needed to have been a re-establishment of boundaries in some way. That timing with them both confronting their feelings for one another would've been a great way to explore that, and for there to be a lot of complicated, messy uncertainty as they tried to re-establish trust in physicality and intimacy.

As for whether or not we would've gotten some Rio POV of it, I'm inclined to say yes. Probably not tons of it, but s4 absolutely made Rio's POV more of a touchstone in the episodes and it would make sense to utilise that with Beth and Rio starting to explore new territory in their relationship.

What do you guys think though? How do you think Beth and Rio would've tackled physical trust in s5?

[elise-jupiterstyle]

WIP sneak peek: the night’s harboring shade

“Where is he?”

The words escape Beth before she can think better of it. A blush erupts across her chest when Mick pops a brow and fixes her with a knowing look.

And, okay—this isn’t exactly how she’d planned on broaching the subject. She’d intended on keeping her line of questioning as apathetic as possible, avoid showing her hand too early—which, much to her chagrin, she’s managed to do in a matter of seconds—but as soon as she’d caught sight of Mick’s silhouette in the doorway instead of Rio’s, the question had burst forth from her lips before she could stop herself.

This is the third week in a row he’s missed their drop.

“Expectin’ someone else?” Mick asks, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he saunters over to her. The swish of his leather jacket is the only sound in the room besides the constant, dull hum of the heating system in the corner as it fights off the mid-winter chill.

Although her chances are slim to none that Mick will buy into her charade now, Beth feigns nonchalance, shrugging her shoulders and pursing her lips as he comes to stand at the opposite end of the work table.

“I had just been under the impression that he would be at the drops he scheduled, is all. It’s a little unprofessional,” she replies as she glides her hand over the immaculate surface of the work table, pretending to brush off debris that isn’t there just for something to do with her hands. When she glances up at Mick again, he’s got an elbow propped up on the work table as he leans against it, fixing her with the same knowing look, and she feels herself tense as a flicker of irritation ignites in her chest. She clears her throat, throwing back her shoulders and twisting her neck slightly to dispel some of the tension.

Beth still has yet to grow accustomed to Mick’s perpetual state of indifference. He’s calculated with his reactions, never giving her more than an inch, never revealing more than he needs to, and she despises the way it unnerves her. It’s not that Rio is any less onerous, has ever  made it easier for her to get information out of him, but unlike Mick, he can’t seem to help himself when an opportunity presents itself for him to get a rise out of her, for him to go toe-to-toe with her even when he knows he’ll inevitably gets his way. Mick, on the other hand, has an infuriating knack for making her overshare—feeling like she needs to overcompensate for all that he doesn’t contribute to every one of their brief interactions.

“He’s busy,” Mick responds, his voice gruff and tinged with mild amusement. Beth narrows her eyes slightly, tampering down the irritation that flares in her gut at his vague response, knowing that it’ll only give him more satisfaction if she shows it.

The worst part is that she knows he’s reading her like an open book right now, can tell how desperately she wants to ask him what he knows, even though the odds of him actually giving anything up are as slim as her finding them out for herself. She also knows that if there’s any trait of his worth noting that Rio lacks, it’s patience. He’ll wait her out until she inevitably breaks—will let her interrogate him about the unanswered calls, the unacknowledged texts, the radio silence that she has zero explanation for—and he’ll undoubtably report back to Rio about it like he did all those months ago when he was posted up at her house, ensuring that she didn’t try to flee before her borrowed time was up.

Point is, she knows that she won’t have to elaborate on what she means when she asks about him, but she’s almost certain that Mick will play dumb, drag it out, refuse to give her an inch until she’s laying it all out for him, giving him a transparent abridgment of not what she’s asking, but why.

The true killer is that she’s not even entirely sure what the why is, never mind how she would go about justifying it to herself or Mick—he would know immediately, if he doesn’t already, that this has nothing to do with their business relationship.

It’s not that she’s worried, exactly—her patience for being ignored by the men in her life expired long ago—and it’s not like she’s hurt, either. It’s not like she thought that night had changed anything or mended what was broken between them.

(Didn’t it, though?)

The room is dead silent, neither of them exchanging any words as Beth deliberates over whether it’s worth it to pry while Mick, she’s sure, waits patiently on her to make the next move.

It must be at least a full minute before she expels a heavy, conceded breath. She rolls her shoulders back, straightens up, and plasters on a cheery smile, slipping into her customer service persona with a practiced ease.

“Alright then,” she chirps as though it’s no issue at all, ignoring Mick’s bemused snort even as she watches him shake his head to himself out of the corner of her eye. He finally shifts his attention from her to the dark blue duffel on the other end of the work table, watching patiently as she grabs one of the thick straps and lugs it across the tattered wooden surface.

“It’s all there. Take as much time as you need,” she says, her voice sugary enough to bore through tooth enamel. Mick grunts, unaffected, his gloved hands tugging the bag closer to him and drawing the zipper without another word.

He makes quick work of counting the stacks of red-banded cash—always does, really, which is one thing she can say she appreciates about doing the drops with him. 

Despite herself, her mind drifts back to Rio, wondering what could’ve kept him away for nearly three weeks without so much as a text message when, not too long ago, he obliged to practically every impromptu meeting that she called, no matter the time or reason. The thought branches off in several directions until she’s spiraling, working through the possible reasons for his sudden withdrawal from her, and it feels as though someone is dragging a sharpened blade along the seams of her heart, increasing the pressure with each possibility her mind conjures up.

Then: what if he regrets it?

The blade in her chest twitches before it’s tearing through the seams, her chest lurching as her heart splits wide open.

Is that why he’s been avoiding their meetings, she wonders, refusing to so much as hear her voice over the phone? Did the consequences of letting her in again finally rear their ugly heads, infusing him with the very feelings she feared they would? After everything—the sentiments they shared, the walls they bashed down, the desire they surrendered to—has he come to view that night as a mistake?

The mere thought of it hollows her out until she can feel nothing more than her bleeding, battered heart as it echoes throughout the chasm of her chest.

The metallic bite of a zipper yanks Beth from her thoughts just in time for her to catch Mick heaving the duffel off of the table, his work for the night finished. She watches silently as he backs away from the work table, the straps of the bag clutched in one hand while the other raises to his forehead, offering her a two-fingered salute.

“See you next week,” He informs her, curt as ever, before making for the door.

He doesn’t give her a chance to respond, but she hasn’t a clue what she would say if he were to, anyway. There’s no way to pry further about Rio’s whereabouts without inadvertently admitting that his absence concerns her—without insinuating that, god forbid, she misses him—unless— —

Unless she figures them out for herself.

Beth’s gaze follows Mick’s retreating form to the back of the shop, focusing absently on the taut line of his leather jacket as her thoughts work themselves into a frenzy. She watches him peel through the door (with more stealth than anyone of his build should be capable of, she might add), the blinds clacking softly against it as it closes, and just like that, she’s alone.

The silence lends her some clarity with which to sort through her thoughts until one stands out above all the others, echoing against the walls of her skull as if Mick were still in the room with her.

Art class. You know, pencils and chalk and whatnot?

And yeah, Beth thinks, eyes trained on the door as the clattering blinds begin to settle, the stillness of the night just beyond it encompassing her along with a new sense of determination.

Art class.

[enamoured-x]

so it goes

Summary: When Alex moves in across the hall, Rio knows he’s in trouble. A good girl like her would never want anything to do with him, or so he thinks. 

Word count: 2k

Chapter 10 

To say Rio was on cloud nine would be an understatement. He felt on top of the damn world as he replayed the events that took place just last night. How fucking good it felt to finally be able to kiss her, to hold her close and just feel her. He knew he was already gone for her, that much was true but after last night but it was scary how much Rio felt so fast. 

He was in such a good mood and even the bitches from the suburbs that he was doing business with were not going to bring him down. Rio dreaded meet ups with them, sure sometimes he’d get a rise out of their fear but Beth always rubbed him the wrong way. She spent a few months playing robber and making cash and suddenly she thought she was a big dog. Beth was a big pain in his ass but even she couldn’t take away from the good day he was having. 

Rio hopped out of his car, Mick following suit. They both made their way over to Beth, Annie, and Ruby. The former looking way more smug than her two other accomplices. 

“It’s all there.” Beth said as Mick started to grab the four boxes on the table they were sitting at. 

“I’ll count it and tell you if it’s all there.” Rio replied as Mick took the boxes back to the car. 

“Same time next week, ladies?” Rio asked teasingly, there was no question about it. They were going to see him whether they liked it or not. 

As he went to turn away Beth stopped him. 

“Wait.” Rio turned back to face her. He noticed how Annie and Beth were giving her glares, probably desperate to be done with him already. 

Rio tilted his head waiting for her to talk. Beth stood up and walked over to him and then reached in her bag. Rio had his hands behind his back but made no move to defend himself, he knew Beth wouldn’t be so stupid to shoot him here and now. 

He watched her as she pulled out some colorful flowers. He was confused as Beth handed them to him. He looked down at the petals and then his eye caught the tag that was attached to the string. Flor Amor.

Rio’s heart stopped in his chest. 

“My way of saying thank you for hearing me out and letting us live.” She said and smiled. For a second Rio thought that it could just be a fluke, everyone shopped at Alex’s. But Beth wasn’t the type of person to just stumble upon coincidences, this had to be deliberate. 

“Where did you get these?” Rio gritted out. He was about to boil over with rage. There’s no way Beth could be this stupid, no way she would essentially threaten Alex. 

“Oh, a really cute flower shop a few blocks from here. You should meet the owner, Alex. Very nice girl, very sweet.” Beth’s smirk told Rio all he needed to know. He dropped the flowers and grabbed Beth by the neck, squeezing but not enough to actually kill her. She gasped in shock and wrapped her hands around his arm. Fear was now evident in her eyes. Annie and Ruby quickly got up and rushed to her side and started pleading with Rio but he didn’t hear any of it. All he could think about was Beth talking to Alex. Beth taking advantage of Alex’s kindness. Beth telling Alex who Rio was. What he actually did. 

“You go anywhere near her or that shop again, I’ll kill you.” Is all he said before he pushed her away. Beth and Ruby went to her aid to make sure she was alright as she clutched her neck. He went to turn away but Beth spoke up again. He was sure she had a death sentence. He didn’t turn around this time, just stood there, backing facing them. 

“Does she know what you are?” She asked, smugness still in her tone despite her life being threatened only seconds ago. Rio didn’t say anything and instead walked back to the car. 

No, Alex didn’t know what he was. But even he didn’t know that, did he? Was he a monster? A villain? A villain only bringing the poor innocent girl into the crossfire to potentially be collateral damage? No. No he wasn’t. Was he? He hated how wound up that question got him. How it made him start to think. How last night he was so eager to make Alex his but he was going crazy with how to tell her. He couldn’t lie to her. Truth was the foundation of any good relationship, he knew that. He couldn’t just cling on to ignorance being bliss, because what they don’t tell you is that eventually, that ignorance breaks and in its wake is a whole lot of secrets and lies exposed. If ignorance is bliss than the truth is a bitch. And the truth was what Alex would get from him sooner or later. Right now he just wanted to see her, despite Beth not being one to actually hurt an innocent girl, he still needed to see Alex. So he drove until he reached her shop. He normally wouldn’t come empty handed but he didn’t care and he doubted that Alex would either. Mick made himself scarce as Rio entered the shop. He was quickly hit with the smell of fresh flowers and he could faintly smell hints of Alex’s perfume. Hope and Allie were the ones to great him with big smiles. 

“Hey, Rio.” They both said, knowing smiles on their faces. No doubt they had forced Alex to tell them everything that had happened last night. 

“Hey, ladies. How are you both today?” Rio leaned against the counter. He liked the girls, he could see how much they cared for Alex and Rio felt that they were genuine. 

They both replied, creating a bit of conversation. Rio didn’t mind, he wasn’t going to be rude and any friend of hers was sure to be a friend of his if he played his cards right. 

“Are you two going to actually help me or are you going to just–” Alex stopped as she came out from the back room. Her eyes immediately locking with Rio’s. 

“Hey, mamas.” Rio said, standing up straight. 

“We’ll help. Go on.” Allie and Hope pushed Alex forward and out of the doorway as they disappeared in the back. 

“Hey.” Alex smiled. A blush taking over her cheeks. She walked over to Rio and he pulled her into him like it was second nature and pressed a kiss to her lips. Alex smiled through it and Rio couldn’t keep the grin off his face either. They both laughed and then went in for another kiss. Rio could get used to this. He could do this every damn day. Kissing her was so fucking intoxicating. They finally pulled away. He was happy that even though they had only had one date, she was already comfortable enough with him to be this intimate so quickly. 

“Kinda missed you.” Alex said, turning even more red as she admitted it. Rio kissed her forehead and took her face in his hands to tilt her to look up at him. 

“Yeah? I missed you too.” He said and they both grinned. 

“Didn’t they just see each other last night…”

“Leave them alone, they’re cute.” 

Alex huffed and turned to see both Allie and Hope peeking out of the doorframe. Rio was amused as they quickly hid from view. 

“I pay you to work not to be nosey.” Alex shook her head and turned back to Rio. He laughed lightly as she rolled her eyes. 

“So, I was thinking, if you’re not busy… maybe you could come over tonight and I could make dinner and dessert?” Alex bit her lip, waiting for his response. Rio brought his thumb to tug her bottom lip away from her teeth. She let him as he trailed his thumb along her bottom lip and then he his eyes met hers again after watching the movement. 

“I’d like that, sweetheart. What’s on the menu?” He still held her as she had her hands on his back. Chests still grazing. 

“You’ll have to wait and see.” Alex gave him a wide smile and he returned it. He didn’t care what she was making, he’d be there and he’d be grateful and happy. He was glad to see her. It put him back in a good mood again despite Beth somehow knowing who she was and who she was to Rio. He’d have to delve into that later, right now, today, he just wanted to be with Alex. 

“You good?” Alex asked as she noticed Rio seemed to go off somewhere. 

He smiled and gave her a kiss to the cheek. He loved how she already knew him so well, knew something was up. She could read him already and he didn’t entirely mind. 

“Yeah, long morning. Better now though.” He said. She took the answer but still had worry lingering. 

“Want to talk about it?” Alex knew she was at work but it was a dead hour and the girls could manage without her if she needed to step away. 

“Nah, it’s nothing. You hungry? I can bring you back some lunch?” He offered, trying to get her mind off his apprehension. 

“I just ate but thanks.” Alex swooned at the fact that Rio was willing to bring her back food. A customer walked in and Allie quickly tended to the person so Alex could stay talking to Rio. 

“I guess I should let you get back to it.” He said and pulled away, bringing his hands down to her hips. 

“Yeah, be at my place around seven?” She asked and he nodded in agreement. 

“I’ll be there.” Rio couldn’t help himself as he pulled her in for another kiss. He’d keep doing it as long as she was okay with it. But she didn’t seem to mind at all as she relaxed into it and then broke away, heat rising to her cheeks as she made sure the customer didn’t see them. PDA was surely not good for business and not exactly professional either. 

“Bye, Rio.” She said, pushing him away and laughing as he smirked and tried to kiss her again. 

“Alright, alright. Bye, mamas. See you tonight.” He said and finally left her alone and walked out of the shop. 

Rio felt a wave of emotion after seeing Alex again. On one hand he was happy to see her safe and okay, and well, he was just happy to see her in general. But even so, he couldn’t get what Beth said out of his head. Couldn’t shake the feeling that he was only going to do more harm than good. But he kept holding on to Alex’s smile, and the way her lips moved with his, and the way she blushed whenever he was around. He didn’t want to mess that up but he didn’t want to keep this from her because he knew it would blow up in his face if he left it on the back burner. He needed to come clean and fast if Beth was going to be stupid enough to continue lurking around Alex and the shop. He knew it would be worse if Alex heard it from Beth. He struggled with how to tell her, when to tell her. They had just gone on their first date and although some part of him felt that it was too soon, another part told him that it was the perfect time, the beginning of the relationship is when you lay yourself out for the person to see, to see if they will take everything you’re offering. 

Rio was cursing himself. Maybe he could tell her tonight. But if he was going to tell her, he needed to be prepared to lose her tonight too. He didn’t think he was ready for that. 

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[methxie]

Hey y’all, I’m a new fic writer, so I’m just going to do a small overview of everything I’ve written, and I’m going add links so that you can read them if you’d like to :)

1. read it here

Underneath the Tree is a fluffy fic that centers around Beth and Rio during the month of December. It is in the point of view of Beth, and she is semi-confused on the domesticity of her and Rio’s relationship. His attitude towards her is too warm, as if he’s just forgot about his life of crime. It is also my first fic ever, so it’s most likely not the best, but chapters are short so that it can be a good way to pass time. This fic is full of fluff and smut, but it’s unfinished, I hope y’all like it <3

2. read it here

It’s Our Little Secret (just us two) is a PWP piece in which Beth is about to lock up Boland Bubbles for the night, but Rio swings by for a surprise office hook-up. This fic shows how Beth leans into her sexuality and explores new things with Rio, and he is fully able to provide this pleasure for her. I did orphan this fic, due to the fact that I didn’t want it shown on my page, but it’s still mine. (It involves choking and spanking... it may not be for everyone)

3. read it here

Detention (meet me tonight) is an alternate universe (WIP) in which Beth is a high school English teacher (26) and Rio is a student (18). Rio is struggling, but Beth is trying her best to help him keep his grade up so that he is able to graduate. On the other hand, Rio’s intentions are far more different, wanting to pursue a sexual relationship with her, despite the legality risks. This centers around a confused Beth POV, where she wants to feed into this attention, but it’s a forbidden type of relationship, making it difficult for the both of them.

4. read it here

No Clear Skies is a one shot fic where Beth and Rio go on a business trip, but this plan fails and they are left sitting in his car waiting for hours. The rain begins pouring and due to the amount of rain, the roads are sure to close down to avoid wreckage. Rio gets a crazy idea (it’s really OOC) to exit the car, coaxing Beth out while he’s at it. So this is a fluffy fic, basically just a kissing in the rain prompt that no one asked for.

- If you do happen to read them, please leave comments or kudos, or anything that you find convenient <3

[jade-marie]

Can we talk about how it’s all so very fucking simple yet way too many people still don’t get it? Beth turned Rio in, shot him 3 time (he probably saw god for a brief second) and she is now using his money to pay for a hitman to take him out yet STILL goes to him when she needs help.. what is he supposed to do here, look at her boobs and say “ugh fine”?? The delusion omg. It worries me because does that mean the people defending her agrees with her and would do exactly as she is if put in the same situation? Like I am really trying to understand and see their vision here but WHAT???

It frustrates the hell out of me but I’ve noticed a couple of common trends. People tend to see Beth as his victim because, to a certain extent, there was always a power imbalance in their dynamic. I notice very particular wording when it comes to describing things that happened between them “Rio stole her business” as opposed to “Rio charged a licensing fee because Beth was operating in his territory” or “Rio took what he was owed” which always gives me the impression that people view these interactions from Beth’s perspective, as if she’s being put upon or taken advantage of by Rio. 

People also tend to have the same issue as Beth, in that they can’t separate business from personal, when it comes to Rio‘s behaviour. So if he pulls a gun on her or he’s rude to her, they aren’t able to see that it’s just business and he’s probably like that with everyone lmao. By putting all of his behaviour in the same category, you can almost strike a balance between them and say that they’ve treated each other equally as poorly, but that’s just not the case. When you actually look at how he treats other people within his business, she’s gotten off so fucking lightly. Dean caught a bullet, Eddie is allegedly dead, Turner is dead, Lucy is dead and Beth lost her fucking furniture. It frustrates me so much because you can see that he’s constantly making allowances for her and it gets thrown back in his face.

If you try and apply real-world morals to him, of course it’s gonna make him seem like the bad guy. But at the end of the day, he’s viewing the world through a completely different lens. He’s in a position where he has to effectively rule through strength and fear because if not, he’s going to end up dead. There are at least 10 separate occasions where he should’ve killed Beth and he hasn’t, obviously she knows that because she’s witnessed his treatment of others, she saw him shoot Lucy, she saw him shoot her husband, she put two and two together and realised that he allegedly killed Eddie and I’m sure she has her suspicions about Turner.

And then when you look at their personal interactions, as far as the romantic relationship goes, the worst thing he ever did to her was tell her that she was just work. So for people to look at the situation, see how much he’s already letting slide, see how easy he’s already going on her and then say he should effectively get over being shot three times is crazy to me. I get that people who ship brio just want them to be back to how they were, but I also think it would be a huge disservice to his character if he forgave her, when she hasn’t earned it. Because unlike the vast majority of shit he’s done to her, the shooting was very much personal and is only made worse by the hit she took out.

[missmaxime]

how do you feel about the show making rio so unlikable? is the backstory a fix it?

Let me start of with that I don’t think the show is making Rio more unlikable. I don’t know if you mean that they are visibly showing him committing more violence and crime. But I’m assuming this is an ask in response to the wire-scene from Sunday’s episode.  Watch me under the cut go through the past three seasons and a little some season 4 to tell you how I see Rio’s character progression. I’m not really sure if this is what you’re asking an answer to, but if it’s not tell me! * Rio’s (non) POV * Escalation in violence * Different views on S3 * More into the wire-scene * Prediction for 4x06 / Backstory

Rio has always been shown to be a ruthless and violent criminal. In the beginning of S1 he had no problem murdering the girls, and has made death threats ever since. He shot Dean, killed Eddie, had Turner assassinated and murdered Lucy in front of the girls. I don’t know how people can see him any other way, it’s not something that was ever hidden by the show. He’ll go through every length to protect himself and his business.  We know Beth has been a soft spot for him since Season 1 too. In the beginning because it was a fun and interesting business opportunity, but we’ve seen their relationship develop for better and worse across seasons. I think we have to keep in mind that Rio is a character we’ve seen almost exclusively through POV that aren’t his own, and mostly through Beth’s. And we as viewers see a limited amount of information about him, that we translate in our own ways. I’ve seen people interpreted the 2x01 scene where Rio shows Marcus to Beth through such rose-colored glasses for example. I can see how a viewer, and Beth, could see it as a scene that would frame him as more likeable. But I also see how that was exactly Rio’s point; He wanted Beth to see that it’s not just her who has kids on the line with her crime-life, as a way to invalidate her constant argument of ‘being a mom’ and ‘having a family’ as if that would make her special or something. She’s a drug dealer and counterfeiter like him, not a criminal with a heart of gold because they happen to have a child. Season 2 really started unpacking Rio’s character more. In Season 1, if the whole Rio/Beth – CH/MM chemistry hadn’t existed, I could definitely see the character of Rio being done late Season 1/early Season 2. But that’s not what happened, so now Rio had to become a person with connections and feelings and deeper motivations – but it’s still a character that’s in the base there to drive Beth forward as a character and deeper into crime. Which is a tricky balance, and I don’t think the show always made that work. Obviously the most clear example of that is the loft scene in 2x13. Now there’s more than one thing to be said about that scene, but I’m focusing now Rio himself. It’s the big finale, a lot of things needed to come together here and explode. Overall I don’t think the build-up was executed well, but it doesn’t help that we have no Rio POV here. His decision to kidnap Beth, confront her with her lack of taking responsibility and lying about her rotten eggs, and his complete oversight of her response to being pinned his fall guy really dropped out of – maybe not completely thin, but at least barely medium thick – air for me. Concerning the racial element I think THIS POST by @septiembrre explains this much better than white, non-American me ever will.  Regardless of the fact if the racial element of 2x13 affects a viewer, this poorly executed finale left lots of people unsatisfied at best. When Season 3 started we did start to see more Rio POV, or parts of his story told through Rhea, even though it was limited. I know there’s a lot of critique on the S3 we got, that I personally don’t understand – I loved it, it was so amazingly angsty, especially the Beth and Rio interactions were so loaded and simmering with guilt and anger and sadness and desperation – but if you’re searching for catharsis in a way of Rio coming back with a vengeance with guns ablaze, then that’s really not what you got. What Season 3 did do was putting the violence and cruelty Rio is capable of more on the forefront, and making us feel the weight of it more (I don’t know about the rest of you, but in the previous seasons I felt they really underplayed a lot of it). Rio had competing gangs taken out through Turner, has Turner assassinated along with a lot of other FBI agents, he fully intended on killing Beth before the pregnancy lie, kills innocent Lucy through Mick and disposes her body gruesomely, has the girls deliver Boomer with all intention of harming him (if not murder) and full on frames Beth for Lucy’s murder with her prints on the gun. I don’t think these kind of actions weren’t going on in the previous seasons, but now it’s more on display because Rio made Beth a part of this side of crime (and with that, us the viewers). In the beginning of Season 4 I feel like we’re making a bit of a jump when it comes to Beth and Rio’s relationship, maybe one that’s a little too big compared to the distance we ended on in Season 3 (even if they seemed friendly in their last Boland Bubbles scene). Lucy’s body is found and we learn that said gun was also used to taking out some gang member of an opposing gang of Rio’s, so after Turner’s sweep he apparently wasn’t done. That gun now becomes a much bigger thing to hold over Beth (and I’m speculating because we don’t know for sure, but we can guess that now Annie’s prints are on it – which is an ever bigger press on Beth because she won’t let her little sister take the fall, while she would do so herself. And I think she’s up for a rude awakening that while she’s under the impression that Rio has always employed the three of them, what was actually going on is that Rio employs Beth, and he sees Annie and Ruby as Beth’s employees and thereby offers them zero protection). So her counter with his print doesn’t come a moment too soon. I feel like Beth asking him to murder ‘Dave’, albeit with a lie about his identity and not as straightforward as Rio might wish, is a positive shift for him. She might not pick up a gun herself to do the deed, but much like Rio has Mick shoot Lucy, she very deliberately gives a killing order through him. And with a very drama heaux set-up we see him personally – and he has no reason to not have Mick do it – shoot Fitzpatrick. Aside from the fact that I have no doubt Rio may not have knew the specifics but he knew Beth had something orchestrated, the fact that some sniper dude was the target has it really drive home to him that it’s something else than Secret Service, and that they are still active around Beth. So we’re finally here, 4x05 The Banker – which I’m gonna guess was the reason you send this ask in the first place. In particular the wire-scene. In the first scene we learn that Rio has found the tracker on his car, and he turns it off or breaks it – so he knows he’s still being watched. It makes the most sense that even if he takes the leap that he put down a Secret Service agent, that they just replaced them and Beth is likely still working for them. He meets her in her kitchen – which isn’t that common at this point, last we know he was there is after the failed hit on him. And she doesn’t even jump when she sees him, just accepts it. He motions for her to be quiet before slowly stepping into her space, and she very logically responds with a ‘what are you doing?’, and he stares back long and hard to say that he means business. He has all the reason to suspect her wearing a wire, even if this wasn’t a planned meeting, and it wouldn’t be the first time she lied to his face. It’s clear to me (but I’ve seen this interpreted differently) that Beth fast finds a solid stance in this powerplay. Rio doesn’t seem happy about the fact it has come to this, and neither does she. I’m not sure if you send me this ask because you have negative feelings about this scene, but I can tell you I can’t answer those. This scenario could have been portrayed so wrong with any other actors or the way they shot it, but I feel like they delivered superbly on it. It’s in no way sexual or intimidating like I’ve seen some posts suggest, I just see two brokenhearted people who see the little trust they rebuilt fall apart in in thirty seconds. At the end Beth ends up winning, a bitter win maybe, this confrontation. Rio’s obviously still suspicion, but she also gained some trust with her asking him to kill ‘Dave’, so setting her up as The Banker is some sort of twisted reward and punishment and test at the same time. It’s not explained, but I think ‘The Banker’ might have been a hidden figure before Beth stepped up to show her face (before her flunky’s came to collect in name of The Banker) – making this an even better set-up if it’s so because that takes Rio out of the equation altogether even. We end the episode on the note where Rio tells Beth he has people he answers to, and that they want to meet her. Which, again, sound like both a reward and a punishment and a test. We’ll have to see next Sunday what it really means. IN this episode we’ll meet some of Rio’s family, likely his boss(es) and get backstory on him. I don’t see that as a fix-it, but mostly because I don’t see anything needed of fixing. I’m glad we’re getting an insight into Rio’s past, and I love that it likely will broaden his backstory and motivations more. But I feel like the way Rio’s character and the amount and the way of it seems very fitting to the story and the perspective it’s told through. I’m not sure if this is an answer to your question, so feel free to send me a more specific one if you want to!

[strawberrywritings]

 A/N: I received an ask asking for a part 2 to this, sooooo here it is, let me know if you want part 3. Enjoy! xx

Part 3 / Masterlist

Warnings: sexual intercourse, it’s long and messy buckle up

Summary: your relationship with Rio takes a turn for the best... or the worst?

The next time you saw Rio was in a club. He was there, enjoying a few drinks in a corner, and you were there with some friends. You spotted him first and excusing yourself from your friends, you made your way over to where he was sitting. “Beth’s not here”, you joked, knowing that sometimes Beth came to the club.

He looked up from his phone to see you standing before him, smirking down at him. “I’m not here for her”, he replied, still not knowing why you would approach him outside of “work”. You leaned against the table he was sitting at and pointed to the dance floor behind you. “In that case, people go to clubs to have a good time, not to sit at a table alone”, you still teased, testing the waters to see what kind of mood he was in. He smirked, “Maybe I’m waiting for someone”, he leaned back in the seat and watched you become embarrassed: you definitely hadn’t thought about that and you were sure that you had sounded stupid. Great. “I’m kidding, have a seat”, he said with a smile and you stood there looking at him before sitting down carefully. “I don’t bite... unless you ask me to”, he added and watched you giggle, back to your usual playful mood. As your giggle quieted down, you looked at him ad softly smiled. “I’m sorry for what I said, we just never see each other in... normal - you made quotation marks with your fingers - contexts, and you don’t really strike me as a very social person, no offense, really”, you leaned your cheek on your hand and watched him. “Don’t worry, it’s fine”, he said and nodded.

You didn’t even realize it, but you two talked for half an hour before one your friends came over and told you they were moving to the dance floor. “Sorry, I should probably head back there, I already bothered you too much”, you laughed, and he shook his head, “It’s alright, I enjoyed it”. His voice was deep and calm, and you almost didn’t want to leave him. “I’ll see you around, Rio. Have a good night”. “You too, mama”. You waved with your hand and started walking back to where your friends were, but Rio noticed how his eyes stayed glued to your body. He had watched you, as you talked, he was watching your lips, your eyes, your hands... he watched the way you talked so lively, your voice always happy, and he found himself thinking about you. And he didn’t like it. He already had his complicated relationship with Beth, he didn’t need another one.

In the next few days, he tried to think less about you, trying to view you only as an employee, but every time he saw Beth, he couldn’t help but think about you, she was your friend, after all. And that was another problem. The attraction Rio had towards you (he tried to convince himself there wasn’t any but he failed) could potentially harm your friendship with Beth, and consequently harm the business, and he cared about his business. Beth was a liability and it was clear, but he couldn’t just push her away all of a sudden: she had grown attached and it was his fault, he let her do that, and her being the “benefits” part of the deal made it twice as complicated to cut the ties with her. He had to understand how to get out of this mess without having a blow black from Beth and hurting the business.

The next time he saw you, he was the one who spotted you first, while you were in the grocery store, doing your weekly shopping. “Hey” he was standing beside you now, always in dark clothes, but with a beanie over his head. “Hi, everything alright?”, you smiled at him and he nodded. “Yeah, I was wondering if you had a minute to talk… but maybe not here”. You looked at him and the last part of his sentence made you understand that it was business-related. “Sure, we can meet at Annie’s later, she’s-”. he stopped you with a smile, “I would prefer going to my house, actually”. You smirked, “It’s all a ploy to get me in your bed, admit it”, you laughed, but told him that you’d be there, nonetheless. “I’m gonna call the girls and tell ‘em”. “I’ll handle it”. And with that, he left. No goodbye, nothing else. Your words were stuck in his head and now all he could think about was you in his bed. He was losing control over himself and he was mad about it. When you ringed the doorbell to his house, after dinner, and he answered the door instead of Mick, you were surprised and confused. “Ditched security, today?”, you smiled and looked around. The house had minimalistic furniture in plain colors, mostly black and white. It felt like him. You were still lost in your thoughts when he spoke, “Yep, it’s just me and you”. Your head snapped towards him, you and him? Where were the girls? “I figured this would be better kept between us”, he spoke as he made his way to the table, “Have a seat, please”. He was taking the chair out for you, always a gentleman, but you were frozen in place in the hall, a thousand scenarios running through your head as to why he wanted to speak to you alone. Did he want to kill you? Had he already killed the girls and he wanted to get rid of you, too? He was still waiting for you when you slowly approached the table. “I come in peace, but it’s still business I wanted to talk to you about”. “Then why aren’t the others here? Why is it just me and you?”. “Because I hoped you could help me with it, without making a fuss”. You were now a bit more comfortable, knowing that he (apparently) had no bad intentions. “If this is about your situation with Beth, I don’t wanna be involved, it’s you guys’ problem, not mine”.

He shook his head and licked his lips, your eyes following the movement for a split second before going back to his eyes. He noticed anyways, and smirked. “It is about me and Beth that I wanted to talk about… but it’s not what you think”, you stayed silent and he continued. “I want to reconsider our deal… and I’m talking about the benefits part. I can’t be around Beth anymore, it’s becoming a problem for the business”, you nodded, but still huffed. “I don’t know what you want me to do, Rio, we really can’t give you any more money, otherwise we can’t make end meets and we’ll be back at square one. You gotta understand… we’re no professionals in sneaking around and if we get caught, it’s gonna be bad. For everyone”, you were hoping you sounded reasonable enough and make him back down from wanting to change the deal. “I never said anything about the money, I was talking ‘bout the benefits”, he smirked at you and you frowned. “I’m not following, I’m sorry…”, you looked at him with a puzzled expression and he was unsure whether to voice his thoughts or not. Until it clicked in your head. “Oh, the benefits, okay. Well, in that case, Ruby’s married…”. “I’m talking about you, mama”, as much as he liked the chase, he wanted to make this short and get to the point. You seemed surprised, but still smiled at him. “And what makes you think I’d do that?”. “Because I know how you feel. This tension between us is hard to ignore, so how about we fix it, hm?”. You leaned back in the chair and crossed your arms over your chest; if he wanted to play games, you could do that, too. “Depends… are you good enough to fix it?”. “Careful, mama. You don’t wanna start something you can’t finish”. “Oh, but I can finish it. the real question is: can you?”.

What happened next was a blur, Rio was on your side of the table in less that a second, and you went from sitting to being bent over the kitchen table with his fingers inside you. Everything happened fast, but you were not complaining, especially when he was working you so well. The man knew what he was doing. “Is that good enough, mama? Or do you still doubt me?”, his voice was almost a whisper in your ear, and it gave you goose bumps. “Answer me”, his other hand knotted in your hair, pulling your head back a bit. “It’s so good, Rio, don’t stop”, you were already a mess and he hadn’t even made you cum yet. “Thought so”, he replied proudly, he knew he was good and he was going to show it to you. You whined when he removed his fingers and tried to push back your hips, he chuckled behind you kissed your shoulder lovingly. “What’s the matter, baby, d’ya need something?”, you nodded and decided to throw your dignity out the window and beg. “Please, Rio, make me cum, please, please”, your words were slurred, and you had no shame in being vocal. He led you to the couch and started to unbutton his pants. “How do you want it?”, he asked as he looked you over, your eyes hungry for more and you felt your heartbeat in your ears. You laid on your back and spread your legs, letting him settle between your thighs and line himself up with your opening. He looked you in the eyes as he slid inside you, giving you a moment to get used to him, before dragging his hips slowly back and forth. “Fuck, mama, you feel so fucking good”, your moans were the only verbal response you gave, and they increased in volume as his pace got faster. You squealed when he got on his knees on the sofa, his hands now on the back of your thighs, pushing your legs towards your body, his tip now hitting that exact spot. “Found it”, he smirked proudly and moved even faster, making you clutch at the cushions behind you. “Right there, don’t stop”, you moaned again and again. He wanted to stop the time and have you like this forever, your eyes closed in blissed as your walls were clamping down on his dick, his name leaving your lips like a prayer. “So good for me, so pretty. Can you cum for me?”, he put one of your legs on his shoulder, his cock slipping deeper inside you, making you cry out. He kept whispering how good you looked, while his thumb made contact with your clit, moving it in circles and applying pressure. You nodded frantically and one of your hands shot out to grab at his side, nails digging into his skin. His hand on your waist gripped you tighter, “Let go, mama, I got you. Cum for me”. His words sent you over the edge, your back arching and only his name coming out of your mouth. You still had your eyes closed when he sped up his pace a bit, and you opened them just in time to see him squeezing his eyes shut and throwing his head back; he emptied himself inside you with a few more thrusts, before slowly reaching down and giving a soft kiss on your neck. Once he pulled out and you both gained your breath, you made quick work of composing yourself, getting your clothes back on and grabbing your belongings. He came back into the leaving room to see you all dressed and ready to go. His heart sunk a bit, the thought of you not wanting anything to with him after sex was not a pleasant one, but he’d never admit it. He didn’t want to ask question, not sure if he wanted to know the answers. “I should go”, you told him and pointed to the door. He nodded. “I’ll see you”, you smiled politely at his words, nodding and wishing him goodnight.

It became a habit, you and Rio would meet, have sex and then spend some time together. Sometimes it was a pizza and a movie, or a coffee, other times you’d spend the night, too tired to move after multiple rounds with Rio. It was just part of the deal. And that’s also what you told yourself to help you sleep at night, knowing you were not only going behind the girls, but behind Beth and her feelings, too. She had started to notice how he’d never call her anymore, how he would avoid her and throw one smile more your way. You, or Rio, had to come clean about this, because it wasn’t just business for Beth, and you didn’t want to have problems with anyone. So, one night, while getting dressed, you found the courage to speak. “Have you seen Beth, lately? Alone, I mean”, you put your shirt back on as Rio looked at your back, your face hidden from him. “No, ‘told you I was done with her”. “The we should tell her about this, she’s not gonna be happy and it could cause problems”. “Well, that’s your problem, not mine”. You stopped your actions and turned back to look at him. “My problem? You were the one that started fucking her in the first place. This – you motioned between you and him – is just business. But with her? You two have a situation and you need to solve it. It’s not my problem”. “Well, she shouldn’t have had feelings for me, in the first place”, he mocked your words. “And how is that my problem?”, you retorted. He didn’t have an honest answer and he knew he was trying to take the easy way out. You didn’t wait for an answer, though. “Maybe you should’ve stuck to fucking her”, you shook you head, unbelievable, you thought. And then you left.

It had been a week since Rio had seen you, and a week since your conversation about Beth. He found himself wanting to reach out, not just to have sex, that was just an addiction. He had come to enjoy your company, you were smart, funny, beautiful and never boring. And he was scared, because while he was there, itching to call you with the “benefits” excuse, you were living your life just fine, even without seeing him. Or so he thought.

Somewhere else around town, you were sitting in Annie’s house, eating dinner with the girls before starting to work again with the money. You were good at pretending, so you didn’t have a problem when it came to lie to the girls about what you were doing with their, your, boss. That was until Beth broke down on Annie’s sofa about Rio not wanting her, Rio ignoring her, her being hurt… and you felt guilty. Everyone tried to comfort her. “He’s got another woman”, Beth cried as Ruby rubbed her back soothingly. It wasn’t a question or a possibility, hers was a statement. “How do you know?”, Annie asked, curious at how she could be so sure about it. “I foll-owed him an-d he had som-eone over”, she spoke through hiccups and you felt worse with each passing second. Annie and Ruby looked at each other and the oldest shook her head, not knowing what to do or say. “He’s surely fucking a whore that only wants him for his money”, Beth kept crying and started to insult the girl that Rio was spending time with, ignoring that she was sitting in the same room as her.

After the fifth insult, you couldn’t just sit back and watch anymore. “Maybe he just doesn’t want you” you snapped. Now all eyes were on you, well shit. “What do you know about it?”, Annie inquired, squinting her eyes at you. “Nothing”, you expression was still hard, but your fists were clenched together. “You’re the one he’s fucking, aren’t you?”, Beth’s tears had stopped, realization hitting her, “That’s why you’re always busy and he always looks at you…”. The room fell silent as you hung your head. “He wanted to change the deal and-”, you couldn’t finish as Beth was on you in a second, Ruby and Annie holding her back from hurting you, and looking at you disapprovingly. Beth was still screaming when Annie grabbed your arm and lead you to the door. “Get out and don’t come back”. You had never seen her like this but did what you were told anyways. Even if Rio’s dick was good, it had cost you your friends and your job.

Deciding to think about everything in the morning, you went home and slept, way through the morning, too. When you opened your eyes, realization hit you: you were now alone. Without a job and you knew what that meant, business-wise: you were out, but as Rio once said to you, “The only way out is in a body bag”. You knew too much, about him, about what he did, about the money laundering that you couldn’t just go on with your life.

Another week passed and Rio decided that he had to see you, but without making it obvious, so he decided to pay a visit while the girls were working, expecting to find you there, but he was only met by Annie, Beth and Ruby. He decided not to say anything, but as soon as Beth made eye contact with him, her expression became full of anger and shook her head. “If you came here to find your girlfriend, this is the wrong place, sorry to disappoint”. He raised an eyebrow, “My girlfriend? Do I have a girlfriend that I don’t know about?”, he smirked at her but her expression stayed the same, Annie and Ruby staying silent. “She’s out, went behind our backs. She got what she deserved”, Beth spoke, proud of having you out of the group. Rio understood where her ‘being out’ led and furrowed his eyebrows. “Where is she?”. “I don’t know”, she now had a mischievous smile on her face. Rio’s hands balled into fists and almost flipped the table, the girls getting scared in the process. He left the house in a hurry, leaving Mick and a couple of his guys there in case you actually showed up. He broke the speed limit to get to your house, and when he picked the lock, he found it dark, the blinds shut, no dishes in the sink, no sign of your presence in the house. He was worried. Where were you? Were you okay? Were you safe? Why was he so worried? Was he in love with you? He didn’t have time to think about the possible answers because the sound of a gun being loaded brought him back to reality. “Rio?”.

He turned around, “Hey, mama”.

[elixir448]

Good Girls 3x06 Thoughts (Will I ever get these up after the episode? Nope)

Good Girls 3x04 and 3x05 Thoughts Here

So lemme tell you.This post was basically finished and then I accidentally deleted it and have spent the last few hours typing it all out again. I’m just...yeah.

Dean and Au Jus

I know that a lot of people feel that Dean talking about cancer and chemotherapy costs would have been the perfect moment for Beth to scathingly bring up his lie about having cancer. While I acknowledge that it could have worked and all of us have been wanting to see this since he blurted out that he had cancer in season 1, there are a few reasons why I wouldn’t have wanted the issue raised in this scene:

1. I think it would have trivialised the depth of such a betrayal.

2. This scene was about Beth’s reaction to Lucy’s death and having to dig up her body, clean her face with baby wipes and then take a photo of it in order to unlock her phone and convince her kind-hearted boyfriend, who she loved, that she is still alive and wants nothing to do with him. This has nothing to do with Dean or his lies and it has everything to do with Lucy and the weight of her death on Beth’s shoulders. Why should it be about Dean? Despite the fact that he is in the scene, it actually has nothing to do with him.

3. I do wonder if the cancer lie will ever be addressed, mainly because I think Beth felt so guilty over Dean being shot by Rio that she essentially let it slide. Even in 2x05, when she finds out that Dean had multiple affairs rather than just one, she pointedly does not raise it. Perhaps it’s because she only found out about it in the lead up to her confrontation with Rio and Dean in 1x10, so bringing it up would essentially force her to think about Dean being shot before she even had a chance to confront him about it personally. I do think that Beth and Dean are going to go their separate ways this season, romantically I mean. There was some unconfirmed information floating about that the show was looking to cast an actor as young Dean and I think, if that’s true, any flashbacks probably would have been as a prelude to these two ending their romantic relationship for good. If it is true, I’m even more annoyed that the last few episodes couldn’t be filmed. Anyway, the way I see it, when Beth and Dean’s romantic relationship ends as a storyline, I think it will be a decision borne of weariness rather than resentment.

Also, I just need to say that I kind of love that Dean is getting so many scenes with Au Jus and kind of love seeing him with the bird. He seems like such a proud father. I’m more invested in this storyline than I am in the four star hot tubs storyline and Gayle tbh. For now anyway.

The Hills

I’m really starting to understand what Manny meant when he said that he was most interested in what the writers are doing with Stan in this season.

As soon as Stan told Ruby that he might be able to become a cop again, I knew that he wouldn’t return. At least not immediately. There are probably two main reasons that will stop Stan from returning to the police force:

1. Disillusionment with law enforcement. In season 2, we saw Stan being confronted by a federal agent (Turner) who was threatening and absolutely willing to use underhanded tactics, such as false testimonies, to get Stan to do what he wanted.

2. Stan views himself as morally compromised and unfit to protect and serve. He knows that he’ll abuse his position and help Ruby if she needs it again.

Beth actually says to Ruby in this episode that Stan can’t be a cop again. Even though he obviously doesn’t know about this, I can really see the entire situation, and everything that has happened since they robbed Fine and Frugal, lead to a pretty tense conversation between Beth and Stan in the next episode:

Lemme tell you, I gasped when I saw this promo image for 3x07, especially given the fact that Reno has said that we’ll get to see a little of Beth and Stan interacting in this season. It’s actually one of my hiatus wishes and I feel like we’re all anticipating their scenes together. I mean, Beth and Ruby have been best friends since they were teens. Stan and Beth have probably known each other for ages and we saw some tension in the last season, stemming from Ruby’s betrayal of Beth to save Stan. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think the last time we saw these two interact was in season 1, so it’s about time we see them talk face to face.

Of course, it’s been a few episodes since we saw Stan as a security guard in the strip club, so I’m really excited to see what happens there, the introduction of Onyx and more scenes with Krystal. I think Onyx may be introduced in the upcoming episode?

It was also so good to see more of Harry again. Danny Boyd Jr is such a talented and cute little actor. Like, he’s so small!

I LOVED the scene where Ruby points out the reasons why Stan is a cop (protect and serve) at his core. He doesn’t want to be involved with their shady stuff but he always gets dragged in. I would give anything to see a scene where Stan defends Ruby so staunchly to someone because I have no doubt that he would and I need it. Grabby hands.

Mick

Give the guy a hot tub!!!!!!!

I’m telling you. I screamed when Beth blurted out “I have herpes!” Oh my god. I died. Yeah, your husband won’t be happy about it. Nor will your crime husband.

I’m also just going to reiterate that I don’t view any of what Mick’s doing as a betrayal of Rio. What Beth was trying to do in this episode was in an attempt to get the cops off their collective backs and, if he gets a free hot tub out of it, good for him.

I guess we’ll have to see where it all goes but I’m not convinced that Mick is going to betray Rio in some profound way. Hell, I’m not even convinved that Rio doesn’t know about all this.

Beth’s character progression

God, Beth did so much in this episode. She really got down in the dirt herself and dug the dirt away from the Lucy’s body, asked for some wet wipes to clean her face, while trying her best not to be sick, and then took a picture of Lucy’s face. Even thought she has gotten her hands dirty, with regards to her role in the crime world, this is the first scene where she physically gets her hand dirty when she’s not gardening.

@captainallthingspurpleme​ wrote a great short post summarising the girls’ actions in this scene and absolutely nailed it! I don’t want to reiterate because I think it’s worded a thousand times better than I could articulate it.

I think Beth’s breakdown in this episode was so earned. We so rarely see her emotionally lose it, especially not in front of other people. The fact that she’s breaking down in front of Dean of all people, from whom she has been repeatedly proven to be emotionally and intimately removed from, shows how torn up she is over everything that has happened.

Despite this, she somehow manages to process it and file it away and is back to business in her next scene with the girls, where she texts Max, takes charge and tells him to come over in a moment of decisiveness and then deals with him. In the Good Girls 3x02 thoughts post I wrote, I talked a little bit about how ruthlessly pragmatic Beth can be, her ability to process horrible things and compartmentalise and how we see this happen with everyone in her life except for Rio. We’ve seen it after she processed that Dean had cheated on her, when she processed that fact that Mary Pat was extorting them and accepting how similar they were, when she found out about Dean faking cancer and when she processes Turner’s death. She always gets back to business. I think we’ve seen it again in this episode, with regards to Lucy’s death. While I don’t think she’s dealt Lucy’s death mentally, not even a little bit, I do think she has compartmentalised it which is just so Beth, as I point it in that previous post, but it’s underscored as being even more chilling in this episode, particularly with the last shot where she appears to blend into the pitch black behind her:

I’m sure everyone has read it already but @foxmagpie​ wrote a fab post about the lighting of Beth and Rio throughout the episode and how it relates to Beth’s character development so, instead of reiterating her analysis, I’ll just leave a link to it here.

Beth and Rio

I’ve seen that people are displeased with the screentime that Rio has had, which is a totally valid opinion. I’m personally really happy with what’s been happening with his screentime. @pynkhues​ wrote an amazing post during hiatus about why she thought Rio would become a POV character and have more scenes in season 3. She hit the nail on the head! I think the writers have really delivered on this front because Rio does have his own POV now, we’ve seen him interact with his family, we’ve seen him operate outwith the girls, his boys have returned and we’ve had a glimpse into how many people he seems to ‘employ’ and, if Manny is to be believed, we are also going to find out more about the people to whome Rio answers / owes debts to. I’ve been wondering who these people are since he mentioned it. Are they larger scale crime bosses or are they corrupt big wigs in political or federal circles? Does he owe them a debt of money, potentially due to his absence while he was under Turner’s thumb, or have people in the crime world put two and two together and realised who was feeding names to the FBI? I don’t imagine that giving such information to law enforcement goes over well amongst criminals.

I’m going to start by discussing the first scene between these two, which is really weighted. It reminded me so much of 2x07, where Beth and Rio’s feelings, both generally and for each other, bubbled to the surface in a rare moment of emotional honesty.

This scene starts with Rio’s car drawing up and Mick approaching Beth. It’s hilarious to me that Rio decided to wait in the car instead of dealing with her drama (petty AF) but also really emphasises the fact that Rio’s doing his best not to give Beth an inch. He’s trying to maintain the faux gulf that has developed between them. He’s also failing because, let’s be honest, Rio didn’t have to come at all; he could have sent Mick or one of his guys just like he did in the last episode but he didn’t and there are potentially a few reasons for this:

1. It’s possible that Rio anticipated that there might be problems and that he would have to step in to handle it because...well, Beth is his problem to deal with. His rotten egg. Not Mick’s.

2. He definitely knew that Beth would be feeling the weight of Lucy’s death on her shoulders, which I’ll discuss later in this section.

3. Maybe he just wanted to see her, even if he didn’t want to / couldn’t justify speaking with her. There’s something so tragic about the fact that, even if the drop had gone smoothly, Rio would have sat in his car and just taken her in because he can’t help himself.

Also, side note here, but I honestly love that Rio was watching from his car as Beth mouthed off to Mick. It’s so funny!

It was only upon rewatching the episode that I realised it’s actually raining in this scene. When Rio approaches Beth to sit down, at the picnic bench and under the tree, they are both protected from the rain and it kind of makes it seem as though they exist in their own personal bubble, even though Mick is stanidng less than a few feet away from them. Rio clearly brought Mick in an attempt to exert a level of control over his interaction with Beth and also to non-verbally remind her, and himself, that this is just business.

I’d also like to take a minute to discuss the significance of the setting, which is a picnic bench that is not Beth’s backyard but in a separate, meaningless location.

This is the last time Beth and Rio were at a picnic bench:

Compared to this:

God, these two messes are such a mess.

The difference between the two scenes is so stark, including the obvious differences in lighting and their comfort levels with one another. Not to mention the fact that in the image from 2x08, Rio sits on the tabletop in a higher position (which makes sense because Rio retained much of the power throughout season 2, even after Beth took the pills and strong-armed him into a 50/50 deal) but they look at each other directly, unafraid, comfortable and happy. In this scene, Beth and Rio sit on more equal footing but look away from one another in opposite directions, sobered, worn and quiet.

It really highlights the fact that, in season 2, the distance between these two was being abolished but now they’re back to trying to hold one another at arm’s length. It’s clear that they’ve been through too much at each other’s hands.

When Rio sits down, there is a long, weighted silence. Rio adjusts himself on the bench and stares at his lap and waits. This is so important. When Beth eventually breaks the silence by saying (about Lucy) “She was a good person” and sniffling quietly, Rio seems completely unsurprised. He knew she was going to bring up Lucy and her death. He knew and he still let her take the lead. He repeatedly says in this scene that it’s just business and yet his actons suggest otherwise. Why sit next to her, why let her bring up Lucy when you knew she was going to? And perhaps more importantly, why not immediately discuss business? He responds by saying “she seemed like a really sweet girl”. Even though he views ordering Mick to shoot Lucy as business, he doesn’t invalidate how Beth feels about it. In fact, he’s almost gentle with her. He’s been gentle with her in this season but always as a manipulation tactic, always to make her more fearful. But in this scene, he’s honestly gentle and patient with her.

He knows she’s crying in this scene. Her voice breaks, she sniffles, she wipes at her face and he can’t look at her. I think, despite everything, Rio struggles and doesn’t know what to do when Beth is in pain.

In fact, he doesn’t look at her at all until he says “I got my own debts to pay aight” and then “Oh, you still think you get a say in this huh? Nah, see that ship sailed when you put three slugs in me”. It’s so clear that, in this scene, Rio has to summon enough anger to be able to look at the tear tracks on Beth’s face. This is followed by Rio saying “You, me, we”  while still looking at her but then his eyes deviate downwards before he says “It’s just business” because it’s dishonest. It’s such a callback to the scene in Rio’s car in 2x12. This statement also seems pretty out of place in this scene, almost as though Rio’s been thinking too long and hard about it and had to say it in order to convince himself.

Beth seems genuinely hurt (I need to write a separate post all about this) and her eyes flicker over to Mick, absorbing Rio’s non-verbal reminder of their relationship being a business one. She then looks at Rio again and we have a shot of him looking away from her again, rocking his jaw and he almost seems angrier than when he was raising his voice, probably because he knows that he slipped again, despite everything he was saying.

When the sneak peek came out before the episode aired and Rio said, “so who’s the boyfriend?”, I was really confused. I was momentarily transported to fanfic land where Beth meets someone new and Rio is jealous haha. Seriously though, the word sounds so foreign coming out of Rio’s mouth, as the words boyfriend/girlfriend have never been thrown around in conversations between these two. It made me think, and probably made a lot of other people think, about how these two compare to a conventional romantic relationship.

The music is also incredibly weighted in this scene. Loving all the piano they’re using!

Moving on to their final scene in the episode, I love that Beth knows that Rio’s going to be his usual pissy self and want an invoive and then the way he scrutinises it. Omg, it was so cute.

Also excuse me sir but did you just compare your relationship with Beth to that of a boyfriend and a girlfriend? Again, the word boyfriend sounds so foreign and new coming out of Rio’s mouth. When Beth replied  by saying, in a very feminine tone might I add, “he got over it”, I just about died. God, these two messes are using another couple’s relationship to address their own relationship. You bloody messes. I’m shaking my head. And the fact that Rio replies “they always do”, I am shaking my head again. Hahaha. Lol. Imagine these two ever being over each other. They really can’t be compared to other romantic relationships because they’re too stupid.

Also, Beth and Rio are dressed so similarly, all black, in their scenes together but particularly in this last scene.

I think that the way they are positioned is, again, so significant and obviously different to their first scene in the episode. In this final scene, Rio is once again positioned above Beth, standing while she is sitting. In the first scene, he sat down next to her, waited for her to speak and listened but he also lost control, even though Mick was there, and seemed to internally berate himself afterwards for it. Now, Mick is still there but Rio is taking extra precautions by avoiding even sitting down and keeping the interaction as short as possible.  

They are also finally facing one another and Beth has regained the power and confidence she didn’t seem to have in the first scene, even thought she isn’t delivering the full amount of money. Like I said, I think she has processed and compartmentalised Lucy’s death and that possibly has something to do with it, as well as the fact that she probably feels powerful knowing that she’s deceiving Rio.

By having Beth and Rio face one another in this scene, while wearing such similar clothing, it really depicts them as two sides of the same coin, as almost but not quite mirror images of each other, as counterparts.

[michelleelizabethtanner]

Will Brio revisit a possible baby in part 2? I know there’s only a a chapter left but it was left open ended in part 1. Just curious where they’re at with that during this point in their relationship:)

Hi Anon! Thank you so much for the ask. I’m always so tickled when someone takes interest in my obsessions. So please accept my gratitude – these asks are so fulfilling to me. ❤️

I will be honest, in my personal opinion as a middle aged woman who empathizes with the experience of many women who’ve had to give up portions of themselves because how deeply rooted a skewed perception of motherhood is in our society, I cannot picture Beth wanting to start all over. It’s all romantic belly bumps and midnight ice cream runs until your insides fall out and you have no support system and get told you don’t need time to heal or be taken care of and “here’s your baby, go stay up 24/7 with it, byeee.” (I could write you an entire essay on US “baby friendly” hospitals and their contribution to the female mortality rate. I have a lot of anger rooted here.)

While I believe Rio would be an involved father, I also believe he sees himself as a provider. (He takes care of his women. Rhea has a fund for herself and their son.) He’s an empathetic person and he understands the experiences of others, but I also think he believes in fairly traditional gender roles, especially for men. He is encouraging of Beth and her talents, but he does see himself as the patriarch of any offspring he has with any woman. I would envision him not wanting to stop his business dealings for long just because Beth needs support at home. She’s prone to Postpartum Depression which, believe me, is no joke. And again, while Rio isn’t Dean, even the best and strongest of relationships have been known to crumble at the stressor of a newborn paired with exhaustion and hormonally impaired brain chemistry.

I also see Rio, in particular, as deeply conscious of the risks of bringing children into the type of lifestyle he and Beth have. In the universe I made for them, they are fortunate enough to split time between their parenting worlds and their business worlds because they have co-parents to rely on. A child they share would not be able to escape their lifestyle and inevitably one of them would have to leave the business world and choose the baby. (And that person would be Beth.) I also view Rio as having a deep internal struggle with who he is as a killer and who his son believes him to be. I think one of Rio’s greatest life’s fears is losing Marcus to the realities of who Rio is. I also think Rio has subtly been preparing Marcus to live without him. I imagine Rio as constantly imparting important life lessons onto his son, like “if we make a mess we clean it up” because Rio doesn’t anticipate having a full lifetime to teach his son, like most parents do. Rio’s type of life is a dangerous one. Death or long-term incarceration are a real possibility. I cannot imagine Rio wanting to recreate that type of stressful dynamic with another child, whom he cannot shield at all from the darkness inside both him and Beth.

Lastly, I cannot at this point take away everything Beth has built. She’s worked so hard to establish herself as a fully rounded human. Adding a fifth child to the mix would debilitate her. Bodies don’t just bounce back and I would not want to make her superhuman and capable of running her business empire, processing the trauma of birth, and caring for a newborn all at once. I want her to keep finding herself because I think she deserves it and I think it’s what she would want after spending her entire life being a mother figure to someone. I want her to have a balance and have everything she’s wanted so she doesn’t have to compromise. Same with Rio – I want him to not be lonely at the top and to enjoy the balance the Rough Night universe has been able to make for them.

BUT! The reason Rough Night left the possibility of anything open for Brio is because I know not everyone shares my vision. And I really wanted to give the readers who invested so much time into consuming my work a path to imagine an outcome that isn’t limited by my personal experiences or opinions. I admit, I can be pretty rigid in my viewpoints. It’s difficult to change perspectives from your personal lived reality. So I don’t think the door is closed to a Brio baby in the Rough Night universe. It just isn’t something I can easily write because of all the reasons mentioned above. I hope that isn’t disappointing and that the universe is still an enjoyable one. I very much appreciate the commitment and support RN has gotten. I value everyone who’s taken the time to love it along with me.

[blainesebastian]

Brio: 5 + 11 😊

5. Don't you love me?

11. How could you ask me that?

Feel free to send me a prompt from this list.

--

Beth doesn’t get sick often, but when she does, it hits her like a tidal wave. She’s been feeling off for a few days but she plays it off as being rundown; a headache here and there, fatigue, general crankiness wrapped into too many PTA meetings, bake sale discussions and becoming a human ping pong ball as she bounces from kid to kid, taking them to various obligations.

Not even to mention the run around she’s been working with Rio; dinner meetings, updating the books, moving cars, and drops. Annie and Ruby tell her to slow down, but she doesn’t, because of course she can handle it.

Until she can’t. 

This morning she manages to get the kids ready for school and luckily Dean’s taking on the bulk of running around today. She never thought she’d be thanking him for that, usually she’s the one who prefers to be in control because Beth knows how she likes things done. She also doesn’t have to worry about doing things twice because Dean can’t do it right the first time.

But for once, she’s glad her ex-husband is stepping up to do something other than whine about their current relationship or living situation. She sighs and leans against the kitchen counter, a mess left behind from breakfast and getting lunches ready, a slight throbbing turning sharp behind her eyelids.

She pulls her hair back into a loose bun, looking over her shoulder at the time on the oven: 8:30 in neon green seeming to burn into her skin. She pinches the bridge of her nose and wanders around the kitchen island, moving towards the living room. Laying down for a few hours won’t hurt anything; she’s supposed to have a meeting with Rio to go over a drop for tonight but that’s not until noon.

She’ll get some sleep, clean up the kitchen, and keep pressing on.

Beth’s asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.

--

Somewhere in her groggy state she realizes a few things: for one, she thinks she has a fever because she’s somehow hot and cold all at the same time. There’s a blanket over her shoulders that she doesn’t remember putting on and even though she wants to kick it off of her, she pulls it tighter over herself. She’s shaking, regardless of the sweat beading her hairline. Secondly, someone is moving around her kitchen but she doesn’t want to open up her eyes and look—her head is pounding like a massive drum. It has to be Annie or Ruby, coming in to check on her; she just prays it isn’t Dean or worse, some sort of burglar looking through her cereal boxes for the money she has stashed there. Third is that she’s distantly aware of time passing, of knowing she has to get up and start on the things she to do but not being able to force her body up into a sitting position. She’s hungry and nauseas all at the same time; she should eat but can’t fathom making anything.

Beth groans softly as someone’s fingers slip along her forehead and down behind her neck, checking her temperature, tucking wet strands of hair aside.

“Stop,” She grumbles, pushing them away—she just wants to sleep.

“Need you to sit up for me, ma.” The voice says and she squeezes her eyes shut tighter because no, God, she has to be imagining Rio there. There’s no way in hell she’s letting him see her like this, she’ll never hear the end of it.

And while personal appearances aren’t the highest on her list, she doesn’t want to wonder if she looks just as gross as she feels in front of someone who always seems immaculate.

“I’m imagining you.” Beth mumbles but pulls the blanket down so it’s not covering half her face anymore and opens one of her eyes.

Rio comes into fuzzy view, an amused touch tugging the ends of his lips, “So you imagine me often, yeah?” He sits down on the coffee table across from her, the back of his hand pressing against her forehead again. “You have a fever.”

“I know,” Her voice croaks annoyingly, forcing her body to move even though it hurts to do so. She leans back against a few couch cushions and rubs her forehead, massaging her fingers into her right temple. God, is it noon already? Has she been sleeping that long?

“What I tell you about runnin’ yourself down?” Rio shakes his head, taking his jean jacket off to set on the coffee table beside him. “And I’m the one that doesn’t listen?”

“You don’t.” Beth pouts, grabbing his jacket despite not asking for it and wrapping it around her shoulders. Rio rolls his eyes but that doesn’t stop him from helping her get her arms through the sleeves.

She glances past him and opens her mouth to say something else when…when she notices that her kitchen is clean—all the breakfast dishes are washed and put away, lunch containers put back where they belong, trash brushed into cans. Beth swallows thickly, her throat aching from being sick but also, she thinks, from emotion because—

“You cleaned up my kitchen.”

Rio blinks, leaning forward to put his elbows on his knees. He shrugs his one shoulder, not a big deal, “How are we supposed to handle business if you’re worried about dirty spatulas?”

Beth sighs, “I’m not sure if I’m much of a business partner right now, my head feels like scrambled eggs.”

A laugh sneaks out of Rio’s throat, the sound pleasant and tantalizing and it takes everything in her not to pull him onto the couch so she can lean against him. Instead she tugs his jacket closed around her and ducks her chin to breathe in the scent of skin and cologne and soap wafting up from the fabric.

“I’ll do the drop tonight, I want you to stay here. Get more sleep.” Rio straightens his back, standing from the coffee table.

Now she feels bad; she knows she’s sick but…that doesn’t mean she wants Rio to handle business without her. They’re partners, after all. He’s used to doing things on his own, she knows that—but still, she hates to be left out of things. Even when she feels this awful. She won’t be winning that argument,

“Wait,” Beth reaches for his hand and squeezes, stopping him from walking away from her. “Can you…stay? Get me some soup?” She pouts out her lower lip for dramatic effect.

Rio rolls his eyes but he doesn’t take her hand off his own. Instead, his fingers start instinctively wrapping themselves around hers, gold ring pressing coolly into her skin. “Which one do you want—to stay or go on a soup run?”

Beth huffs, as if the answer is easy, leaning back against the couch and doesn’t reply to him outright. Rio just smirks, shaking his head as he lets go and wanders towards the kitchen. “Even sick, you’re givin’ me orders.”

She leans down, pressing her face into one of the pillows as a wave of dizziness washes over her. She groans slightly, knowing that she needs to eat something and get more sleep—it’s the only way she’s going to knock this thing on its ass.

“Come on,” She’s aware that she’s whining but maybe the fever will burn this from her memory later on, “Don’t you love me?” That’s a low blow and sounds slightly delirious.

Rio appears with a to-go bag that he clearly picked up from somewhere on his way here…without her even asking him to do it. He must have been watching her more closely over these past few days than she realized, noticing her getting more and more run down. He knew she was sick before he showed up and came with reinforcements.

“You really gonna ask me that?” He says rather pointedly, taking a plastic bowl out of the bag with a spoon. “I’m not feeding you.”

“Some people like that, you know,” Beth says, a little cheekily, but she reaches for the spoon so he doesn’t have to.

Rio hums gently, putting the soup on her lap and grabbing a few napkins for her. He’s about to sit down on the coffee table again when Beth moves her legs, motioning to the spot next to her,

“There’s room.”

He smiles and sits down, moving her legs to rest on top of his own, his hands smoothing circles into her calves. “Better not get me sick, mami.”

“I make no promises.” She spoons soup into her mouth but smiles back all the same.  

[mycroft-silently-judges-you]

How Beth (Unintentionally) Manipulated Rio and Hurt Herself in the Process

I’ve seen a lot of people write about how they’re upset with Beth and the way she dismissed Rio after having sex with him, saying she effectively treated him like a prostitute. While I think the imagery was intentional - it’s hard to see leaving money on the nightstand as anything else - I also think it was meant to signal to the audience that it was the exact opposite of a meaningless exchange of sex for cash. In fact, both Beth and Rio brought money up in the bedroom scene, but where Beth was using it to push Rio away, Rio’s intention was to bring her closer. 

And that’s where the differences in how they view the murkiness of their relationship comes to a head.

For Beth, their business has always been personal. She washes his counterfeit cash with her sister and best friend, she went back to him when she realized she needed the money to keep her family afloat financially, she ran the secret shopper scheme out of her own living room, and then she allowed him to use Boland Motors as a front to continue washing cash as well as move pills. He’s touched every aspect of her life.

For Rio, his business is something he keeps completely divorced from his personal life. It’s why he told Beth in 2x09 that it’s “lonely at the top.” The separation is necessary for him to keep himself and his business alive, but it also means that his private life has suffered. He’s lonely.

Enter Beth and the misunderstanding of a lifetime.

Due to the perceived intimacy between Rio and Dylan in 2x06, Beth assumed that sex with her meant nothing to Rio, that it was just a hook up to him and nothing more, which obviously informed her choices in 2x09. Beth assumed that for Rio, it would just be another hook up, whereas for her it was a goodbye, an acknowledgment of what she felt for him but could no longer pursue if she wanted her kids back because Dean is a dick he’s not doing it just because he’s concerned about the kid’s safety he needs to go.

What Beth likely didn’t consider, because she didn’t even think it was a possibility, was that Rio did value having sex with her. Considering the separation he keeps between his business and private life, and the way Beth has blurred those lines, it’s entirely possible that Rio saw having sex with her in her bedroom as an intimacy he hadn’t experienced in a long time. He has feelings for her.

This is not the face of someone who is indifferent to what just happened (x):

Rio isn’t putting on a show and trying to make her feel bad (which isn’t his style anyway), he’s alone here. Beth has told him they’re over and he needs to leave, placing his money on the nightstand and walking out of the room. He’s alone and for a split second, we see just how hurt he was by her cold dismissal.

Now, back to that money, the crux of why some people are so upset by that scene.

Operating under the assumption that Rio doesn’t have feelings for her, at least not like she has for him, Beth gives him the money she had on her the whole time and extricates herself from his business and him. But what I haven’t seen getting pointed out is that Rio offered to give her some more counterfeit cash just before she dropped the bomb, which she had asked for earlier in the episode. Now you could argue that it was just him giving her more cash to clean like usual, but given the context of the money in the episode, we know he was going to give it to her because she came to him for help and he hadn’t helped her at the time.

Without knowing it, Beth found an exploitable weakness of Rio’s: intimacy. 

Because of that brush with intimacy, Rio was willing to give her what she wanted and - again, I cannot stress this enough, she didn’t know she was hurting him - by refusing his offer and telling him they were over, Beth essentially told him the same thing she perceived because of the bathroom hook up and Dylan. She thinks sex with her meant nothing to him, and he now thinks intimacy with him meant nothing to her. seriously they couldn’t be miscommunicating any worse if they tried

The great irony here though is that, through all this, Beth is just hurting herself. She knows she’s doing it to get her kids back, she’s a mother before anything else, but when it comes to her needs and desires, she never gets what she wants. It’s obvious she has feelings for him, she couldn’t even look at him when she said they were over, and at this point, she’s likely going to miss Rio’s company more than his money. He sees her for who she is, not the role he expects her to play, which is something she never got from Dean. Worse still, Rio may be the first man she’s ever felt passionately about and she had to let him go.

What will be interesting to see is how they both deal with the separation and eventual reunion. Like what happened after they first had sex, will Rio do something to bring himself crashing back into her life?? Or will Beth do something that will bring her crashing back into his?? Both of them are a wild card at this point and honestly, I couldn’t be more fucking hyped to see the last batch of episodes.

[jazillia007]

Thoughts on 2x13 - Part 2

Beth and Rio:

So while watching this episode I thought the moments BEFORE the kidnapping and shooting were actually interesting and a good follow up to what had happened in episode 12.

From Beth's point of view, she is nothing more than work for Rio. And honestly, when it comes to the crime part she IS a lot of work for Rio. And I was with Rio for being pissed at her, finding out all the rotten eggs she left behind left and right.

Still she goes to Rio to ask for help and it was heartbreaking to me to see the dismantled apartment but I also thought it was so in character for Rio. He can't trust Beth. With the FEDs breathing up her and therefore his neck, it's only logical for him to abandon his apartment.

I don't really know though why she broke in again. What did Beth try to achieve?

Then Rio is calling her and it was... awkward. I wouldn't call it sweet. It was also a bit weird that Rio made it sound like she called him when actually he called her.

He also tested her. Is Beth gonna lie again? And she did. She wasn't able to tell him that she is in his apartment to ask for help. I don't really understand this either other than for the writers to establish there are cameras in his apartment.

It's not well-written.

Then he hangs up on her and I thought it would've been much better if Beth had called him (if she had his number) and then Rio would've ended the call. But this way it was a bit meh.

I also wouldn't have minded if this would've been the last we would've seen/heard of Rio in season 2. Because honestly I believe if he wanted to he could just disappear for a while until the FEDs calm down.

And then to have him come back in season 3... that would've been nice.

But that's not who Rio is. Beth is his weakness. And despite his own codes he can't stop himself from helping.

That's what this season established.

This season did everything despite them being dysfunctional and problematic that Beth and Rio are more than business partners and that Beth is more to Rio – despite him being usually very careful – and Rio is more to Beth. I'm not talking about some big love story here with a happy ending. But of a complicated relationship with many layers and definitely conflicts but conflicts they overcome.

But then the writers decided to destroy (?) it.

(SPOILERS FOR KILLING EVE SEASON 1 AND 2)

Beth and Rio and the last scene:

As I said before I could've seen Beth and Rio ending up in a situation where they either shoot eachother OR have to decide to shoot the other one or not. But it all depended on how well-written it is.

I'm watching Killing Eve as well and I really don't want to compare Killing Eve with Good Girls because writing-wise there are worlds between these two shows. Killing Eve is well-written, delicate and perfect. Meanwhile Good Girls certainly has its moments but is sloppily written most of the times.

BUT what these two shows have in common is that they have two seasons which ended on similar notes. And I was so in awe when I watched the Killing Eve season 2 finale and right afterwards the Good Girls season 2 finale. Because it made clear why I loved the Killing Eve season finale so much while I didn't like the season finale of Good Girls.

And it all comes down to how it's written and how things are foreshadowed.

The relationship of Eve and Villainelle from the beginning is a relationship of obsession and fascination. It would take up too much time to write about them and all the layers involved but we can say their relationship is as dysfunctional as Beth and Rio (and up until the shooting scene in 2x13 even with the not well-written parts Brio as exactly that made sense to me as well).

There is this cat and mouse game between these two women which ends up with Eve in Villainelle's apartment (and Beth ends up in Rio's apartment) and Eve stabs Villainelle. She panics, trying to find something to stop the bleeding and Villainelle is defending herself by firing in Eve's direction before fleeing.

It's such a culmination of what had went down in season 1. It was shocking but also very much in character with how Villainelle and Eve were established. It was a twist but it didn't feel cheap or just to keep viewers watching. It felt organic.

In the Good Girls season 1 finale we had a similar scene and it felt very organic to me as well. Beth had set up Rio to go to jail and of course she hadn't thought things through. And it all got back to her, with Rio sitting in her dining room with her shitty husband all beaten up. And he gives her the opportunity to shoot either him or Dean to make them even.

It set up very well the dynamic of their relationship. How dysfunctional they're but at the same time can't get enough of eachother. The season ends with the viewer not knowing what Beth is gonna do. It could've felt cheap but it didn't.

We get the end of that scene in the beginning of season 2 and Beth can't do it and Rio is taking the gun from her, telling her she did her best. And then he is shooting Dean and they're even now.

If you think about it. That's who Beth and Rio are. It's messed up, especially when you think about it that even though he shot Beth's husband, she still ends up hooking up with him. But let's talk about that later.

I think 2x13 was trying to mirror the scene in 1x10 and 2x01. And that's where the writers failed. Meanwhile the writers of Killing Eve achieved it effortlessly.

The whole setup in Killing Eve season 2 was leading toward the last scene in 2x08. Something that was completely missing in Good Girls season 2. You can't make a U-Turn without explaining why or giving hints throughout the season. It's not how good writing works.

In season 2 of Killing Eve, Villainelle is so obsessed with Eve she basically stalks her, destroys Eve's already fragile marriage and shows Eve's husband who Eve is dealing with. Villainelle is sliding a lipstick in Eve's bag and when she is using it she cuts her lips because Villainelle put a razorblade in it. She also comes to Eve's home while she isn't there, brushing her teeth with Eve's toothbrush and then comes back and forces Eve to swallow „poison“.

In one word: Villainelle is fucked up. But in her world, she loves Eve. She believes that Eve is hers and that they're two sides of the same coin. And she isn't completely wrong. Because she gets Eve to kill Villainelle's attacker which to her is like a confirmation that they're now in this together and meant to be.

It all accumulates in the last scene when Eve discovers Villainelle could've defended herself and she denies Villainelle any companionship. Villainelle is genuinely surprised, hurt and disappointed. And she does the only thing she knows she is good at: she shoots Eve. And it's shocking, yes, but it's organic. Villainelle told Eve from early on: „I like you but I don't like you that much. […] Don’t forget: The only thing that makes you interesting is me.“.

So while the season 2 finale of Killing Eve was certainly emotional and shocking (that image of Eve lying in the ruins, both literally and as a metaphor for her life...), it never felt out of character or not something this show wasn't leading to.

Unlike the season 2 finale of Good Girls. NOTHING what happened in the season 2 finale leads to Beth shooting Rio.

Villainelle and Rio are completely different people. Villainelle is a serial killer and a psychopath. Rio isn't that at all. Does this mean he is not problematic? No, he is. He threatened Beth and the girls, especially in season 1, and he held a gun to Beth's throat. But it all made sense. He didn't know who these bitches are. Only that they didn't gave him his money. So we could all understand and follow his actions.

After 1x10 and 2x01 scene, it was also understandable that Beth would worry for her life. Rio just had shot her husband. It doesn't matter it was in character for him as a crime boss. I would be scared out of my life, so I did understand Beth's fear and her question „are you going to kill me?“. It must've baffled her when he replied „I'm gonna teach you.“.

After that Beth is causing problems not only for herself but also for the girls and most certainly for Rio. Which is why it disappoints me that Beth can admit her mistakes to Ruby but in the end puts the blame on Rio? I understand she is emotional and feeling cornered. But she asked to come back by leaving those pearls in season 1. Girl, you need to own your decisions and mistakes!

Anyway, despite all the problems there is also this undeniable attraction between her and Rio which accumulates in them hooking up in the bathroom with Dean only a few metres away from them. And from there the writers tried to emphasize even more that Beth's and Rio's relationship is the exact opposite of what Beth and Dean were. Dysfunctional but weirdly functional as well.

From season 1 onward, Rio listened to her, he called her out on her bullshit but he never disregarded her ideas before listening to them. He respected her albeit showing up at her house at random times (and sending her body parts...). But he also never stopped calling her out when got way over her head. He told her she is a drug dealer. Beth needed to hear that because she only experiences the tiny part of his world where she can get high on the power she is having without really experiencing repercussions.

After they hooked up Rio tried to manipulate her and that was – for me – a moment of „oh, did he use her all along?“. Yes, I had these thoughts multiple times, but mostly in season 1.

But then they both act like a jealous couple and my worries were all gone. And then 2x09 happens and the way the scene is filmed in the bedroom and even prior it's genuine and raw. They close the door and leave their crime personalities outside the bedroom and they kiss and it's all perfect. And then Rio brings back the Dubby and it all paints a completely different picture we're supposed to get of these two. It's all so completely different from how season 2 of Killing Eve set it all up.

Beth and Rio albeit having problems would always come back together. Yes, even with Beth still lacking in the crime life department and not being able to admit her mistakes, overall they would always comeback together in this problematic relationship and make things work.

When the walls of rotten eggs Beth has collected, start to crumble around her and Rio probably already knows about it, I completely understand his frustration and anger and that he is done and over with her. But at the same time he knows he isn't because he can't look Beth in the eyes when he is telling her „pretty much“. He believes they're two sides of the same coin. They're both lonely but they could be lonely together at the top. But Beth is left behind with the feeling „I'm alone in this“ and this man who made her feel things again only sees her as work – which she IS like I said before. She doesn't reflect on her wrongdoings which is extremely frustrating. A character flaw can only be relatable to a certain point and then it just gets ridiculous. She is a 40ish year old woman, for god's sake.

I expected the writers trying to mirror the scene from 1x10 and 2x01 but every fan theory was better and made more sense character-wise than what we actually got in the end.

I was so confused as to WHY Rio would feel the need to kidnap Beth. Also, how did he do it? Someone on Tumblr mentioned it: how could he be so sure Beth would forget her phone in the car? Beth was looking for her phone... was she certain she had in the backpockets of her jeans? Did Rio take it from her and put it in the car? Or did she really leave it there?

It doesn't add up. And it doesn't make sense Rio would be so drastic to kidnap Beth when he could simply call her. Tell her to come to his apartment. That he will help her. Why make Rio act so OOC?

I also believe that Rio genuinely thought of Turner as a „gift“ to Beth. This is your rotten egg, you have many but this is the one who will constantly cause problems, so get rid off it and we're even.

Was he planning to record it? Did he record it? Did/does he plan to use it as leverage against Beth? Just like he used „Boomer's“ body?

Basically killing two birds with one stone. Pulling Beth in deeper, making her go through with the last step she tried to avoid and having something in his hand to make sure Beth won't set him up again. Which in the end COULD'VE been a setup for any scenario in the future seasons where Beth decides that Rio is her rotten egg.

But to do so now... even with her thinking she is nothing to him, makes no sense.

Especially since season 2 set up Turner as the main antagonist for Beth who is constantly after her and closing in on her. I was sure she would kill him. But then to turn it against Rio and telling him HE is her problem? I don't have to repeat myself but: IT MAKES NO SENSE.

I'm not going to defend Beth shooting him. Yes, she was emotional. And I would've bought it as a reaction under immense stress if she would've shot him once. But 3 times?! That's a bit much. Yes, he called her „bitch“ - SHIT! He was genuinely shocked and surprised by what she did – and lunged himself at her but probably to stop her or/and to take the gun from her. It was terrible to watch.

Overall with Dean and Boomer getting redemption so easily, it was terrible to see NBC treat a male poc like this. It was an obscene moment to see Rio bleed like this, choking up blood and making the viewer believe that he will just die right there, in this very moment. And to make Turner get up so slow and pull out the phone taunting Rio about helping him or not. It was pretty clear the only evil person in this room is Turner, not Rio, and I can't wait for Rio to let Turner know „yes, I owe you... I owe you a slow death.“.

When Rio laughed I think many thought the writers wanted to portray him as crazy. BUT I don't think they did. When I had an accident and the shock afterwards subsided I made a lot of jokes lying there in the ER with my leg broken. The doctors had to give me a sedative to calm me down. So I think with Rio there is a mix of „this bitch really shot me“ and the shock setting in and subsiding and laughing is working as a transient response.

As for Beth, it was so weird to me that she would run for Turner right away. Okay, the writers apparently decided that Rio is the problem and suddenly Turner is the person she should trust? Because she thinks after Boomer turned himself in she is off the hook? And why give Turner the gun? It's just moments like these that make it clear she is anything but ready to be the „King“. Yes, she is in a exceptional situation and who knows how we would react? But still... trusting Turner is a bit too much and we were proven to be correct when he basically told Rio that this is definitely not over and Beth they will see how it goes.

As for Beth shooting Rio: I will say I thought she looked genuinely upset and shaken by her own actions. Again, not defending what the writers did with Rio and Beth in this scene, only observing. Because from all the comments it sounded like she was gleeful and happy she did what she did. And I will say: that's not the case.

But I also think the writers didn't give us enough moments of Beth really thinking about and regretting what she did and of course when she tells Annie and Ruby that „he is gone“ (do they know she shot Rio?) it's not really showing Beth as empathetic. How about not giving us Beth and Dean eating ice cream but give us Beth struggeling with what she has done? I hope we will get that in season 3.

Although I thought it was telling that while she was laughing and disappointed when Dean didn't die after Rio shot him, in 2x13 she walked home in daze right into Dean's arms and cried. Let's put aside she is in Dean's arms. She cried. She didn't cry when Dean got shot but she cried after shooting Rio, believing he is dead.

Again, I'm not sugarcoating what she did. I'm just pointing out the details I noticed and the little differences between 2x01 and 2x13.

Also, I thought the scene in the park was not well-written. The image was good but I think it would've worked better without the other moms and again it should've been longer to show that Beth is realizing that she shot a father. A father of a young boy who became friends with her daughter. A father she defended when Dean implied Rio would kidnap their daughter. It could've been powerful scene but it got watered down.

In the end, the shooting scene didn't work for me as a mirror scene like it did in Killing Eve because the setup throughout the season was non-existent.

Are we supposed to think Rio played Beth the whole time? Are all the moments which felt like something special are nothing? If so they did a pretty bad job at it (how lame was Beth's „WHO is he?“ when he left all his stuff in the storage room?) And frankly, I don't believe it. In a sad way I really think that Beth and Rio do have genuine feelings for eachother but they're also stuck in this situation which will always lead to misunderstandings (because they never really TALK!) and constant danger of betrayal.

And now with Beth taking the last step but shooting Rio it's gonna be interesting how this will play out in season 3. In a weird way, Rio should almost be proud of Beth because she „killed“ the King. He didn't think she would be able to do it and certainly thought she would take Turner down but in the end she made a completely different decision. And if anything that's at least a bit in character for Beth, that she does things Rio can't predict. Just like he didn't predict she would leave her pearls in that warehouse.

Personally, I wanted Beth and Rio to end on a tense note for season 3 but I didn't want it to go full-on trust issues, revenge and rivalry. Simply because this is not how season 2 was written like up until 2x13. And to make a u-turn like this just for the shock moment is just lame. I get it, this episode was basically written in case Good Girls wouldn't get a renewal but still it's the laziest writing I've experienced in a long time.

I think if the shooting scene would've played out differently. With Beth shooting Turner. Like something that makes sense, it could've turned out to be a very satisfying season finale. And it would've been interesting to see how Rio is using the footage to start their cat and mouse game in season 3 yet again (I think he wanted her back after their fallout in 2x12 hence why Turner as the gift for Beth). I don't think with how season 2 played out, it makes sense for Beth to hurt Rio. So I can't find anything satisfying or good about this finale. Unlike Killing Eve which left me behind very satisfied despite Villainelle shooting Eve.

Two similar scenes and season finales but executed so differently, that in one tv show it's utterly shocking yet perfect meanwhile in the other tv show it's sloppily written overall and anything but perfect.

And here I am so very curious how season 3 will play out for Beth and Rio. Apparently I like torturing myself.

P.S.: If you plan on writing me any anon hate, save your words! I’m ready and happy to discuss the season finale with anyone who is willing to discuss it like adults. Ain’t nobody got time for anon hate.

[crimezaddyrio]

Not to be a stick in the mud, but like how do u see brio working out long term? Itd be different if they were both these carefree young single ppl but they have kids and families. Its not like rio can just be a goddamn stepdad like the chemistry is OBVIOUSLY there and they do genuinely care about and support each other but do u think they could have a long term relationships, cohabitation, (marriage???!!! Kids??!!!!!!!!) Like what would that even look like 1/2

“Like i cant see beth living a straight up gangsta life especially with her kids and i cant see rio living a surburban pinterest life ya feel? (Plus all the drama like beth is rlly gonna introduce rio to her kids like hey babes this guy shot ur dad, threatened to kill me, put me and all yall in danger, is a straight up criminal but we’re in love???) Like what is the scenario where this will work cuz they better have one theres no way i can see either of them with anyone else 2/2″

ANON! I am so sorry for this late reply. I am finally getting to asks! 

(LONG POST!)

To start off: I mean… did any one of us in the damn fandom prophesied or even think that fuckin RIO… gangster, gangbanger, gangfriend, RIO, would be part of or be in the environment of a…

COUNTRY CLUB TENNIS COURT BOUJEE ASS PLACE?! 

HERES THE THING: 

WE. STILL. HAVE. NO. FUCKIN. IDEA WHAT RIO’S LIFE IS LIKE! NOR HIS TRUE FEELINGS FOR BETH! ITS INSINUATED AND HINTED BUT OUR ASSES TRULY DON’T KNOW!!! We just know his business or his crime life! Which is why I am very critical of all these theories and headcanons of the characters because we want them to be one way or another based off of: our fantasies, what we wish to happen, or what we gather from our own personal/empirical view of life which is like what makes fandoms fun of course, ya know? And then we get into these discourses and theories which we all (myself included) get convoluted blah blah blah. But to answer your question (I KNOW I NEED TO GET TO THE POINT LOL) is that we cannot strike the possibility off that they may be able to be endgame. 

Rio’s Case:

I mean Rio is shown to navigate between these environments which he would be perceived by society at large  as dangerous based off his looks, race, and demeanor, AND HIS ASS HANDLES IT JUST FINE LOL I am not saying that Rio doesn’t notice that pressure or stigma that surrounds him (people of color know this shit), he is hyperaware of where and who he deals with.

SOOOOO in that regard I think Rio is fine. I would theorize he lives in a safe neighborhood where Marcus can grow up, and sure he might get the snarky look, but he is paid and he has his kid. BETH HOWEVER IS ANOTHER STORY.

Beth’s Case:

So as this season thus far, and based off future synopses, Beth (as well as Annie and Ruby) are still navigating the crime world. There is goin’ to be a point in which Beth will attempt to leave (I say attempt because we getting season 3 and episode 11 synopsis DEFINiTELY is telling) which becomes the biggest lesson by Rio and kinda the point of this season: you can’t leave, figure it out, you’re in the great game now. (See what I did there GoT Fans out there?). SO Beth has to grapple and navigate this world, situate herself in it, and the relationships she cultivates in it (aka RIO)  So at the end of the day I think its gonna be up to how Beth develops as a character and if she can finally accept and adjust herself to this new environment. She has potential in it to be great, as Rio says, but she is held back by the easy, the mainstream, and morals of society.

In Conclusion:

[pynkhues]

Part 1 First, thank you so so so much for your great insight!! Second, I actually really like S3 (so far) and I would love to hear your thoughts! Regarding BRIO, they are in a very volatile relationship and both are very stubborn and competitive and don't trust each other--of course they aren't jumping into heartfelt conversations. So, im fine with the show making us feel frustrated and like there isn't any progress. I agree that there is a flaw in not showing the effects of 2.13 on Beth's

Part 2 mental health and I would love to see that, but I'm actually ok with that also bc I want Beth to boss up and quite frankly, women are notorious for being too apologetic (although shooting someone might require an apology lmao). I suppose I also find it empowering that she isn’t divorcing Dean (sorry if sensitive topic) bc she is using the marriage to feed her fake image and in turn feed her true desire for crime. In addition, she is keeping Dean in the dark and taking care of their, just

Part 3: as he did in S1. I believe that staying in the marriage and using it for her purposes is actually pretty savvy. I guess I’m saying that while I want to see a more emotional beth for the sake of BRIO, I almost appreciate a female character who isn’t apologetic and letting emotions overcome her, but instead focusing on her business and what she really cares for—money and agency!! That being said, I recognize that it would be even more empowering if she could be emotional and be a boss.

part 4: omg I know this is so long!!! just thought I would offer this different perspective and get your input!! thank you so much if you do answer

I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to get to this ask, anon! It’s just been a crazy couple of months (well, year, haha). It’s great that you enjoyed the season so much! I actually did too, and like every season of Good Girls, have only enjoyed it more on re-watching. I think it’s definitely a show that benefits from being binge-watched, and while the weekly installments are fun, it can also tend to sometimes make it seem like not much happens, when really so much happens. 

As for your ask overall, I agree with a lot of what you’ve said! I’ve broken my reply out into sections (I hope that’s okay).

Beth and Rio’s lack of communication in Season 3

Funnily enough, I actually think they communicated a lot in s3 – they just never had an honest conversation about what happened in s2. They didn’t talk about their intimacy, their break up, Beth’s arrest, the kidnapping or the shooting. It’s not really out of character for them – like you said, they’re stubborn, volatile and they don’t trust each other. They’ve also never had emotionally frank conversations with one another. The closest we’ve ever gotten was the fight over the dubby in 2.07 and the scene at the bar at the start of 3.04 (and even that one was founded on the lie that Beth had ever been pregnant at all). 

That said, I actually do think it was building up to some sort of honesty. The fact that the season wouldn’t quite let go of Beth and Rio’s history, the hitman storyline, then them getting back into business together again as the FBI case re-opened - - something was going to happen, and I feel like we were building to a breaking point. Hopefully we’ll see it in s4!

Beth’s lack of emotional response to shooting Rio

This is a tricky one. I definitely would’ve liked to have seen a bit more from her, but I do love the moments we got – particularly both scenes with Beth in Paper Porcupine in 3.01. The breakneck speed this show moves at means that so much of that emotion was rapidly overwhelmed by her fear and then anger at Rio (which I talked about in this post) that we didn’t really get the chance to breathe (and frankly, neither did Beth). 

Again, I do actually feel like we were building to a breaking point, and I don’t think the show was letting go of the events of 2.13 (I mean, gosh, Rio even brought it up again in 3.11). One of the things this show can do really well is bring things back in unexpected ways (although it can also let things go in ways I wish it didn’t). I am inclined to think though that the shooting was going to be the former and not the latter though, and that something was going to happen in the last five episodes of the season. And again, fingers crossed for us to see that in s4!

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

It’s such an interesting take to view Beth choosing to stay with Dean as something empowering, anon! Particularly because so many people actively view it as the exact opposite, haha. I’m kind of in two-minds about it? I agree that Beth’s more and more using Dean as both a cover and a chess piece to play, but I also think that that’s still being born out of the reality that Beth still needs Dean to survive. No part of her life is stable enough currently to support four children on her own, and I think that married with Beth and Dean’s long, complex history makes their stories hard ones to disentangle. 

That said, I do think the story arc with Boland Bubbles is shaping up to move us in that direction narratively (which I talked about a lot in this post), and I also think the way Beth’s using him now is more deliberate. I mean, compare it to Season 1? Dean was back in the house because he was using and manipulating Beth through the cancer lie. Now, Beth holds a lot more of the cards, and is certainly exerting more control and power over Dean than vice versa, even if Dean also continues to be an unsupportive and philandering husband.

Beth ‘Boss Bitch’ Boland

Yes! I agree, anon! I love that Beth is unapologetic and ruthlessly committed to setting up her business too. She’s such a textured, complicated character, and I’ve really enjoyed seeing her evolve over the three seasons. I think some of the frustration around her character in season 3 though was how few touchstone moments we had with her. In s2, we got scenes that were a lot more revealing of the tumultuous emotions she was feeling – like her furiously stripping her bed after having sex with Rio in 2.09 and her spluttering debate with Ruby and Annie while they sort through pills in 2.06, or her destroying all her baking in 2.10. 

We got less of those sorts of moments in s3, and I think more of those touchstones would’ve helped to root us better in her journey overall. 

[pynkhues]

Ok the last thing I care about is Dean’s storyline with Gayle, but I think you mentioned something about it not working, to which I so agree. So why did they just jump right into it instead of building the relationship up on screen. Presumably they have time. Why do you think the rush?

Yeah, it’s not working for me at all, anon. 

I understand what they’re going for and I actually do think it’s a really solid way of making Dean face up to his actions and his bad behaviour, and to tease out character growth without putting the onerous of that on Beth (particularly since the show has well-established across the last two seasons that Beth and Dean are incapable of growing with each other). It actually separates their arcs and frees them from each other both narratively and thematically in a way that I actually do like, even if I’m not liking the scenes themselves.

I think there are three reasons for why it’s not working, and I actually don’t think it’s the speed of the storyline. The show’s always moved at a break-neck pace, and I don’t think it’s ever hindered a relationship set-up as badly as Dean and Gayle’s. I also, perhaps shockingly, don’t think the issue is Dean as a character either. 

This show has proven it can make scenes with unlikeable characters incredibly watchable and compelling multiple times - I mean, even just off the top of my head, think about the scene where Marion calls Boomer a loser in s1 (a scene I really love, despite not loving either character), or when Mary Pat confronts Boomer at the end of s1 about the recording device, or - - well, any Mary Pat scene actually, haha.

Dean’s not the issue here, at least not as a character; the issue is a lack of story world grounding, tone, and I’ve unfortunately got to say Ione Skye herself. So let’s unpack that. 

1. Lack of story world grounding. 

This show actually has a lot of story worlds, and it typically does a really good job of introducing those spaces and using those spaces to inform character, and those characters to inform spaces. Think of Dean and Boland Motors and the yellow corvette - a gaudy, failing business used to underscore Dean’s incompetence, his immaturity and the way that he views himself, or even Fine and Frugal which is used very starkly to explore Boomer and Annie’s potential (Fine and Frugal being the absolute culmination of Boomer’s, while representing wasted potential for Annie).

When it comes to these characters, we have a strong sense of where they’ve come from because we know how they exist in the story, even before we know them. Mary Pat is probably the best example of this - she’s introduced not only through the secret shopper scheme - something the show established as having a very particular employee base, but through Beth’s house. It instantly positions Mary Pat as a foil to Beth, because she could be Beth - right down to the four children. 

It’s hard to place Gayle within the story because Four Star Pool and Spas isn’t established enough for us to understand how it informs her character and vice versa. We aren’t grounded in that location enough to understand how she exists in it, nor are we getting enough visual cues in the location to be able to infer information about her as a character. 

Think of it this way - how was Boland Motors introduced? Through that terrible ad with Dean in a pig suit clutching Amber to him in a sequined dress. It told us so, so much about not only what that business was, but about Dean - a shameless, goofy, tacky, car salesman, likely sleeping with his secretary (a fact properly established shortly after). That’s a lot of information quickly and effectively shared!

Now think about how Four Star Pools and Spas was introduced - a cutaway scene of Dean staying back at work while everyone else left, and him pausing to look at Gayle’s trophy. 

There are no establishing shots, no information on the business itself, we haven’t even seen anyone actually - y’know, sell a hot tub. We know Dean places importance on the trophy, but we don’t have any context for whether that’s a deserved importance because we don’t know the business. We don’t understand how it operates, we don’t know if it’s a classier place or a tackier one, we don’t know if Dean’s good or bad at the job, and we don’t know how he functions in the space, or what that space is telling us about where and who he is at this point in the story.

Like - - even compare it to the other car dealership he worked at at the end of s2 which was established very quickly as well, and again very effectively through the bubbly, pointedly younger co-workers, cult-like chanting, and Dean’s inability to play into it. We’re getting none of that with Four Star, which means we have no context for any of the relationships or storylines that take place there.

2. Tone

All the characters on this show are written in a way that emphasises not only their characterisation and their arcs, but the specific balance of tones that they bring to the show. It’s often backed up with music and visual cues, but more than anything it’s grounded in each of the actors’ performances. Watching these different tones interact is one of the best, most fun parts of the show, embodied probably best of all in Beth and Rio’s incredibly contradictory, and yet somehow still complimentary energy. 

As a character, Dean has always had a very, very specific tone about him, and it’s delivered pretty impeccably by Matthew, who - even though I dislike Dean immensely - imbues him with a lot of complexity and satisfying, human contradiction. Dean brings a constantly-close-to-hysteria energy to the show, a fractured, toxic masculinity, and delusions of grandeur, as well as a genuine throughline of real loneliness and insecurity.

In Dean (and Matthew’s) best scenes, the show balances all of this in a way that is both comedic and dramatic, ridiculous and vulnerable. Think about the exceptional “Who is HR?” confrontation at the end of 2.04, his and Beth’s fights across s2, his scene with the spaghetti at the end of 2.12, even his work out in 3.03 (which was by far his best scene this season because it embraced the tone he offers the show).

The scenes with Gayle are completely void of that tone, and as a result, you lose not only the compelling complexity of what makes Dean (and Matthew) so watchable, but also the crux of Dean as a character. With that tone sucked out of those scenes, we’re left with a dryness that doesn’t fly narratively, but especially doesn’t fly with a character that’s so unliked, and on top of that, you lose a key part of the show’s overall balance.

Character tones do evolve - just look at the girls’ - but that’s not what’s happening here. Even beyond that, the show should have, in my opinion, utilised Dean’s tone to better establish what Four Star Pools and Spas is - and they could do it as either a compliment (Boland Motors) or a contradiction (the second dealership he worked at at the end of s2). Either way, it would’ve told us a lot more about the location, how both he and Gayle function in that location, a lot more about what Gayle sees in him, and beyond all of that - it could’ve made those scenes fun.  

3. Ione Skye. 

I hope this doesn’t come off as too harsh, but on re-watching the series so far last night, I honestly think Ione Skye is unfortunately a big part of the issue. This is such a charismatic cast across the board - from the leads to the supports to the minor characters - and literally all of them have unreal chemistry with each other. In that sense, Ione just sort of...pales in comparison? She doesn’t command the screen in a way the rest of the cast does, doesn’t ground scenes, at least not to me, and she and Matthew just don’t have the chemistry that I think they need to make these scenes and this storyline work. 

Like, she’s had as much screen time I’d say as many of the other new cast members like Jackie Cruz (Rhea) and Rob Heaps (Dr Josh Cohen), and certainly more time than Charlyne Yi (Lucy), and yet Gayle as a character hasn’t had the same presence as any of them. The setting and the tone are certainly a part of that, but...I don’t think Ione’s helping. 

Particularly with re-watching her in 3.02, I think that a different actress could’ve done something different with the role and with the writing, and probably, dare I say it, something more.