#it is part of the tragedy of their relationship--rio cannot be fully rio with agatha because she does have to do her job

[witchtwig]

Rio: Named, Denied

I've seen a few people theorizing that the reason that Agatha never calls Rio by her name to her face during the run of AAA is because that's not the name she used call Rio. (The only time she uses the name is during the morgue scene, and then it is spoken to Billy, not Rio.) And I think it is a fun consideration, but I feel the answer is a lot simpler.

Agatha spends most of her time during the show denying Rio's personhood. She cannot make that mistake again. She cannot allow herself to view Rio as a person, allow her that vulnerable part of her heart. At least, outloud she cannot do that.

She denies Rio's heart. She denies her scar. She denies her name. She even calls her a "bad boy" to write off Rio, to joke around and not really acknowledge what their relationship was (because in a lot of ways Rio is the opposite of a bad boy--she's the laws of nature, she's puckish and fay in her behaviour certainly, but she is a rule follower). She can only afford, for her own heart's sake, to see Rio as Death.

And it is interesting then that Rio's name is Rio Vidal. A name that means River of Life, because acknowledging that, beyond even her own fear of allowing Rio back in--it is also acknowledging Rio isn't simply Death. She is The Green Witch, she is the cycle of all living things. She is (99.9% likely) the other parent to Nicholas.

Agatha in her sensitive, guarded heartbroken heart cannot let herself see Rio as a person--when she does, when she listens to the scar story--she immediately allows herself to embrace her love again. She is still so deeply in love with Rio, but she is so afraid of it.

But yeah, those are just my thoughts. I still have so many thoughts about Agatha, Rio, Nicholas, and Billy especially that I eventually need to sort out (including all of the textual nods in the series to Rio and Nicholas' connection/Rio as the other parent).