one thing that makes agatha and rio interesting to me is that their conflict isn’t really about what happened to nicky—it’s about what agatha thinks love should have meant.
rio is very clear about what she is. she calls it a job. not a curse, not a personal choice—it’s a job. people die and she’s the one who comes when they do. that’s the structure of the universe as far as she’s concerned.
and agatha knows that.
this isn’t a situation where agatha doesn’t understand the rules. rio doesn’t hide them. she doesn’t pretend she has no role in it. she tells agatha directly what she is and what that means.
there's also this added layer when you realize that Agatha's mother (Evanora) was leader of the coven that they were part of in Salem. That Evanora's love was not enough to override her sense of duty and obligation to the safety of the coven to avoid putting Agatha on a death trial. Agatha's own mother called her a monster and did not love her enough (Agatha's perspective) to spare her life.
I imagine a lot of the hurt and anger that she has towards Rio concerning Nicky stems from this trauma, made worse by it because Agatha OF COURSE doesn't care about who or what Nicky is or becomes, because her love for her child supercedes everything else.
And Rio adheres to her job too strongly to have that same outlook, just like Evanora Harkness.
