After tonightâs episode it truly seems like Rioâs feelings for Beth are genuine. He likes her đĽşâ¤ď¸
We can only hope, truly - I really wish this was the deciding factor in his actions.
Imma try to do my best and articulate my opinion of the most recent episode, but Iâve never done this before on tumblr so please bear with me.
Unfortunately, I donât actually think what happened at Rioâs familyâs house is related to his feelings for Beth. At least on the surface. and the surface isâŚ.. incredibly thick and cemented. AND the feelings underneath this surface have been buried so deep that, probably, only painful vulnerability between the two of them will crack it open. I think, unfortunately (for them), both Beth and Rio are actually stupid enough to become physically intimate with each other again (aka one of their purest forms of vulnerability beyond honesty) with the path they are on currently. All that to say, maybe we will get a 2.13 reconciliation out of this season? I still have hope. Not much, but I do hold a sliver of it.
However, I think itâs important to point out that Rio didnât let Beth touch him. And he never has since the shooting. He has always been the one initiating physical contact this season (the shoulder pat at the bar, the pool table, Rio stripping Beth for a wire, at the dinner table and in the guest room, etc) and during season 3. So, whatever physical contact they have had, itâs always been on his terms. (And, in my opinion, it absolutely should be.)
Neither of them are in a place to let their walls down with each other, especially Rio. As far as physical vulnerability is concerned, I think he carries a shit ton more hurt and probably has very sturdy protective walls around himself (as he should). I think I agree with Manny (during the s3 timeline) when he said something along the lines of âif Rio and Beth were to get physical again, Rio would appear weakâ. Rio needs Beth to prove her loyalty to him, and so far, she hasnât done that in the slightest. Something doesnât add up with the âDaveâ she had him kill, the car tracker, and now the wire (or lack thereof). I would say Beth is being painfully obvious and not making the best decisions regarding... everything, but then again, so is Rio. Theyâre both incredibly bad at crime, itâs embarrassing at this point haha but I'm digressing.
This game that theyâre both playing with each other of âwhoâs going to break firstâ seems to be basically on track to blow up again for both of them I think... and we all know that neither of them are able to deal with any type of emotional intimacy very well. So, I really hope this time we get an emotional/verbal explosion instead of a physical one as a result. while hate sex would be great, I think itâs about time these two grow up and try to talk about their feelings (I mean, letâs be real, will they? Probably not. Would we even love them so much if they could? Hard to say... haha). That entire guest room scene was a power play over Beth for sure, and Rio had her wrapped around his finger (pun only semi-intended lol). It left Beth wanting, and therefore Rio did win that particular game: 1) because he brought Beth closer into his physical orbit on his terms, and 2) he made her lose control instead of the other way around. And we all know loss of control is literally their kryptonite.
I canât say for sure whatâs going on in Bethâs head; sheâs still too infuriatingly good at compartmentalizing and expressing what she really feels, with the exception being maybe when she took on the role as âthe bankerâ.... however, I do think that Rio is putting a lot of trust (arguably too much) in her hands. Of course, much of it seems like power plays, and until he reveals his cards, we wonât know for sure. I donât think heâs dumb (... except when it comes to counting? haha), but I think we also know that heâs way more comfortable taking risks with regards to Beth, rather than vice versa. I donât think his animosity towards her has shifted in the slightest, but his laxness towards letting her closer has, both physically (on his terms) and professionally (arguably for possessive reasons), andâas many lovely souls have already pointed out, he does know Beth, and what makes her tick (and therefore what will inspire her trust). I think there were some layers of possessiveness at this dinner as well, but it seemed to be more related to his personal reasons to make a statement (or aka another lovely power move) against Nick in front of the entire table, and less born out of romantic feelings for Beth. Whatever the reasons, at this point, both he and Beth are so entrenched in such a complicated and ugly history with too much going on, itâs really impossible to know, especially since we only have one side of the story. We donât have Rioâs perspective, and still know very little about his life, history and motivations (this dinner being one of the firsts overloads it was very overwhelming for meâso this is the story I made up in my head haha).
I get what the show is trying to get at in this episode, I do. Could it have been more thoughtfully executed and developed? Absolutely. I mean, that can definitely be said for a lot more than this episode.
Beth and Rio both have utilized their arsenals of sexual chemistry against each other as manipulation post-shooting (Beth in s3, and now Rio in s4). They both are aware of it, of course, and they both are determined to out-play each other. I think, at this point, Rio has accepted, feelings aside, that he wants to bring Beth into the family business... bc she is more useful than not, and now - itâs not up to him anymore... 1) itâs up to his family, if they accept her or not (but I highly doubt they know the real history between the two of them though) and 2) itâs up to Beth to choose him (not romantically, but professionally, at least for now) over turning him in. And if this increased physicality reminds her of how he well he not only knows her, but can play her like a guitar? Even better.
The show does seem to be going down the road of re-establishing a physical relationship between the two of them, and as the love-triangle spoilers have been revealed, it probably will result in layers of possessive, hateful, spiteful, hurtful and emotional consequences, especially if the third party is a complicated relationship with another family member. I just hope that while thatâs taking place, we get a look into whatâs bubbling beneath the surface, because you can bet itâs probably gunna be volcanic..... and this time, I mean I just really hope the only weapons used are words from both of these trigger-happy souls đ















