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 donāt know how people can see him any other way, itās not something that was ever hidden by the show. Heāll go through every length to protect himself and his business.Ā
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 weāve seen their relationship develop for better and worse across seasons. I think we have to keep in mind that Rio is a character weāve seen almost exclusively through POV that arenāt his own, and mostly through Bethās. And we as viewers see a limited amount of information about him, that we translate in our own ways.
Iāve 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 Rioās point; He wanted Beth to see that itās not just her who has kids on the line with her crime-life, as a way to invalidate her constant argument of ābeing a momā and āhaving a familyā as if that would make her special or something. Sheās 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 Rioās character more. In Season 1, if the whole Rio/Beth ā CH/MM chemistry hadnāt existed, I could definitely see the character of Rio being done late Season 1/early Season 2. But thatās not what happened, so now Rio had to become a person with connections and feelings and deeper motivations ā but itās still a character thatās in the base there to drive Beth forward as a character and deeper into crime. Which is a tricky balance, and I donāt think the show always made that work.
Obviously the most clear example of that is the loft scene in 2x13. Now thereās more than one thing to be said about that scene, but Iām focusing now Rio himself. Itās the big finale, a lot of things needed to come together here and explode. Overall I donāt think the build-up was executed well, but it doesnāt 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 ā maybe not completely thin, but at least barely medium thick ā air for me.
Concerning the racial element I think THIS POST by @septiembrre explains this much better than white, non-American me ever will.Ā
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 thereās a lot of critique on the S3 we got, that I personally donāt understand ā 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 ā but if youāre searching for catharsis in a way of Rio coming back with a vengeance with guns ablaze, then thatās 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 donāt 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 Lucyās murder with her prints on the gun. I donāt think these kind of actions werenāt going on in the previous seasons, but now itās 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 weāre making a bit of a jump when it comes to Beth and Rioās relationship, maybe one thatās 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). Lucyās body is found and we learn that said gun was also used to taking out some gang member of an opposing gang of Rioās, so after Turnerās sweep he apparently wasnāt done.
That gun now becomes a much bigger thing to hold over Beth (and Iām speculating because we donāt know for sure, but we can guess that now Annieās prints are on it ā which is an ever bigger press on Beth because she wonāt let her little sister take the fall, while she would do so herself. And I think sheās up for a rude awakening that while sheās 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 Bethās employees and thereby offers them zero protection). So her counter with his print doesnāt come a moment too soon.
I feel like Beth asking him to murder āDaveā, 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 ā and he has no reason to not have Mick do it ā 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 itās something else than Secret Service, and that they are still active around Beth.
So weāre finally here, 4x05 The Banker ā which Iām 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 ā so he knows heās 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 ā which isnāt that common at this point, last we know he was there is after the failed hit on him. And she doesnāt 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 āwhat are you doing?ā, 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 wasnāt a planned meeting, and it wouldnāt be the first time she lied to his face. Itās clear to me (but Iāve seen this interpreted differently) that Beth fast finds a solid stance in this powerplay. Rio doesnāt seem happy about the fact it has come to this, and neither does she.
Iām not sure if you send me this ask because you have negative feelings about this scene, but I can tell you I canāt 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. Itās in no way sexual or intimidating like Iāve 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.
Rioās obviously still suspicion, but she also gained some trust with her asking him to kill āDaveā, so setting her up as The Banker is some sort of twisted reward and punishment and test at the same time. Itās not explained, but I think āThe Bankerā might have been a hidden figure before Beth stepped up to show her face (before her flunkyās came to collect in name of The Banker) ā making this an even better set-up if itās 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. Weāll have to see next Sunday what it really means. IN this episode weāll meet some of Rioās family, likely his boss(es) and get backstory on him. I donāt see that as a fix-it, but mostly because I donāt see anything needed of fixing. Iām glad weāre getting an insight into Rioās past, and I love that it likely will broaden his backstory and motivations more. But I feel like the way Rioās character and the amount and the way of it seems very fitting to the story and the perspective itās told through.
Iām not sure if this is an answer to your question, so feel free to send me a more specific one if you want to!