this might be an unpopular opinion, but here we go:
2.06 needed to happen! from the very beginning, there has been a huge imbalance when it comes to power between beth and rio. he has threatened her on numerous occasions, and while as a fandom we know she’s safe cus she’s the main character, in the character’s mind, she was 100% in danger. outside of physical threats, we’ve seen him school and even belittle beth by taking advantage of her naivety (“i usually give 30”) and using her to do his dirty work, and yes, she welcomed it on more than one occasion, but it still came down to rio controlling the situation and the girls.
in 1.09, rio tells beth he doesn’t need her, and he’s right. beth needed him to keep getting money, and even more importantly, to keep getting that thrill. rio was accomplished and was ahead of the fbi. her decision to turn him in is framed as a way to protect herself, but if we’re talking opinions, my personal belief is that beth felt slighted and thrown away, so she acted on impulse and made the ultimate power move to knock him down.
in 2.06, beth tells rio he needs her, and now she’s right. rio knows that she’s right, and it absolutely pissed him off that she knew it. the episode ends with them literally agreeing to 50/50 partnership. beth finally stepped up and realized her worth, and even though rio can’t stand to be challenged, that moment in the office when she started spitting numbers, he couldn’t deny that he wanted her, just like that. it was the same energy she put off at the bar, in the bathroom, because she was also taking control there. and that’s why he let the mask slip and straight up propositioned her.
and like a boss, beth maintained control in the situation and let him walk away. the problem with that, of course, is that she wanted him just as much. she felt powerful, she felt important, and that power is directly tied to rio. i don’t believe she was jealous of that girl he hugged in a traditional sense, i think it was more about the power slipping, but that’s another post entirely. anyway, she gets home, she’s still high on that power trip, and she wants to ride it out. literally. she needs a warm body, and there was dean. but dean’s not powerful, and he doesn’t make her feel powerful, and he can’t be rio.
all of that to say this: the brio we want, the brio that kisses tenderly in that bedroom, would never exist without the power shift we saw in 2.06, so say what you want, but that was excellent writing.
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