what do you think was beth's thinking throughout 2x09 regarding hooking up with rio? i dont think she had it planned going into the bar to meet him (between having his cut on her and the mess in the kitchen and the mismatched socks it seems clear she didn't have it planned). When do you think her mind changed? I think as she looked at him in the bar and realized she was going to have to cut ties she realized she wanted one more time with him and then her mind was set on that until after they were done. as soon as that happened she had just enough resolve to break things off as cold as she did. I'd be so curious to know both of their internal dialogues throughout that whole thing and after. was rio caught off guard at each step? He seemed tentative the whole time until after she kissed him twice. was he blindsided after she told him to leave? did beth go to the bathroom to shower and have to compose herself after shutting the door? What do think each of their thought processes were that episode regarding each other?
Anon, I’ve been sitting on this one. Mostly because so much insightful commentary has already happened about this scene and I didn’t know what I could meaningfully add to it. But I was in the shower just now, having shower thoughts, and decided maybe my contribution doesn’t have to be especially meaningful. Thank you for reaching out with this question and for the amount of thought you’ve put into this moment between them. 🥰 It’s such an incredible, layered moment. As guarded as both Beth and Rio are, they both set down their arms and found such amazing beauty in each other. 🥲
I agree with you, Beth didn’t have sex planned. She had his cut. She was saying goodbye at the bar. My headcanon is that this scene, with flirty Beth and laughing Rio and their sweet exchange, was actually mirroring 2.04 when Rio gave Beth the “keys to the kingdom” and told her to go be somebody. I fully believe he was saying a sort of goodbye to her in that moment. He was gonna let her have the funny money and move on, just like he said. He came back easily, just like Beth came back to crime easily. Because they were both jonesing for their fix. They’re addicts.
But back to 2.09, yeah, she saw him, she flirted with him in much the same way he flirted with her in 2.04. And then she decided she may as well live this moment to its fullest. When else would she get the chance? Even if she did leave Dean, even if she had sex with other people, when else would she have the unique experience of a sexual encounter with this kind of man? With this specific kind of attraction. They both knew it wasn’t just physical. Although, it very much was also physical. But not just physical. So like any addict – just one more hit.
As for him, I think there was a curiosity there. She was very obviously flirting. She was very obviously flustered. I think he was amused and kind of charmed by what a dorky, unpracticed seductress she was. Especially considering that he’s seen the way she can boss up. So suddenly that Boss Bitch who isn’t afraid to stand her ground was embarrassed and uncomfortable and not at all like that woman he followed into that bathroom.
I love that he followed her lead. That he allowed her to take a step, and then met her where she was ready. It’s such a show of caring on his part and I think is something that continued on into the rest of their relationship, especially season 4. He was just letting her have her moment on her terms. I don’t think he expected a kiss between them to be quite how it was. I think he was expecting to watch her make some more awkward moves and blunder kind of awkwardly into initiating actual sex, at which point he probably expected to just take over and make things easier on both of them. Bang it out and that’s that. But we all know that isn’t what happened. It’s like his whole universe suddenly stopped when she kissed him. They surprised each other.
As for the acts themselves, I kinda like that there’s some mystery to how it happened. It lets us fill in the blanks with what that may have looked like. I’ve seen people headcanon everything from the most tender lovemaking to the filthiest sex. 😅 I personally feel like Beth would have wanted to try everything. (Within reason.) Rio was her second sexual partner ever. Her only real prolonged sexual experience with someone besides Dean. I think she would want to do as much as she could. She would want to touch him everywhere, see him in all sorts of ways. My headcanon is that she went right for the zipper after undoing his shirt. Because she would have wanted to… um… test it out. See it up close, experiment. And I think she’s a planner, so she just quickly started going down her checklist of Things to Do to Rio. 😂
I also think that the bathroom was not where she composed herself. I did write this briefly in Rough Night, but I think that if this was her final goodbye, she would have begun detaching throughout the process. While they were still connected. While he was still inside her. I think she wouldn’t relinquish all control and just enjoy. She would want to commit to memory all the things. How he looked, how he tasted, how he felt, how he sounded… I think that by the time he came, she was already gone. I think she would have been honed in, attuned with all her senses so she could remember everything about what he was like when he finished. And I think to him it would have been extremely erotic how engaged she was. Maybe some eye contact, maybe touching him intimately (like his face or his lips or his hands.) Definitely she kissed him before he finished. Because it was the last last last time. Final chance. I think he came moaning into her mouth, thinking he’s starting something new and passionate, and she took in his whole bodily release to keep as a last memory.
I think the bathroom is where she compartmentalized. Where she started her groundwork for the denial. Wash him off her skin, wash him off her sheets, wash him from her life. You can see her continuing this process as she cleans up the bedroom after. I think this is just how she showered – pushing away any guilt or sadness or sentimentality. Pour (metaphorical) bleach on it. I think Rio was the one who had to compose himself. His primary emotion was probably anger. (It is with most men.) He dressed fast, peeled out fast, drove to the bar well above the speed limit. And then drank and composed himself, telling himself she’s just a bitch and trying to tamp down his anger.
So how’d I do? What’s everyone else’s headcanon about 2.09? It still hurts so good, all these years later.
