Thinkin about toxic fem Ragatha vs toxic masc Jax
There's obviously parallels between Jax and Ragatha, and I believe most of them were intentional. But I think we could do a bit more in hindsight, that makes Ragatha a little morally complex but overall heightens the tension between her and other characters.
Jax doesn't really want to change, but he DEFINITELY doesn't want to feel like someone else is helping him change. So I'd make Ragatha the opposite. She wants to help everyone, and ignores her own needs to do so. But what if she WANTS other people's support, believes that she NEEDS it in order to be happy/fulfilled, but believes that she can't just ask for/accept help? She'll drop passive aggressive hints that she's going through something or could use some help, but when help is offered she'll politely turn it down (all while expecting other people to keep pushing, and become upset when they don't). Very southern lady of her, I know.
Essentially, if Jax is written to be a closeted transfem performing toxic masculinity to the nth degree to avoid vulnerability, then Ragatha is a deeply traumatized woman with mommy issues performing toxic feminitiy because she believes that's how love works.
I think you could tie this dynamic into many other parts of the show (this bit is just self indulgent 'whatif-ing' btw) Jax wants to stay in the circus (very clear metaphor for not wanting to change/stagnation) so what if Ragatha DOES want to leave, but she feels helpless to do so on her own. Maybe in the pilot when she's having her monologue to Pomni about reaching your "breaking point" she expresses a very dim hope that "someone out there is working to help break us out of here". Ragatha doesn't believe she can change or be happy without other people--their approval, their support, etc. so she believes that she can't "leave the circus" on her own. Some mysterious Other Person is going to do it for her, while she waits, and grows increasingly bitter towards them.
Jax's dislike of her would also feel a lot less mean-spirited if she was more of an overbearing and resentful mother figure. If she was a bit passive aggressive about "no one helping her" or "no one looking out for her needs" despite refusing to accept help when offered... I think a viewer in hindsight would see clear parallels between Ragatha and Jax's own mother, and his hatred of her would feel less like just misogny.
Maybe Pomni expresses frustration with Ragatha for clearly wanting help but not wanting to accept it during episode 6. Ragatha's talk with Kinger could be a bit more... Confused and resentful. She feels like she's doing the right things--the things that make people like and care about her, and yet they aren't chasing after her like she wants. She thinks this means they don't care about her, and Kinger can (gently) point out that they do, but that even if she does let them help her, it won't be enough because she'll never be truly happy by relying on others.
Basically I'd like if Ragatha was a sleeper antagonist. Jax was fucked up from the get go, but it'd be cool if Pomni sticks with Ragatha for the first half, pulls away when she starts her "wah nobody cares about me" shtick, and then Ragatha has her talk with Kinger and starts changing. (jax is there too ig but whatever this aint about him)
