#nick analysis

[foxmagpie]

i really love nick's "gangster rio had to whip it out, show the soccer mom how big it is?" it's so diminishing to both beth and rio and so indicative of how reductive nick is by only seeing them as these stereotypes when we know that they are both more than that and that their relationship has a much wider, deeper, and more meaningful scope than that.

i love, too, that it's in the middle of a scene that shows how little nick knows. not only does he wildly misinterpret rio's reasons for murdering lucy (for beth instead of a punishment for beth, to somehow impress beth rather than to intimidate her) he doesn't realize that rio has never had to try and impress beth. she was always most attracted to his natural charm, confidence, and control. also, while nick wondered if there was more to beth and rio's relationship at rosa's house, he didn't know. he's on the outside, prying for information—which he only gets because rio's chafing against nick's intrusion. rio's been just as protective over the details of his relationship with beth as she is, but he can't help but confirm here, pushing back against nick's suggestion that rio's trying to sleep with beth to show that he's already been successful (the detail i love extra is that rio loves to play with ambiguity but here he's decidedly clear: she knows AKA she hasn't forgotten AKA it was memorable). still, he's flippant about it, laughing, acknowledging only the sexual aspect of their relationship—nothing more.

i love this moment as a parallel to dean asking beth if rio listens to her more or encourages her more than he does. like nick, dean is an outsider to the relationship and he can't understand it. dean also typically sees beth and rio as stereotypes of themselves: he struggles to recognize that beth is more than a simple housewife or that rio is more compex than a cardboard cutout "gang banger." when he asks these questions of beth, it's not because he believes it's possible—it's the opposite. he is so baffled by beth's interest in rio (as nick seems to be with rio's interest in beth when she's "merely" a soccer mom) that he can't fathom that rio could actually treat beth with more respect than he does.

it's kind of fun that they play in different ways too: nick minimizes what beth must mean to rio, and dean hyperbolizes it. they're both circling the truth, though. although beth won't admit it, those are part of the reasons that she's attracted to rio. and though nick's wrong about the details, there is a way in which rio killed lucy for beth—it was, after all, in lieu of her own life or that of her girls' (idea credited to @riosnosestud).

like rio, beth flaunts their sexual relationship in order to put dean in his place like rio did with nick. but also like him, she diminishes what they have, saying that she just "really likes having sex with him" (my favorite detail being that she uses the present tense despite the fact that she and rio are very much broken up and he's just unscrupulously tossed her out of his loft—not unlike rio showing that he's bothered nick might think nothing's happened between them so he yanks their history to the present despite the fact that they're in a low spot after the betrayal and arrest).

simultaneously, they both want nobody to know a single shred of a detail about what they are to each other AND they can't help showing each other off too (not only in these respective scenes, but with rio's hand on beth's back, or with beth correcting annie and ruby that it was a "one and done").

the fact that the episode ties it up with a neat bow showing that rio and beth are the same and that they both get themselves into trouble just by being themselves—underscored in both their interactions with nick and dean—is a really nice touch. that final moment between them where they side-by-side for the first time is an effective way of showing how much they are on the same wavelength in a way that they are definitively not with people that have been their supposed other half for most of their lives.

[foxmagpie]

like nick fully sucks as a person but the effect he has on the story as a character and the insight he gave us into rio and the effect he had on brio is absolutely *chef’s kiss* and ignacio has been killing it.

[foxmagpie]

Do you think this was the first time Nick abused Rio, he did seam surprised by it when the body guard grabbed him. Or do you think it’s been a long road? Also what do you think Rio meant when he said “sometimes it’s worth it” in response to Beth saying by being herself?

I’m really of two minds about Nick and Rio’s history. 

On the one hand, it’s clear that Nick has been exerting power and control over Rio’s life for a long time by turning him in (and therefore pushing him into crime) for his own benefit. We also see him guilt Rio when he bails him out and call the shots in terms of what to do in regards to Beth. In that sense, their relationship dynamic is definitely unhealthy and Nick exploits and manipulates Rio in order to force his hand.

However, I’m less certain how much direct violence has played a role in their relationship. 

Rio and Nick have this conversation prior to getting in the ring when Nick first shows up:

Despite the fact that we saw Rio chafing against Nick in the dinner scene (reiterating that they’re cousins, not brothers—something that seems to flip flop back and forth showing the topsy-turvy nature of their dynamic), here they’re fairly playful with each other, joking and laughing. Nick reminds Rio that he “used to beat [his] ass” and Rio ribs him back saying that that hasn’t happened since they were very young. It’s obviously an exaggeration, but I do think it implies that that level of violence is not the norm or standard in their relationship.

The tension, once they are inside the ring, seems to ping pong a bit too. They’re fighting for real, but there’s no animosity and Rio is smiling and laughing at first. Rio gets his first hit in and Nick grimaces. Rio holds back. Nick asks him questions about the alibi fight that Rio never attended. When Rio lies, Nick pushes him into the corner of the ring and starts walloping on him. Rio holds his hands in front of his face and seems to be in a vulnerable position because he’s trapped. So then Rio retaliates with a direct hit on Nick’s face, flattening him. The mood is tenser now and Rio deflects as Nick asks him more and more questions.

I think it’s important to note that the crux of the conversation comes down to this exchange:

Nick: So you were just gonna—what? Keep it to yourself?

Rio: It don’t concern you, dude.

Nick: No, no—it does. When a cop ruins my breakfast over it.

Rio: I’ll buy you some eggs, come on.

Nick: Did you do it for her?

Rio: [starts pacing]

Nick: Huh?

Rio: Don’t worry about it.

Nick: Oh! Gangster Rio had to whip it out. 

Rio: I got it covered.

Nick: Show the soccer mom how big it is.

Rio: She knows.

I think this scene is fairly revealing. Nick doesn’t seem to have a problem with the fact that Rio killed Lucy or even necessarily that he didn’t know that Rio killed Lucy. He cares because:

Rio implicates Nick by using the boxing match Nick got him tickets for as an alibi, which draws attention to Nick (“when a cop ruins my breakfast”)

Nick doesn’t understand why Rio killed Lucy and assumes it’s tied to Beth but inaccurately guesses how (“Did you do it for her?”)

Basically, Nick seems to sense that Rio is being sloppy, that said sloppiness is influenced by Rio’s relationship with Beth, and that the sloppiness will cause problems for Nick. Rio tells Nick that it “doesn’t concern him,” which makes me think that Rio probably does pull moves that remain under Nick’s radar. He thought he could get away with it, and Rio reiterates that Nick doesn’t need to worry about it and that he has it covered. Those reassures ultimately don’t work, of course, but I do think this exchange reveals that Nick is probably fairly removed from the day-to-day operations and choices that Rio makes. Rio’s the boss of his sphere, and Nick only gets involved when he has to—when he needs to bail Rio out, and now—when Rio’s dragged him into something he doesn’t want to be a part of. 

This scene and the dinner scene at Rosa’s house showcased that Nick really knows relatively little about Beth and Rio’s history, which is why he both tried to pry about the ring, about Beth being an “unusual colleague” or “friend,” and here, finally discovering that his hunch was correct—Beth and Rio have slept together. Before that, though, Nick is on the backfoot throughout the episode without information, trying to figure out what’s happened.

I think that in this moment, Nick acutely feels that things are spiraling out of his control and he escalates to try and regain a semblance of that power he feels he’s lost. That’s why I think he ends up beating Rio like he does. He’s reminding Rio who is “really in charge,” but I don’t necessarily think that’s a reminder he has to give often. 

I think that’s why Rio (to me) seems surprised when Nick’s bodyguard pins him in the corner (the same position he was in when Nick was walloping him) and is confused and concerned when Nick drops the money in the ring. He doesn’t know what’s happening, but he’s rapidly piecing it together. 

There’s a sense of fear and apprehension in Rio because he does register that Nick is a real threat to him in this moment (I also think it’s notable that the bodyguard has no qualms with what he’s being asked to do either—this doesn’t seem like it’s particularly out of character for Nick, even if it’s not the norm between him and Rio specifically). 

After this scene, too, we see Rio with the black eye, and while I wouldn’t say he seems unphased, he does have sort of a wry amusement when he says that he was “just being himself” when he got it:

I don’t think he comes off like he’s still reeling or particularly shocked, so I think this is a part of Nick that on some level he was familiar with. It almost reads like a depressing acceptance of the "consequences of his actions."

The conclusion that makes the most sense to me, then, is that this is something that has happened between Nick and Rio before (Rio seems to experience dread and have a sense of what’s coming the moment he gets pinned; Rio has absorbed the moment after the fact) but maybe not something that has happened for a long time (Rio clearly thought he could get away with what he was doing; Rio and Nick joke about how Nick used to beat his ass; and how Rio feels about Nick fluctuates depending on the situation and context, so Nick does not seem to be someone that he is afraid of or even adamantly hates, but rather someone he has a strained and conflicting relationship with).

Regardless of whether this is usual behavior for Nick or a steep escalation from their established norms, I think Nick sees and uses Rio as a pawn and he is always most invested in himself. This scene showed how scrupulously he will fight to make sure that he is always protected, even at the expense of someone he should love. 

[foxmagpie]

Dare to explain what was going on in nick’s office? Beth had text nick???

Yeah, it sounds like it, anon! I imagine Beth has Nick's number from their gardening initiative.

After failing to negotiate with Rio (and with Rio implying that Annie would be harmed, although he never truly seemed to have any real plans for her, though Mick let Annie worry about the same prospect) Beth's hands were pretty tied. She was feeling powerless and panicked and went to the one person she thought had power to fix the situation without implicating herself, Annie, and Ruby (which—fair. At this point, Beth's seen Rio wriggle out of enough consequences with the law).

There are a few things that strike me as interesting, though.

Nick reverts to calling her "Beth"

Beth's wearing her all-black crime ensemble in the scene

Nick never offers to (and Beth never asks) for Nick to appeal to Rio. He only goes the route of calling the police, and Beth stops him from doing so. Not only does Nick pretend he doesn't have leverage over Rio here, he doesn't actually pull rank with Rio in the alleyway, either. Sure, he criticizes Rio for failing to see the big picture, but ultimately he does nothing.

Rio refers to Nick and Beth as "lovers" and Nick says he was "making progress" with Beth and that Rio's kidnapping of Annie disrupted the flow—but it's somewhat unclear whether Nick was teasing that he messed up Nick's attempt to get closer to Beth personally, or whether Rio's in the know about some way that Nick plans to use Beth professionally.

Nick tells Rio to "keep his eye on the ball," which implies that there's a game afoot and that Rio's getting distracted from the goal. At the end of the scene, Nick pointedly leaves with the ball, refusing to return it to Rio. Symbolically, he's now in control of the game.

This seems further confirmed when he smiles when Beth comes to him asking for career advice. At this point, it seems like his goal is to drive a wedge between Beth and Rio in order to separate them. However, it's possible something bigger is at play. It's unclear as of yet how Nick would benefit by Beth entering politics.

I'm not really sure what to make of it all yet, but I'm very intrigued to see where it's going!

[foxmagpie]

I don’t understand. Everyone’s like “Rio is showing his love for Beth” , “he’s getting so jealous” etc. But from what I understand after Nick somewhat stated that he isn’t the one going to do time(jailed), but Beth is once she become the councilwoman. Clearly making her the fall guy, but Rio still did not stop Beth from running for councilwoman. If he really loved her wouldn’t he be stopping her. What’s his motive with returning all the furnitures anyway.

I don’t think Nick was talking about Beth. He was talking about Rio, which is why Rio answered that with, “Yeah, because you’d make sure it was me.” Based on what we know from Dave and Phoebe’s explanation, Beth’s not the fall guy—she’s a pawn to get Nick’s projects funded.

Rio’s motive with returning the furniture is letting go of grudges and saying he’s done making her life hell. He’s not punishing her anymore, and it’s not because she did something to earn it as much as he’s ready to let go of it.

[foxmagpie]

Hello again! Why does Nick 'finally' in the last episode 4:16 come to the conclusion that Beth is more than just any othet woman for Rio? In the car scene, he seems to be worried that Rio may take Beth's side 'when things go south'... And it's exactely what happens but by that time there is no where he can know that Rio and Beth have choosen to stay together and protect each other right?

Hello!

I think Nick’s catching on has been a slow and steady build from 4.06 where he’s been sort of throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks—for example, I think he’s sussing out the situation when he asks about their status at the BBQ, when he pries about her ring, and when he misrepresents how much he’s heard about her, not to mention when he tries on Rio’s name for her and sees Beth draw a boundary. That’s compounded when he suggests that Rio killed Lucy “for” Beth, and I do think Rio slips up when he feels the need to confirm that he’s slept with Beth to claim her—an extension of him putting his hand on her back.

Nick seems to feel his control of Rio slipping because he’s being sloppy around Beth, and he tries to re-establish his power by beating Rio with the stool and then blatantly pursuing Beth as a sexual conquest and business partner, encroaching on the claim Rio has made on her but which he denies the significance of in an attempt to minimize Nick’s interest in her.

The most important pieces that raise Nick’s suspicions, though, occur across 4.14-4.16. First, Nick is unable to crack the code of Beth. She keeps him at arm’s length, and that rejection seems to bother him—not because he has any genuine interest in her, but because he’s used to being able to take things from Rio and he’s used to getting what he wants, and I think it bugs him that he can’t seem to slide in between Beth and Rio in the way he’d like to.

More importantly, while Rio downplays his interest in Beth up until Nick sends him the bottle of bourbon, he’s unable to suppress his agitation afterwards and I believe he reveals his hand. Significantly, he tells Nick to his face that “there ain’t no we” when it comes to their plans for Beth—distancing himself from Nick and fixating on Beth.

The last and most crucial piece of the puzzle, though, is that Nick discovers Beth is making moves against him when he realizes she was breaking into his office and compiling evidence. Rio’s amusement at and dismissal of this piece of information probably did nothing to dampen Nick’s suspicions, and Rio’s inability to lie directly to Nick’s face would only exacerbate that.

Still, I think Nick never truly bothered to try to understand what Rio felt for Beth from the way he minimized it from the get-go through to the end, and while I think he was catching on that Beth’s “hold” over Rio was far more dangerous than he initially thought, I don’t think he anticipated how swiftly Rio’s allegiance would shift over the betrayal of the bourbon bottle—nor do I think he ever got a clear enough read on Beth to understand that she would choose Rio back.