Hold on just one second as I pick my jaw up off the floor!! 

Good Girls Season 4 Episode 8 was brilliant from start to finish. 

I’ll admit, I had my doubts this season — especially coming off a much weaker and slow-paced — but wow, the writers have really stepped up their game to deliver quality twists.

It’s clear that the writers have been listening to fan criticisms and giving us what we truly want — more screentime for Rio.

And that starts with diving into Rio’s backstory.

For nearly four seasons, Rio has remained a mystery. He pops in, he makes a call, he threatens Beth, and he disappears.

All we really know about him is that he’s this big, bad, and stupid hot (even the FBI agents agreed with us on that) gang leader, but we don’t actually know how he got to this point in his life. 

Or if his tough-guy act is all an illusion.

A deeper dive into Rio started on  when we met his family and found out that the business is what we’d call a family affair.

At that point, it was made clear that family is everything, and the latest episode drove that idea home by exploring Rio’s relationship with his cousin/brother, Nick

With flashbacks delving briefly into their childhood and, in more detail, into their teenage years, it became clear that Nick and Rio were polar opposites. 

Rio was the bad boy who would do anything for a quick buck, while Nick was the buttoned-up, by-the-book guy who was working smarter not harder.

The flashbacks didn’t give us a deeper look into Rio’s life, they also connected to Beth’s current predicament as she found herself at a crossroads between Rio and the FBI.

The FBI wanted her to turn on Rio, Rio wanted her to turn on the FBI. 

Both of them needed her, so she decided to play them both. 

Obviously, that was never going to work. 

Beth is clever, but you need more than that to play some of the smartest people in the business. 

She attempted to keep the feds busy by giving them Gene, a “broken toy,” but it was only a temporary distraction that bought her a sliver of time. The moment Phoebe and Dave realized he had absolutely nothing to do with gang friend — he didn’t even know him! — it made the situation worse for Beth because now, they knew they couldn’t trust her.

Even Phoebe was over the whole case as she just told her to “pick a side.”

So, Beth did. 

It was a tough decision If she sided with Rio, she lost her chance at starting over. She lost Nevada. 

But if she sided with the FBI, he threatened to come after her friends and family. 

There was no winning, and eventually, she’d have to betray someone. 

So, she chose to betray Rio considering the FBI promised to keep her safe. 

Though, I think there was more to her decision, which she wouldn’t have made if it wasn’t for a little push from Nick.

When he swung by her house to return her cardigan, he subtly implied that she shouldn’t be involved in Rio’s shady business dealings. 

Nick’s concerns seemed genuine, and as he flattered Beth with his sweet-talking, she believed he was a good guy, unlike Rio. 

But that was her biggest mistake because it seemed to be part of Nick’s master plan. 

In the same way that Beth uses her suburban mom vibe as a cover, Nick seems to be using his Councilman gig as a cover. Turns out, he’s not only very much involved in his brother/cousin’s business, but he’s the actual boss and mastermind who operates from the shadows. 

Truthfully, Beth should’ve stopped to consider how Nick got her address in the first place.

The fact that she fell for his act makes him that much more dangerous than Rio. 

With Rio, what you see is what you get. He’s upfront about who he is and what he does. He’s never shied away from it or tried to be someone he isn’t.

But Nick is hiding behind the Councilman persona and being purposefully deceitful.

Through flashbacks, we also learned that Rio and Nick have been working together since they were teenagers! Nick started the shady schemes and roped Rio into it after he got out of jail. 

He explained that he finagled a promotion at work, which meant that his boss would trust him and never suspect him.

He then applied the same logic to what I call the “Beth problem.”

There was always a chance that Beth was going to run off to the authorities, so Nick wanted to get ahead of it. 

Beth expectedly turned on Rio and thought she was home-free once he was arrested, but Nick pulled some strings and got him out! 

Rio then paid her a visit at home — and creepily sat in a dark room waiting to catch her by surprise — and explained that since she turned on him, the FBI would now believe anything she told them. 

And this meant that they could whatever they want. 

This wasn’t the end, this was just the beginning. Rio wasn’t playing when he told Beth that they’re playing the long game. 

It’s a brilliant plan if you think about it, and it also explains how Rio’s been able to get away with some much —  big brother (or cousin) is always watching and ready to be his “get out of jail free” card. 

This kind of makes Rio invincible, which is pretty crappy news for Beth. 

There’s no shaking Rio — she’s in it for the long run. 

I don’t think Rio was part of Nick’s plan with Beth. Rio genuinely trusted Beth because he was blinded by his feelings for him, but Nick didn’t. 

Rio seemed surprised when she turned him in, and when Nick picked him up, he seemed pissed that he was taken advantage of. 

I think Rio did really value the partnership he built with Beth and was blindsided when she didn’t choose him.

By introducing her to the family, he made it clear that he felt that she was going to stick around and was ready to be brought into the big leagues.

So, yeah, I’m not surprised that the betrayal cut so deep.

Despite his tough exterior, Rio allowed himself to be vulnerable, and that vulnerability was used against him.

You’d think that after all that Beth has done, he would’ve cut her off by now, but he’s also realized just how valuable she is.

Beth is like a chameleon who is able to adapt to any situation on command. She’s whipsmart and has never met a task that she couldn’t complete. 

It’s the only reason she’s still standing with all of her limbs intact.

Rio may have walked, but the FBI dropped the ball by not notifying Beth immediately when it happened. 

How could their first call not be to the woman who put her whole life on the line by turning in a man who could’ve easily retaliated and killed her? 

Was it an oversight? Were they that shocked that he pulled a vanishing act after they tried so hard to get him?

They promised her protection, and it’s clear that it was a load of bullcrap. This is why people never do the right thing! 

A head’s up would’ve been nice.

Try as they might, the Boland family can’t stay away from a scheme… the latest one involves Dean and a classic pyramid scheme. Or, as they like to call them, multi-level marketing ventures. 

Look, I know people genuinely make money off of them and some are actually legitimate, but most of the time, they are a complete joke. 

However, Dean’s hit rock bottom, so why not put his savvy sales skills to use selling some type of Arbonne/Rodan and Fields-like product while he’s stuck in house arrest?

At the very least, it’s a stream of income for the family, which they definitely need. 

The only positive of the episode was that Stanimal was finally free of Gene’s grasp. 

The ladies pumped his club full with fake cash, and when the FBI took him in for questioning, he folded like a lawn chair and gave up every single person he’s ever done business with. 

I hated seeing Stan used and abused, so I’m glad this storyline is over. 

But what happens with all those handbags? I’m still of the mindset that they can be used in a lucrative scheme. Maybe Beth can present the idea to Nick and Rio. You know they love how resourceful she is. 

Other Thoughts

• Ruby comparing Rio to IBS was priceless: “you never know when it’s gunna strike.”


• Stan’s motivational talk to the strippers was solid. He should consider that as a new career avenue. 


• Gene really tried to recruit Annie for his club. I thought that would surely be the way she smuggled the money in, but a night out for the ladies with fine dining, drinks, and strippers was a solid idea. 

What did you think of the episode? Were you shocked by the reveal that Nick is the boss? 

Let us know in the comments!

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