‘Good Girls’: Some Fans Say Beth and Rio’s ‘Gross’ Relationship Made Her ‘Lame and Depressing’
Since Good Girls aired on NBC in 2018, the relationship between Beth (Christina Hendricks) and Rio (Manny Montana) has become one of the most talked-about elements. Many fans tune in to watch the dynamic connection betwixt the suburban mom and the drug kingpin. The characters continue to keep fans wondering how far the relationship will go each episode.
While some Good Girls fans adore Rio and Beth, others want the flirtation to end immediately.
A look at Beth and Rio on ‘Good Girls’
During the first episode of Good Girls, Beth Boland, her sister Annie (Mae Whitman), and their friend Ruby (Retta) decided to rob a grocery store to earn extra cash. What they soon learn, though, is that Rio uses the store as a front for his money-laundering scheme. Instead of killing the girls, Rio hires them to clean his money. Soon, the moms start juggling their criminal and their families at the same time.
On the show, Beth is a mother of four. She’s also married to her high school sweetheart, Dean (Matthew Lillard). However, she finds a knack for crime while working for Rio. The unlikely duo develops a flirtatious banter that many fans noticed as the series progressed. In an interview with Total Celebrity podcast, Montana described Rio and Beth’s dynamic as a “cat and mouse game.” He also said that the characters “love and hate” each other, which is why Beth wants him dead.
What some ‘Good Girls’ fans think about Rio and Beth
In Good Girls Season 2, Episode 4, “Pick Your Poison,” Rio and Beth had sex in a bathroom stall. The act came after the pair spent a year not acting on their attraction toward each other. However, when they finally did, some Reddit fans thought Beth and Rio’s relationship was going too far. One supporter claimed that the “gross” storyline took the show from “fun and gripping” to “just creepy.” Other commenters agreed that Beth changed as a character due to her lust for Rio.
“She wouldn’t have looked twice at him when she was young(er) and in her prime, and he hooked up with her so he could blackmail her,” the Reddit fan said. “I thought Season 1 was light, fun, and gripping, whereas season 2 took a dark turn, and a lot of the storylines were just creepy, and Beth went from cool and intriguing, to lame and depressing.”
“Even the hooking up is icky to me, but I agree a romantic relationship would be even worse,” another commenter added. “He is clearly the type who would be emotionally and physically abusive.”
“I thought they were a dynamic duo,” another viewer argued.
Are Christina Hendricks and Manny Montana friends?
Although many fans aren’t in love with Beth and Rio, Good Girls continues to be a hit with NBC. The show returned for season 4 in March 2021. In the new season, Rio and Beth grow closer after he introduces her to his crime boss. Another love triangle involving the co-workers is also in the works.
In 2020, Montana opened up about filming the Beth and Rio scenes with Hendricks. He shared that he and his co-star share a professional relationship and rarely interact outside of work.
“We come in, do our job and go home,” Montana said of Hendricks. “So it’s very businesslike.”
