Good Girls Round Table: Is Rio In Love?

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Did you see that coming?

Good Girls Season 3 Episode 5 saw a new character seemingly meet a grisly end, and it brought forth a new era of Good Girls. The stakes have officially been raised. 

Join TV Fanatics Jasmine Blu, Lizzy Buczak, Meaghan Frey and Whitney Evans as they discuss the hour. 

Stan and Ruby have had a hard time lately. Do you see their marriage falling apart? Or do you think this is just a rough patch?

Jasmine: I would be devastated if that were the case. I don't think they are falling apart. It's only a rough patch. They love each other deeply, but Stan has grown desensitized to Ruby's illicit activities, and Ruby has every right to be concerned about that.

Stan accepting that Ruby is doing these things makes her feel like he thinks his wife is and will always be this criminal, and she doesn't want that. She wants him to see her as he always has, so this is a rough spot, but they'll get through it.

Ruby Thinking Hard - Good Girls Season 3 Episode 5

Lizzy: We cannot let that happen. They're the strongest couple on the series, and they need to find a way to move forward together. Every couple hits rough patches, and theirs is exceptionally rough considering Ruby's lifestyle, but I think they'll pull through.

Or, I could see Ruby leaving Stan because she doesn't want to drag him down with her.

Meaghan: I don't think they are falling apart whatsoever. I think Ruby is waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it isn't going to happen unless she makes it happen.

Stan has reacted better to all of this better than anyone could imagine. Certainly better than Dean. Ruby just needs to accept that he loves her regardless of any of the obstacles they face, and he isn't going anywhere.

Sara At Breakfast - Good Girls Season 3 Episode 5

Whitney: It feels like more than a rough patch, but I don’t think their marriage is falling apart per se. I do think they need to figure out how to exist within their new normal, and not be at odds with one another.

The love is still there, but they’re stressed and they’re experiencing a shift within their relationship that they were not prepared for. I have faith in them, but they need to put in work to get to a better place.

Lucy is dead. React!

Jasmine: I was utterly wrecked by this. Lucy was such a sweet person. All she wanted to do was mind her business and live her life, and she got sucked into this. I was also disappointed that it was all there was to the character. It can't be, right? Is she really dead? We haven't seen the body.

Lucy At Work - Good Girls Season 3 Episode 5

I do think this is clever to not only give Beth and the girls a reality check but also the viewers who are too obsessed and love-struck with Rio.

Personally, I never went into this viewing him as anything other than a baddie, so as upset as I was about Lucy, I accept Rio for what he is, an antagonist. But some people probably needed that reminder.

Lizzy: Even though I knew Lucy was in trouble the moment she got involved with Beth, I never expected this. My jaw literally dropped to the ground, and chills crept up my body.

I thought Rio was going to let Lucy go, which I guess is silly of me considering he's a gang leader who is tired of being undermined by Beth and needed to prove a point. She was also a loose-end so it makes sense, but damn, it hurt.

It does set up the plot in a nice way as it reminds Beth that he's a dangerous criminal and this isn't a game. How will they move on? How will they explain her death? I'm nervous but excited. Also, Jasmine makes a valid point -- we haven't seen Lucy's body, and we didn't see her get shot.

Meaghan: I felt a little dead inside after that gunshot went off. Good Girls has always had an air of danger to it, but nothing that has ever felt as dark as that moment. Lucy deserved better than that ending. She never agreed to get in bed with Rio or the girls and did not deserve to pay the price for their mistakes.

I definitely think there could be a slight possibility that Lucy is alive, however, I think this was the writer's way of raising the stakes.

Whitney: If we’ve learned anything from Boomer’s “death”, things aren’t always what they seem on Good Girls. But it most certainly seemed like she would have been killed by that close-range gunshot.

Serious Rio - Good Girls Season 3 Episode 5

It was a sad end to a character we didn’t get to know very well, and that’s a shame because she seemed like a good addition to the show. The guilt from her death will be a new emotion for the ladies because she was truly innocent and didn’t deserve anything that happened to her.

And it sure feels like this is going to lead to the police snooping around again.

Dean: We can't go back.
Beth: He's gonna kill me.
Dean: You don't kill something you love.

Dean insinuated that Rio loved Beth. Do you agree with him?

Jasmine: No. Never mistake an obsession with love. He's entertained by Beth. He's impressed by her and attracted to her. He even respects her in his own way, but he doesn't love her.

Rio Laughs - Good Girls Season 3 Episode 5

But Dean is an idiot, and that was a hell of a gamble to take cutting the plates and believing Rio wouldn't do anything because he loves Beth. He seriously pissed me off. All the men did this damn week.

Lizzy: Rio is feeling some type of way otherwise I don't think he'd keep Beth around this long. He's spared her more times than she deserved it, and it definitely has to be more than her being useful. If she can learn to make the fake cash, so can anyone. I think Rio's infatuated with Beth and sees himself in her.

He sees her potential and how she's always able to get herself out of every mess. It's not love, it's some twisted form of lust. I personally think Rio is grooming Beth and putting her through the wringer so she can be ready.

Also agree with Jasmine, Dean is an idiot who keeps prolonging Beth's involvement in this mess. I don't think he realizes that Rio could kill her.

Exchanging Cash - Good Girls Season 3 Episode 5

Meaghan: I hate to agree with anything that Dean says because god knows he is a complete idiot. This is one thing we are on the same page regarding, though. Rio may be a complete psycho, but I think he loves Beth in his own way.

Is he able to love her in a traditional non-toxic way? Absolutely not. Can he love her in his own screwed up way? Definitely.

Whitney: Dean really is so dumb. He doesn’t at all see things from outside of his limited view, and he always thinks he’s right. That’s such a dangerous combination.

Rio doesn’t love Beth, and I feel pretty confidently proclaiming he never will. Their connection doesn’t come from a place of love. As Jasmine said, it’s more obsession than anything else.

Do you see a way for the ladies to take some of their power back in regards to the money-making business?

Jasmine: Where there is a will, there is a way. They'll figure something out. I believe in them. I'm curious about the dynamics of everything. Beth hasn't given much thought to the fact that someone had to save Rio, and that someone was a Fed.

If she can get more information about Rio's whereabouts for the past few months, then it's the perfect leverage to use against him. How did he step back into his leadership role without his boys asking questions?

Lizzy: Beth has proven that's more-than-capable before, so I don't see why not. She's crafty at finding ways out, and there's likely plenty of leverage she can use once she stops being afraid. Though, the stakes are getting much higher this time around.

Not Liking What They See - Good Girls Seaso 3 Episode 5

Meaghan: I don't see it happening unless, like I said last week, Rio's intent is for Beth to run things by his side once his anger about the murder attempt has blown over. Even then, though, it is Beth getting power back, not the three of them.

Whitney: Gaining full control of the business doesn’t seem doable right now. But the ladies need to do some soul-searching and figure out a way to at least gain some power back.

Peeking In - Good Girls Season 3 Episode 5

They’re in an atrocious position, but everyone has weaknesses, including Rio. You just have to figure out what they are and exploit them.

It was a darker hour, but did you have a favorite moment?

Jasmine: Annie cutting the sandwich in half with a key made me laugh. It gave me flashbacks to the creative ways we would share food among friends or eat things when I was a teen when out and away from utensils. Never underestimate the power of hair sticks and hand sanitizer. Instant chopsticks!

Lizzy: Ruby telling Sara "game recognizes game, peanut."

Climbing In Bed - Good Girls Season 3 Episode 5

Meaghan: Annie getting into the car with the bird in her hand instead of taking the cage like a logical person. God bless Annie, but she has absolutely zero common sense.

Whitney: I’m with Lizzy. And I think I choose a Ruby scene every week, but I loved her in the kitchen just silently clocking what Sara was doing with Stan. Like she said, “Game recognize game.”

Good Girls airs Sundays on NBC. 

Whitney Evans is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lover of all things TV. Follow her on X.

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Good Girls Season 3 Episode 5 Quotes

Ruby: So, you just found God?
Sara: What?
Ruby: Game recognize game, peanut. I'm just saying.

Beth: Anyone can run at printer, right? But you need these plates to make our money. So, if one of us disappear...?
Ruby: Why would we disappear?
Beth: When he's done with us.