Rio Pacheco

  Character Analysis

Hm...Rio :) Well, what can be said? "I hate liars and I hate deception" is the refrain that drops readily from the lips of this young man, and entirely provides the reason for Jerrica not to tell him the truth about her identity. Rio comes across in that sense as a man with strong principles, however deeper beneath the surface, well, there are a few more complex issues to discuss.
Firstly is his clear lack of anger management. Rio is one who will thump any guy in sight (Eric, Francois (Hollywood Jem) among others) and kick helpless plant pots (Glitter and Gold) just for the sake of it. He definitely needs a class or two in controlling his temper!!
Secondly, he has rather a macho obsession on occasion. Two key examples of this are in Last Resorts, where he has to climb up the cable car wire to try and rescue Jem in an attempt to outdo Svensson, and in Rock and Roll Express when he jumps on a (stolen) motorbike, clambers on board a moving train, crawls along the roof....you get the idea. Basically all this suggests Rio is a very insecure young man who isn't quite sure how to keep what he has.
You never get to see Rio's family, and I'm wondering if that is partly the key. In the flashback episodes you see Rio and Aja tinkering in a garage, and it's mentioned that he 'lives next door', but oddly enough for such a main character, Mr and Mrs Pacheco are never seen. Equally it's difficult to determine exactly what Rio's ethnic origin is. My own bet is that he's of hispanic heritage, though perhaps several generations further back than Raya's...however that;s speculation and not proven.

Friendships/Roles
Sheesh, where do I start? Hrm..ok, Jem and Jerrica. That;s probably the most significant relationship role he has during the whole series, and it's played on so much that by the end, I'm afraid, a misfit fan like me is bored to the point of hitting fast forward every time the romantic jem and rio music plays. I think Synergy is the only one who came up with a logical and (from Rio's point of view) justifiable explanation for his two timing of Jem and Jerrica. She stated that Rio was in love with the girl inside, and no matter what Jerrica's appearance, Rio could not help but be attracted to her. Well, it's an interesting theory...;) I don't know, though. Rio *is* something of a woman magnet (God knows why!). He not only attracts Minx's attention (and obsession) from Stingers Hit Town onwards, but Pizzazz plays about with him in Starbright to make Jem jealous (successfully) and there is also my theory of something going on between Rio and Video...but enough on that score.
Rio's jealousy of Jem or jerrica's flirting with other men generally seems to stem from his own insecurity and indecision. Because he isn't sure if it's Jem or Jerrica he loves, he can't be sure that Jem or Jerrica really love him in return. Equally, he's scared of any kind of committment, for when Jerrica jokes about getting married in Hollywood Jem, he immediately vetoes the idea very firmly, despite the longevity and apparent security of their relationship.