Not even joking like 100% because what’s the alternative? Rafe teams up with Pope instead and #Rope happens instead? They have him join John B and Sarah and babysit? (I think both of these will happen naturally for Rafe to apologize one-on-one so then they can begin to accept him and appreciate what he brings to the group). Like you said they’re very likely to do another Kie and Rafe duo but I don’t see them using Rafe as just a keychain to dangle around, he’s way too loud and abrasive to be ignored so I’m certain he’s getting under Kiara’s skin one way or another.
Kiara is the only one who can stand him right now so it’s only natural for it to progress and for there to be some more emotional weight associated with their scenes now. We already got him opening up to her in S3 unprompted, now that they know people are open to Riara I think they’d tease some more of that but make it a two way street this time. She needs someone to talk to about JJ’s death and the way she’s going, I don’t think the Pogues are mentally all there to be able to unpack that. Rafe is though :p
Them being paired together is going to inevitably lead to riara, I doubt they’ll be tongueing each other by the third episode but there’s no way to put them together and not have it turn into something deeper. Either way we’ll get them having hard conversations, maybe even challenging each other all the way there. Kiara will be the one to open up now—maybe talking about how much she loved JJ and Rafe trying to understand that (relating it back to Sofia? Ward?), both finding common ground on the grief that’s still so heavy and #traumabonding. And I’m 80% sure a “remember when” about her kook year is coming, the Pates must know at this point that this is insane ammunition they’re just sitting on.
The only way I can see riara not happening is if they make Kiara a Saint after all this and she’s completely devoted to JJ for the rest of her life and can’t move on. Narratively that’s bullshit and having her be a martyr to JJ and stay romantically/sexually/emotionally abstinent after that would be so beyond dumb but I wouldn’t put it past them to appease a certain crowd of people (who won’t even be tuned in for season 5 anyway). This wouldn’t make the story interesting at all or make me happy about Kiara’s character arc/ending. But it could be interesting if they were to play around with being the frame of mind she’s in at the beginning of the season and she slowly comes to understand that JJ, as vibrant with life as he was, would’ve wanted her to move on and be happy. Or, this abstinence comes after the events of s5 after she’s dipped her feet in Riara and decides, nah not for me (for now) and have an open ending. Do you see where I’m going? One would obviously be a better ending for Riara but either way I think we’ll get scenes of them being a weird little fucked up thing that no one gets expect for them.
Turtle and the hare y’all, riaras made it this far with one scene and a dream. I’m gonna keep this momentum and going and trust in the universe lol.
