‘Rivals’: Is Tony Dead? Plus, 10 More Burning Questions for Season 2
The juicy Rivals, based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s novel of the same name, will be back for a second season—and considering the major cliffhanger the first ended on, we have to breathe a sigh of relief!
The series follows the social elite of 1980s England, where betrayal, backstabbing, infidelity, and frankly very scandalous behavior—it’s why we love it!—reigns supreme. Though Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) and his Corinium hold the franchise, by the end of the first season, Declan (Aidan Turner), Rupert (Alex Hassell), and Freddie’s (Danny Dyer) Venturer are given the go-ahead to pitch for it. And when Tony learns about Cameron’s (Nafessa Williams) relationship with Rupert—she’s also playing both sides, ready to move over to Venturer where she’ll be given more power but unable to leave Corinium just yet because of Tony—well, he lashes out. She responds in kind, hitting him with an award, and as the season ends, his fate is unknown. Will he die on the floor of his office? Will he survive?
That’s just one of the burning questions—including about those sparks between Rupert and Declan’s daughter Taggie (Bella Maclean)—we have that fortunately we’ll be able to see answered. Read below for more.
Rivals, Season 2, TBA, Hulu
Is Tony alive?
One of the major changes from the book is the outcome of Tony and Cameron’s fight. In the book, he beats her. That was never going to happen on the show, executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins told TV Insider. Rather, she fights back, and she hits him hard. But he can survive that injury.
All Treadwell-Collins would tell us of Tony’s fate after the finale was, “There are so many possibilities about what could happen but what we do know is revenge is a dish best served on television.”
We can’t help but think that there’s more story to tell with Tony alive. How would he react to Cameron and the others in such an instance? A head injury could also change a person, thought we can’t imagine Tony changing too much.
What consequences will Cameron face?
This is another reason we need Tony to be alive. It can’t be ignored that Cameron is a Black woman in the 1980s. If Tony is dead, the legal consequences she’d be facing are not ones we want to even imagine. As Williams told us, “She thinks there’s a huge possibility [he’s dead]. She definitely is scared as hell hoping he’s not dead. It’s bad either way. It’s so bad. If he’s alive, it’s just as bad.” That’s definitely true—he could retaliate in ways we probably don’t even want to think about.
What does the future hold for Rupert and Taggie?
The slow burn between the two ignites in a kiss in her family home as everyone celebrated Venturer being able to challenge Corinium. Both are involved with others—but acknowledge who they really want—and as we see on this show, people don’t exactly care about being unfaithful. But there’s quite a bit to consider here: how Declan will react (he told Rupert to stay away from his 20-year-old daughter), the position Cameron will be in (she did tell Tony she’d marry Rupert to stay in England if he fired her, since her visa is tied to her job), and even how both of them will feel even say the next morning. Plus, with another season to go, we can’t help but think that there’s still a bit of time before these two get together.
Will Venturer be able to win the franchise?
So far, Venturer only has the ability to pitch for it. But it can go either way. While Declan’s speech did secure them that, Corinium and its workers have experience and established programming on its side.
What does Rupert and Taggie's connection mean for Cameron?
Cameron has no idea about what’s been brewing between Rupert and Taggie, but it seems like it’s just a matter of time now before she finds out. And as we see in Spain, she is happy with Rupert. She also gets something completely different out of that relationship than she does the one with Tony.
“I think she likes who she is with him. I think she’s herself more with him. She can let her hair down. I don’t feel like it’s as transactional as it is with Tony. It’s very much a transactional relationship more so with Tony, and I think with Rupert, it’s something that wasn’t planned,” Williams told us. “She’s just going purely off of her feelings and he makes her feel good, and he makes her laugh and they see each other. I mean, he’s also a powerful man, and that’s one thing she’s extremely attracted to is men of power. I mean, she’s a powerful woman, so she doesn’t want anything less than herself right?”
Plus, as Treadwell-Collins pointed out, “Taggie’s not on Cameron’s radar when it comes to Rupert. Cameron thinks, there could be something here. When Rupert at the studio says, I promise I will look after you, Cameron believes it. And Rupert believes that in that moment.” That could throw a wrench in Rupert and Taggie’s burgeoning relationship because he feels he needs to stick by Cameron’s side after what happens with Tony.
What does Sarah's pregnancy mean?
Sarah’s (Emily Atack) pregnant, but who’s the father? She’s married to Paul (Rufus Jones) and had affairs with Rupert and James (Oliver Chris). And now there’s the question of what this will mean for her career: She’s cohost of a new program with celebrity gossip columnist Beattie (Annabel Scholey).
Is there hope for Declan and Maud?
Declan and Maud’s (Victoria Smurfit) marriage reaches a breaking point in the finale when she feels that she’s spent too long following him around and being there for their kids so he could work. She needs to work, and so she leaves him. But we can’t help but hope that these two can reconcile: When they are together and he’s not too focused on his work and she’s not seeking the company of other men (including Rupert), we do root for them. (But we do have to admit we do want to see what would happen between them if something from the book does come to pass.)
“What we wanted to do at the end was Maud breaks free and follows her own path. Declan, after this, would have to think, how do I get Maud back? Is my work, my other important love in my life, more important than Maud? And what I find interesting is because Declan is so bullish, you know as an audience, he’s not going to just run after—he doesn’t run after her,” noted Treadwell-Collins. “In Episode 8, he lets her go. She says there’s a phone call. He takes the phone call, he doesn’t chase her out of the house. And yet you see Maud outside the house smiling, knowing the phone call’s coming. She’s still happy for him. Despite it all, there’s a love between them and they’re always going to be fiery, but it’s not straightforward.”
Will what was in Declan's envelope about Rupert come back into play?
When Declan interviews Rupert for his show, before the two become friends, he has an envelope with something on him. He doesn’t use it, but we do later see him burning it and the name Perdita. Will that come up in Season 2? Could Declan decide to use that information after learning about Rupert and Taggie? Could Tony, if he’s alive, use it? Could someone else?
Will Lizzie and Freddie leave their spouses?
Listen, we’re not ones for root for infidelity but … all season long, we rooted for infidelity with these two, easily the sweetest relationship of the series. Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson) and Freddie’s marriages to James and Valerie (Lisa McGrillis), respectively, are far from perfect, and we love seeing how Freddie treats Lizzie (and cares about her writing). So when they have sex in the finale? We’re on board! But what does the future hold for them? Will they stay married? There are the kids to consider.
Will Charles and Gerald's plan for their relationship work?
Another change from the book is Charles (Gary Lamont) and Gerald’s (Hubert Burton) romance. But because it’s the ’80s, they can’t be together publicly—especially with Gerald’s career plans. In the finale, however, after a heartbreaking break earlier, Gerald proposes a solution: He finds a nice girl to marry, and they can be together in secret, but safe. But that’s easier said than done.
“There is the sting that the way for them to do it, because Gerald is a politician, Gerald’s going to get married and they’re going to continue this strange relationship hidden under the covers. And that’s what it would’ve been like then,” explained Treadwell-Collins. “So it’s authentic, but it’s also heartbreaking. In our writers’ room, some of the young writers said, well, could you not just get Charles and Gerald together happily ever after? And we said, well, no, because that’s not true. It’s bittersweet, their ending. But what’s lovely is having the audience rooting for a gay couple right from the beginning, and that’s really important to me.”
If Tony survives, what's to come of his marriage to Monica?
As Claire Rushbrook told us, Monica is the one with money (Tony has new money from his career) and she doesn’t need her husband’s. In the finale, before his fight with Cameron, Monica gives Tony an ultimatum, unable to ignore his affair any longer: She’s been loyal all these years, but even her stoicism has its limits. If he comes home tonight, they can talk about it. If not, she’ll take the kids to her sister’s. Well, he doesn’t go home, and now, if he survives, there’s a major question of what this means for their marriage. Will Monica stick by Tony? Or will this be the last straw? If he does live, he’s going to need someone to, at the very least, keep an eye on him while he recovers. It could very well be Monica, who could use the situation to her advantage. (After all, Tony could very well tell her he was going to come home when Cameron confronted him.)
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