Despite being badly battered by his former producer and lover Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams, brilliant in every scene) at the end of the first season of this brilliant drama, Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant, deliciously devilish in the role) found ways to come out on top again and again throughout the first half of season two.« Rivals »"And it's no surprise—that's his style. "It's his confidence," Williams notes. "He believes he can do anything.".
But at the end of the midseason finale, the TV producer suffers a devastating blow: his death is radically different from the books by Jilly Cooper on which this British series, now a hit in the US on Hulu, is based.
The battle for control of the TV franchise - Tony's Corinium is currently ahead of its main rival, Venture, led by its former presenter Declan O'Hara (Aidan Turner), his rival Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell), businessman Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer) and Cameron - takes a back seat in this episode, which is the best sample of "Rivals" »": outstanding acting, writing, and direction; intriguing interactions that touch the characters' deepest emotions; and, of course, dramatic revelations. Much of the action takes place over the course of a single night, when a powerful storm hits the Cotswolds (as it really did in 1987). As secrets are revealed, some of our favorite characters «The Rutshire Chronicles» plunge into the abyss of despair.
For Tony, this represents a defeat that unsettles him, and for someone who enjoys committing terrible acts against those who have wronged him (or whom he simply hates), it can lead to even greater problems for the other party. "It's not good for his mental health," Tennant admits.
Cameron knows better than anyone what he's capable of, because she was by his side at Corinium, helping him plan his atrocities. "She witnessed some of his darkest moments," Williams agrees. But she managed to escape that situation with the help of her lover, Rupert. Tennant admires how his co-star played the "long game" of Cameron's plan, making her character think she'd returned to him, only to leave as soon as he publicly declared his injuries were the result of an accident, not a bounty. Cameron has "a sense that she knows who she is," he adds. This is what makes the two of them so different, despite their shared desire to succeed. "Tony never really knows who he is," Tennant says.
This is also a challenging episode for Cameron. Her world is also rocked by a major revelation brought about by Tuggie O'Hara's (Bella MacLean) bold move. It's "a bit of a blow to the ego," Williams says.
The producers relish watching these transformative moments come to life. "When you have such incredible actors, you want to see them play a wide variety of roles and take them in new directions," shares executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins. Much of the first season's script was written before anyone had even been cast. Now they can write with their stars in mind. "We all have a new confidence, which I think translates onto screen," he adds. And it certainly takes confidence to kill a character like that! (Warning: Spoilers for Season 2, Episode 6 follow.) «"Rivals »!)
The Fall of the Lord and Lady
«"I honestly don't know what I'd do without her," Tony admits at his most vulnerable moment. He's talking about his wife, Monica (Claire Rushbrook, giving an award-winning performance), to his son, Archie (Louis Landau). It's a touching confession, but one that's overshadowed by what preceded it.
After focusing on Rupert at the beginning of the season, Tony has shifted his attention to the other three main characters in "Venture." He's bought the field Freddie was planning to buy for his daughter and has set his sights on Declan's weakness: his wife, Maud (Victoria Smurfit), first by inviting her to one of his productions and then by starting an affair with her. Monica is devastated to learn of this after seeing nude photos of Maud taken with Tony's camera and developed by Archie, and after her son blurts out everything he knows over dinner, she finds herself caught in the middle of it all.
She finds a moment of respite at the home of writer Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinson), where she speaks frankly, without naming Dame Enid Spink (Selina Griffiths), about her love for the man she was never allowed to feel before Tony. She recalls how they were adored and wonders why they don't allow themselves to experience that happiness, to set an example for their daughters. It's one of the best scenes in the series, where the women acknowledge aspects of their lives that are perceived as normal in this scandalous world. Both take these words to heart, and Lizzie goes to Freddie, despite their separated marriages.
David Tennant in The Rivals«
Matt Stevens
The inclusion of moments from Monica and Enid's past, as well as their scenes together in previous episodes, is a nod to the later books in Cooper's series, where they are already a couple. "We thought we had to show that on screen. Monica at that point would never do anything to Enid, but we had to show that she had feelings that she had been suppressing, to show a different side of Monica," explains Treadwell-Collins. "I think our Monica, and Claire Rushbrook's Monica, is a much more multifaceted character than the Monica in the book.".
Yes, that's true. She doesn't hesitate to point out Tony's behavior, despite his betrayals and ruthless decisions. It's no coincidence that Cooper in in the book "Rivals »" describes her as "the one woman Tony was always polite to, but also a little afraid of." But when she returns home from Lizzie's, it marks a turning point in their relationship, one Tony later regrets, but which is a perfect example of how he reacts when he's hurt: he snaps. Hurt people hurt others, and he's especially guilty of this, as his past actions have shown.
Now Monica can tell Tony she should never have married him, she's divorcing him, and she's not going to keep quiet about the reasons. He insists he needs her and loves her "very much," but she corrects him: he loves her. terrible . (She's right.) He's cheated on her "dozens of times" (his own words in this episode), and she's turned a blind eye. But this time, it's not her problem, she explains. Rather, she rightly points out that his relationship with Maud is simply him using her, someone she considered a friend, to get revenge on Declan.
Tony doesn't react well when pushed into a corner. Here, he's trying to justify his actions when he can't. "I wanted to fucking feel something!" he screams at Monica. "I need sexual connection like I need to breathe, to prove I'm alive. You'll never understand that. You've always made it clear, always, that sleeping with me is something you endure as a duty, once a week, and then come back to my room and pat me on the head. You have no sex appeal. You're dead from the waist down." It's cruel. (That's why we love moments like the one in Episode 4, when she pats his shoulder and falls asleep when he wants to celebrate an upcoming play.) «A Midsummer Night's Dream» .) And now Monica has the final say: she wasn't always like this.
Claire Rushbrook as Monica, David Tennant as Tony in The Rivals, Season 2, Episode 6.
Courtesy of Disney.
Tennant says Tony was "unnecessarily cruel" at the time: "He's trying to find some rationalization for his appalling behavior. I think those things are instinctive, but I'm sure he would instantly regret being so mean to Monica, because it's different with them. She let him do whatever he wanted until he brought it home, and he ruined the deal. It's his fault, and that's what he can't deal with.".
Despite Tony and Archie's protests, Monica insists on driving Declan's daughter, Caitlin (Catriona Chandler), who is in a relationship with her son, home even during a storm. Declan and Rupert, searching for them, find Caitlin bloodied on the road. The next morning, Rupert breaks the news to Tony: Monica has died, hit by a tree falling on the car. Lord Baddingham falls to his knees in shock. This may be harder for him to handle than the bounty on his head from Cameron. David Tennant's performance of key moments in this episode shows why he is not only perfect for the role but also a brilliant actor: the terrifying side of Tony as he screams at his family, the utter disbelief as he tries to come to terms with the news about Monica, and the utter sense of loss as he faces a future without her, both before and after her death.
«"It's a brilliant script, and having the person Tony hates most in the world deliver this devastating news to him is the ultimate stab in the back," Tennant says.
This shared loss—Rupert and Monica were friends, as we were reminded at the beginning of the season—could have brought them closer together… if it had been someone else. "Tony's wife died in the arms of his worst enemy, and that complicates things even more for him. So Rupert and Tony's past and feud become darker and deeper, and Tony becomes even more determined to destroy Rupert," warns Treadwell-Collins.
Nafessa Williams and David Tennant in The Rivals David Tennant in The Rivals Nafessa Williams in The Rivals David Tennant and Nafessa Williams in The Rivals«
Matt Stevens
But this could change the relationship between Tony and his half-brother Bas (Luca Pasqualino), who sides with Venturer. "Tony lost his wife, and Bas is a human being, and Bas gets along well with his brother, which makes him more attractive to Tuggie," says the executive producer. A flirtation develops between them, and Bas becomes more involved in Tuggie's life, much to Rupert's dismay.
Another important part of Tony's later life? His affair with Maud. Given the connection between Monica's discovery and escape into the storm and her death, Tony will feel his affair "must continue," Treadwell-Collins hints. "Otherwise, it was all for nothing. How does Maud feel about this, growing closer to Declan? If Declan ever finds out, there will be a real scandal.".
Monica's murder, which doesn't appear in the book series, wasn't taken lightly, Treadwell-Collins emphasizes. "The Great Storm," as it was known, hadn't yet occurred when Cooper was writing the book, but she agreed it needed to be included. She also told the producers, "We have to do this," when they talked to her about Monica's death. Rushbrook shared this sentiment when Treadwell-Collins and her colleague, executive producer Alexander Lamb, invited her to lunch to tell her about it.
The consequences are important – as are the storm itself , and for Lord Baddingham. "Tony had to atone for what he'd done," explains Treadwell-Collins. "The show is a series of great parties. There had to be some consequences. Otherwise, the show would become superficial. He needed heaviness.".
David Tennant and Nafessa Williams in The Rivals«
Matt Stevens
Tony can't yet process what this means. Tennant says it leaves his character "confused" and without a "moral compass." The lack of this stability is "probably quite dangerous for his well-being, for his sense of self, for his ability to reset," he continues. Before the start of season two, after Cameron hit him with a trophy during their argument over her relationship with Rupert, "Tony really lost his way. He had a certain recklessness about him; he wasn't going to play it safe anymore, if he ever had. Now it seems like there are no limits anymore.".
Treadwell-Collins agrees. «Tony lost a loved one in his own way. It’s his own fault, and he’s lost his moral compass. He’s completely lost his moral compass going forward. We already thought of Tony as bad. Now he becomes even worse, and that raises the stakes of the show,» he says of the second installment, which will air later this year. Tony’s grief drives him in a new direction, forcing him to make a choice. «He can reflect on what happened to Monica and become the good Tony, or he can take a completely different path, and I think you can guess which one he chooses.».
Love revealed in the darkness
Cameron's path to love wasn't easy. Besides her romance with Tony, she shared a kiss with Declan's son, Patrick (Gabriel Tierney), and openly confessed her feelings to him in season one. (She'd distanced herself from him due to another relationship.) Then she thought she'd found love with Rupert, and until now, she was unaware of the connection between her lover and Declan's daughter, Tuggie.
The two circled each other throughout the first season, culminating in a kiss in the finale that seemed to give them both hope for the future. But Rupert was still with Cameron at the time, and she turned to him for help after hitting Tony on the head. He promised to protect her, and he kept his promise, including moving her in with him (since the house came with her job at Corinium). Rupert and Tuggie continued to circle each other, and in episode 6 of season 2 «"Rivals"» Cameron watches from the front row. Tuggy trudges through the storm to retrieve Rupert's horse, and Cameron, fussing over the young woman's lack of a coat, drives her home.
«"She knew at that moment she'd lost him," Williams says. "It was hard to come to terms with because Cameron is so confident in herself and how she handles her men. So seeing Tuggie, a younger woman she didn't have to keep a close eye on, was a surprise. It was hard to see a softness in their relationship that Cameron and Rupert don't have.".
Nafessa Williams as Cameron in Season 2, Episode 6 of The Rivals«
Courtesy of Disney.
«"True love, true connection" is what Cameron wants, she continues, but "her ambition is so ruthless that it's more important than anything.".
Later, when Rupert is still at Tuggie's, Cameron finds a diary and a card from Tuggie in his bedside table drawer that says "Good luck." (Tuggie has dyslexia.) The moment reaffirms what she's realized before. It happens earlier than in the book. We see the same thing in Nafessa Williams's performance in these scenes, which subtly but clearly shows that she's in control and thinking at least two steps ahead, as always. Cameron knows how to be in control, and Williams knows how to keep the audience aware of that and engaged with her character, even when Rupert and Tuggie can't take their eyes off each other. Moving on, the star admits, will be "difficult" for her. "She thought she might have felt love [for Rupert]." Cameron thought she would be the woman who would change him.
For Treadwell-Collins, it was important that the show and Williams's Cameron be "stronger" than in the book. "In the book, Cameron turns into a wimp when she starts dating Rupert. We said from the beginning, 'This isn't our Cameron, this isn't Nafessa's Cameron.' So we made it very clear that our Cameron has to realize what's happening. As you'll see in the next installment, she realizes she needs to break free from this situation," he says. "Our Cameron is a star, bold and strong, but Rupert has weakened her, and she knows it. It'll be interesting to see how Cameron deals with that: will she stay and watch Rupert fall in love with Tuggie, or will she break free from this situation?"«
This episode also reveals that, despite the incredible chemistry between Cameron and Declan in Ireland, they didn't sleep together. This is another departure from the book.
«"We made it perfectly clear that we didn't want Cameron to sleep with just anyone. And since Declan will always love Maud, we didn't want Cameron to be his second choice," explains Treadwell-Collins. "We wanted Declan to be perhaps the only man with any sexual morals.".
But that doesn't mean he tells them "never." "I really like the show." «Moonlight Detective Agency« »"We talked a lot about Cameron and Declan's sparkling relationship, and I'd love to see that continue," he says. "They'd really like to rip each other's clothes off because they're intellectually equal. It's really fun and exciting for the audience.".
Nafessa Williams in The Rivals«
Matt Stevens
They complemented each other perfectly from their first meeting at Corinium, and this continued during their collaboration on Venturer and his Yeats project. A deep respect developed between them, reflected in a dynamic interplay that illuminates the screen.
Despite the "attraction that their work together creates," Williams admits, "I don't know how it's going to work out. I don't know if Declan can handle her the way he needs to, but Patrick has a way of bringing out the soft side of her.".
In her opinion, "the key to Declan and Cameron's relationship is professionalism and how they conduct themselves. I think there's synergy and understanding between them in the workplace, which perhaps creates the feeling that something more could come out of this.".
But now that Cameron is going through a "massive emotional roller coaster," Williams believes her character can lean on Declan because of the connection they've formed. "She feels safe with him and can open up to him.".
And it would never be Tony, given their history. "Cameron's no fool, and she stays away from Tony because she knows he could do worse, but she also knows she's the last person he wants to see," explains Treadwell-Collins. "But their paths will cross again in an interesting way. She'll confront him head-on. Because of what happened with Monica, Tony's attention is elsewhere, while Cameron quietly knows how to hit Tony where it hurts.".
The executive producer says she'll focus her energy on Venturer, but hints, "When things get a little heated, there comes a point where Cameron starts to get tired of all the men around her." Considering all the drama in their lives, who can blame her?
«Rivals» , Season 2, continuation, release date unknown, Hulu
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