11 Burning Questions for When ‘Rivals’ Season 2 Returns

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Rivals just deviated in the most drastic way from the Jilly Cooper books on which it’s based with the halfway point of Season 2 — and now we have to wait months for the other six episodes?! (Might we suggest our cover story with David Tennant and Nafessa Williams, a deep dive into Season 2 Episode 6, to make the wait a bit easier?)

The midseason finale takes place, for the most part, over the course of the night of The Great Storm, as it was called, of 1987. It devastates the Cotswolds and results in the death of a beloved character, Monica (Claire Rushbrook), which will change the trajectory of her husband, Tony (Tennant), going forward. It is also why Cameron (Williams) realizes just what’s going on between her beau Rupert (Alex Hassell) and Taggie (Bella Maclean). And because of the shocking end, there’s still one affair that was almost revealed that remains secret.

Below, we take a look at the burning questions we have for Rivals Season 2 Part 2. Scroll down, then let us know yours in the comments section. Warning: The spoilers ahead for Season 2 of Rivals. 

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How will Tony’s grief make him worse — and vulnerable to the opposition?

Tony and Monica’s relationship isn’t in a good place when she goes out into the storm that ultimately costs Monica her life. She learns about his affair with Maud (Victoria Smurfit), which he starts as part of his revenge against Declan (Aidan Turner), his former presenter and now Corinium’s opposition with Venturer. She ultimately decides she’s going to divorce him and is on her way to bring Maud’s daughter Caitlin (Catriona Chandler) home when a tree strikes her car and kills her. The midseason finale ends with Rupert informing Tony of her death.

While this can easily be a wake-up call for anyone else to change their ways, such will not be the case with Tony.

Monica was Tony’s “moral touchstone” and provided him with the stability he needed, and so, “it’s hard to imagine what removing that from Tony’s life might do to him. Doesn’t feel like it will be positive,” Tennant tells us.

Adds executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, “Going forward, he’s lost all his morality. We thought Tony was bad before. He gets even worse and that ups the stakes for the show. When we get to Episode 7, Tony goes in a whole new direction and he has a choice. He could think about what happened to Monica and be good Tony or he could go completely the other way and I think you can guess which way he’s going to go.”

Plus, might this make him more vulnerable to taking a hit himself like he’s given Venturer as of late? After all, no matter where he might think he’ll be focused, his grief (and guilt) will have to be weighing on him.

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How will everyone else grieve Monica?

Monica’s death is one that will resonate throughout the series, and Treadwell-Collins notes the importance of honoring her. It’s to Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson) that Monica opens up about loving Enid (Selina Griffiths) in the past, and the author is the last one besides Tony she speaks with in such a significant way before her death. Monica and Rupert have a shared history that is mentioned earlier this season when she brushes off concerns of what Tony might think, and he’s the one who finds her dead. Valerie (Lisa McGrillis) even mentions they’re going to be the best of friends in Episode 5.

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What will Cameron do now that she knows about Rupert & Taggie?

During the storm, Taggie brings Rupert’s horse back to him — and poor Cameron is completely ignored as her beau fusses over Declan’s daughter. She then finds his drawer in which he’s kept a note from the chef.

According to Williams, Cameron knows she “lost him” in the first moment and “this is over” with the second. Now, “I need to figure myself and what my situation after this is going to look like,” she says.

Treadwell-Collins echoes that. Going forward, “she realizes she needs to extricate herself from this situation,” he previews. “Our Cameron is A-list and ballsy and tough and she’s been weakened by Rupert and she realizes that. So as we move forward from here, I think it’s very exciting to see the way Cameron handles it. Is she going to stick around? Is she going to stick around and watch Rupert’s mooning over Taggie or is she going to get out of the situation?”

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When will Declan find out about Tony & Maud?

Monica warns Tony she’s not going to keep quiet about why she’s divorcing him before her death, but she’s not the only one who knows about his affair with Maud. His son Archie (Louis Landau) and Caitlin do as well, and it’s really just a matter of time before Declan finds out. That’s Maud’s concern for the end of the midseason finale, as she waits for that shoe to drop. And since the affair won’t be stopping — “Tony’s going to think, ‘That affair ended with my wife’s death, so maybe it must continue,’” according to Treadwell-Collins — you know it’s coming.

“How does Maud feel about that as she gets closer to Declan?” the EP asks. “If Declan ever finds out, there will be fireworks.”

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Will Cameron and Declan sleep together?

In another departure from the books, and despite it looking very much like they did, Cameron and Declan didn’t sleep together in Ireland, but he does tell Maud that the possibility came up. But given what Cameron has discovered about Rupert and how Declan might react when he finds out about his wife and Tony, it does feel like it could still happen. Plus, with Williams and Turner’s chemistry, we know that there have to at least be more scenes that play into it coming up. And the EP hasn’t ruled it out.

“I wouldn’t say never. I love the show Moonlighting and we talked a lot about Cameron and Declan’s sparky relationship and I’d like to keep that going,” he says. “They would really like to rip each other’s clothes off because they’re intellectual equals. And I think that’s bubbly and exciting for the audience.”

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Will Taggie & Bas get together?

While Rupert and Taggie continue to dance around each other, something does seem to be brewing between her and Tony’s half-brother Bas (Luca Pasqualino). And that’s going to continue, especially in the aftermath of Monica’s death.

“Tony’s lost his wife and Bas is human and Bas is wonderful in dealing with his brother, which makes him more appealing to Taggie,” Treadwell-Collins reveals.

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Will Rupert & Taggie take any major steps forward?

Listen, we know endgame when we see it, but is the path to that ever easy on a TV show? Of course not! And given everything against them, well, it’s probably going to be a bit before Rupert and Taggie get their happily ever after.

“The audience should be hopeful that she and Rupert will realize that they’re meant to be together, and they’ve got a little bit of a journey to go on, but they’ve got to both grow up a little bit before they get there, to be honest with you, and the events of Episode 6 really make it a lot harder for them, but there’s hope,” Treadwell-Collins tells our sister site Swooon.

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Who will get the next win in Corinium vs. Venturer?

No one really cares about the fight for control of the TV franchise in the midseason finale, which instead focuses on the characters and their relationships. But at the end of Episode 5, Corinium has the win when Tony delights in destroying Venturer’s tapes of their Golden Gauntlet, a competition program that was supposed to give them a significant boost. Looking ahead, both Tony and Cameron will be focused on their respective companies. But who will have the next success?

For Cameron, it’s “How do I keep Venturer on top? How do we make sure we keep Tony out of, literally, our business?” asks Williams.

Teases Treadwell-Collins, “That’s the only thing Tony’s got now. All Tony’s got now is to win.”

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Will Corinium or Venturer win the franchise this season?

Season 1 ended with Venturer getting the OK to pitch for the franchise. Will who wins the franchise be revealed by the end of Season 2, or might we have to wait for a potential Season 3 to get that answer? That could end up being one of the cliffhangers of the upcoming finale.

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Will Lizzie & Freddie stay together?

Because of their respective marriages, to James (Oliver Chris) and Valerie, Lizzie and Freddie (Danny Dyer) have tried so hard to stay away from one another. But after talking to Monica about how they deserve better (and happiness), Lizzie returns to Freddie near the end of the midseason finale. “I can’t be without you. I mean, I don’t want to,” she tells him. “Then don’t,” he says. But how will this work out this time?

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How will Sarah and Tony’s baby come into play?

We can’t forget about that reveal from the beginning of the season. Sarah (Emily Atack) is pregnant and it’s Tony’s — and her husband Paul’s (Rufus Jones) announcement meant she has to have the baby. That’s just another shoe waiting to drop.