Fans Left Speechless After Rivals Episode 6 Ending Sparks Massive Debate Online — “Did They Actually Ki-ll One of the Most Loved Characters?”
‘Rivals’ Season 2 Episode 6 Recap & Ending Explained: Is Monica Dead?
The final few scenes of Rivals season 2, episode 6, have left me so frustrated, because there was no reason to ruin our lives by getting rid of one of the most beloved characters on the show at such a crucial moment. Right after that happened, I felt like I didn’t want to continue watching the show, but then David Tennant gave a fantastic performance, so much so that, for once, I felt compelled to believe that the villainous character that is Tony is genuinely human and actually cares. Sigh, I have so many thoughts, and really, at first, I thought this episode was going really slow for a show like Rivals, but turns out it was just because it was going to leave us heartbroken at the very end. But I don’t want to spend any more time dwelling on how sad I’m feeling, so instead, let’s jump into this recap of season 2, episode 6.
Spoiler Alert
What Happens Between Archie And Caitlin?
Rivals episode 6 opens with Archie returning home early from college because he’s got plans with his girlfriend, Caitlin, who nobody (except maybe Taggie) knows about. Archie makes sure nobody is home and then sets up the whole place to look a certain way for Caitlin. He’s got to look sophisticated but not desperate. After she’s feeling a little bit nervous because they’re meant to be having sex, Archie decides to calm her down by showing off his photographs. He’s taking pictures of birds for a school project, and Caitlin is fascinated by his passion for them, though he feels slightly embarrassed. But this awkwardness makes Caitlin comfortable enough with him for them to do the deed. A little later, though, they’re interrupted by the sound of the main door opening, and Archie realising his mum is home early. Caitlin’s sent straight to his red room (hey, the photography one), and she stumbles upon his latest film. What she finds is utterly shocking: why is Archie taking naked pictures of her mother? Well, it wasn’t Archie.
After Monica comes up to his room and happily greets him, inviting him for tea downstairs, Archie goes in to check on a hidden Cailtin, and they discover his dad in a mirror in the pictures. Cailtin decides to take the pictures and go confront their parents with them, but Monica notices her trying to leave the house and stops the duo. She notices the pictures, and though she’s likely caught on to the fact that they’ve slept together, she decides to ask about the pictures in Caitlin’s hand (it’s the film from Archie’s dad’s camera, with the Maud pictures), and while the kids try to say they’re pictures of birds, she’s not having it and pulls it out of Caitlin’s hand. She takes the film, tears it apart, and quietly discards it in the fire, pretending like nothing’s happened, though you can clearly see from her face that she’s not happy.
Why Does Monica Go Out In The Storm?
At home, Lizzie has had a sudden blast of creativity and is working on her book after James announced on the news that there are predictions of a storm, but he thinks there isn’t going to be one. Lizzie’s keen on staying up and working while James heads off to sleep. That’s when she sees Monica through the window and opens the door for her. Earlier, when Tony had come home, Archie had confronted him because he was talking about Maud on their show, while Monica and Caitlin simply ate their supper. Tony pushes past it like it’s nothing, but hearing Archie talk has Monica freak out, and she leaves the house right in the storm. Tony loses his temper at Archie, but when he goes out, he can’t see Monica anywhere.
At Lizzie’s, Monica asks her about her affair with Freddie, and while she pretends like she doesn’t know what she’s talking about at first, Monica’s too straight about it for her to lie. She asks if Lizzie would leave James and go off with Freddie. Lizzie says there are too many other factors, so she’s already broken it off. They get talking about how they continue to live with husbands who aren’t particularly nice to them. It so happens that Lizzie brings up the idea of their own daughters walking away from their husbands if they were having affairs in a similar way, and this is what triggers something in both women. The women were brought up to always do the right thing, but that doesn’t mean they’ll continue to bow their heads when their husbands go about doing whatever they like (or rather whoever). When Lizzie’s child asks her to come put him to sleep, she goes inside, but Monica has left by the time she’s back. They’ve both had a breakthrough.
Lizzie calls her book “Stormy Weather,” and finishes it before leaving the house to go see Freddie early in the morning. She tells him she can’t, or rather doesn’t want to do this alone, and they kiss despite the fact that his family could see them at any time. She’s done hiding, and I for one think her book’s going to be a huge success. But on the other hand, Monica goes back home with revenge on her mind. She tells Tony that she’s tolerated enough, and this has been the lowest of lows, even for him. She can’t believe he would use someone she thought of as a friend just to get back at Declan. She’s tired of his manipulation and hate, so she’s going to divorce him, keeping the house and the kids for herself. Tony, out of spite, calls her frozen from the waist down, and claims he needs a sexual connection like he needs to breathe. He says their marriage was meant to be beneficial for the both of them. Monica tells him that she wasn’t so dull in bed before she met him, shutting him up for good. She decides to take Caitlin and drop her off right then to tell Declan what’s gone down.
Is Maud Guilty About What She Did?
Back at the O’Hara household, Taggie’s gone out into the storm after seeing Rupert’s horse in their yard. She did try to call, but nobody answered, so she takes the horse to their place, making Cameron very mad. It’s clear Rupert genuinely still cares for Taggie, and despite everything Basil is trying, Taggie doesn’t seem to care. Anyway, Rupert says he’ll drop her back home, all while Cameron is sulking. I don’t quite like this idea of Cameron being jealous of a literal girl; she is so much younger and not really doing anything wrong here, but Cameron is insecure because of the kind of person she is. Anyway, when they get home, Taggie tells Rupert to stay back, because the storm looks too bad. Meanwhile, Maud and Declan have had a nice time in the bedroom and gone off to sleep, only to be woken up by a call from Tony. He tells Maud about Monica finding out, and says they should arrive in 10 minutes. Maud is meant to tell Declan about herself and Tony, but he’s so furious about Caitlin and Archie, he doesn’t let her speak, really.
But after 45 minutes, the car still hasn’t arrived, so the men decide to go out and find the women. They end up nearly driving into the forest, realizing Monica might’ve gotten lost, too. When they go a little further, they find Caitlin walking towards them, bloody and bruised. She points in the direction of the foliage when they ask where Monica is. You can already tell where this is going. Caitlin runs into Taggie’s arms when she gets home, clearly giving her mum a look of disdain. I think Maud feels awful already. She called Declan’s Yeats program brilliant and even teared up while they were having sex. Not to mention, Declan told her that he and Cameron nearly slept together back in Ireland, but they didn’t actually do it. Nothing happened. This makes her feel worse about herself, realizing she’s like an animal who can’t even control herself. Maud really betrayed everyone this time, and she’s realizing the consequences are going to be much worse than she anticipated. This isn’t just betrayal for Declan; she’s ruined his life.
Why Did Monica Have To Die?
At the end of episode 6 of season 2, Rupert’s the one who has to go tell Tony the news as the sun comes up. Tony is utterly shocked and disoriented, falling to the floor. Despite it all, Tony genuinely can’t do anything without his wife, and this might be worse than getting a divorce. Really, though, we’re meant to hate this man; we feel sympathetic towards him because of how he takes the news. This is all thanks to David Tennant’s brilliant, nuanced acting. Anyway, it seems like Monica’s death symbolizes a new chapter for Maud and Tony both. This is like a surprising second chance for both of them, and they’re definitely going to stay away from each other. Had she not died, right now, Declan would be raging like a bull, rushing to shoot Tony down, but I don’t think any of that’s going to happen. Though Declan might eventually find out, and it won’t be looking good then either. Still, right now I think the next episode is going to look really sad and maybe there’ll be a truce between the two sides in the midst of tragedy.
