Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Rivals Season 2, Episode 1-3.Hulu’s Rivals is back, and with a three-episode drop for the Season 2 premiere, a lot is happening in the cozy county of Rutshire. Based on Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles books, the second season takes the bonkbuster energy and turns it to eleven. After a roaring win at the end of Season 1, which saw Venturer stepping in as Corinium’s main opponent in the TV franchise war, victory didn’t come without a price. While the Venturer team was celebrating at the Priory, Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams) was facing off against her boss and boyfriend, Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), in a confrontation that ended with Tony being bludgeoned by a TV award and Cameron running for the hills. We spoke with Williams and Luca Pasqualino, who plays Bas Baddingham, Tony’s younger half-brother and Rupert’s (Alex Hassell) rakish friend, and talked to them about the fallout from Season 1. The premiere episodes saw Cameron coming to Rupert for help and ultimately ending up shacking up with Rupert despite his recent kiss with Taggie (Bella Maclean). At the same time, the series seems to be seeding some potential romantic rivalry with Bas showing interest in Taggie. We break down these complicated relationships and what can and can’t be salvaged in Season 2 after all of the chaos.
Nafessa Williams Decides Whether Cameron Is Seriously in Love With Rupert or Not

“I do think ever since Spain, she has fallen in love with Rupert, and I think it is real for her.”

Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook sitting and looking down at a piece of paper in RivalsImage via Hulu

COLLIDER: Nafessa, Cameron and Rupert are officially living together this season, but I’m curious, do you believe that Cameron truly loves him and she wants a future with him, or is it also her escaping Tony’s wrath? I’m saying this especially because I’ve seen the episode where she’s struggling to bond with his kids, and I feel so bad for her because his daughter is such a pill. NAFESSA WILLIAMS: Yeah, she’s a lot, right? I believe that both of those that you just said can coexist at the same time. Yes, she’s escaping from Tony and also really, really afraid and looking for someone. We have to remember, she has no family out here. She has no friends out here outside of Venturer. So, with Rupert, she finds that security he promises, like, “If you play this way, I promise I got your back.” So, she’s resting in that. But I do think ever since Spain, she has fallen in love with Rupert, and I think it is real for her. I think she does see a future with him, and I think she does believe that maybe she could be the woman to change him. They do have a lot of similarities, and they are each other’s speed. So, I think she believes that there’s hope there. Even in the way, when she’s trying so hard with his children, and she’s trying to show him, like, “I can be a good mother.” And I think ultimately, Cameron is very ambitious, and she’s very alpha, and she wants to win at life, but I think that also looks like having a family, as well. I think she wants love and a real connection.

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How do you think she would react to learning about Rupert’s feelings for Taggie then? WILLIAMS: Pissed. I think she’s thinking that something is real going on here. I also think it would throw her off because she is not expecting Taggie to be a threat. Taggie is so innocent and wholesome. She knows what she does for Rupert, sexually and mentally, that I don’t even think she sees Taggie coming.
Luca Pasqualino Ponders Whether Bas Would Ever Switch Sides and Join Tony and Corinium

“He’s not the kind of person who wants to win so desperately, like Tony.”

Aidan Turner and Luca Pasqualino in RivalsImage via Hulu

Luca, I talked to David [Tennant] last fall when I visited the set, and he teased this dynamic of Bas and Tony’s relationship coming to play in some ambiguous way this season. I’m curious, what would it take to drive Bas away from Venturer and go back to Tony, or is that even a possibility? LUCA PASQUALINO: Oh, it’s a very, very good question. I definitely think Bas and Tony, the brothers, are completely separate to Bas and Tony the businessmen. I think the reason that Bas and Tony have such a fractious and divided relationship as family members is because of the fact that they share blood by their mother, but they’ve got different fathers. I think Tony feels a little bit out of pocket knowing that he was sort of the slightly more unloved brother, despite not being the younger one. I think his father still took me on as his own, so to speak. In terms of what it would take for them to be joined together, I’m not sure that would ever happen. The one thing about Bas is that he can look at things sort of objectively. I think he can take a step back. He’s not the kind of person who wants to win so desperately, like Tony. I think Bas is too cool for that. I think the fact that he can sort of remove himself and look at their relationship for what it is, which is just two brothers that don’t always really see eye to eye, “I love you because you’re my blood, I’ll always be there for you, but I don’t think we need to be jumping into any business deals together.” WILLIAMS: “I don’t like you.” PASQUALINO: Yeah, “I love you, but I don’t like you.” That’s a great way to put it. Thank you. You’re not really supposed to do business with family anyway. PASQUALINO: Exactly.
Pasqualino Weighs In on Whether Bas and Taggie Could Be a Potential Romantic Twist

“It’s no secret that he enjoys female company.”

Bella Maclean in RivalsImage via Hulu

Luca, I was surprised to see in some of the scenes, in the first three episodes, that Bas seems to be showing a little bit of interest in Taggie. He also showed interest in Maud last season. Is that a line that he’s going to cross? Is that something that the show is going to lean into? PASQUALINO: Bas being Bas, he’s a bit of a playboy. It’s no secret that he enjoys female company. Obviously, Taggie is an incredibly beautiful woman. I think he sees that. I think they, obviously, by default, spend more time with each other because Declan is part of Venturer as is Bas, and obviously, with Taggie being Declan’s daughter, she’s in and around. But I guess that’s just something that we’re gonna have to see how it unfolds, I suppose. I guess I’m curious if he would do it, knowing that Rupert has feelings for her. PASQUALINO: The thing is, I don’t even know if Bas knows that Rupert has feelings for her at the moment. It feels like Rupert…

WILLIAMS: Has feelings for everybody. PASQUALINO: Has feelings for everybody, but he’s, pardon the pun, very much in bed with Cameron at the moment. Like you said, they’re living together. And listen, Bas knows that Rupert is a man who would always do what he wants, and he doesn’t really care who he offends. So, I think Bas sees it as if Rupert does have feelings for Taggie, then why are you with Cameron? Obviously, men in the ‘80s weren’t really known for being very open with their feelings, so his guess is as good as anybody else’s as to why he’s not with Taggie. But yeah, it’s fair game for Bas, I imagine.
Williams Confirms Whether or Not Cameron and Tony Could Ever Reconcile

“Too much damage was done.”

Nafessa Williams sat on a couch in ‘Rivals’Courtesy of Disney+ UK – © Disney+

Speaking about Tony, Nafessa, is there ever a possibility of Cameron and Tony settling their differences aside, or are the bridges burned at this point? WILLIAMS: Oh, I think for now, the bridge is pretty burned at this point. But you never know. You know, sometimes you’ve got to play the game to get what you want, so Cameron wants to win, too. But for now, I don’t think that that would ever be repaired, not at this current moment. Too much damage was done. And I think she also knows Tony just as well as Tony knows Tony, and she knows how ruthless and dangerous he can be. And I mean, sheesh, she did what she did to him because he abused her, like he physically put his hands on her, so I don’t think it’s safe for that to even be repaired right now. But it’s Rivals, and you never know. PASQUALINO: Yeah, it’s true. It can go any way.

Release Date

October 18, 2024

Network

Disney+

Directors

Dee Koppang O’Leary, Alexandra Brodski, Elliot Hegarty

Writers

Clare Naylor, Mimi Hare, Kefi Chadwick, Dare Aiyegbayo, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Laura Wade, Marek Horn, Sophie Goodhart