The majority of Rivals Season 2 has been, thus far, a bit frustrating in pacing, and made even more irritating by the split-season arc. Still, the sixth episode is a wildly heart-wrenching episode, made incredible solely because of the performances from Claire Rushbrook and David Tennant.
There’s no part of the events here that I appreciate from the standpoint of a fan because Monica Baddingham should not have died, and that decision is likely going to bring out much discourse in the coming weeks. Yet, as a fan of good performances that leave me speechless and simultaneously so uncomfortable, everything about Rivals Season 2, Episode 6 is a masterclass in emotional payoff. And, more importantly, it’s Claire Rushbrook’s episode—from start to finish.
The moment where it became abundantly clear that this time, she won’t forgive Tony, a sense of anxiety crawled up my spine that I don’t remember experiencing with TV in a long, long time. Because from that moment, everything’s unpredictable, and even if you’ve read the books, there’s no guarantee you know what’s ahead. And when Monica begins to confront Tony, all I remember thinking is I feel horrible. The words she speaks: “Infidelity. I’ve coped with. But this feels altogether darker. You used a woman that I considered a friend as a weapon to take revenge on Declan, and I am sorry, Tony, but I find it disgusting.”
That very disgust she speaks up is the exact disgust we as fans have felt from day one. The way he’s strung her along and forced her to accept and cope with things no woman should ever have to deal with is far from okay, and here, it finally comes to a head. Here, it finally bites back, shaking him in a way that we know he can’t ever come back from.
“The control. The manipulation. I could hardly look at you.“ We can’t either, and yet Tennant makes us look as he spits Tony’s venom back out and into her, blaming her lack of sexual desires for his infidelity. It’s the most vile thing he can say (especially if the signs of her being a queer woman are more and more obvious now), but it’s not even remotely shocking coming from Tony because that’s how vile he is. And it always floors me to have an actor like Tennant who’s so easy to appreciate in roles where we can feel seething hatred toward the character. It’s a skill that few possess, and Tennant delivers in spades. The full range of emotions we get between this moment and the final few seconds as Rupert comes with the news is unbearable because, as awful as he is, we know he loves Monica. We know it cuts him deeper than anything else could have, and the performance we get brilliantly showcases the last shred of humanity left in Tony.
Still, and again, Rivals Season 2, Episode 6 undoubtedly belongs to Claire Rushbrook. Every line delivery and every facial expression is going to haunt us for a long, long time. More importantly, as she takes back her agency with Tony and finally stands her ground, she does something for women everywhere, specifically and hopefully, for Lizzie. Still, at the same time, it begs the question of what kind of message we’re sending out when this is the kind of character who’s killed off?
Is it to service Tony’s character as the death of a woman always seems to be? I don’t want to believe that’s what Rivals writers would do when they’ve honored Dame Jilly Cooper’s books so well in the past, but the sickening feeling we’re now forced to sit with until part two returns in November doesn’t exactly leave a lot of room for trust. If we hadn’t been burned in the past, maybe it’d be easier to think that the show would have a good reason for her death.
At the same time, while I can understand that adaptations can and should change things, it’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that a woman who’s endured this much pain can be dead? It’s hard to even talk about it. I want to believe that something good can come from this outside of the amazing performances, but that’s a bigger challenge than waiting for the next part.
Now streaming on Hulu: What are your thoughts on Claire Rushbrook’s performance? Let us know in the comments below.
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