Rivals brings sexy TV back
Christina DeMeo
The new Hulu series Rivals, which premiered on October 18, has taken over TikTok with its 1980s British aesthetic and many sex scenes. The show, based on the Rutshire Chronicles novels by Dame Jilly Cooper, revolves around the television station Corinium, run by Tony Baddingham, played to perfection by David Tennant, and Cotchester, the surrounding town. When Tony invites Declan O’Hara (played by the hot as ever Aidan Turner who is rocking the sexiest mustache), to headline a show where he’ll have free reign, the newly arrived O’Haras shake up Cotchester and its inhabitants. Rivals has the vibe of a better written Dallas, with the privilege of the too rich kids of Gossip Girl but adult style. Besides the full frontal nudity sex scenes, what makes the show so special are the romantic pairings that crackle with tension and all the yearning one could want.
One couple on the show that has taken the internet by storm and revived the age gap romance loving community, is Agatha “Taggie” O’Hara, played by Bella Maclean, and Rupert Campbell-Black, played by Alex Hassell. Taggie is 20 years old and is constantly looking after her siblings and parents. The latter is a notorious rake; his first scene in the series is him having sex with a journalist in an airplane bathroom. When Taggie and Rupert first meet, there is clear animosity (she catches him playing naked tennis with another man’s wife), but over the course of the eight episodes, the two begin to soften towards one another. Taggie begins to make strides in deciding her life for herself rather than taking care of everyone else, while Rupert goes from an avoidant adulterer to someone who wants to be a better man deserving of Taggie and his new friends. If you want to see a man have a soft spot only for his love interest and a lot of lingering looks full of longing, Rivals delivers.
And if an age gap relationship with a reformed hero is not your jam, there is another budding romance between a bodice ripper writer and a self made business man who just so happen to be married to other people, that has also taken the internet by storm. Despite having spouses, Lizzie and Freddie have to be the sweetest romance on the show and somehow, even with the adultery, are the least drama-filled relationship. Lizzie is overlooked and under-appreciated by her husband, pompous Corinium news anchor James, while Freddie’s wife Valerie has him and his daughter on a diet as she strives to make it to the top in Cotchester high society. Throughout the season Lizzie and Freddie share little moments that display their connection, from Lizzie giving homemade sweets to Freddie, and Freddie running after a moving train when Lizzie leaves behind her manuscript. They mutually respect each other, and encourage the other to be themself and aim for the best. They show that it’s never too late to find the person meant for you.
Rivals is streaming on Hulu, and though there has been no word on if season 2 is coming, fans are clambering to know what happens to all their favorite Cotswold residences. There are eleven Rutshire Chronicles books in total, so there is plenty of material that can be covered in possible future seasons. For now, we’ll just have to satiate our Rivals hangover with Aiden Turner and Alex Hassell fan edits.
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