Rivals on Disney+ review: Latest episodes bring this bonkbuster right back into peerless territory

Résumé détaillé

The consequences of all the bonking come crashing down in season 2 part 2, writes Martin Robinson

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Oh it’s all kicking off now. After a somewhat middling first part of season two, which felt like the 1980s cheese was making Jilly Cooper adaptation Rivals more soap opera than bonkbuster, this concluding part of six episodes arrives to bring Rivals right back into peerless territory. Funny as hell, with twisting machinations, and convincing character development, it gives its stellar cast plenty to get their teeth into. Put simply: the consequences of all the bonking come crashing down.

Necessarily so as the whole of part two rests on the aftermath of Monica’s death. We open at the funeral where Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) is suddenly lost without his wife; but hardly cowed. “He’s lost his conscience now,” warns a guest, and indeed he’s suddenly wielding a shotgun to throw the guests out of the house, sending his children to also leave (“I wish you’d died instead of her,” says his son, who knows about his bad behaviour), egged on by Monica’s sister Araminta (a genius cameo by Rachael Stirling).

Meanwhile, affairs have come to light. Paul Stratton (Rufus Jones) punches James Vereker (Oliver Chris) for sleeping with Sarah (Emily Attack), declaring, “Stay away from my wife you bleached blond giraffe.”). James then has to beg his wife Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson) for forgiveness, with the immortal words of love: “You’re my bollard.” But Lizzie’s alright, because her affair with Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer) is cooking nicely. Yet it’s Maud O Hara’s (Victoria Smurfit) affair with Tony that is the real ticking timebomb, with husband Declan (Aidan Turner) and his TV company Venture teetering on the edge anyway.

As it all rockets towards its gripping climax, this blends hilarity with heart and represents TV at its very best.

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