“Rivals” Season 2 Kills Off Major Character in Shocking Twist from the Book That 'Ups the Stakes'
“Rivals” Season 2 Kills Off Major Character in Shocking Twist from the Book That 'Ups the Stakes'
Julia MooreFri, June 5, 2026 at 11:43 PM UTC
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Louis Landau, Maggie Steed, David Tennant, Claire Rushbrook and Selina Griffiths in 'Rivals' season 2Credit: Disney+
Warning: this contains spoilers for the mid-season finale of Rivals season 2.
The mid-season finale of Rivals season 2 ended with a major, long-running character's death
The death does not occur in Jilly Cooper's eponymous 1988 novel, but executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins revealed that they got the author's permission for the twist
One star described the death and what follows as "the ultimate twist of the knife" for their character
Rivals has completely deviated from the book by the late Jilly Cooper with its season 2 mid-season finale.
The series is an adaptation of the 1988 novel by Cooper, who died in October, and in the sixth episode of season 2, which premiered on Hulu on June 5, a major character was killed off, though she survived in Cooper's book.
At the end of the episode, Rupert (Alex Hassell) arrived at Tony's (David Tennant) house and informed him that his wife, Monica (Claire Rushbrook), had died. "We found her," Rupert told Tony. "A tree fell and hit the car. Caitlin got out, but ... Monica's dead."
Tony is in absolute disbelief at the news his longtime nemesis delivers, and he collapses onto the floor, wheezing, before the screen cuts to black.
"It's a great bit of writing, make it the person that Tony loathes most in the entire world who has to give him this piece of life-shattering information," Tennant told TV Insider of the scene with Hassell. "It's the ultimate twist of the knife."
David Tennant as Tony Baddingham in 'Rivals' season 2Credit: Disney+
Monica had been driving Caitlin (Catriona Chandler) home during a storm when the tree fell on the car. She had been determined to drop Caitlin despite the weather, in order to confront Maud (Victoria Smurfit) — and inform Declan (Aidan Turner) — about the affair she had with Tony.
She learned of the affair despite her son, Archie (Louis Landau), and Caitlin doing their best to keep it from her after they discovered nude photos of Maud, with Tony, in the film from Tony's camera.
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The affair came to light over an intense dinner scene, as Archie screamed at his father for cheating on his mother, and Monica walked off into the storm. She paid Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson) a visit, and asked about her affair with Freddie (Danny Dyer), before both of the women resolved to be more courageous.
Monica then returned home, told Tony she wanted a divorce, called for Caitlin and got in the car to confront Maud, which is when her story ended.
Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins told TV Insider that the choice to kill off Monica was approved by Cooper before her death. The author told Treadwell-Collins, "We have to do this," when he revealed his plan for the season to her.
"Tony had to pay some penance for what he has done," Treadwell-Collins told the outlet. "The show is a series of wonderful parties. There needed to be some consequences. Otherwise, the show would become gossamer-thin. It needed a weight to it."
Monica's death will instead push Tony further than ever before. "Tony has lost the person who he loves in his own way. It is his own fault, and he has lost his moral compass. Going forward, he's lost all his morality," Treadwell-Collins teased. "We thought Tony was bad before. He gets even worse, and that ups the stakes for the show."
Claire Rushbrook as Monica and David Tennant as Tony Baddingham in 'Rivals' season 2Credit: Disney +
"He could think about what happened to Monica and be good Tony, or he could go completely the other way, and I think you can guess which way he's going to go," Treadwell-Collins continued.
Rupert being the one to deliver him the news doesn't help, either. "Tony's wife has died in the arms of his worst enemy, and that makes the situation even more difficult for him to face. So, actually, it makes Rupert and Tony's past and feud darker, deeper, and it makes Tony want to destroy Rupert even more."
The mid-season finale of Rivals season 2 is now streaming on Hulu.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
