Obscene. Juicy. Insanely delicious. Hulu’s ‘Rivals,’ the eight-episode adaptation of Dame Jilly Cooper’s popular Rutshire Chronicles serial novel of the same name – dubbed a ‘bonkbuster’ in Britain thanks to its depiction of unbridled horniness in the lush English countryside – has critics won over since its release in October. But there should be more tongues wagging about the United States Dynasty meet Crazy men courage, especially if we want to see a second season (and we do!).
Where can you stream ‘Rivals’
All eight episodes of ‘Rivals’ are now streaming on Hulu
Set in 1986, “Rivals” introduces us to the cigar-chomping, scenery-chewing Lord Tony Baddingham (the always great David Tennant), who will do anything to prevent his Cotswold-based television studio, Corinium, from losing its regional character . temporary employment contract.
To boost ratings, he poaches excitable Irish journalist Declan O’Hara (an equally great Aidan Turner) from the BBC, promising to broadcast his serious gotcha chat show live and uncensored. Tony teams Declan with a top New York producer, Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams, as sharp as the character’s wardrobe), who has used all her magic in sexing up Corinium’s barn drama “Four Men Went to Mow.”
That series may seem like a clever tribute to Turner’s memorable series shirtless scythe scene in the Cotswolds set “Poldark,” but it’s actually from Cooper’s 1988 page-turner. (And note: Turner shows more in the first episode of ‘Rivals’ than that.)
Look
Tony also makes time to battle his personal nemesis, human Ken doll Rupert Campbell-Black (an effortlessly dashing and deplorable Alex Hassell). We meet the retired Olympic show jumper turned Tory MP as he lies bare-bottomed in the mile-high bathroom of the Concorde as Robert Palmer’s ‘Addicted to Love’ drones away on the soundtrack.
The music blasts all season long with a parade of perfectly placed ’80s hits in the background (check out the 1986 singles ‘The Lady in Red’ and ‘We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off’ for the eventful New Year’s Eve party), not to mention the jazzy on-screen covers of ‘Karma Chameleon’ and ‘Love is a Battlefield’.
Almost every woman has an eye for Rupert, from the married blonde (Emily Atack’s Sarah) with whom he later plays naked tennis in the premiere, to Declan’s neglected wife, actress Maud (Victoria Smurfit), who is happy to hear that they are now neighbors are.
Declan’s eldest daughter, 20-year-old Taggie (Bella Maclean), meanwhile has the audacity to call Rupert out when he’s a man behaving badly and has the confidence that he can do better once he even shows the slightest bit of decency.
All’s fair in love and television?
As the show’s title suggests, half the fun of “Rivals” is choosing your side. Will you support Tony’s vendetta against Rupert, which reaches a fever pitch in episode 4 when Declan kills Mr. Trying to remove Campbell-Black from the airwaves? We’re just teasing that Declan’s riveting interviews rarely turn out as expected.
Will you switch allegiances after episode 5, when Tony has an unforgivably era-realistic response to a crime worthy of a trigger warning (and possibly too much of a tonal shock for this satire, even if that’s the intention)?
Some choices will be easy to make, such as: Supporting the unlikely bedfellows who join forces to battle for Corinium’s contract in the second half of the season. Leaning on the two nicest, quietly smartest adults in the room – novelist Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinson) and self-made tech mogul Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer) – to cheat on their boring, overbearing husbands (played by Oliver Chris and Lisa McGrillis, respectively). And choose who you want to win in the shocking battle that concludes the finale. (That’s just one of the juicy cliffhangers that necessitates a second season order).
Other decisions could prove more difficult: Can we really trust Cameron, who, as an ambitious black woman in a white man’s world, must think of herself first? Are Rupert’s amusing sex pawn tactics in episode 6 acceptable when his target is a formidable enemy?
In short, “Rivals” is as brutal as it gets two sex montages with multiple couples. So feel free to think as much (or little) about your viewing experience as you want. Just make sure you have a friend to watch too, so we can all escape back to Rutshire and find out what happens next and, to quote a 1985 Aretha Franklin single, who is zooming in on who.
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