Rivals season two arrives as an exquisite, preposterous bonkbuster on Disney Plus
Set in the 1980s, the series stars Alex Hassell as a ruthless bounder and offers a satirical take on the era's politics and attitudes.
The second season of the television adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel Rivals has been released on Disney Plus, receiving a highly enthusiastic review from The Guardian. Described as an exquisite and preposterous bonkbuster, the series is set in the 1980s and is praised for its fabulous escapism, superb acting, and satirical take on the era's attitudes, politics, and television franchises.
At the centre of the narrative is Alex Hassell, who returns as Rupert Campbell-Black, a bounder and MP depicted as a ruthless and reckless figure. The plot follows Rupert as he prepares for the 1987 general election and engages in a struggle to secure the Central South West television franchise against the rival consortium Venturer. The series is noted for its explicit content, including nude tennis, frantic sex scenes, and a satirical tone that mocks 1980s casual bigotry and ignorance surrounding AIDS and homophobia.
Key cast members include Rupert Everett as Malise Gordon, David Tennant as Tony Baddingham, Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook, Aidan Turner as Declan O'Hara, and Victoria Smurfit as Maud. The review highlights the return of Hassell as the central character, a man whose reckless approach to leisurewear is said to magnetise horses, while his political manoeuvring threatens to stitch him up like a kipper.
The show is set in the fictional Rutshire and satirises the 1980s, including the general election of 1987 and the TV franchise wars. The review notes the show's heavy aesthetic saturation with cigarette smoke and an intense affection for 1980s style, which includes specific visual gags such as a horse in pink legwarmers and a dancing sheepdog.
Specific memorable moments cited include a scene involving twin polo players in skimpy underwear and a soft-focus barnyard tryst. The dialogue features references to Frank Bough and winking jokes about outdated social attitudes, all delivered with a fabulous quality that the reviewer suggests deserves ten thousand stars.
The series is an adaptation of the late Jilly Cooper's 1980s novel, which established the bonkbuster genre in British literature. The show is available on Disney Plus, where it continues to offer an unapologetically preposterous adaptation that rewards its audience with naked audacity and a flammable fuchsia tutu of a tone.