Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Rivals season 2, episode 6!David Tennant’s villain in the period comedy-drama Rivals is about to go through some major changes.

The series star, alongside executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, explain how the series will become “darker” after season 2’s major book change during episode 6. Rivals season 2 has seen plenty of heated moments as Tony (Tennant) has sought revenge on Venturer, specifically Rupert (Alex Hassell), Cameron (Nafessa Williams), and Declan (Aidan Turner). However, in the latest episode of the show, marking the halfway point of season 2, Tony’s wife, Monica (Claire Rushbrook) is killed by a fallen tree during a storm, a major departure from the source material, Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles book series.

Speaking with TVLine, Tennant praised the writing in Rivals season 2’s major twist, while Treadwell-Collins explained how the event will shake things up going into the back half of the season. Given the friendship between Rupert and Monica, with Monica dying with him present and Rupert telling Tony what happened, it’ll impact everyone involved in the core rivalry. The same kind of strained developments may happen between Tony and his cousin, Bas (Luca Pasqualino), depending on how events to come will shape up.

Check out what Tennant and Treadwell-Collins had to say below:

David Tennant: 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. It’s the ultimate twist of the knife.

Dominic Treadwell-Collins: 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…. Tony’s lost his wife, and Bas is human, and Bas is wonderful in dealing with his brother, which makes him more appealing to Taggie.

Meanwhile, Tony will also be thinking about his affair with Maud (Victoria Smurfit), intent on continuing it because it was a catalyst for Monica rushing into the storm.

Dominic Treadwell-Collins: Otherwise, it was all for nothing. How does Maud feel about that as she gets closer to Declan? If Declan ever finds out, there will be fireworks.

As for that storm, Treadwell-Collins explained how the Great Storm hadn’t transpired when Cooper wrote the book season 2 is adapting. Despite this major change to the cast of Rivals by killing Monica off, the author said, “We have to do this” when told of the plan for her character. The executive producer explained how this was important in terms of the repercussions of Tony’s actions, adding a new weight to the story. Tennant also sees it as making him more uninhibited, willing to risk more now that his wife is dead:

Dominic Treadwell-Collins: Tony had to pay some penance for what he has done. 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.

David Tennant: [Tony is] adrift [without his] moral touchstone. [It’s] is probably quite dangerous for his wellbeing, for his sense of self, for his ability to reset…. the guardrails were really off [for Tony]. There was a carelessness, actually, to him that he was not going to play safe anymore, if he ever did. Now, it feels like there are no limitations left for him.

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Treadwell-Collins also emphasized Tennant’s perspective on what Tony’s future will look like without Monica. He unpacked how her death means his “moral compass” is gone, indicating the second half of Rivals season 2, which arrives on Disney+ in November 2026, will see Tony become even more ruthless than he already is. Dealing with his grief is going to be important for how he behaves moving forward, and, despite considering the morality he could choose by becoming someone Monica would be proud of, it’s not how he’s going to approach his grieving process:

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. We thought Tony was bad before. He gets even worse, and that ups the stakes for the show. 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.

This isn’t the first time the show has made important changes from the books. Rivals season 1 ended with a fight between Tony and Cameron, with Cameron winning, leaving Tony’s fate temporarily unknown. However, in the book, it’s Tony who wins against Cameron, showcasing how the series is willing to change events in order to benefit the larger story being told.

For now, the exactness of how deeply Monica’s death will impact Tony remains to be seen, since Rivals still has plenty more of season 2 left to deliver. But, given how intense the latest episode was and how much her death is going to make events more complicated, it sounds like Tony is going to go off the deep end rather quickly. This makes him all the more dangerous, and will make his rivalry with Rupert even more intense for everyone involved.

Release Date

October 18, 2024

Network

Disney+

Directors

Dee Koppang O’Leary, Alexandra Brodski, Elliot Hegarty

Writers

Clare Naylor, Mimi Hare, Kefi Chadwick, Dare Aiyegbayo, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Laura Wade, Marek Horn, Sophie Goodhart