‘Rivals’: The Rich and The Raunchy
Rivals burst onto our screens with displays of nudity, opulence, and unrestrained lust. The opening scene sees Rupert Campbell-Black caught in the throes of passionate intercourse in an aeroplane bathroom whilst passengers, decked in shoulder pads, oversized sunglasses, and voluminous perms, shriek and smoke. The scene is one of excess – of desire, pleasure, and vice – and this theme continues throughout the series. The cast is blooming with British talent, from David Tennant to Danny Dyer, with filming taking place in some of England’s most extravagant estates. Over eight episodes, Jilly Cooper’s 1988 bestseller comes to life through the staggering wealth and greed of the Cotswolds village.
The sheer lack of restraint makes Rivals such an engaging watch. There is a voyeuristic thrill in seeing the characters recklessly chase their every desire, embodying indulgence at its most extreme. Much of the excitement for the viewer comes from the way Rivals conveys the excessive consumption levels seen in the upper classes. Parties last till dawn, with paparazzi poised outside, desperate to catch even the slightest glimpse of England’s most wealthy. Every event is a fashion extravaganza; women sporting striking red lips and perfectly styled blowouts, whilst men don their sharpest black ties and groom their handlebar moustaches. Maud O’Hara enters her own festivities on a camel, causing gasps of wonder from the room, whilst her husband, Declan O’Hara, looks on in awe. Excess, extremity, and drama are the defining features of the ultra-rich in Rivals.
Peering beneath a playfully unserious plot centred on the future of TV franchising in the South-West, we see countless cases of adultery and eroticism. Rupert Campbell-Black may be the king of debauchery, but he’s far from alone. Tony Baddingham engages in an illicit affair with Cameron Cooke, Sarah Stratton sleeps with her co-host, and even Maud O’Hara, with her history of infidelity, makes enraging attempts to seek fulfilment outside her marriage. From the infamous naked tennis scene to the heart-wrenching depiction of Lizzie Vereker finding her husband with another woman, sex is at the forefront of this drama. Everyone, quite literally, is doing it. Rivals does not shy away from depictions of female pleasure, nor is it scant of a full-on nude, and this takes an otherwise humdrum period piece into something much more riveting and current.
Despite the humorous nature of adultery adopted in Rivals, there is also a certain romanticisation of short-term pleasure and unrestrained desire. One of the great love arcs in the show is between writer, Lizzie Vereker, and businessman, Freddie Jones. Their relationship is presented as genuine, despite the fact that both characters are married. Although the show pokes fun at the many affairs happening under the sheets, there is a much more sincere tone around this couple, and the scandal that usually follows these flings is cast aside in favour of an honest love story.
Rivals confronts the darker side of the hedonistic lifestyle. Themes of alcoholism and drug abuse are thrown around casually; characters unite around drinking, with Declan O’Hara being a stand-out target for overconsumption. Likewise, amongst the copious sexual affairs, there are also harrowing scenes of non-consensual sex, revealing the dangers of unrestrained desire. These are an unexpected shock, considering the humorous temperament the show undertakes, and drastically shift the mood from one of frivolity to something more sombre, illustrating the devastating consequences of unchecked indulgence—both on oneself and others, an important caveat in a storyline that is dependent on scandal and gossip.
But the main contrast comes in the form of Agatha ‘Taggie’ O’Hara. She is the embodiment of humility, a gentle character with dreams of a career in catering. She works the many parties, gatherings, and shoots that the others attend, her domestic image in sharp contradiction to the harsher figures in her life that overindulge in sex, alcohol, and violence. As she denies to cater to further shoots, Taggie becomes the opposite of a hedonistic character, sacrificing short-term economic gain in favour of her intrinsic moral values. She exists as a representation of all that is pure in a society led by desire, being one of the only characters to openly hold Rupert Campbell-Black accountable for his actions. Taggie, though having flirty interactions with the much older Rupert, doesn’t act on her all-consuming infatuation for him. The slow-burn romance contrasts with the other fierce, passionate, and often short-lived relations in the show. Taggie’s character acts as a perfect counterweight to the inexplicable luxury of Rivals, placing their lavish lifestyles in a more relatable context.
Amidst all the riches, raunchiness, and relationships, Rivals becomes more than just a depiction of excess, but a form of hedonism for the audience themselves. The copious innuendos and visions of consumption create a thrilling, captivating watch. While there are nods to the socio-political backdrop of the Thatcherite era, including Section 28 and classism, Rivals makes no pretence of being a political commentary. Rather, it revives an era of entertainment and extravagance in television. Whether guilty or not, this allows the audience to take pleasure in a show, purely for the sake of it.
This article was featured in our HEDONISM Issue - read more here
Edited by Humaira Valera, Co-film & TV editor
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