Rivals season 2 part 2: release dates for Disney+ return and what to expect
The battle for the Cotswolds is back. Rivals, the Disney+ drama based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s bestselling novels, returns with the second half of its second season on Wednesday 11 November.
The run resumes with a three-episode premiere covering episodes seven to nine, Disney confirmed. After that, new episodes arrive weekly: episode 10 on 18 November, episode 11 on 25 November and the finale on 2 December, according to Digital Spy. In the US the show streams on Hulu.
What to expect
The new episodes pick up after a dramatic mid-series finale. Lord Tony Baddingham, played by David Tennant, and Declan O’Hara, played by Aidan Turner, continue their fight for control of the local TV franchise, while Alex Hassell’s Rupert Campbell-Black is forced to face his personal demons.
Disney promises hedonistic parties, Bonfire Night chaos, a hunt ball and a turbulent Christmas, with affairs unravelling and alliances breaking down. Taggie O’Hara, played by Bella Maclean, must find the courage to follow her heart.
New cast members include Rachael Stirling as Araminta Pemberton, Rupert Evans as headmaster David Hawkley and Santiago Cabrera as polo star Alejandro Mendoza. Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett also return as guest stars.
Luca Pasqualino on Skins and Rivals
One character getting more screen time this season is Basil “Bas” Baddingham, played by Luca Pasqualino. Speaking to LADbible, the actor compared the show to Skins, the E4 teen drama that gave him his first acting job as Freddie McClair.
He said Skins was “very unapologetic about how truthful it was”, while Rivals “leaves a lot more to the imagination”. He also recalled being “thrown in at the deep end” with his first sex scene just a week into Skins.
Today, he said, intimacy co-ordinators make a big difference. “A lot of the work is done before you even get onto set,” he explained, adding that the industry has “changed for the better in many ways”. Co-star Alex Hassell told the outlet he was glad to have that support, having not filmed scenes like these before Rivals.
Pasqualino teased “new developments” for Bas, who is drawn into a love triangle with Taggie and Rupert.
The rest of the large ensemble includes Katherine Parkinson, Danny Dyer, Nafessa Williams, Victoria Smurfit and Emily Atack. All of season one and the first six episodes of season two are streaming now on Disney+.
