Rivals Took Its Messiest Relationship to a Whole New Level

One thing about Rivals: it’s going to make you gasp.

As someone who hasn’t read the novel, I’m watching the show through a different lens than those who are already familiar with the story.

I thought I knew where this story was going, and while I was partially right, I was also shocked at the closing seconds of this one.

Rivals Season 2 has been a little all over the place thus far, in a mostly good way.

It is entertaining as hell, and full of the sexy charm that made the first season a success, but it’s also been a little rushed at times. Almost as if they’re taking as few steps as possible to get to the next plot point.

That sentiment feels especially true in relation to this blossoming love triangle among Declan, Tony, and Maud.

Let’s get one thing straight: Rivals is full of a lot of unlikable people that you can’t help but like. And that should make sense if you’re an avid watcher of this show.

While some people are downright awful, with no redeeming qualities (Hello, James! Hello, Tony!), many other characters are super charming and engaging but serial cheaters or morally bankrupt.

There aren’t many morally pure characters in this universe, and that’s why the show is so compelling, because it refuses to just sort everyone into heroes and villain categories.

Almost everyone is capable of tenderness and cruelty, loyalty and betrayal. It just depends on the day.

That moral messiness makes the heightened drama feel more grounded and keeps us more invested, even when we know that some of these people probably shouldn’t have our support.

This takes me back to the love triangle, because both Maud and Declan are tricky characters to root for at times.

Maud and Declan’s marriage has been teetering on a cliff since we met them. It’s now at a point where it feels like both are too stubborn to pull the plug, even though it’s probably the best thing for them.

The two love each other, and there’s still an undeniable chemistry between them, but there’s also a lot of resentment and built-up animosity. It explodes during the build-up to Maud’s debut at Corinium, and it shows how fundamentally the two misunderstand one another.

For all her faults, Maud desperately just wants Declan to see her. She wants her husband, the man who vowed to be there through all the seasons of her life, to support her dreams and endeavors, and believe in her.

Maud craves external validation, and Tony exploited that beautifully. He told her everything she needed to hear to get her to perform for Corinium, no questions asked.

She never once thought about Declan or what it would do to Venturer because Maud and Declan don’t function as a team.

They are two separate entities with their own desires and dreams, which is fine, but that also means they lack the kind of partnership that requires mutual understanding and sacrifice.

Declan’s no better; he may not be seeking attention the way Maud is, but he can be self-centered in a way that has made Maud feel alone.

It’s almost as if he struggles to give his time and energy to more than one thing at a time. And right now, his sole focus is Venturer, leaving Maud feeling second-best.  

Declan isn’t wrong in his assertions about Tony because Tony was using Maud in his quest for revenge. But Declan is the wrong messenger.

Maud already feels completely unsupported by him, and instead of listing off the very real reasons why Tony could be using her, he decides to make her feel as though she’s naïve and silly for not seeing it.

It was exactly what Tony was hoping for when he approached Maud in the first place. He wants to hurt Rupert, Declan, Cameron, and Freddie in every conceivable way.

Now, having said that, I’m not sure that Tony actually went into things with Maud expecting things to turn physical. And frankly, it shocked me to my core because Maud has to know there is very little coming back from this.

Declan’s been very forgiving toward Maud, but this is the one thing she can’t come back from.

Could this then open the door for Declan to meet a new love interest?

There is a healthy number of people rooting for Declan and Cameron to get together, myself included, and Rivals Season 2 Episode 4 felt like a potential precursor to that.

The two landed a deal together and referred to themselves as a team (the very thing Declan is missing in his romantic relationship), and Cameron had her eyes on Declan when he was swooning over his wife and when he looked shattered by her.

Declan and Cameron have had wonderful chemistry since Rivals Season 1, with the kind of antagonistic foreplay that makes the best rivals-to-lover storylines.

Cameron sees Declan as an equal and a partner, which currently feels starkly at odds with the disconnect that defines Maud and Declan.

But even with this in-your-face chemistry, there are so many reasons why Cameron and Declan don’t work. Despite Declan’s flaws, he still reads as deeply loyal.

He may be selfish and at times unable to see what’s right in front of him, but he gives off loyal-partner vibes. Plus, there’s the Patrick of it all.

I would add Rupert here as someone who could be an obstacle, but he already has one foot out of that relationship, and it does not look like that’s changing anytime soon, since he and Taggie are destined to meet in the middle one day.

So many of these relationships feel like they are on borrowed time, as ambitions continue to cast a cloud over so many decisions and desires remain complicated.

Everyone wants to be chosen, prioritized, and understood, including those who are actively destroying one another in the process.

Can Declan and Maud survive such a deeply personal level of betrayal? It’s unlikely, though there’s a pull between them that will continuously keep them tethered to one another, and I’m not talking about through their children.

Rivals may be chaotic, melodramatic, and moving far too fast at times, but when it locks into the emotional cracks underneath all the sex and scheming, it’s the kind of soapy pseudo-prestige television everyone needs in their life.

Do you think Declan and Maud can make it through this latest challenge?

And at this point, should they?

Let me know what you think about the latest Rivals love triangle and where you think it’s headed next in the comments below!

You can watch Rivals on Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, and in the US and Disney+ internationally.