Rivals stars reveal impact of heartbreaking surprise death – and how season 2 picks up with unexpected romance

*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Rivals season 2 episodes 7-9.*

It was the death that nobody saw coming but now, some months after the sixth episode of Rivals season 2 landed on our screens, we can start to see how Rutshire has come together in the face of Monica's (Claire Rushbrook) tragedy.

But Monica's death reverberates through the close-knit community in a myriad of ways, not least in spurring some action on the romantic front for Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson) and Freddie (Danny Dyer).

Chatting exclusively to Radio Times about how Monica's death impacts Lizzie in the new episodes, Parkinson explained: "They were friends but Lizzie was quite shocked when Monica turned up at her home. I wouldn’t say they were friends in a close way… but it’s more so the confession she had made in Lizzie’s kitchen, having been in love and not felt able to live like blazes.

"That inspires Lizzie to go and claim Freddie, I think that’s beautifully done. It’s awful when someone has an untimely death but it's not like they were really [close] and the point was that they weren’'t."

Dyer also shared: "Val struggles with it, don’t she? Even though Monica hated Val."

Speaking to that, Lisa McGrillis said: "It’s quite deluded, she’s quite deluded in the fact that she actually believed that Monica was her friend. Her Mon-Mon. She was desperate to be friends with a Lady.

"I love that little detail that they put into Val's storyline, that she was heartbroken. Actually, it really makes Valerie appreciate what she has – a son at Eton, a house in Spain and each other. And forgets about Sharon! She needs some human touch, love and affection and it brings them [Freddie and Val] closer together, doesn’t it?"

Whilst unexpected romance plays out for married couple Freddie and Valerie, Monica's death also has quite the profound impact on Rupert (Alex Hassell) as we quickly learn in the new episodes that Monica was actually alive when he found her.

"It impacts him immensely," Hassell shares with Radio Times. "Actually, I was realising as you were saying that that he does tell Tony that she wasn’t dead and they talked – but he doesn’t tell anyone else about it. He just keeps that to himself, which is very Rupert-y, I think."

He continues: "It is part of catalysing a massive sea change in him, along with his relationship with Taggie and his kids sort of being taken away from him and his wife being back in the picture. Everyone’s impressing upon him that he has done very bad things.

"Monica’s dying words were 'You need to sort yourself out and you shouldn't break Taggie's heart' makes him think a great deal and try and reckon with the mistakes of his past and try and move into a new place in the future. He's a complicated man so it's a complicated journey."

In terms of just how complicated that journey will be, we'll just have to keep our eyes peeled on the new weekly episode drops to see.

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Rivals season 2 episodes 7-9 arrive on Wednesday 11 November on Disney+, with the remaining three episodes then arriving weekly. Sign-up to Disney+ from £5.99 a month.

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Authors

Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.