In a shocking turn of events, the midseason finale of Rivals Season 2 has left fans reeling after the sudden death of Monica Baddingham (Claire Rushbrook). The beloved character, who had just begun to assert her independence from her philandering husband Tony (David Tennant), was killed in a car accident while driving through a hurricane. This brutal twist not only derails Monica's arc but also abandons a promising sapphic storyline that was hinted at throughout the season.
Monica's death is a significant departure from Dame Jilly Cooper's Rutshire Chronicles books, where she divorces Tony and eventually moves in with her old school friend, Dame Enid Spink (Selina Griffiths). In the novels, Monica's relationship with Enid (named Edith in the books) is a quiet but meaningful romance. The show had been building toward this, with several charged scenes between the two women, including Enid's explicit attraction and Monica's flustered reactions. It felt like Rivals was finally ready to explore its first sapphic romance—until it pulled the rug out from under viewers.
The decision to kill Monica off has drawn criticism for falling into the Bury Your Gays trope, a harmful pattern in media where queer characters are killed off to serve the narratives of straight characters. While shows like Yellowjackets and Interview With the Vampire have shown that queer characters can die without falling into this trope, Rivals—a predominantly heterosexual drama with zero sapphic relationships—makes Monica's death feel particularly egregious. Her demise seems designed to fuel Tony's storyline, as he grapples with guilt and loss, rather than allowing Monica to live on her own terms.
This isn't the first time Rivals has deviated from the source material. Season 2 has taken several bold liberties, including Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) losing everything after a public scandal. However, Monica's death feels especially cruel because it cuts short a character who was finally finding her voice. After years of tolerating Tony's infidelity to maintain appearances, Monica had just told him she was leaving him. Her death robs her of the freedom and happiness she deserved.
The show's handling of Monica's queerness adds another layer of frustration. In the books, her relationship with Enid is explicit, but the series only hinted at it. By killing Monica off before the romance could blossom, Rivals not only denies viewers a meaningful queer storyline but also reinforces the idea that queer characters are disposable. As the show introduces Monica's sister, Araminta Pemberton (Rachel Stirling), in the second half of the season, fans can only hope that Monica's death will be addressed with the gravity it deserves.
For those wondering about the fallout, our 6 Burning Questions After 'Rivals' Season 2 Part 1's Shocking Death dives deeper into what this means for the remaining episodes. Meanwhile, the show's shift in tone—from light and airy to darker and more dramatic—mirrors the novels' later twists, but this particular change has left a sour taste.
As Rivals prepares to return to Hulu in November, the question remains: can the series recover from this misstep? Monica's death may serve the plot, but it comes at the cost of a character who deserved so much more.
