Taggie and Rupert who? This is the couple everyone's obsessed with in Rivals
What couple are you rooting for in Rutshire?
Rivals makes it very clear that the age-gap, will-they-won’t-they relationship between Rupert Campbell-Black and Taggie O’Hara is the central plot line of the show – but our hearts lie with the far less obvious couple of Freddie and Lizzie.
Forget Taggie and Rupert, THIS is a couple we can all root for. And for a myriad of reasons.
Both Jilly Cooper’s books and the Disney+ TV series put aristocrat Rupert firmly in the spotlight, with other characters in his shadow. Yes, he’s fabulously good-looking and has a body to die for. But he’s a caricature, and not always a nice one at that.
Star-crossed lovers have always been a successful plot device. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet remains one of his most famous plays for a reason. But one with an age gap of roughly 20 years? It’s just a bit icky, isn’t it…
Does Rupert Campbell-Black really deserve a happy ending?
Series 1 of Rivals saw Taggie O’Hara fall hard for Rutshire’s lothario Rupert Campbell-Black. Even though he’d bonked most of the village, and had the moral compass of a pebble.
She is wholesome, naive and – crucially – much less experienced sexually than the much older Rupert. We see the appeal from a one-stand point of view, but a genuine love affair is hard to get behind. In series 2, Rupert is with Cameron, while heartbroken Taggie moons at him from afar. Not literally, you understand, but you never know with this show!
But, honestly Taggie, several metres away is the best place to keep Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell). We all know where he’s been! We do get it, she’s kind and sweet and brings out a softer side in Rupert. But what’s in it for her apart from an STD?
In the books, Taggie and Rupert do get together, and even marry. Rupert proposes to Taggie in the very last chapter of the book Rivals, and they subsequently end up getting married. We’re not sure how their relationship will play out in the TV series, though.
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Freddie and Lizzie have our hearts in Rivals
Businessman Freddie Jones and author Lizzie Vereker are the couple in Rivals who hold all our hopes in their hands. Another will-they-won’t-they, their romance is also forbidden. Both are married, and an affair in the Cotswolds would be a huge scandal. Not to mention, tear their respective families apart. And they are both way too lovely to do that.
But they both deserve happiness more than anybody else in the series. He’s married to the vacuous Valerie, who has the emotional depth of a stamp. Meanwhile, Lizzie is the long-suffering wife of TV host James, a self-absorbed and egomaniacal bore who cheats on her whenever he gets the chance. Which actually isn’t nearly as often as he’d like!
Freddie is one of the most powerful men in England, but is constantly belittled by his wife. Lizzie, although she writes naughty novels, has an emotionally-barren home life.
Rivals’ Freddie and Lizzie deserve better than what they have. And are hands down the most likeable and sweet characters in the Disney+ series. Series 1 saw them finally succumb to the simmering tension between them when they made love for the first time having snuck away from a Venturer celebration
And this is making love for real… Not the perfectly choreographed “TV sex” that Rupert and Cameron have. In series 2, Freddie and Lizzie are trying to stay away from each other. But their feelings remain strong. They accept each other for who they really are – jiggly bits and all – and it’s the most beautiful, realistically loving relationship on TV.
Their relationship slowly grows into a secret affair, marked by quiet tenderness rather than lust.
‘Two really nice, kind people’
Talking about their characters, Danny Dyer recently said of Freddie: “We’re just blessed with two really lovely characters, really nice, kind people. You’re rooting for them anyway I think. And then you put them both in a room together and they have this little spark between them and it’s quite exciting.”
Katherine Parkinson, who plays Lizzie, added: “We were surprised by how much the characters resonated because we’re not in it that much.”
In short, Freddie and Lizzie have never felt valued. But they value each other. And it’s enough to make our eyes leak.
Do Freddie and Lizzie get together in the books?
Freddie and Lizzie do get together in the Rutshire Chronicles, the books Rivals is based on. In Jilly Cooper’s Rivals, the two grow closer and eventually begin a passionate affair as an emotional refuge from their unhappy marriages.
While their romance begins as an illicit affair, they provide each other with the love and validation they lack at home. The romance subsequently develops into a committed and loving relationship.
And we can’t wait for this development on screen.
‘The best ship in Rivals is literally Freddie and Lizzie’
Rivals viewers are totally onboard the Freddie and Lizzie (Fizzie) train.
One said: “Did not expect Danny Dyer and Katherine Parkinson to have the best on-screen chemistry I’ve seen all year. But you know what? Thrilled about it! I hope Freddie and Lizzie live happily ever after! #Rivals.”
Another added: “Came for Taggie and Rupert, stayed for Lizzie and Freddie.”
A third wrote: “Lizzie and Freddie are making me believe in love again #Rivals.”
“I’ve concluded that Taggie and Rupert really aren’t all that,” said another. “I tried to like the pairing but I’m not gagging. Like at all. Didn’t even crack a smile when they kissed in series 1. Freddie and Lizzie thooooo #Rivals.”
Others had “butterflies in their stomach” for Rivals’ Lizzie and Freddie, while another said: “One episode into Rivals series 2 and I am right back in that Lizzie/Freddie space. I’ll keep everyone updated.”
Lastly, one spoke for all of us when they said: “Sorry but the best ship in the show is literally Freddie and Lizzie.”
Special mention to Gerald and Charles’ relationship
Gerald Middleton and Charles Fairburn are another couple who we’d love to see get together in Rivals series 2. Their love for each other is just as hidden as Lizzie and Freddie’s, if not more so. Being gay in the 80s was still taboo, and would likely have ruined both their careers, if not their lives.
Secret lovers, neither is ‘out’ as gay. And series 2 sees Gerard engaged to the rather lovely Muffy (short for Caroline). She’s a great new character, but she’s not Charles.
In the books, Charles and Gerald are not in a romantic relationship. The TV adaptation expanded on their characters to write a sweeping romance set against the era’s discrimination.
To love and not be able to hold is quietly devastating. And for a TV series famous for its sexy headlines, it’s these bedrock characters who steal the show.
Read more: As the cast get their kit off for Rivals series 2 on Disney+, is it models’ own or did they use body doubles?
