Rivals fans let out a collective moan heard the world over (and not the kind that the residents of Rutshire would appreciate) when they discovered earlier this year that the show’s second season was being split in half – and that there would be a five-month wait between episodes.
Finally, fans’ patience is about to be rewarded, with the second half of season two kicking off on Disney+ later this week.
In a glowing five-star review, The Times was quick to call Rivals a much-needed “dose of televisual fluoxetine” that “manages to put sunshine and shagging in a bottle”.
The Times’ critic said that the show was as “glorious” as “we have come to expect from Jilly Cooper”, calling the second batch of episodes a fitting end to an “outrageous, life-enhancing, knicker-dropping pom-pom of a series”.
However, as with most reviews, they also pointed out that “tragedy and heartbreak are on the menu alongside bonking and Bollinger”.
Similarly, The Telegraph’s four-star take highlighted that the new episodes were as “heartbreaking” as they are full of “secrets and lies”.
However, they maintained there’s still plenty of joy to be find, singling out Oliver Chris and Rufus Jones’ work as “a hoot”, and calling them the show’s two best comedic performances.
Collider’s review said the new episodes “set up a wider world while satisfyingly ending the season on a high”, while Rivals earned a perfect score from The People’s Movies who said the latter end of season two was “darker” and “messier” while “still wonderfully wacky”.
It wasn’t unanimous praise across the board, though.
The Independent gave the new episodes three stars, claiming that there may be slightly too much going on, meaning key storylines wind up “getting a bit lost” as a result of others – including “a ‘will they, won’t they’, which has never had any real tension” – taking centre stage.
Similarly, Hello! lamented that the second part of season two leans too much into “doom and gloom” rather than the “silly good fun” fans expect from Rivals.
“Any old show can do doom and gloom, but Rivals had something special. It just needs to find it again,” the three-star take concluded.
Three new episodes of Rivals are premiering on Disney+ this Wednesday.
Following this, three more will drop in weekly instalments on Wednesday mornings, with the season finale expected on 2 December, and a third season already in the works. Watch the trailer here:
