Diksha Sundriyal
In Hulu’s ‘Rivals,’ the feuds aren’t just limited to professional rivalry. While certain decisions and career choices do factor into a lot of drama, it is the love triangles that really dig into the heart of the conflict and render some of the most intense moments of the show. Set in Rutshire, the primary focus of the story is on the mutual hatred between Lord Tony Baddingham and Rupert Campbell-Black, which extends to such a point that Tony is ready to do whatever it takes to tear down Rupert’s reputation on national television. Rupert reciprocates this enmity and poses a career-defining challenge to Tony, but that’s not what hurts him the most. It is when Tony’s mistress, Cameron, starts sleeping with Rupert that things get much worse. SPOILERS AHEAD
Cameron’s Romance with Rupert is a Slap in the Face for Tony
At the beginning of the show, Rupert and Cameron seem to be worlds apart. They rarely cross paths with each other, and even when they do, they are not interested in each other. The only time that Cameron cares about Rupert is when Tony decides to bring him on TV to have him humiliated and exposed by Declan on his talk show. Other than that, the interactions remain practically non-existent. This is mainly because Cameron is focused on her career and is content with the arrangement that she has with Tony. Even though he is married and she knows he will not leave his wife, she is okay with being his mistress because she sees him as a stepping stone for the advancement of her career. Around the same time, Rupert is busy sleeping with the wives of other men and is more interested in pursuing young Tag O’Hara.
Cameron and Rupert start sleeping with each other in Spain when Cameron goes there to attend an award show, and Cameron singles her out to get his hands on Corinium’s bid for the franchise. For her, it’s harmless fun, even though she is aware of Tony’s hatred for Rupert, who is sleeping with her to his own ends. Interestingly, their affair continues when they go back to London, they reignite their affair. After a while, Rupert starts feeling bad about deceiving her and tells her the truth about stealing the documents from her. While this angers Cameron, she soon finds herself going back to Rupert and even joining his company, Venturer, after it becomes clear to her that things are not going anywhere with Tony.
Now that they are conspiring together to bring down Tony, Cameron, and Rupert’s affair heats up. They try to keep it under wraps, at least until Venturer has won the bid. However, Tony eventually catches up to them and the betrayal from someone he trusted the most infuriates him. Even after losing the first battle (in a war that is to continue in the next season) to Venturer, Tony is angrier about Cameron’s affair with Rupert rather than her spying on him and Corinium. He had always hated Rupert because of his ability to get whatever he wanted without having to work for it. In contrast, Tony had to work hard for everything he wanted. So, when Cameron is also taken over by Rupert, Tony is unable to contain his feelings, which are a potent mix of rage, jealousy, and resentment, among other things.
Things End for Tony and Cameron on a Violent Note
Had Cameron had an affair with someone else, Tony would have probably not paid much heed to it. But he couldn’t accept the fact that he was losing her to Rupert. This would be his biggest failure. He tries to convince Cameron to stay with him, even promising to leave his wife, which no one thought he would ever do. However, Cameron has already made up her mind. She resigns on the spot, revealing that this is what she had in mind for a while, which hurts Tony even more. Despite his pleas for her to stay with him, Cameron refuses to give in, which is when Tony gets violent. Things get so bad that, in the end, Cameron has to use an award statue to defend herself. She hits Tony in the head, leaving him bleeding on the floor.
Whether or not Tony survives is yet to be seen, but the way things have unfolded makes one thing clear: Cameron and Tony are over for good. This, however, does not mean that she and Rupert are a confirmed thing now. Considering that he has strong feelings for Tag, which he exhibits by kissing her in the final scene of the season, it is clear that Rupert is not going to end up with Cameron. He might continue to be with her for a while, but things are meant to end between them eventually. Unlike how it ends with Tony, Cameron and Rupert’s break up is expected to be mutual and much more amicable. For now, however, she is with Rupert, and things are complicated between them due to his and Tag’s attraction to each other.
