Sex! Lies! Television franchising! It’s the Rivals (2024) thread!

I had a really long post typed up about this but I dropped my phone and Zing went back a page and it’s gone. Sad!

Anyway, Disney adapted classic Jilly Cooper novel Rivals, which I’ve read maybe twenty times.

What are the novels like, you ask?

🧵Some real Jilly Cooper quotes from her Rutshire Chronicles, the series of books that Rivals is from.

1) "Her breasts swayed like party balloons when the front door opens"

— Sooz Kempner is going on tour! L I N K I N B I O (@SoozUK) October 18, 2024

Never heard of these books, but the trailer looks...well, I don't think you're underselling it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkiwhYkz20Q

Wow I hadn’t seen the trailer but the fact they kept in a scene where someone sprays perfume on her public hair makes me think there’s a 99% chance this makes it in too

I’m going to declare this an area of outstanding natural beauty,’ said REDACTED. Reaching for his glass of champagne on the bedside table, he emptied it into her bush and proceeded to lick it all off. After REDACTED’s fragility, he reflected as he climbed on top of her, it was like having a wonderfully sturdy cob between your thighs.

The clothes in this are incredible
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GaaI_HGXAAAgYVl?format=jpg&name=large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GaLl9esboAAgayL?format=jpg&name=large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GaU0bmEXwAAmE5e?format=jpg&name=large

damn

I really enjoyed what I read of SCORE! but ultimately failed to mount it, and have saved the paperback to finish during some imagined two-week package holiday of the future. This looks really fun, though, will definitely watch.

The heavy featuring of opera in this show makes me think/hope they do the Rannaldini books because PLEASE. Also they’ve made numerous references to the other books.

Also Declan pops off at someone because they make an anti-Irish joke in his earpiece while he’s preparing to do a show and his wife Maud describes his colleagues as a load of Tories. It really is such a fun show.

hello i am here for this muly mum read jilly cooper when i was a kid, that RIVALS paperback cover is a vivid flashback

anyway i’ll start watching this weekend looking forward to lots of uh polo

muly? MY

It’s back! I had no idea they made a second season and it’s released TODAY!

Did anyone watch this? Loved the first season (or at least the first half of it - I felt like it wobbled towards the finish) but I felt kinda unmoved to watch the second, not really sure why.

Also gyac, as our resident JC expert: I enjoyed Score! but I'm finding Riders boring. Should I persist or skip to Rivals (the book)?

I LOVED IT THANK YOU FOR WATCHING

How far into Riders are you? The book is like fifty years old and I just reread it you can post spoilers

This show is crazy good! I've been making everyone I know watch it just so I have someone to talk to about it. Feels like it should be way more Viral than it is

They've really sold it on the bonkbuster element but it's more like come for the sex, stay for the '80s period drama. The world-building is incredible, everybody I've turned onto it has got drawn in so quick

We've been rewatching with the subtitles on at home because everyone's talking over it, and it's so rich in detail, even the background conversations you can barely hear are gold. And so much foreshadowing. Just incredibly well made fun

My favourite parts
- Aidan Turner moustache
- David Tennant crazy face, preferably in shadow or with fire eyes
- Victoria Smurfit everything, she goes from magnificent to grotesque in 0.006 seconds
- Taggie's comical misfortunes and reproachful looks
- obviously Freddie and Lizzie
- Chas and Dave montage and many other musical cues
- The fact the stakes feel so breathlessly high and then you catch a hot second of Four Men Went to Mow or the "Declan" credits and are jolted into remembering this is a sex war over regional 1980s British TV