Rivals season 2 episode 4 just hinted at the show's first lesbian romance
but I've already asked Hulu and Disney+ creators for more sapphic storylines

Date:
Fri, 22 May 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Description:
Blink and you'll miss it, but Rivals season 2 episode 4 just hinted at a future lesbian romance. However, I've taken a request for more right to the Hulu and Disney+ writer's room.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Disclaimer Spoilers for Rivals season 2 episode 4 ahead. Now that I've binged Rivals season 2 episode 4, I cannot stop thinking about the fact that I've seen a close-up of Danny Dyer's bare backside.

Nor can I believe that Freddie (Dyer) has been dumped by ideal other woman Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson), or that Declan's (Aiden) actress wife Maud (Victoria Smuriff) is set to have an affair with rival TV exec Tony
Baddingham (David Tennant). However, none of this is what I want to explore further... because I think the most important moment in the episode will be entirely missed. Latest Videos From You may like Rivals season 2 review: less sex, more stress in Hulu and Disney+ show's return Rivals season 2 episode 1 on Hulu and Disney+ has an incredible cameo from Eastenders legend Hacks season 5 episode 7 finally gives into Ava-Deborah romance fan-fiction

While all of the above is happening in this week's outing of the hit Hulu and Disney+ show, Tony poached Maud to star in a televised production of A Midsummer Night's Dream . Most of our ensemble cast was in the audience, including Tony's diligent yet neglected wife Monica (Claire Rushbrook).

After catching Lizzie at the show's afterparty with sopping wet hair
following her swimming pool tryst with Freddie, Monica is approached by Dame Enid Spink (Selina Griffiths), who is on Corinium's executive board.

What happens next hints at the show's first lesbian romance forming before
our eyes but if I'm honest, it's not good enough for me. 'It's beautifully written and really subtle... the hints are there' Rivals Season 2 | Official Trailer | Hulu - YouTube Watch On "Between you and me, I thought your Titania at school was far more exciting," Enid is seen telling Monica. "That was a long time ago," Monica responds, to which Enid says, "I remember." The two lock eyes with each other as the cameras linger on them, and the sapphic tension is ridiculously palpable. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

According to writer Laura Wade, this is all on purpose. "We've got Dame Enid and Monica this series, where there's a beautiful twinkle going on between them," she tells me.

"Monica was straight in the book, Monica, but it's hinted in later books that later in life she was gay, or that she was fulfilling herself later on. So we've used that here.

She continues, "I think it's been really beautifully written, and it's really subtle. There are hints there. They never explicitly talk about the love they have for each other, but it was something they had at school. It's all sort
of looks and the odd cloaked bit of dialogue in language. What to read next Rivals season 2 creators reveal Jilly Cooper script notes just days before death Rivals season 2 episodes 1-3 release date and time on Hulu and Disney+ Bridgerton season 5 stars are ready for Francesca-Michaela LGBT romance

"It's very tender, really beautiful. They've got each other's backs in the story, which is really nice."

But here's my issue: Rivals is a Jilly Cooper bonkbuster where everybody's at it. All the straight couple have funny, explicit and frequent sex scenes, while the show's only openly gay couple Charles Fairburn (Gary Lamont) and Gerald Middleton (Hubert Burton) get the same treatment.

Yet the women have to settle for "stolen looks," and that doesn't sit right with me. Sure, introducing Monica and Enid as a fully-blown lesbian romance isn't canon to Cooper's original books, but we can have a bit of creative licence here. The beloved author certainly wasn't a prude or exclusionary,
put it that way.

If you're a fellow LGBTQIA+ woman left feeling dissatisfied with this, don't worry. During our interview, I asked Wade point-blank for more outright sapphic representation onscreen. Her response? "We'll find you some more lesbians in the future, though." Today's best Hulu deals Get first month free Hulu - Monthly (with Ads) $7.99 $9.99 /mth View at Hulu Get First Month Free Hulu (No Ads) $18.99 /mth View at Hulu Follow TechRadar on Google News and
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