WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD: Rivals took a tragic turn this weekend with a shocking death - now there's a long wait for the fallout21:06, 08 Jun 2026If there’s a better way of experiencing joyous escapism than watching Dame Jilly Cooper’s Rivals, I honestly don’t know what it is. But boy, things took a dark turn with the sixth instalment of the Disney+ series - which is the last one we’re getting until the second half airs in November.‌Poor Monica! And what an outstanding performance by Claire Rushbrook, as the woman scorned who has finally reached hell and found her fury.‌The appalling Lord Tony Baddingham surpassed his own extremely low moral standards bar by having an affair with Maud (Victoria Smurfitt), wife of his Venturer rival Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner). This crossed a line because, unlike with his more recent conquests Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams) and Sarah Stratton (Emily Atack), Monica considers Maud to be a friend.‌There’s no doubt that Declan’s wife, with her paper-thin ego and non-existent mothering skills, will have her own karma coming, but it’s Tony who is bearing the brunt at this point.On discovering what has gone on - via her teenage son Archie and Maud’s daughter Caitlin - Monica disappeared into the storm. “Why do we stay with men who aren’t nice to us at all?” she then asked Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinson), who also has an objectionable, philandering husband. “I thought I’d get braver with age,” she lamented, noting how “terribly timid” she’d been over Tony’s many indiscretions.‌Tony, played with aplomb by David Tennant, is incredibly easy to hate. As he stomps around seducing women, ordering abortions and chomping on that infernal cigar, there’s barely a single action that isn’t inflicting a wound on someone, and he simply doesn’t care.At the end of series one, how we cheered when Cameron clonked him on the head with that gong and ran off with Rupert! But now, it’s all coming home to roost for the loathsome Lord, whose dad was mean to him when he was a kid (boo hoo).‌He’s long been due a good dose of comeuppance - but when it turns up in the form of Monica’s tragic demise, it’s almost too much to bear. It also came as a big surprise because, as fans of the original books (with good memories) will know, in Dame Jilly’s version Monica doesn’t die.Unexpectedly, I actually felt sympathy for terrible Tony, even though he’s a monster. Of course, once his secret was out he was typically hateful as he spat at poor Archie: “I’ve cheated on your mother dozens of times, It’s what people do. Grow up.” And he’s probably never been nastier than when he told his trembling wife that she was “dead from the waist down”. (Happily, she quietly outdid him afterwards by informing him she hadn’t always been. Bravo! Yes, she can enjoy sex, just not with Tony.)Having blamed everyone but himself for Monica’s disappearance, it wasn’t long before reality dawned and Tony was forced to admit, out loud to his son, that it was all his own fault. When Rupert arrived with the devastating news about his “rock” Monica, I actually felt pity as he collapsed to the floor.‌Some fans have since suggested online that perhaps Lady B has actually survived but wanted to fake her own death so she could go and life the life she’d always wanted to lead? I like the theory, but fear it’s just wishful thinking. Monica is far too much of a good egg to do that to her children and I’m not sure she’d leave her beloved dogs either. So she’s gone. Which leaves an awful lot of questions ahead of the next episodes coming in the autumn…Lizzie has already called time on her fling with Freddie because “the cost was too great for everyone around us”. So what will happen now she's rekindled it following her conversation with Monica about the example they are setting their daughters? It doesn't look like Lizzie will be turning a blind eye any more!And now that Cameron has finally woken up to the frisson between her boyfriend Rupert (Alex Hassell) and Taggie O’Hara (Bella Maclean) how long before that all blows up? And when it does, where will it leave the Venturer consortium?Article continues belowBut the biggest question by far is what on earth will Declan do when he finds out - as surely he must - that his beloved Maud has been sleeping with the enemy? And not only that, but her affair with Tony is what really did for poor Monica. It’s certainly not going to be pretty. Roll on November!Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.