What To Know
- Rivals made a major change to Cameron and Declan’s story in Ireland.
- Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins explains that change and their possible future.
- The Hulu drama returns on November 11.
Ireland. If you’ve read Dame Jilly Cooper‘s book upon which Rivals is based, that place means one thing for Cameron (Nafessa Williams) and Declan (Aidan Turner). But the Hulu series, which returns on November 11 for the second half of its second season, didn’t go there.
Rather, it seemed like they did, only for the midseason finale in June to reveal that nothing actually happened between the two to explain what seemed to be an awkward morning after with his son, Patrick (Gabriel Tierney), sitting between them. (Patrick hasn’t been shy about his interest in Cameron, though she pushed him away since she was involved with David Tennant‘s Tony at the time, and he didn’t take too kindly to that.) And so when TV Insider spoke with executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins for our digital cover on the midseason finale‘s shocking moments, we had to ask about Cameron and Declan.
“This is a change from the book. We were really clear that, firstly, we didn’t want Cameron to just sleep with anyone. And because Declan’s always going to sort of love Maud [Victoria Smurfit], we didn’t want Cameron to be his second choice in that situation,” he explained. “We wanted Declan to be maybe the one man who has some sexual morality. In his head, he’s still in love with his wife, and it was important to us. We talked about it so much and decided no.”
Courtesy of Disney
We have to admit we wouldn’t be opposed to something happening between Cameron and Declan in Season 2 Part 2 or even Season 3 (it’s been renewed!) and beyond. Treadwell-Collins hasn’t ruled out the possibility.
“I wouldn’t say never. I love the show Moonlighting, and we talked a lot about Cameron and Declan’s sparky relationship, and I’d like to keep that going,” he said. “They would really like to rip each other’s clothes off because they’re intellectual equals. And I think that’s bubbly and exciting for the audience.”
Cameron also had someone else to consider: Rupert (Alex Hassell). At the time of the Ireland trip, she hadn’t made the discovery she did about his feelings for Taggie (Bella Maclean) in the midseason finale, watching the two together, then finding a card from her in his diary in his drawer.
When it comes to Cameron and Declan, Williams said they “find attraction with their work that they do together, but I don’t know how it will work. I don’t know if Declan can handle her the way she needs to be handled, but there is a softness on the other side that Patrick brings out of her. And I think she knows that out of everybody, Patrick would be the best to her and is the best for her. But I think, for Declan and Cameron, it’s really about the professionalism and the ways that they show up, and I think there’s a synergy and a chemistry that they have together in the workspace that maybe makes them feel that it could be something more.”
Where do you stand? Do you want to see Cameron and Declan get together? Let us know in the comments section below.
Rivals, Season 2 Part 2 Premiere, Wednesday, November 11, Hulu
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
