In the third episode of Rivals Season 2, Beattie exposes Rupert by publicly revealing his torrid sexual past and questioning his suitability as a political candidate for the conservative party. Unfortunately, Sarah is caught in the crossfire, and her affair with Rupert is also revealed. Poor Taggie is targeted as Tony tries to drive a wedge between Rupert and Declan, just as the elections are about to begin. Everyone on Rupert’s team starts to panic.
The next morning, Gerald arrives at Rupert’s house to get him ready for election day. He finds him drunk and looking unkempt, with Cameron and Sarah worried that Rupert’s political career is over. Outside his house, journalists gather to catch a glimpse of him and hear a statement.
Instead of worrying about the election, Rupert is more concerned about Helen. Beattie has released a clip of their pillow talk, in which Rupert discusses a sexual encounter with Helen, along with voice clips of him making judgements about the bodies of several women. Rupert opts to leave the house and find Helen, who has been ignoring his calls since the news got out.
Meanwhile, Monica is embarrassed by Tony’s attempt to destroy Rupert publicly. She asks him to stop his fight and gifts her peacocks as an anniversary gift. She invites him to spend the evening of the elections with her at the theatre.
Elsewhere, Rupert gets to Helen’s house only to find Malise. He quickly realizes that Rupert is drunk and acting out. To calm him down, Malise sprays him with water and helps him clean up, giving him a tough love talk inside.
Concurrently, Declan asks Charles to find out what Tony is planning, as he is sure they are next on his chopping block. Speaking of Tony, he turns down Beattie’s offer to hook up to celebrate Rupert’s downfall, surprising her especially when he explains that he is spending the night with his wife at the theatre.
At Declan’s house, the Venturer’s team meets to discuss the repercussions of Rupert’s downfall. It turns out that the BBC has already pulled their offer on the Yeats documentary.
Other investors are calling for Rupert's removal or they will withdraw their support. A Japanese investor has already promised to buy out Rupert's stake. There are even whispers that they may lose the franchise bid due to this. The team is divided on whether they should keep Rupert. Cameron tries to defend him, but the tension escalates. They decide to take a vote.
At Coronium, Tony announces that Beattie and James will co-present the election show. He introduces everyone to Menzies, who will be joining Lady Gosling on the IBA board. They already plan to deliver the bad news about the franchise bid later that day. However, Menzies questions why Tony chose to release an exposé on election eve. He pretends it was out of his civic duty.
Meanwhile, Maud calls Declan to invite him to her show. As luck would have it, the main actress is sick, and Maud is replacing her. Declan explains the situation and asks for her understanding that he can't leave at the moment. She is disappointed.
After Malise's tough talk, Rupert regains his composure and heads to the election center. At the same time, Freddie visits Lizzie for advice. She tells him they should give Rupert another chance, as his friends do. She invites him to stay for lunch and watches him warmly as he plays with the kids.
Later, they discuss their marriages. Lizzie admits that she only married James because he asked her to. He, in turn, reveals that he married his wife out of love, but obviously that has changed.
He heads home to find Valerie preparing their son for Eton, buying him everything he needed and more. Freddie senses that his son is sad, but he says that he's going to school because it makes his mom happy. At the theater, Monica is impressed by Maud's performance, and convinces Tony to give her the leading role in his upcoming Coronium production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Maud is overjoyed by the news and promises to talk to her agent. Monica and Tony know that this will cause some friction in Declan's marriage.
Later that night, James and Beattie announce the election results. Paul retains his seat, and surprisingly, Rupert also wins the seat in his constituency. Sarah is happy for Paul, and Cameron suggests she go back to him if she still wants to work on her marriage. After winning, Rupert and his team celebrate all night long. Cameron opts to head home and give Rupert one night of celebration before telling him about the fire brewing in Venturer. Most people are happy with Rupert's win, except Tony and a few others who think it's time for him to get his comeuppance.
Rupert's win also causes a fight between Helen and Malise. She gets defensive because Malise helped Rupert get himself together. He brings up the news about her threesome with Rupert in Kenya, and she gets defensive. On the other hand, Deidre feels hurt when James ignores her existence. Lizzie is mildly disgusted when James arrives home early and asks for sex.
The next morning, Paul is shocked to return home to find Sarah. She apologizes and seduces him. Gerald visits Charles for some passionate sex as they continue their plan to trick Muffy into advancing Gerald's career. Cameron is hurt when Rupert doesn't respond well to her love confession. He is summoned to a meeting by Margaret Thatcher, where he learns that he has been kicked out of Venturer and that he has tendered his resignation. Tony is elated, believing he has won the war, but Malise's words hit us hard as we realize that Rupert has nothing left to lose, making him a dangerous wild cannon.
Throughout this scenario, the characters' emotions and motivations are vividly portrayed, and the plot thickens as tensions rise between them. The story is full of surprises and unexpected twists, making it engaging and entertaining for the reader.
