*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Rivals season 2 episode 8.*
Whilst Bonfire Night may have just passed us by, Rivals is allowing us to relive the magic of the 5 November in its newly released batch of season 2 episodes.
And whilst you'd think that the Bonfire Night episode would end in crackling fires, drinking too much wine and perhaps a drunken tryst or two (it is Rivals after all), things actually ended on a much darker note for the O'Hara's as they hosted the entire affair.
Maud (Victoria Smurfit) and Tony's (David Tennant) affair was always going to get found out one day but the way it goes down spells trouble for Declan (Aidan Turner) and Maud. Arriving at the O'Hara household, Tony declares his love but typically gets annoyed at Maud's response as she's keen to end their relationship.
Chatting exclusively to Radio Times about that scene, Turner said: "He does get really angry, doesn’t he? They cut some stuff out – angrier stuff."
He went on: "It feels different, it’s different for Declan this time. There have been infidelities and affairs before but there was an understanding they had between each other. I think he feels like that trust was broken and with the worst person he could've ever had a fling with."
Jokingly defending her character, Smurfit interjected: "Who else could she have slept with to wake you up? Explain it to me! I’m just going to back her up."
But further explaining Declan's reaction in that scene, Turner went on: "I’m not sure he sees it that way. I think it sends him into a spin really and I don’t think he can quite take that information in. That moment, he just sees a red mist. Lucky for him, there are people around. If that's the way he's behaving when there are people there, what would he be like if there weren't? I think Maud probably knew that too and that’s why she ran. It’s violent, isn’t it?"
When asked whether it was surprising for him to play such extreme emotions as Declan, Turner said: "It was actually. You don’t know how things are going to go or how things are going to feel and suddenly, you’re into the thing and it’s growing. Your director can guide you through that and you can pull it down, land the plane however he wants to do it but then it begins to have a life of its own."
Smurfit added: "Because it had a really intense journey, didn't it? From Tony arriving, the realisations, the hiding, the admitting, the justification. It was like 'woah!', it was a beast."
"It is a funny thing, though – every time we shot that scene and Declan walked into the kitchen, I could see Tony there, I could feel the temperature in the room change," Turner added. "It felt so out of place to see him in their house. It felt very out of place. It was fun to do."
Want to see this content?
This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.
Rivals season 2 episodes 7-9 arrive on Wednesday 11 November on Disney+, with the remaining three episodes then arriving weekly. Sign-up to Disney+ from £5.99 a month.
Add Rivals to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Drama to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to .