Exclusive Interview
Is ‘Rivals’ Cooking Up a Bas & Taggie Romance? Luca Pasqualino Says… (VIDEO)
What To Know
- The evolving dynamics between Taggie, Rupert, and Bas suggest a potential romance between Taggie and Bas in Rivals Season 2, especially as Rupert distances himself from Taggie.
- Luca Pasqualino hints to Swooon that Taggie’s influence could inspire Bas to change his playboy ways.
- Nafessa Williams also weighs in on where Cameron and Patrick stand amid her relationship with Rupert and chemistry with Declan.
Rupert Campbell-Black, can you fight?
In his quest to keep Taggie (Bella Maclean) at arm’s length because he doesn’t want to hurt her, while also protecting Cameron (Nafessa Williams) from Tony (David Tennant), Rupert (Alex Hassell) may be paving a path for Taggie to look for a connection with someone very close to him — fellow Rutshire lothario Basil “Bas” Baddingham (Luca Pasqualino) — in Rivals Season 2.
From the moment he met Taggie and tried one of her “ambrosial” dishes, Bas has always praised Taggie’s talents. With Rupert seemingly (at least publicly) not in the game for Taggie’s heart anymore, could something real bloom between Taggie and Bas?
“I mean, anything is a possibility in Rivals,” Pasqualino told Swooon. “I think that’s one of the joyous things about it. No one’s relationship is safe. Bas is a playboy. He’s a bit of a ladies’ man. That’s no secret. And Tag is an incredibly beautiful woman and a free agent.”
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He also made sure to note, “They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right?” As everyone in Rutshire can attest to, Taggie is an “incredibly sweet woman,” and Pasqualino pointed out that “as much as Bas is a playboy, I think he likes that.”
Taggie has already helped Rupert become a better man. If Taggie and Bas start spending more time together, Pasqualino thinks Bas could follow suit. “If there was a woman out there that could get Bas to change, I’m sure Taggie would probably be the one that could do it.”
If Bas pursues Taggie, that’s going to turn this Taggie, Rupert, and Cameron love triangle into a full-fledged love square. Cameron has already said “I love you” to Rupert, but he couldn’t say it back (ahem, because of Taggie). And while there’s the undeniable chemistry between Declan (Aidan Turner) and Cameron, which will be explored in the footage we’ll see of them in Ireland, there’s also the Patrick of it all.
For those who need a quick refresher, Declan’s oldest, Patrick (Gabriel Tierney), was instantly smitten with Cameron at his New Year’s Eve birthday party. He immediately noticed her “celestial light.” Cameron, at the time, was still involved with Tony, but Patrick remained persistent.
As of now, Patrick is firmly on the back burner. “Cameron thinks that Patrick is kind of cute but not really much in her league,” Williams explained. “I don’t know if he can fully handle all of who Cameron is, but we never know how that story could develop. And I think for now, we’re just kind of going on the journey of what things are like with her and Rupert. So it’s just kind of fun to play in that world for now, but she would have a better love life and would be happier with Patrick, someone who genuinely doesn’t want anything from her. He just genuinely respects her, but I don’t think that he has enough power in his life to kind of keep her attention right now.”
Rivals, Season 2, Fridays, Hulu and Disney+
