Taggie’s 19-year-old energy is a perfect mirror of Molly Ringwald’s characters in John Hughes films—but with more mud and swearing. Think Sixteen Candles if Samantha had to cook for a chaotic father and dodge a philandering horse-breeder. Taggie is the 1980s British answer to the “sensible sister” archetype we see in Little Women or even Gilmore Girls.
'Rivals': 7 Reasons Ruppert & Taggie Are One of TV's Best Slow-Burn
Even her name screams “youthful but earnest.” Taggie isn’t a cool nickname like “Sloane” or “Bunty”; it’s a soft, gentle diminutive that suggests she’s still growing into herself. In the world of Rivals, where everyone is yelling and scheming, Taggie’s quiet 19-year-old resilience is a radical act.
One fun Easter egg: the actress Bella Maclean has said she channeled a “puppy dog” energy for the role—half eager to please, half ready to bite. That’s the emotional life of a 19-year-old girl, perfectly captured.
