★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Bridgerton is officially back, with Netflix dropping the second season of the Regency romp that won the world’s hearts back in late 2020. This steamy new take on the period drama follows the same premise as the first: follow a member of the Bridgerton family as they navigate the social season in 19th-century high-society London.
This season the burden of finding a suitable marriage falls to oldest son Anthony, the current Viscount Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey). After a tumultuous love affair with opera singer Siena Rosso (Sabrina Bartlett) in season one, Anthony has resigned himself to finding the perfect Viscountess, but, as per Bridgerton standards, nothing is as easy as it sounds.
Like the original season, Anthony’s story is intertwined within the wider context of London’s high society, with the fate of the Featherington family, Eloise’s entrance into society, and the further ministrations of Lady Whistledown, providing an extra layer of added drama, tension and plot arcs to the already dramatic premise.
With the season one finale dramatically unmasking the identity of gossip rag author Lady Whistledown, season two provides us with an insight into their endeavours to remain anonymous, as well as grasping the true extent of the power they possess. Eloise’s previous fervour into unmasking Lady Whistledown is back, but her curiosity leads her into a class crossing intellectual entanglement that creates an unexpected but intriguing spin on the Whistledown hunt.
Other small plot arcs include: Benedict debating pursuing his love of art, the identity and intentions of the new Lord Featherington, and a look into the Bridgerton family past, namely the fate of Edmund Bridgerton, the father of the Bridgerton clan. These arcs add depth to the series, often underpinning the actions taken by the characters, as well as providing an interesting foil to the drama that is the main arc.
Now, the romance. Bridgerton has rewritten the way Regency romance can, and should be depicted, and continues to do so with the love triangle between Anthony and the Sharma sisters. The romance element is intense from the outset, with Anthony meeting Kate Sharma, (Simone Ashley) on an early morning ride where sparks immediately fly between the two. Astonished by her riding skills and air of defiance, Anthony chases after Kate, intrigued to know more about this enigmatic stranger. What should be a classic Bridgeton frothy meet-cute quickly descends into a verbal skirmish as the two clash, trading various insults before they part ways, unaware of the identity of whom they have just been conversing with.
Putting this stranger out of his mind, Anthony dutifully attends the season's first ball where he meets Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran), an astonishingly beautiful and accomplished young woman who he quickly deems as the ideal Viscountess.
But as luck would have it, Edwina’s sister, and surveyor of potential husbands, is Kate, the very stranger our former Rake traded harsh words with, and as such has lost all favour.
What follows is a clashing of wills as Anthony and Kate fight over his desire to court Edwina, while simultaneously trying to quash the flames of desire that slowly build between them throughout the season. The chemistry between the two is palpable, with every squabble over games of pall-mall or the correct way to shoot stoking the flames of their love-hate relationship. They repress these emotions at the countless activities to which everyone is continuously invited: horse races, weekends in the country, and ball after ball after ball. Ashley and Bailey play their parts well, nailing the voracious gazes between the stubborn pair that do little to hide their clear attraction towards one another.
While these gazes are undeniably sexually tense, the fact that so much of the ‘Kanthony’ relationship is expressed through more furtive means has caused some contention with Bridgerton fans.
Unlike its initial season, where it took mere minutes to be exposed to Bridgerton’s infamous Regency romps, the second season takes several episodes to provide anything near the same levels of raunchiness. Unlike the intense sexcapades between Daphne, (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon, (Regé-Jean Page) where they navigated their young and passionate love, season two of Bridgerton offers something more intense. The slow-burn romance between Anthony and Kate explores the complex notions of obligation and duty that these more mature and responsible characters experience, and how this acutely affects their romantic prospects.
This change of pace from season one has been frustrating to many, some who miss the genre-bending graphically depicted sex, while others feel it strays too far from its source material, Julia Quinn’s novel The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000). Part of the mass-appeal of Bridgerton season one were the sex scenes and romances that, unlike most depictions in mainstream TV, were female-centric; Bridgerton is firmly rooted in the female gaze, with the actions of male love interests honing in on what makes women tick: think Simon licking a spoon sensually, or Anthony’s wet-shirt moment.
In Bridgerton, men are framed as the object of women’s desire and, while this season is much less racy, this notion is not lost. Instead of the semi-explicit sex scenes of season one, we are subject to Kate and Anthony’s fiery and passionate longing, with their lascivious gazes turning the heat up to ‘I need a fan’ levels in every scene.
What Bridgerton may lack in sexual content this season, it more makes up for in the beautiful imagery it has become so known for. The string section covers of popular songs are still there and just as delightful, with Material Girl, Diamonds and Bollywood classic Kabi Khushi Kabhie Gham making an appearance. The hair, make-up and costuming teams are on top form, my favourites being the astonishingly detailed wigs of Queen Charlotte, (Golda Rosheuvel) and the South-Asian inspired details in Kate and Edwina’s ball gowns, with the embroidery and beading similar to that of saris and lehengas. The balls are grand, the houses beautifully decadent, and the addition of horseback riding scenes across the London countryside adds a delightfully moody contrast to the otherwise frothy and light styling known as the Bridgerton standard.
One of the most charming aspects of Bridgerton has been the diverse casting, which really comes into its own with the introduction of the Sharma’s, originally the Sheffield family in the novels. While Netflix’s depiction of South Asian culture is at times clunky, there has been a general praise for its depiction, as well as the seamless way the cultures are blended into the wider narrative. Edwina and Kate calling each other Didi and Bon, Hindi terms for older and little sister, is delightfully sweet, and adds to the enduring love and respect they have for one another in their strong sisterhood. Kate’s determination to suffer through parts of the British culture she hates for Edwina, (“I despise English tea”) adds to the notions of obligation and duty strewn throughout this season, while also drawing attention to culturally relevant issues of assimilation that are still present in mainstream western culture.
However, for all that is good about Bridgerton, there are a few issues in this season.
The notion of a love triangle, especially one involving siblings, isn’t a romantic trope I usually enjoy, and some criticism has been made over how far this concept is taken in comparison to the books. Drama is the name of the game with Bridgerton, but I personally didn’t enjoy every dramatic aspect this love triangle added to the romantic dynamic.
As previously mentioned, the seamless diversity of Bridgerton is one of its strengths, but there is some confusion regarding the reality of its context. Given the Indian heritage of the Sharma’s, and their place in high-society, viewers can be left wondering if this is a fantasy world where Britain’s colonisation of India in this era doesn’t exist. While there is a clear derision towards Kate and Edwina’s father, a lower-class Indian clerk, any racist implications are muddled within the clear classism at play, and no mention is made of any brutal features of British colonial control. While this isn’t a point that ruins the season, it’s something that perhaps could be considered by the Bridgeton writers when developing their wider canon in later series.
Admittedly, it was a touch disappointing to not see our “capital R Rake” living up to the same levels of fun debauchery as in season one, and his character does become frightfully more serious and austere as the season goes on. However, this is tempered by some remarkable character development, namely detailing the experiences of Anthony after the loss of his father, so any annoyance with this stuffy Anthony is short-lived.
Perhaps the most challenging part of this season for me was the depiction of Eloise Bridgerton. The independent and feisty young Bridgerton is a firm fan favourite, and I personally love her thoroughly modern attitude towards women’s rights, as well as empathise with her struggles to balance who she is, versus who she can be. Unlike in the previous season, Eloise’s feminism is now depicted as individualistic and reeks of modern ‘yt girl-boss’ feminism, at times making her sassy nature infuriating as opposed to endearing. While this doesn’t ruin the season, I hope this is merely a one season blunder, or perhaps an early indication of how they may explore Eloise’s inner turmoil; think deeper dives into class privilege and ignorance perhaps?
Overall, this season has much the same going on as the first: high-society romance, absurd levels of drama, and of course, Lady Whistledown ruthlessly reporting on any and all improprieties. While some aspects that were loved during the first season are sorely missed, such as Simon and the level of raunchiness, and the wider storytelling can be awkward, Bridgerton season 2 is still a must-watch. The playfulness of season one is replaced by a heady intensity that shows a different side to the Bridgerton story, and I cannot wait to see how the next series will inevitably play out.
Excellent Review !