Author: The Time Traveler

Dear reader, I have just finished season 2 of Netflix’s Bridgerton, as you can tell by my introduction. And I have much to say about it, both good and bad.

I shall start with the good.

The Good: Bridgerton Does It Again

👍Visuals & Music

The most anticipated series to return last month, Bridgerton season 2 brought back the Regency romance hype with its psuedo-Regency glam of glitters and florals. And really, this season was a feast for the eyes and ears as was the last. It had, once again, delightful set designs, fireworks and modern pop songs played by the orchestra.

👍Lovely Cast

^Above: Photos of the lovely Bridgerton cast shared by Netflix and the cast (Penelope & Daphne) on Instagram.

Though the much missed Duke of Hastings did not return, the rest of the cast did and were as likeable as ever. The lovely Bridgerton family, the always posh Queen Charlotte, sweet Penelope, pleasantly sharp-tongued Lady Danbury, and many from season 1 returned.

The handsome Jonathan Bailey stole the show this time, as this season is his season. (It’s based on the 2nd Bridgerton novel, The Viscount Who Loved Me, aka Anthony’s story). Though his acting can be sometimes overdone with visible trembles and wide-eyed expressions, I can’t imagine anyone else playing Anthony. Jonathan Bailey is Anthony Bridgerton! 😍

👍Wonderful New Characters

New characters from Julia Quinn’s novel, The Viscount Who Loved Me, were introduced in the second season: Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran), and Mary Sharma/Sheffield (Shelley Conn). As stated in my previous post, I think Simone Ashley was perfect for the role of Kate Sharma. She has this air of confidence about her and seems to possess the inner strength that Kate possesses. Charithra Chandran and Shelley Conn were wonderful as Edwina and Lady Mary, too, with their soft manners and lovely dispositions.

And Simone Ashley is simply gorgeous! (From bridgertonnetflix on Instagram).

Characters not from Quinn’s novels were also introduced, including Lord Jack Featherington (Rupert Young) and Theo Sharpe (Calam Lynch). I found the new characters created by the Netflix team to be interesting additions to the ton (at least in the beginning). Especially Theo, who I’ll cover in just a bit.

And Newton the corgi was SO cute! He was a very good actor, too.

👍Charithra Chandran Shines as Edwina

But Charithra Chandran really shined beyond the “Edwina” written by Julia Quinn in episode 6 when she finds out the truth about Anthony and Kate during the marriage ceremony. She perfectly unleashes the rage and disappointment a girl would feel when she finds out that her fiancée loves her sister more than her. All the while standing at the altar before the priest. She was phenomenal!

And the way Edwina accepts the unacceptable and moves on by the end of the series really made me like the character more. The way Edwina is written by Netflix’s Bridgerton writers along with Charithra’s acting really made the actress stand out.

👍Diverging from the Novel #1: Anthony’s Actions

What really irritated me when reading The Viscount Who Loved Me was Anthony Bridgerton’s perverse persistence at marrying Edwina Sheffield. He 1) fell in love with Kate 2) acknowledged that he couldn’t keep himself away from her 3) then kissed her. But in the novel, he persistently and very perversely chooses to marry none other than Edwina, Kate’s sister even after kissing her.

If Anthony was convinced of his early death due to the traumatic death of his father and vowed to marry not out of love, he could have chosen someone else. Someone who didn’t have a sister he kissed and wanted to kiss repeatedly. And it didn’t make sense that he, a viscount, couldn’t find anyone in all of Britain pretty enough whom he didn’t love. He says in the show himself in the first episode that he looks for someone “tolerable, dutiful, [with] suitable enough hips for childbearing, and at least half a brain.” He even adds that having “at least half a brain” is “not so much a requirement but a preference.”

Anthony’s Actions Are Dishonorable to Say the Least

So it didn’t make sense in both the novel and the show that Anthony couldn’t find anyone in the entire kingdom, that he had to resort to the queen’s opinion and marry the diamond of the first water.

I mean, if he just had to marry the diamond of the first water, he could have married the next diamond of the first water after realizing that he was dreaming about the diamond’s sister. Even if he were to follow his father’s footsteps and die young, he had time considering the fact that his father passed away sometime into his marriage after Violet had given birth to all of the Bridgerton siblings (except for Hyacinth).

It was really perverse of Anthony to pursue the sister of someone he was attracted to, someone he kissed and wanted to kiss whenever they were alone together.

The Changes From the Novel

So I was really glad to see that Netflix scrapped away the perverse persistence shown in the novel and instead had Anthony fall in love, acknowledge that he wanted Kate, but only choose to move forward with the wedding because of Kate’s unwillingness to hurt her little sister.

And it was realistic to have Edwina fall in love with Anthony when he approached her with the intent of marrying her because Anthony is one of the most eligible bachelors of the season. He has good looks, good nature (despite being a rake), and a loving family. But the novel’s down-to-earth Edwina doesn’t fall for him in the least. She allows herself to be courted by Anthony even when she isn’t interested because of her family’s economic situation. She remains uninterested in him and wishes him for Kate after quickly realizing that something is between the two. Such plot works, too. And it is rather pleasant not to witness two sisters fall for the same guy. But I think it is much more realistic to have the younger sister be naïvely romantic and fall in love with a highly distinguished gentleman courting her publicly.

👍Diverging from the Novel #2: Theo Sharpe

Honestly, I wish Eloise Bridgerton ends up with Theo, because he is a much, MUCH better match for her than Sir Philip Crane. Not only are they cute together, but also Theo treats Eloise better. In the few minutes shown in the series, Theo sets aside books Eloise might like and listens to what she has to say. This is so much better than Sir Philip, who in To Sir Philip, With Love chooses Eloise as his wife just so she can take care of his kids while he does what he wants to do (he actually admits it himself) and doesn’t listen to what she has to say. I believe he calls her noisy and loud- I don’t have the book with me at the moment so I can’t give the exact page numbers. But I do clearly remember thinking that Eloise deserved someone better than him after reading the novel. <For the full review of To Sir Philip, With Love, click HERE.>

I hope Netflix’s Bridgerton stays away from the novel for Eloise’s story. Even the Philip before he loses Marina seem a totally wrong match for Eloise. (It was suffocating to watch poor Marina in her loveless marriage with Sir Philip in Episode 4 of Season 2).

Speaking of Philip, I’ll move onto what was bad about Bridgerton season 2.

The Bad: Bridgerton Is Only Tolerable

After the second season, I think my sentiments toward the Netflix sensation is as Anthony had described what he wanted his wife to be: “tolerable.” Bridgerton season 2 was tolerable, but not as fun as it had once been. And I honestly have better things to watch. Here are my reasons:

👎Too Much Going On

Bridgerton season 2 was fast-paced with much happening to many different characters. Though the focus was on Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma, I think this season was less focused than the last. Season 1 was all about Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Bassett, with the lives of those around them being touched upon. And the only hint at the next season was Anthony declaring that he’ll get himself a wife he doesn’t love. Season 2 was busy making sure that Anthony and Kate were falling in love while Anthony was courting Edwina, all the while introducing new characters and keeping in touch with old characters. All this happening while the show was setting up the stage for the next two scheduled seasons (with Eloise finding out that Penelope was Lady Whistledown & etc.)

👎Unnecessary Appearances

Collin’s visit to Marina for Sir Philip Crane’s appearance was unnecessary. Unpleasant, even. And why is Will appearing so much when even the Duke himself isn’t? Moving on to the newest addition to the Featheringtons: Cousin Jack. Though Cousin Jack was an interesting add to the cast in the beginning, his scheme turned out to be a waste of screen time. He is even scheduled to go back to America. Why was he even introduced then? Theo, too. He looked so good with Eloise, but he and Eloise seem to have ended.

To be honest, the season wouldn’t have been much different if these characters hadn’t appeared/reappeared.

👎Trying to Do Too Much

I think Bridgerton season 2 was trying to do too much at once compared to season 1 while trying to let all side and minor protagonists have their moments (even Will with his new business). They even added another swing scene with Benedict and Eloise encouraging one another. Sweet scene, but once is enough, I think, for a TV series with only 8 episodes per season.

Season 1 was like a feast with the main dish placed in the middle with side dishes not getting in the way. Season 2 had its table overloaded with food, with the main dish being slightly larger than the side dishes that all clamored for its spot.

👎Simon’s Absence

Regé-Jean Page who plays Simon Bassett, the Duke of Hastings, did not return for the second season. Much to many, many fans’ dismay, he left after being largely responsible for the show’s massive success in season 1. And this is one of the many reasons why the second season was only tolerable.

His absence created a large hole in the plot. For instance, it didn’t make any sense for Simon to not attend Anthony Bridgerton and Edwina Sharma’s wedding (that was cancelled). He was Daphne Bridgerton’s loving husband and Anthony’s close friend. Yet, he was nowhere to be found at the wedding where even the queen was in attendance. His absence made it seem (unintentionally) that Daphne’s marriage was in trouble again after all the other troubles from season 1.

(This article from ScreenRant even says the holes left by Simon were so large in season 2 that killing off the character would have been better for the plot. Really, Simon was such an important character to not return in season 2.)

Regé-Jean Page’s absence really took a toll on Bridgerton, as the actor was also the one who made the series so alluring and addictive.

👎You’re Not Color-Blind, Shondaland

“Shondaland thinks that it’s very important that people see themselves reflected on screen,” says Kathryn. “I think that’s how you truly connect to your audience and those stories.”…

Bridgerton received widespread publicity for so-called ‘colour-blind casting’ in a genre traditionally populated by white actors, but Kathryn disagrees with the use of that term.

“It’s not colour-blind casting, it’s colour-conscious casting. I’m very much playing a mixed race modiste … nobody’s blind to the fact that I am the colour that I am in this story.”

– Kathryn Drysdale (Madame Delacroix)’s interview on The Afternoon Show (The BBC Scotland article can be viewed HERE).

The South Asian representation shown in this season was wonderful. But if the show truly were color blind, why are there such little/no representation of Meso and South American, Middle Eastern, East Asian and Southeast Asians? There have been two seasons, and about half of the cast are Caucasian while the other half African. And one can see that all the recurring characters that aren’t in the novel are either African or Caucasian, too. Minor side characters from the novel are turned into major roles and given to African actors and actresses, namely Lady Danbury, Queen Charlotte, and Marina Thompson.

Nothing is wrong with all this. It’s just that the “color blind” or the “color-conscious” (as explained by actress Kathryn Drysdale) label and advertisement the show uses is inaccurate and really misleading.

Dear Shondaland, you’re not color-blind. Neither are you color-conscious. You have mostly black & white vision.

👎Diverged Too Far

By the end of the 2nd season, Netflix’s Bridgerton seems to declare that it will be an entirely separate work from Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels. Anthony and Kate just got married and already Eloise had discovered that Lady Whistledown is actually her best friend Penelope Featherington.

I wish Netflix stuck to Quinn’s novels while omitting/changing the parts that don’t work. For instance, the scene where Daphne violates Simon could have been scrapped out as pointed out by many in the first season.

👎Left Out the Good Parts

Kate and Anthony’s love story could have been explored more as the novel does. The wonderful scenes where Anthony and Kate help each other face their traumas and heal together were largely missing, as Kate’s fear of lightnings were nonexistent in the show. And the scene where the soprano Siena and Anthony are alone together with Kate hiding under his desk would have been really interesting (and relevant!). If the showrunners wanted to reintroduce old characters from season 1, Siena should have reappeared for Anthony’s story, not Marina, Philip, Will, Alice, etc. She was his lover he proposed to in the previous season!!! (And a major reason why he forgoes love in the second season!)

👎Unnecessary Change

Julia Quinn’s timeline for the novels worked. The transition from one sibling to another in alphabetical order following Daphne worked. But Netflix seems to have thrown that out, as Eloise already knows who Lady Whistledown is, and this is Romancing Mister Bridgerton stuff. (Though they did a better job writing Eloise’s reaction to the revelation than Julia Quinn. Eloise in one of the 2nd epilogues doesn’t really reacts to/cares about her friend being the secret writer.)

It would have been better to stick to one sibling’s story per season, as Quinn’s novels do.

I have more negative things to say about the second season (e.g. characters like Eloise losing their charms), but I’ll stop here. The post is long enough.

It Would Have Been Better If…

I think the second season would have been better if it had stuck to the novel while changing/omitting Quinn’s weak points. It would have been a solid second season if they had focused on Anthony and Kate, with little bits on the surrounding characters and hints at Benedict’s story. They could have introduced Sophie Beckett of all people! It was a real disappointment that Sophie wasn’t introduced while the antagonist the protagonist of the fifth novel had his screen time. And while some random Lord Featherington aka “Cousin Jack” appeared in every episode.

If the Netflix team had…

1. focused on Kate and Anthony’s love story (sticking to Julia Quinn’s plot but improving it)
2. left out all the unnecessary moments showing Cousin Jack, Theo, Will, Alice, and etc.
3. hinted at the 3rd novel while focusing on the 2nd (as the first season had focused on the 1st while hinting at 2nd) instead of setting the stage for the 4th and 5th novels,

the second season would have been even better than the first, as there wouldn’t have been the controversial scene of season 1.

Conclusion

Bridgerton season 2 was a tolerable watch. A lot was happening, with mess upon mess the characters had to deal with (i.e. scandals, broken marriage, broken friendship, heartbreaks & more). But with so much going on, the show was all over the place. I have a feeling that Netflix will try to jam-pack Julia Quinn’s 4th and 5th novels (and maybe 3rd & 6th too?) all in the next two seasons. Who knows? But I definitely felt that season 2 was less focused than the last.

Farewell, Bridgerton

Bridgerton has its strong and weak points. And the show can’t satisfy everyone. So after having watched the second season that was scattered all over the place, I plan to move on from Bridgerton. I might look up what happens in the next two seasons in the future. But I definitely wouldn’t be as excited for its return as I had been for this season (i.e. draw fanarts).

I hereby end my review with a video of Nicola Coughlan (Penelope) and Claudia Jessie (Eloise) giving a tour of the Bridgerton sets:

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P.S. To read my review of the 2nd Bridgerton novel, The Viscount Who Loved Me, aka Anthony’s story, click HERE.

P.P.S. Here are some season 2 reviews I found to be insightful:

• Article: https://www.pajiba.com/tv_reviews/bridgerton-season-2-review-a-glass-of-champagne-gone-utterly-flat.php

• Review by YouTuber Jessen Reads Romance:

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