TV Review: Season 2 of Bridgerton Is All About The Love
It’s easy to compare Season 1 of Bridgerton to Pride & Prejudice in look and mood. After all, its books were inspired by Jane Austen, because who is not, and the core dynamic of the vulnerable, strong woman slowly falling for the rigid, “just needs a hug” man via bickering and running in the rain will always win us over We love it! We just do! Bridgerton Season 2 absolutely recognizes that magic is born when you take the “same thing” and just revamp it with sprinkles of its distinction. After all, how many love stories have we seen or undergone…. are we bored with love yet?
The show picks up with Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) going full Darcy arrogantly looking for the woman deserving of his social standing and devout loyalty. Note: I did not say love! Yes, for young Anthony, love is not possibly as he is the eldest: destined to carry on the Bridgerton name and business. Creator Chris Van Dusen and producer Shonda Rhimes do well to spread in Anthony’s backstory as a teenage kid that had to takeover for his father after his passing. Frankly, you feel bad for him, understand why he shut his heart down, and why he finds Kate Sharma ( Simone Ashley) so fascinating. She is, actually, strong where as he is just numb, and both understand the burden of picking up parental roles for younger siblings left by a deceased parent. Thus, why did she grow up to be fierce and him so fearful? Welp! In 8 episodes, we steamily find out. Note: I said STEAM… not sex.
Although this season of Bridgerton will not be popping corks with its sex scenes, the sexual tension is there, without Jean (Regé-Jean Page), we just get heavy breathing, a beautiful sex scene, and a few bath-tub scenes of Anthony without his shirt. While I appreciate the view, I was kind of surprised that Season 2 took out the sexual fun of its first season, especially when that very high, public approval launched its other Netflix’s other sexy shows. Thus, this season Bridgerton trades in sexual chemistry for a genuine, romantic one. We may not be seeing Anthony and Kate christen every room in a mansion with their bodies, but we do get to see them fall for each other’s soul and, frankly, I got mushy with sentiment. }
I loved Season 2 because it felt like a K-Drama: elegantly gushy in how it celebrates opposites attracting enough to find common ground. It’s hard not to be emotionally invested, by episode 1, in Kate and Anthony because the actors are exceptional at building the fun and frustration of loving someone that pushes you to love yourself better. Their charisma, as a couple, overtakes the season enough to forget Jean{s absence and even the presence of Lady Whistledown (
Nicola Coughlan). While I loved last season’s reveal, I had a feeling that Penelope’s storyline, as the Victorian Lexi from Euphoria, would die a little. Heck! It’s the reason Gossip Girl was revealed in the last episode; something about the loss of mystery changes the audience’s dynamic with the narrator. Yet, it was cool to see her growing power over the Queen ( played by the always fabulous Golda Rashuevel ), and struggle to maintain her deep friendship with Claudia Jessie’s Elosie, whose also finding forbidden love. With new characters like the absolutely noble Edwina (Charithra Chandra) Bridgerton Season 2 may have exchanged sex for more love, but I like it.
