!!Minor Spoilers Ahead!!
If you were like me this past weekend, then you were binge-watching the new season of Netflix’s hit series Bridgerton. Now, I knew I was going to watch the new season but I liked contemplating the idea of not watching it because the Duke of Hastings, played by no other than Regé-Jean Page, was not in season two. Nevertheless, I sat down on Saturday night and started to watch.
As the opening credits appeared on my screen with Lady Whistledown’s notorious narration and a bowl of pesto pasta in my hand, I started to recall why I loved the series in the first place (and no, it is not because of the Duke). The pure magic of high society, the aesthetics of it all made me just as excited to start the new season. But the question was, will I love the second season as much as I loved the first?
Yes. In my opinion, I loved this season even more than the first because it played on my bookish heartstrings. Every time I talked about it with a friend, I kept telling them that it felt like I was reading a book. The enemies-to-lovers relationship mixed with the perfect amount of angst and plenty of slow-burn made for one of the best seasons of television I have watched to date.
In summary, this season is about these two sisters, Kate and Edwina Sharma (who beautifully represent Desi women in Hollywood) coming to Mayfair so Edwina can be courted for an unknown reason that is revealed later in the season. Kate is there to assist her sister but plans on returning back to India after her sister is wed. Anthony (one of the Bridgertons) expects to marry this season to simply fulfill the social and familial role that he has as the eldest son. Of course when Kate and Anthony meet for the first time, it is anything but pleasant, his negative reputation preceding him. However, once the Queen has crowned Edwina the diamond of the season, Anthony sees reason to go after her; because he wants the best of the best for his wife.
The amount of emotional trauma in this season would be heartbreaking if I did not consistently read Colleen Hoover. There is one specific scene that has stuck with me: the scene after Anthony did not propose to Edwina and she was wondering what she could have possibly done. This, accompanied by the conflict on Kate’s face for feeling relieved that he did not propose but heartbroken for her sister truly displayed the complicated dynamic of how bittersweet love is. On a grander scheme, watching Kate and Anthony’s relationship blossom, to seeing Edwina fall so blindly in love with Anthony only to discover that Kate and Anthony were madly in love with each other at the alter hurt just as bad.
Looking at the deeper relationships, the conflicts surrounding Penelope completely broke my heart. In the last episode, I watched her lose her friendship with Eloise, eliciting deep feelings of betrayal from someone whom she considered such a loyal person. And after watching her pine for Colin for so long, we watched as he broke her heart. I think we all knew that Colin was never into Penelope but that does not mean we can’t be hopeful. I for one was rooting for their union, but it was just soul-crushing to watch him say he would never court Penelope in a laughing manner.
All in all, I believe that this season was absolutely amazing and the third season will be a tough one to top comparatively.