Dearest reader, the time has come to place our bets. It has come to my attention that the Season 2 trailer for Bridgerton has been released recently. Like many of you, I was absolutely obsessed with the series when it came to Netflix last December. Given all the scandal and mischief that occurred during the last season, I think it necessary to unpack everything in this trailer before Season 2 drops on March 25th. So, sit back, relax, and let this Lady W analyze Bridgerton’s new teaser trailer for its second season, that, I’m positive will have enough drama to flood the papers of every 1814 gossip column.
The opening of the video is very reminiscent of the Season 1 trailer. We see the 19th century equivalent of a newsboy running frantically through London with papers in his hand. This can be, I can only assume, Lady Whistledown’s newest edition of her society column, in which she tells the ton of the happenings regarding the social season. As we saw in the previous season, this author’s popularity continuously grows, as readers turn from scorning her words (a female writer, can you imagine?!) to hanging onto every last one. We are greeted with an image of the doors of a room in the Queen’s palace opening, in which I’m assuming our newsboy is ushered through. It seems Lady Whistledown is a queen in her own right.
A voiceover appears as the queen is handed Lady W’s society paper on a silver platter (once again, showing her newfound status). Julie Andrews, mother of all things holy, says, in a confident tone, “Dearest gentle reader, did you miss me?” We already know that the second season occurs in 1814, a year after Daphne’s first and only social season, where she meets and eventually marries the rakish Duke of Hastings. Now, we know that Whistledown has taken some time off. Was it because of the queen and Eloise Bridgerton, sister of Daphne, who tried desperately to discover her identity? Did someone force her to take a break? Or are social seasons simply her specialty? I’m fairly certain these questions will be answered in Season 2. Nevertheless, despite her “vacation,” she is once again the most popular news source in the ton. The combination of satisfaction and curiosity on the queen’s face when she receives the newest addition proves this.
As we see clip after clip of members of the ton reading this gossip column, it seems that my questions have been, at least somewhat, answered. Lady W says that members of the ton have been questioning her identity while she has merely been sharpening her wit, honing her craft. We then see the newest addition to London society: the Sharma family. Kate, played by Sex Education’s Simone Ashley, and what I only assume are her sisters walk in formation with Lady Danbury to a ball. At said ball, it seems that Anthony ask Kate’s younger sister to dance, as Kate looks longingly from a corner. Though we already know the two are love interests this season, we can begin to see their chemistry. A mere second later and we see both Kate and Anthony at some sporting event. This time, instead of a single-sided stare, both parties are gazing at each other in the eyes, not necessarily with love but an intense emotion indeed. As we start to see clips of various characters throughout the new season- Anthony in a ball tub, Simone fanning herself, two of the Bridgerton brothers fencing- Whistledown has a voiceover in which she claims that, while on her break, she’s been sharpening her knives. It seems this lady’s claws may come out this season, especially if nosy members of the ton continue to inquire into who she really is.
As is typical with movie trailers, the last few seconds show a barrage of images that will entice us to watch the season. We see a man riding urgently on a horse, reminiscent of Daphne doing the same to stop her brother from dueling the Duke last season, as well as an image of the Bridgerton family standing together and members of the ton twirling at a ball. The most intriguing and steamiest of the images, however, is of a man and a woman kissing passionately with only sheets covering them. The man appears to be Anthony, but the woman is harder to recognize. Is it Kate? Or could it be Sienna, Anthony’s lover from last season, coming for a visit? The last few images are of Daphne gasping, seeming to walk in on something she shouldn’t have (perhaps the couple in the previous shot?), a man firing a weapon, two people a breath apart, about to kiss, and, finally, Lady Whistledown herself, Penelope Featherington. Now that, this season, we know her identity, I’m curious to see how Penelope develops as a character, if the fame has gotten to her, if anyone catches her out. It looks like another riveting season of Bridgerton, indeed. If you, like me, are curious to see how everything plays out within the illustrious members of London’s ton, tune into Season 2 of Bridgerton on March 25th on Netflix!