I’m not going to lie, I had low expectations going into the newest season of Bridgerton. When it was announced that Regé-Jean Page wouldn’t be returning in his role as the Duke of Hastings, I was heartbroken and couldn’t even come to terms with the news. Daphne and Simon’s love story in the show’s debut season was so powerful and moving. I just assumed the next season wouldn’t be as good.
However, my love for the show has only grown since finishing the newest episodes, and I can’t stop thinking about it. Viewers aren’t given an answer as to why the Duke of Hastings is absent from the show but do see the eldest Bridgerton, Anthony, in ways they haven’t before.
Following the plot of the second book in the Bridgerton series, the season follows Anthony as he throws his hat into the ring to find a wife. Anthony is head of the family and with that comes a lot of pressure to find the perfect woman to be viscountess of the Bridgerton household.
The first attribute I appreciated from this season is how it dove deeper into the dynamic between all of the Bridgerton children. The audience sees the wonderful relationship Eloise and Benedict have and with all of the craziness that season one had to offer, there just wasn’t enough time to show every aspect of the Bridgerton family.
Fans of the show are also given answers on how Edmund Bridgerton died and see many flashbacks of how it impacted the family and tore Violet apart. This background information helps inform the audience of Anthony’s demeanor and why he is so opposed to falling in love, viewing marriage as a familial duty.
A very notable difference comparing the two seasons is the absence of sex scenes. If we remember from season one, it seemed like Daphne and Simon were having sex in practically every room. On the other hand, season two doesn’t have this energy. Vox sums this dynamic up nicely.
“Unlike season one, however, which had plenty of onscreen steam, season two spends most of its time restraining its lovers from doing more than hungrily touching in private,” according to Vox.
It seems as if the lack of sex in season two was an effort to follow the theme of the slow burn romance and add to the building tension between Anthony and Kate Sharma.
While watching the eight episodes, you become captivated with the gossip, scandal and romance of the Ton, and in my humble opinion, eight episodes weren’t enough. I was quite literally on the edge of my seat waiting to see who Anthony would end up with and the final episode is quite literally perfection.
The enemies to lovers vibes are a refreshing change from the overabundance of true love we saw in season one and both seasons are perfect in their own ways. Although I’m unable to comment on how the book compares to the show, I thoroughly enjoyed the newest season and instantly fell in love with the sets and costume design.
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend adding Bridgerton to your watchlist and going down the gossip rabbit of British society. The drama surrounding the Ton’s gossip paper, Lady Whistledown, is reason enough to watch season two, and I promise it will be worth it.