Dear Gentle Readers, (sorry, I had to!)
So, after binge watching series 2 of the well-loved series ‘Bridgerton’ on Netflix, I just couldn’t help myself but compare this to the first season. After bingeing the premier series back on Christmas Day 2020, many fans were left waiting countless days for the return of Lady Whistledown. This season encountered numerous topics from love to sibling relationships, to betrayal and even to class discrimination.
If sex sells, then what bought your attention for this season? We all know the basis of season one was centred around Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon’s (Regé-Jean Page) relationship and the sexual tension they had. However, this series could not be more different. Well, I suppose the relationship and tension between Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) and Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathon Bailey) was apparent, but their relationship was a slow-burner and there was a lot more going on with the narrative than just that. One person on twitter said: “bridgerton season 2 is so real because everyone is having less sex and more panic attacks.” I totally agree with this person’s tweet, and I do not think that this season is any less credible for showing personal and convincing narrative arcs as it benefits from these character-building moments. The show was not at a loss for losing the sex scenes, it was more engaging in fact to see something other than that.
But most importantly, I loved the representation for the South Asian community. Bridgerton is known for having a very diverse cast and this is something they have truly upheld through and into season two. This season introduced the two distinguished ladies, Edwina (Charithra Chandran) and Kate Sharma. When looking into the 2011 consensus about diversity and representation on screen, even though South Asians are the largest minority ethnic group in the UK it seems as though media platforms have missed the memo and does not reflect the UK’s society. How can that be fair? It is only about time that this representation was being upheld and spotlighted. For a show that is created for the UK, Bridgerton celebrates the vast number of ethnic communities throughout the UK. The little additions of chai tea instead of English breakfast tea, as well as the ceremony before Edwina’s wedding make for a more-rounded inclusion of South Asian culture which I found a lot more sentimental and charming. A lot of characters in mainstream films and television give South Asian actors roles with little attention or centrality, and this is where Bridgerton succeeds tremendously. As it should, a diverse screen industry is becoming more eminent, and this is only the beginning of the triumphs for minority communities.
However, there was a lot of narratives developing at once, I did find this a little distracting because the plot was a little more restless than I expected. The love-hate dynamic was played with last season, and this season we have the enemies to lover’s trope …what’s next? I think that Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) and her love interest Theo Sharpe (Calam Lynch) will have a prominent feature next in the series with the poor boy and rich girl trope, where their class gets in the way of their love.
Bridgerton always leaves room for plot twists, but I think we all knew the ending of this season before episode 1 had even finished. That’s what I didn’t like. This series isn’t challenging enough of a storyline, but it is a comforting one nonetheless, and pretty binge-worthy too.
Overall, I would rate this season an 8/10!