Bridgerton is almost back, and I’ve gotta hand it to Shondaland because this second season is as well-played as the first outing. And this comes as a surprise to me, not because I thought that the show that John Oliver described as “lots of jizzing in blankets” couldn’t, like, jizz in blankets again. (This summation will never stop being funny, by the way, because he wasn’t wrong.) Rather, I found the character who’s now the focal point to be rather uninteresting (not to mention grating) last season. Add my cautious attitude to the sheer fact that this show, as smart and sexy as it was, whipped fans into a frenzy (one that SNL reenacted in an on-point way) for one overriding reason.
My regards to the Duke. Hell, everyone’s regards to the Duke.
There’s a reason for that, too, beyond the obviousness of people fawning over Regé-Jean Page’s physicality. It was more about him flinging himself into how the show maneuvered through all the sultriness via the female gaze. He was in on it, and I’m not talking about like being “in on a joke.” He was game for rolling with the punches as a roguish rake in a story where, ultimately, the focus was finally on the needs and desires of his lady (Daphne Bridgerton, who’s still played by Phoebe Dynevor), both physically and as a partner. There was a sleight of hand in the writer’s room and even a bit of pioneering, and the audience loved it, but then Page left the show (as planned), and there was no denying that a void would be felt.
Still, Netflix quickly renewed the show for three more seasons, a situation that could have grown awkward, fast, if the show couldn’t drum up magnetism out of a character who, to be quite frank, can come off (if you’re squinting sideways) as nearly physically indistinguishable from his fellow male Bridgertons.
Wait, which one is Lord Anthony Bridgerton again? Oh, he was the one who scared off Daphne’s suitors last season and had an ongoing affair with a young lady who’s considered to be unworthy of becoming a viscountess. Last season, the writers may have used his affair to ward off Austen-esque vibes (and sure, he had some fans but wasn’t terribly likable), but this season, yep, he’s pulling off a clear Mr. Darcy-In-The-Lake reference. (Subtle, very subtle.)
It’s actually mildly irritating how Bridgerton charms here. They take a lead character, who previously functioned as a pain-in-the-butt and boorish, and crafted his complicated backstory in a believable way that doesn’t fully drum up sympathy, but it does humanize him. He’s also the primary focus of this season’s courting season, but the real highlight is the leading lady who brings much more than a corset to the table.
That role would be Kate (portrayed by Simone Ashley, far left ^^), a supposed spinster who guards over her younger sister, Edwina (Charithra Chandran). Their newfound acquaintance (after the ladies arrive from India) with Anthony ultimately lands in a predictable place, but I will say that there’s quite the atypical route to how the show gets there. Kate signs up for no sh*t, and Anthony’s considered to be the ultimate catch while he searches for his viscountess, but he’s also operating like a big ol’ dope at moments. Meanwhile, Kate and Edwina’s family backstory takes the show deeper on the subject of race and social stature, something that the show did struggle with early on. The role of Kate does a lot to balance out the sillier aspects of the show, although those, too, hold a lot of value because the show doesn’t forget to entertain (whew).
Somehow, this love story (such as it is) works. No, it’s not quite as intensity-fraught as Regé-Jean Page with anyone (let’s get real, they couldn’t have done that without putting Jason Momoa in Bridgerton or something, for inarguable reasons), but the show does a fine job of carrying on despite losing its most valuable chess piece. Shonda Rhimes previously went on record to admit how “shocked” she felt over the backlash to Page’s departure. To be fair, this move was in accordance with Julia Quinn’s books, but one can imagine some behind-the-scenes panic, which could’ve done the motivating trick.
Beyond the Anthony-Kate dynamic, the show catches us up on numerous threads from the first season as well. Daphne is hanging around again despite getting married, happily ever after to the Duke. He does not show up at all, and maybe he’s off alone with his blankets, no one knows. Mystery abounds! Yet there’s no longer much mystery (for the audience) about the true identity of gossip columnist Lady Whistedown, who’s still doing her Regency-era Gossip Girl thing while living under constant fear of getting busted. Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) continues to walk that fine line with an assist from Julie Andrews’ voice, and Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) continues to be a hoot.
The show’s a freaking delight. It’s more fun than it really should be with plenty of soap-operatic flourishes to keep the fires burning even if this season isn’t as steamy as the original outing. I can’t imagine that anyone who enjoyed the first season will be disappointed with how this season ends. It’s a slightly slower burn, but the payoff does arrive. Granted, I don’t immediately see a candidate for next season’s Diamond Drama, but Shondaland is undoubtedly already on the case (just dial Momoa). And surely, Lady Whistledown will breathlessly report those events, when they happen.
‘Bridgerton’ returns on March 25. Grab your smelling salts.