Starring Jonathan Bailey, Simone Ashley, Charithra Chandran, Claudia Jesse, Nicola Coughlan, Adjoa Andoh, Golda Rosheuvel and Julie Andrews
Created by Chris Van Dusen
The scandalous Bridgerton siblings are back on Netflix, two years after it first aired, in season two of the Shondland hit ‘Bridgerton’. Picking up months after season 1 ended, the new season begins by introducing the new Sharma family to the “Ton”. The charming Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) arrives from India, accompanied by her mother Mary (Shelley Conn) and her younger sister Edwina (Charithra Chandran), determined to find a husband to take care of them in the future. Kate has committed her youth to training, teaching and raising her younger sister to become a proper young lady and the potential diamond of the season.
As another marriage season is upon us, Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) has finally decided it is time to find a match. He sets out, the most eligible of all the bachelors, to find a loyal, respectable woman to properly help him take care of his family; A love match is out of the question. While courting Edwina, Kate quickly discovers the nature of his intentions, making it her sole mission to stop them from coming together. This constantly building tension between Kate and Anthony, begins to bring them closer, complicating things for everyone.
The season doesn’t forget about the other siblings though, as we follow Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and her constant despise towards high society. She continues to search for Lady Whistledown, determined to meet her and pick her brain. Colin (Luke Newton) and Benedict (Luke Thompson) have smaller plotlines, as Benedict hopes to get into art school and Colin mostly continues to be the least interesting of the siblings. Across Grosvenor Square, Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) continues to pine over Colin, whilst keeping her deepest secret from the people closest to her.
The main difference from the first series is the well-known absence of Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor. Does this have a negative impact? I don’t think their absence is too impactful. While strange at first, the charming and confident personality of Kate, and the tension between her and the Viscount quickly take centre stage, although at first it does seem odd to change to a difference character focus. The change in story focus does work, but it can seem like a different show at first rather than a season two. Edwina’s innocence is refreshing, acting as a balance between the drama going on in the background of the high society, making you hope she finds happiness with the viscount despite the complication that is Kate. Eloise is placed in the middle of all this for comic relief, saying aloud exactly what we would all be thinking.
Overall, the show is an entertaining new addition to the Netflix library. It does manage to keep you intrigued throughout, though while the main plot follows Anthony, Kate and Edwina, I think the most compelling parts are when we get to follow Eloise and Penelope. The tension within their character development is slightly less predictable and more enjoyable. I didn’t get bored at all, and I am curious about where the show will go in the future seasons and which sibling they will follow. Surely, we can all agree that we are all on board with Eloise focused episodes.
Bridgerton has been renewed for a Season 3 and 4 and a spin-off series based on the origins of the beloved character Queen Charlotte (played by Golda Rosheuvel in the main series).
Bridgerton Season 2 is available now only on Netflix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYNCws-a6CQ
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