Overal season rating: 4/5
This review contains spoilers for season 2 of Bridgerton.
Let's talk about Bridgerton season 2. I was a huge fan of the show in season 1 and watched it 3 times. I also ended up re-reading The Viscount Who Loved Me twice before this season, and I loved it much more every time. That being said, I was prepared for changes from the book because the main conflicts in the book are very internal in a way that would be frustrating on-screen.
Firstly, I want to mention the many positives. The casting for Kate and Edwina was absolutely perfect. This season also oozes BUDGET. The sets are grander than ever, the dresses are better, the men are hotter, even the debutantes just look like they've been dipped in gold dust.
Moreover, I loved how this season develops some characters which I was not expecting to develop, particularly the matriarch characters: Lady Danbury, Queen Charlotte, and Violet Bridgerton. They are humanized and made more interesting instead of representing the mere caricatures of the sarcastic mentor character or the mother insistent on her children's marriage. The scene where Lady Danbury and Violet are laughing hysterically was absurd but also hilarious...The show just seems more self-aware this time around, it's not taking itself as seriously in many scenes. Even in the scenes where they're talking about scandal in the family, the characters seem aware that the circumstances are happening again and they are able to laugh it off. The country dance scene was one of my favorite examples of this. I think this self-awareness just makes viewers more able to understand and appreciate the drama.
Kanthony in this season was absolutely impeccable and the tension was insane. I don't think I've ever watched a couple with this much insane tension, I think there were at least 4 almost-kiss scenes. There is some serious edging and I enjoyed it because I didn't want everything to be just like season 1. Many humorous scenes were included like the horse-racing scene when they are whistling and trying to outdo one another and of course the scene when they both get stuck in the mud. Overall, their potential as a couple was realized, in my opinion.
I want to talk particularly about the sexy scene in episode 7 because I loved it. When Anthony told Kate to go inside and he looked at her in this predatory and angsty way, I was done for. It was HOT. Kate insisting "Don't stop" to Anthony while he raises his palms saying he will stop had me shivering from the absolute insanity of this anticipation. The editing with the music in the background was dramatic and really worked for me. And that moment when Anthony wakes up smiling reaching for the pillow was so cute and sad at the same time. As a whole, I just love the artistic decisions in that scene and I really think it was very romantic and fitting. I love how Anthony notices her scent just like in the book and visibly inhales her hair, I can't.
Now let's talk about why this season could've been a 5/5 but is instead a 4/5. My first issue is Kanthony definitely do not have enough screen time. I understand that shows have to have other plotlines and characters and that's the way the story is told. However, although I found many of the side plotlines coherent and entertaining, it was too much. In episodes 7 and 8 when the tension between Kanthony was absolutely sweltering, it felt like they became secondary characters to the Featheringtons. Not just Penelope, but Portia, for heaven's sake. I mean did we really need those 2 minutes of screen time where Lord Featherington flirts with Portia? Could we not have dedicated that screen time to Kate's trauma, or Edwina hashing out the events of the season with Anthony, or anything else, literally? In particular, Kate's trauma from the book is completely ignored and instead, she has an unexplained fear of lightning storms. They could've easily explained that the lightning and thunder bring back bad memories of her as a child losing her mother, just like Anthony's phobia of bees was explained. I feel like with limited time and so many characters, they could've made better decisions about allocating the time. If there are any deleted Kanthony scenes, they better release them NOW.
My other misgiving of this season is heartbroken Edwina. Edwina from the show is very different from the book's Edwina, and in my opinion, not in a good way. I didn't like how Edwina became a victim for Kanthony to happen. The only reason I could accept it is because I had read reviews prior to watching the show so I'd already prepared myself for the possibility of Anthony proposing to Edwina. I saw this review comparing Kanthony and Edwina's dynamic to a Bollywood love triangle where two people know they have feelings for each other but because they're not ready to confess and think that they're better off without each other, someone else suffers. Honestly, I am convinced that they did intentionally lean into this Bollywood trope because of the symbolic bangles and how much they dragged out episode 6 so Edwina could make her decision. However, it's not a trope easily enjoyed, but I can appreciate it for the drama and angst it provided to the show. I think it would've been better if Edwina was in on the Sheffield scheme from the beginning and felt pressure to find a husband so her sister and mother can live in comfort, then when she was released from those obligations by the realization that Kate and Anthony are in love, she is relieved and gratified.
I mean, you can tell even from episode 1 that Edwina is being pressured to marry, she's being told left and right that she's the diamond, she can choose whoever she wants, she's the one who's going to make a perfect match. Her sister is influencing her decisions much like Anthony did to Daphne, and that's a lot of pressure on Edwina! It would've made her character more complex if she knew everything and then finally could be released from that pressure. I do also think that making Edwina so oblivious to Kanthony took away from her character; she's very observant in the book and picks up on it immediately. Even in the lake scene when Edwina notices Kate making eyes at Anthony, you see a look of confusion and perhaps realization but it's quickly forgotten. Seeing Edwina so desperate for a proposal from Anthony was painful and it made her character seem foolish and naive and I didn't love that. Why can everyone else see it but her? She seems aloof and even unwittingly and happily puts Kanthony in situations together, which makes the dramatic irony even more powerful, but also painful.
Anyways, I can eventually make my peace with this plotline, because like I said, I was somewhat expecting it and could swallow it, especially since it added so much angst and tension to Kanthony. The wedding scene with 'Sign of the Times' playing was just insanely good and emotional charged; I definitely had a mental breakdown. I feel like their execution of the plotline was really good entertainment-value-wise, even if it is not a plotline I wanted to happen. But again, we have to keep in mind that they leaned in to the Bollywood influence, and that this kind of plotline is something a lot of people would enjoy because of the angst, even if some of us didn't love it. Anyhow, it's certainly better than that ridiculous third act conflict of the book where Anthony is clearly in love but he can't say it because he thinks he's definitely going to die at the age of 39.
"This love triangle is born out of self-sacrifice, not any real confusion regarding their desires. Edwina is understandably angry at her sister’s deception. However, she gets over her feelings for Anthony almost immediately when she realises she never really knew him. Her relationship with Kate only grows stronger. By the end of their story, Edwina even nudges her to claim her happiness with Anthony."
A quote from this review which explains the Bollywood influences in Bridgerton
This was such a beautiful foreshadowing. When Edwina applies Haldi on Kate as an auspicious ritual, and this in addition to the bangles and ring fitting her was a good hint that Kate was the right bride all along.#bridgerton #kanthony pic.twitter.com/u8Sw3aV9D4
— 🐝Promenading Anthony’s Pinnacle🐝 (@chaoticguitar) March 26, 2022
I also enjoyed Marina and Sir Phillip Crane's brief appearance to remind us that they exist, and keep our interest in them for future plotlines. I could talk about a million more things, like how Daphne was such a great character this season, becoming Anthony's advisor and the one who saw through everything from the beginning. Pheobe Dynevor did such a great job this season.
To conclude, I really enjoyed this season and I know that people who haven't read the book will enjoy it even more. It was more complex and bittersweet than season 1 and it really pulled at my emotional strings in a way I didn't expect. The characters and moments meant so much to me and I teared up many times. I love many of the decisions made in this season and even though it's not perfect, I will definitely be tuning in next year. There was a lot of meaningful imagery, like for example, how every time Kanthony were in the woods it represented an important transition in their relationship. I just hope next time they give more time and space to the main couple, not just together but apart, to breathe and develop. Hopefully, there will be more Kanthony moments in season 3, although I'm happy to have a break to process it all. I do think this season will age well as a chapter in the Bridgerton universe and it has so many amazing redeeming qualities; I think I will enjoy it even more when I rewatch it.
What did you think about Bridgerton season 2? Was Kanthony your favourite couple? Now I'm off to go cry to Taylor Swift Kanthony edits, which I've been doing for the past 2 days, check out these amazing ones here, here and here.
Thanks,
Yomna
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