Season 2 of Bridgerton revolves around Anthony Bridgerton’s search for a new wife and some very special guests who will be taking part in the upcoming marital season. The episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Anthony Bridgerton has finally decided to take a wife so that she may become viscountess and lady of his house, per his duty towards his family. He’s not looking for a love match but what he gets is far from what he bargained for.
Eloise is being pushed into society for the season despite her reluctance. She’d much rather stick to her books or investigate the identity of Lady Whistledown as she gives in to her rebellious nature and goes against the grain.
Kate and Edwina Sharma are the new arrivals in London, with Edwina in search of a husband and her elder sister, Kate, there to make sure that no man with the wrong intentions steps forward.
Penelope continues to write as Lady Whistledown, all the while incensing the queen even more. The queen sets up her investigation to put an end to the gossipmonger once and for all.
The younger Bridgerton boys are figuring out their place in the world, both exploring new avenues and learning as they go along. The Featheringtons are trying to build their name back up after all the misfortune they have faced.
Performances
Jonathan Bailey takes much of the focus as the viscount, he performs admirably as the man of the house who is being weighed down by his responsibilities. He shows emotional depth when needed and displays good chemistry with his fellow leads.
Simone Ashley plays the overbearing older sister to perfection. Her efforts to protect her sister from the charms of Anthony while simultaneously struggling to hold back her feelings are clear for all to see.
Claudia Jessie gets to show off her more ‘progressive’ character, the one who isn’t built for the traditional tropes of parading herself like a show pony. She shows intelligence and guile as one of the inspiring female characters in the series.
There is goo support from the entire cast, ranging from lady Danbury to the rest of the Bridgerton siblings as they all add their little splash of colour on the screen.
Positives
The costumes and set designs are marvellous. They are all so extravagant and often take a life of their own in the series.
The script is extremely well written. With so many different declarations of love between suitors as well as the dignified words of Lady Whistledown, there isn’t a moment where the quality drops.
The string quartet covers of modern songs, a theme that was used in the first season as well, still works. It is always pleasant to listen to certain variations of a song you may have heard so many times before.
Negatives
The base storyline feels recycled with the roles just switched around slightly. In fact, there are several ideas that are just repackaged and from the previous season.
While the depiction of society was more or less accurate with that of the time period, many of those tropes are still far too ridiculous to truly fathom.
The episodes are excruciatingly long and a real struggle to get through. Hour-long runtimes are always quite taxing for any series, especially one lacking in intensity.
Verdict
Season 2 of Bridgerton has many good moments and has been produced quite brilliantly but it’s not a series that can be enjoyed by everyone given its genre and setting.
Rating: 3/5