Bridgerton is back, and I gotta say it's better than before. It's a wonder what happens when you actually like both halves of the love story.
And a heads up, this gets long as I cover my thoughts on the first and second seasons, and the future for the show.
The first season of Bridgerton was a sensation. I love period dramas, and I loved the world this one set up. The families were interesting, and obviously it was gorgeous. That the were telling side stories alongside the main plot like they did were telling me that they were actually trying to build a whole world and not just revolve around the love story at its center.
What I did have a problem with in season one was that love story. I got nothing from Daphne. Not a personality quirk, not an inkling of what her interests are, not a sense of humor. Nothing. Nada. Zip. My sister always argues that was the point of her character, that she was bred and raised to be the perfect lady and not have any of those things, just fill the role. My counter is that, why didn't they dramatize that? We were told how special she was in the opening moments of the series when she was chosen as Queen Charlotte's Diamond, but then we saw nothing to justify that status.
So, when season 2 rolled around, I wasn't really that interested if it was going to be a bland love story that's only remarkable for being raunchy in a genre that very much isn't. Then I saw the teaser clip for season two, and I thought this season might be different. But, if the first couple episodes of the new season are more of the same, I'll probably give up on the show. Well, that was not the case.
Oh Anthony and Kate, enemies to lovers, one of my favorite tropes. And this was done so well. The tension between them was everything, and I'm glad we got to see them genuinely dislike each other for a while. But, they did a great job of rooting all of that in character and not hating each other just to bring them together later. And making sure Edwina wasn't just like Daphne in the first season, too naive to function, she was sweet and kind, but was still strong, even when heartbroken.
What I found myself really invested in as well was really seeing the relationship between Anthony and Violet, and the how the death of Edmund affected their relationship. I actually wish Daphne's material was given to Violet because the two would have gotten more screen time, and would have really illuminated the power dynamics between them. Another reason for this is because Daphne's presence in those scenes was empty. She doesn't bring any perspective or value in her being there and her story in this season would have been better served by a character anchored in the story, and by someone who is not essentially an empty vessel.
Now, where is Bridgerton going to go from here.
I know we wouldn't have known what story the Duke and Duchess would have had if Regé-Jean Page hadn't left the show, but I don't feel like it would have been worth the screen time. But, since Anthony is the head of the family and would stay in the Bridgerton household, he should still have a major contribution to the goings on. Which means, we still get Kate, and something tells me she wouldn't fall into a typical "wife" role. I would also like Edwina to carry on being featured, since now that Kate has essentially secured her family's welfare, she can be free to find her love match. And after this much time devoted to her, I don't want to hear from Kate that she's doing well in a tossed off line. She's a part of the family now, I want to see more of her journey.
That should also help my concerns for the rest of Bridgerton's run, because I don't know if the rest of the siblings in the show have enough audience connection to fully only on their love story for a season. If my hope of Edwina staying on with the show and watching her find love, maybe we could pair her story with the next Bridgerton's, which from books would be Benedict.
They have already been unfaithful to the books because Anthony and Kate's love story played out differently in their's. So, I think they've created the world of the show enough where they can deviate further.
Obviously by keeping Edwina around and maybe showing the love story with that prince Queen Charlotte mentioned. (Hi, Freddie Stroma.) And it would be the first time we see someone who had a failed love story find their true one. But the biggest way they could deviate that fans would love is to make Benedict bi. I'm honestly surprised that's not where his season one story ended up going, and looking at the synopsis of his book, they can still use that storyline. And it would give the opportunity to give the series its first unhappy ending. As much as it's been rewriting history with regards to race during the regency era, the society is still organized around heterosexual relationships and patriarchal standards so I don't think it can retcon that part of history. Both of these options will certainly vary up the love stories that have been told so far.
And for each progressive season, keep pairing up Bridgertons because I don't know if the show can run for eight seasons, especially on Netflix, so by doing this they can tell the full story of the Bridgerton clan. It would also be great because we can still have the family together, because if we were telling a singular love story, sometimes the family stuff could get shunted off. But the family is one of the most successful parts of the show and I'd like to keep them together and involved in each other's stories. This would also benefit the younger ones because they haven't had the time to gain audience attachment.
We'll see how they handle all of this going forward, and after this season I'm definitely more interested to see what direction the show goes next.
