With a record-breaking 82 million households tuning in to watch Bridgerton in the first month of its release back in 2020, there were always going to be questions about whether the second installment could live up to its predecessor. The Regency-romance benefited from Regé-Jean Page's revelatory turn as the dashing Duke of Hastings and a Christmas Day release to viewers itching for some frothy escapism from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
But Season 2 appears to have avoided the dreaded sophomore slump due primarily to the undeniably powerful chemistry between their two leads — Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). The connection between the two is evident from their first encounter and consistently builds throughout the eight, hour-long episodes. The season one sex montages have been replaced by sexual tension, and instead, Kate and Anthony's sensuality plays out in intense stolen glances, loaded hand grazing, and pure desire. It's the slowest of slow burns.
However, every good romance needs an obstacle, and this season it is duty. The show picks up with the viscount making good on his promise to declare his intentions to his new viscountess. But after his failed dalliance with opera singer Siena Rosso, he has chosen to lead with his head and not with his heart. That includes crafting a decidedly unromantic list of potential candidates, reminiscent of his hotheaded tactics in finding a love match for his sister Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor). This time around, Bailey does a brilliant job of transforming Anthony from a chauvinist into a sympathetic character driven by a sense of responsibility to his family, a self-inflicted weight following his father's death many years prior. Anthony not only assumed the title of viscount but that of his brothers', sisters', and mother's keeper. Flashbacks help viewers understand why Anthony seems to have sacrificed his happiness in favor of his family and add more depth and dimension to the character.
Kate is also duty-bound. She has arrived from Bombay, India, with her widowed step-mother Lady Mary (Shelley Conn) and younger sister Edwina (Chaithra Chandran). At 26, Kate has already relegated herself to a life of spinsterhood and is solely focused on finding a love match for Edwina. And with his wealth, connections, and nobility, the viscount is an obvious choice. In her father's absence, Kate appoints herself as Edwina's protector and is fiercely against the match. But her open hostility towards the viscount is simply masking an attraction maddeningly evident to almost everyone but them.
The palpable chemistry extends to the family dynamic as well. Some of the most heartwarming moments include touching conversations between Anthony and Daphne or their mother, Violet (Ruth Gemmell). The interactions between the Bridgerton brothers —particularly the obvious affection between Anthony and Benedict (Luke Thompson) or the sweet ribbing between Benedict and Colin (Luke Newton) — are magic. The Sharma sisters sweetly refer to each other as didi (older sister) and bon (younger) in one of many nods to their Indian heritage.
There are areas where the show falls short. The second season is a very loose adaptation of Julia Quinn's The Viscount Who Loved Me, a favorite among the Bridgerton book fandom. But where season one followed the source material fairly closely, this season takes a sharp turn by the third episode. What follows is an almost frustratingly drawn-out path towards the inevitable. Fans do get some payoff in scenes like the hyper-competitive and anything but friendly game of pall-mall.
And there are subplots galore. After last season's revelation of Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) as Lady Whistledown, we now get a peek at the inner workings of her cunning operation. Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) is still determined to discover the writer's identity. Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) defiantly finds herself on the wrong side of town. Benedict pursues his art more intentionally. Colin meanders about sharing anecdotes from his travels unprovoked. Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe) plans to open a gentlemen’s club. And the Featherington's place in society hangs precariously by a thread as they await the new Lord Featherington.
If it sounds like a lot to fully flesh out over a season, it is.
Luckily, Kathony's central romance and compelling performances from Bailey and Ashley are strong enough to get us over the finish line.
Bridgerton Season 2 premieres in its entirety on March 25, exclusively on Netflix.
