Bridgerton

Bridgerton. (L to R) Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma, Jonathan Bailey as Photo: Liam Daniel | Netflix. This Bridgerton review contains spoilers.

Bridgerton is a period drama and romance franchise that’s here to stay for the foreseeable future. Sharpe is a means to an end for developing the rift between Eloise and Penelope and should have had more screentime to show the audience a wider view of Regency London than seen in past productions. While these episodes spend a lot of time trying to establish that Anthony and Edwina really were only getting together out of familial duty and not true love, Bridgerton does not forget the supporting characters that are original to the series. Supporting and main characters’ plot lines tied to Benedict and Marina’s storylines may also appear racist if actors of color replace the white characters from the novels. The key reason for this change is that Kate is older and it is inferred possibly more experienced in life. The best change Season 2 makes is to delay the reveal of why Anthony’s father passed away a decade earlier. This thread of continuity dispels the notion that the show is going to stop featuring Black characters as other characters of color are added to the series. Queen Charlotte (Golda Roushevel) names Edwina the Diamond of the Season as a favor to Lady Danbury. The Featheringtons are recovering from the death of Lord Featherington and are awaiting the arrival of his distant cousin who inherited the title. The episode also establishes the Bridgerton family mythology which is key to later plot events. Benedict (Luke Thompson) is accepted to the royal academy to study visual arts, but he finds out he may not have been accepted purely on application merit. Bridgerton season 2 returns to Netflix today with a new Bridgerton sibling’s quest to make a suitable marriage match.

Claudia Jessie, who portrays Eloise on Netflix's 'Bridgerton,' talked to Vulture about playing the character and what to expect with season three.

A lot of the women in the show are quite bare and like to show a lot of arms and chest. I would love Eloise to find a clear objective and focus on one thing. Penelope knows how much Eloise loves Lady Whistledown and how much she probably wanted to be her. She talked a lot about how amazing she is and how they should aspire to be just like her. I liked that I got to unsubscribe a little bit and be a bit clumsy. There’s a firmness to the cut and the style of her clothes. I think they should be able to exist and be free and do what they want to do. A lot of us have cried when we watch them perform to the music. She, and also Penelope in a way, are signs of what’s to come. What do you mean I have to do this? Eloise is that beautiful, fresh, young mind who quite rightly is thinking about her right to autonomy and freedom and not to be a property of a man and to want to earn her own money. She’s a sign of what was to come.

Before season two of Bridgerton even premiered, Netflix already renewed the wildly popular series for a third and fourth season.

"And now, as these beloved characters are entrusted to me, I cannot wait to lend my unique vision to the next two seasons. When it came time to pass the baton, I knew this unique voice was vital to the future of the show.” "I feel incredibly grateful to have partners as collaborative and creative as Netflix," Rhimes continued.

Where's the Duke? That's the question Bridgerton fans might be asking after tucking into the second season of the hit Netflix show, which debuted Friday. It's ...

It’s a different energy from that of the Duke—in place of Simon’s easy charm is Anthony’s cold, Mr. Darcy-esque posture, charming in its own way. And no: despite teasing from Page himself that there might be a cameo from the Duke in the second season, no such thing ever happens. Later in the episode, she has a private heart to heart with Anthony, imploring him to only pursue his relationship if it feels like true love.

Showrunner Chris Van Dusen with stars Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran speak to The Hollywood Reporter about the enemies-to-lovers storyline and being ...

“The chemistry that you see and feel between Jonathan and Simone as Anthony and Kate is just out of this world,” Van Dusen says. In a previous guest column for THR, Van Dusen shared that, from the get-go, he wanted to create a series that was intentionally inclusive, turning the period genre on its head and reimagining it. She made sure we were comfortable and confident, that we felt heard, that there was an easy window of communication.” “I think that’s because there’s just so much conflict to mine between Anthony and Kate, and they have this banter that is just so much fun to watch, and Jonathan and Simone are so good at it.” When Edwina is declared “the diamond” of the season, as Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) was in season one, Anthony knows whom he wants to marry — if only her sister approved of their union. Kate knows Anthony isn’t looking for love, and she wants better for the younger sister she’s looked after all of her life.

The penultimate episode of this season finds both the Bridgerton and Sharmas doing damage control in the wake of the failed wedding.

He sees her in the distance, amid the rain and mist. He mentions how his family’s on the brink of ruin and that they all hate him despite him living his life only for them, but all he thinks about is her. And then he pulls his head back, shakes it, and says to her, “You have to stop.” (ANTHONY FICTIONAL CHARACTER BRIDGERTON, I SWEAR TO GOD.) She responds, saying he’s the one who’s been spinning her world off-axis. Of course they argue, and as she’s about to walk away, he asks: “Can you ever just agree?” He says she’s been stubborn from the moment they met, and she comments how that must really bother a man who’s used to getting his way and ordering people around. Kate asks her sister if they should head home, and Edwina scoffs at the idea that Kate cares about what she’d like. She wishes she had shouldered the burden when her husband died, not Kate. Hearing how Kate sacrificed so much for her family stills Anthony, and he watches her from afar. He calls out to the youngest Bridgertons, Hyacinth and Gregory, to come downstairs and join the party. The next day, the two families venture to the museum together to help improve their public image and spin their story before the ball. The viscount scolds his brother about his familial duty, and Benedict immediately knows this is about Kate — he’s noticed how Anthony looks at her. Eloise explains her predicament with the queen, and Penelope’s horrified. Back at the Bridgerton home, Penelope finds Eloise in her room, surrounded by a pile of Lady Whistledown pamphlets she’s about to toss. Then Newton — sweet, precious Newton — scampers into the room and tries to jump up on Anthony (with nary a growl!). Kate ushers Newton away from Anthony, and they both get up, standing too close, essentially checking each other out.