Bridgerton is the kind of show you’d expect me to love. It has so much of what I enjoy: romance, beautiful dresses, Jane Austen-esque characters, and lots of diversity. However, I found myself quite underwhelmed after watching the first season of Bridgerton. I had to ask myself “is it me? Am I the drama?” Yes it is me and I am the drama, but I also believe I had valid reasons why I didn’t fall in love with Bridgerton Season 1. However, after seeing Bridgerton Season 2, I am slowly getting there.
Watching Bridgerton Season 2 made me enjoy the show a lot more. It also made me begin to see why it has such a massive fan base. I don’t think that suddenly I found myself really enjoying Bridgerton for no reason. Instead, I think the show just evolved beyond what Season 1 started and highlighted more of the things I found compelling. Here’s some of the ways Bridgerton Season 2 (in my opinion) was better than the first season.
Warning: Some minor Bridgerton Season 2 spoilers ahead. Proceed with caution.
A Strong Emphasis On The Family Dynamics
The Bridgerton family is the whole reason for the show’s existence, so their family dynamic is a very important element. Bridgerton Season 1 had the difficult task of establishing this world, introducing the characters, and making you want to tune in to future seasons. Therefore, you can’t necessarily blame it for not completely having things worked out at the start.
However, with all those things taken care of, such as character establishment, Bridgerton Season 2 was able to focus more on things like the importance of families in the show. The first season did this as well, but Season 2 did it better.
Bridgerton Season 2 had more entertaining and heartfelt moments between all members of the Bridgerton family. It also allowed other family relationships to shine as well, such as the Sharma family, and even the Featherington family had many moments that showed their dysfunction but love for each other.
Two of my favorite moments from the entire season were the Bridgertons playing Pall Mall and the Bridgerton ball when everyone freely danced together, especially the younger siblings who often aren’t allowed to attend balls. These were fun scenes that emphasize the hierarchy and personalities of each member of the clan, as well as helped to make them seem like a genuine family full of love and character.
The MaIn Romance Being Even More Swoon-Worthy
Bridgerton Season 1 had plenty of swoon-worthy moments. Simon, the Duke (Regé-Jean Page), and Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) were quite a steamy pair, with plenty of sexy moments and romantic ones. The scenes between Daphne and the Duke were some of the best parts of Bridgerton Season 1. Therefore, Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) had a tough act to follow.
In my opinion, they surpassed Simon and Daphne in being such a fascinating couple. I will say I am a tad bit biased because the hate-to-love trope has always been one of my favorites when it comes to romantic pairings. Daphne and Simon had some conflict, but they weren’t boiling with hatred for each other like Anthony and Kate.
The characters being torn between ripping each other’s clothes off or heads off gave viewers some great sexual tension. It also made viewers wait and wait for the final moment when they would officially get together. I am also a fan of slow-burn romances when done well, and Anthony and Kate’s semi-slow burn romance was done very well.
Better Character Development And Improved Characters
I’ll just say it, I was absolutely dreading having to watch Bridgerton Season 2 because I found Anthony extremely unlikable in Season 1. Thankfully the show’s writers decided to continue on the path that Julia Quinn set with her books by making Anthony the focus of Season 2.
This was the right decision because it allowed his character to develop so far beyond just being an angry brother who tried to control everyone’s life. Viewers got to understand him better, and for me, Bridgerton Season 2 actually made me really like the character. He may now be one of my favorite characters in Bridgerton.
Anthony wasn’t the only character to experience major character growth. Almost the entire Bridgerton Season 2 cast got some character development, and that helped fix some of the problems with them in the first season. Eloise (Claudia Jessie), for example, became a much more fun character to watch. Not only was she insightful in her complaints about the society in Bridgerton, but she also showed that despite her objections, she’s still a part of it and would do everything for her family, especially to help protect their reputation.
Interesting New Characters
The Bridgerton cast was already large but got larger in Season 2 and that was a great thing.
Speaking of Miss Eloise Bridgerton, she found herself spending a lot of time with a new character named Theo Sharpe (Calam Lynch). Of all the Bridgertons, I would have never guessed that Eloise would be the one to have the second-best romantic entanglement of Season 2. We don’t know that much about Theo yet but his presence was greatly needed to help start a new chapter for Eloise.
The new Mr. Featherington (Rupert Young) was also a really fun addition, especially as someone just as dubious as his cousin. He was an entertaining villain and partner for Portia Featherington (Polly Walker).
The Sharma family also added a lot to Bridgerton Season 2. Kate was the focal point but Edwina (Charithra Chandran) was also a compelling character. I can’t wait to see more of these characters in future Bridgerton seasons.
The Way It Laid The Groundwork For Future Seasons
Bridgerton has already been renewed through Season 4. That may have allowed the team behind the series to relax a little and plan for future seasons. Bridgerton did a lot to establish where the show could go beyond its current season.
If the series sticks to the order of Quinn’s books, then Eloise won’t be the focus until a potential Season 5, but the show is already taking her down an interesting path with the Season 2 developments. The show furthered Lady Whistledown (Nicola Coughlan)’s growing empire, helped showcase Colin (Luke Newton)’s business ambitions, and we see Benedict (Luke Thompson)’s artistic pursuits grow.
Bridgerton Season 2 started expanding this world, these characters, and further tweaking what makes it work. Season 1 set the layout for the TV show, but Bridgerton Season 2 really started to build this world and add needed layers.
Building On Season 1's Strengths
Bridgerton Season 1 had many strengths, such as the romance, the choice to make the cast ethnically and racially diverse, using instrumental versions of modern songs, the costumes, and boldness with sex scenes. The second season had all these things but just made them better.
Sex scenes were still there, just a little less of them, which made them more meaningful when they did happen and might have made the show a little easier to watch with family or a group. The costumes and music were even more joyful to see and hear. The romance gave us everything we could want, and the diversity of the cast just got stronger.
I hope Bridgerton Season 2 is just the start of how good the show will become. It may be a while before we see the Bridgertons again, but with at least two more seasons and a prequel/spin-off in the works, we’ll have plenty more romance and dramedy to come.
