The 5 Best And 5 Worst Things About Bridgerton Season 2

The biggest change "Bridgerton" Season 1 made to Julia Quinn's "The Duke and I" was to do with race. Most of the historical details of England's Regency era are kept consistent in the show, but rather than being dominated solely by rich white people, the ton of "Bridgerton" includes characters of all races and ethnic backgrounds. It was a welcome move given how poor representation has typically been in high-profile romance stories. However, there's been intense debate over how well the series actually handles its diversity.

While "Bridgerton" initially appears to take place in an alternate history, the appearance of King George III (who, as he's thought to have done in real life, appears to have a mental illness) midway through the first season grounds it in reality. Season 1 also establishes that racism and even slavery are part of the history of the "Bridgerton" world. There are allusions to how society shifted in the not-too-distant past, with people of color being granted titles and landholdings as a form of reparation. However, most characters act as if racial discrimination has never been a part of their world, leading to an awkward tension between the real history "Bridgerton" pulls from and the utopian fantasy it crafts as escapism.

Many hoped that "Bridgerton" Season 2 would add more nuance to that equation, especially since new characters Kate and Edwina Sharma come to England from India. The history between those two countries is fraught with colonialist violence, but that never comes up in the show. If anything, "Bridgerton" Season 2 dives even deeper into its fantasy world and farther away from the truth of the time. Of course, there's a distinct power in letting characters of color live free from their historical oppression — some viewers were moved to tears by Kate and Edwina's prominent roles. But, because of the bed "Bridgerton" has already made for itself, it's hard not to see this shift as its own form of whitewashing.

As compelling as Kate and Anthony's love story is, there are a few things about it that definitely could have been executed better. There's nothing wrong with a slower-burn romance or fewer love scenes, but "Bridgerton" Season 2 doesn't necessarily use its time in the right ways.

Because so many episodes are dedicated to Anthony's courtship of Edwina — a storyline that lasts longer in the Netflix series than it does in the novel — there isn't as much time to spend on Anthony's relationship with Kate. In Julia Quinn's book, the two are caught in a compromising position midway through the story, forcing them to marry in a similar manner to Simon and Daphne. Because that plotline was done so thoroughly in Season 1, it makes sense to change things up for Season 2. Unfortunately, the lack of urgency surrounding Kate and Anthony leads to a lot of repetition.

In essence, "Bridgerton" Season 2 has a few too many scenes of Kate and Anthony almost kissing and not enough scenes of them actually talking about each other. Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) repeatedly urges his brother to confide in him, providing an opportunity to add dimension to Anthony's attraction to Kate. However, that kind of confessional scene rarely comes up. "Bridgerton" Season 2 still ends in a satisfying manner, but it's hard not to feel that the way it gets there could have been smoother and more entertaining.

Though "Bridgerton" Season 2 succeeds with its Eloise arc, it falls short in its handling of her brother Benedict. In Season 1, the second eldest Bridgerton sibling is queer coded pretty explicitly, which didn't go unnoticed by fans. His storyline follows him as he journeys into London's art world and befriends a closeted gay artist who acts as a kind of mentor. Though Benedict's physical relationships in Season 1 are exclusively with women, there was a clear sense that he wasn't strictly straight. Because queer romance is less common in popular media, especially in period shows like "Bridgerton," the idea that Benedict might be bisexual was cause for some excitement.

It's incredibly disappointing, then, that Season 2 does nothing to further Benedict's exploration of his sexuality. He has a pretty solid arc in the season, which shows him struggling with self-doubt and imposter syndrome after being admitted to a prestigious art school for painting. He meets a woman named Tessa (Emily Barber) at the school and embarks on a casual sexual affair. Luke Thompson is endlessly charming in his performance as Benedict, and in a vacuum, the character's Season 2 story is pretty compelling. But because of how overwhelmingly straight the series has been so far, the apparent dismissal of Benedict's implied queerness is frustrating.

To be clear, a bisexual person is no less queer when they're in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex. But in a huge TV show like "Bridgerton," teases and subtle implications aren't adequate substitutes for explicit representation.

"Bridgerton" Season 2 is entertaining throughout, often immensely so, but there are times when the pacing feels a bit too slow. Kate and Anthony's love story is one of the primary offenders on that front, with a fair bit of repetitive writing and a few too many scenes where something almost happens between them, but doesn't. However, the season's romantic leads aren't the only ones diminished by pacing issues.

Because "Bridgerton" features so many characters, and because pretty much all of them have complex agendas, motivations, and desires, Season 2 has a lot of ground to cover in just eight episodes. For the most part, it balances the various plotlines well, but there are moments where things drag just a bit. It would have been nice to see more of Kate's relationship with her mother, a proper arc for Daphne, and some extra scenes for Edwina after her engagement breaks down. Because much of the core drama of Season 2 is back-loaded to the last few episodes, there's a lot of time to build things up and not a lot of time to give them proper payoffs.

Again, these pacing problems are minor for the most part, and it's safe to assume that a number of the storylines are being held back intentionally to keep plenty of material for future seasons. Still, it's difficult not to feel like "Bridgerton" Season 2 could have used its time a bit better.

Because almost all of the characters in "Bridgerton" are interesting in their own right, there's rarely a boring scene. Even when it's between two characters who've never spoken directly before, there's a good chance it'll be entertaining based simply on the merits of the writing and the performances. However, there are still rare moments when the sheer number of plotlines can feel like a weight on the show, spreading the focus too thin.

There's an argument that "Bridgerton" Season 2 values breadth over depth in terms of storytelling, even when it comes to the main protagonists. Kate and Anthony barely get any screen time after they finally get together. Edwina Sharma is largely pushed to the side in the last couple of episodes because of the need to ramp up the main love story, which means viewers don't really get to see her outside of the love triangle. For the characters already on the fringes of "Bridgerton" Season 2 — like gentleman's club owner Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe), modiste Genevieve Delacroix (Kathryn Drysdale), and the younger Bridgerton siblings — time in the spotlight is even harder to come by.

Of course, the eight-episode structure of a Netflix season doesn't allow for every supporting character to be developed in excruciating detail. It's only because those characters are all so compelling that the focus can sometimes feel disappointingly scattered.