‘Bridgerton’ Season 2 Gets Off on Being Withholding: TV Review
20.03.2022 - 10:07
/ variety.com
Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticIt takes six episodes for the characters of “Bridgerton” Season 2 to acknowledge the obvious. Ever since they first laid eyes on each other, Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and formidable newcomer Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley of “Sex Education”) have shared such overwhelming sexual tension that most everyone in the same room can feel its vibrations of longing.
At first glance, that might put them in the same company as Anthony’s younger sister Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and his dashing friend Simon (Regé-Jean Page), whose scintillating romance drove the first season of Netflix’s breakout hit. The difference this season, however, is that both Anthony and Kate are so completely committed to sacrificing everything for their families that they refuse to admit what they themselves actually want until it’s almost too late.
Forbidden love — even that which is self-inflicted — is nothing new for a costume drama, or indeed Julia Quinn’s romance novel series from which this show takes its inspiration. What is new for Chris Van Dusen’s “Bridgerton,” however, is how long and relatively chaste this version of the trope ends up being.
There have been plenty of Regency-era dramas that run on longing; by virtue of its romance novel origins, “Bridgerton” had the added advantage of throwing rather explicit sex into the equation. So while Season 2 does some smart character work to explain exactly why both Anthony and Kate so stubbornly keep their blinders on, it also gives in to their determination to stay as far apart as possible for a surprisingly long time.
Does that make the season less worthwhile, or less immediately special? Well…yes and no. But for plenty of eager “Bridgerton” viewers, at least, this
.
The website popstar.one is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can
send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.