A satisfying, smoldering slow burn

Bridgerton Season 1 was just foreplay.

Chris Van Dusen’s Regency-era romance series based on the novels by Julia Quinn returns to Netflix March 25 with a sophomore season that all but drives its predecessor from memory.

The talk of the town in Season 2 is that Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) intends to find a wife, though his plan is to marry not for love, but for practicality. He sets his sights on Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran), who is everything a young lady of London society should be. But none shall have her hand without winning overprotective older sister Kate (Simone Ashley), whose disdain for Anthony turns imperceptibly and most inconveniently into a burning forbidden love. 

Elsewhere, the Featherington family lives day to day with the secret of their financial ruin, and the quest to unmask Lady Whistledown yields new leads for the queen (Golda Rosheuvel) and a detour for Eloise (Claudia Jessie) that takes her even further from life as a debutante. All of this comes in the decorous Bridgerton packaging, in Georgian finery and string quartet pop covers and walks along the promenade. Everything is warm and vibrant, sun-kissed by colorists and wardrobe designers and lustrous lens flare deployed freely.

Penelope’s (Nicola Coughlan) secrets are catching up with her in “Bridgerton” Season 2.
Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Ashley and Chandran (and Shelley Conn as their mother) bear a heavy burden as both leads and newcomers, and much like their characters, they dazzle. Ashley embodies Kate’s steely elegance (often resplendent in teal), while Chandran — only a year younger in real life — plays the younger Sharma with a convincing and never cloying blend of sparkling optimism and regal disposition. The hair, makeup, and costume departments pull out all the stops for the Sharmas, from Kate’s gasp-worthy braid the first time she meets Anthony to Indian jewelry sets that beautifully complement their colorful Regency gowns.

Since you are clearly dying to know, dear reader, here’s the answer: Bridgerton Season 2 has barely any sex, but do not make the mistake of dismissing the joys of this season. What it has instead is heaping, smoldering helpings of sexual tension, with Ashley and Bailey setting rooms on fire with just a look. Their chemistry is nothing short of explosive, communicated through intense stares, brushing hands, and distressed, heavy breathing. Worry not: It is horny as hell. 

Worry not: It is horny as hell. 

The only way for these two to not ruin their entire lives is by staying away from each other, which they are completely incapable of doing. They frequently end up alone outside, secluded in rooms, or in one case horizontal in the mud — left at the mercy of their maddening desire and breathing helplessly into each other’s mouths. It’s their favorite thing to do!

Season 2 also tackles its central relationship with more maturity and nuance — not least because the titular protagonist this time has more experience than his younger sister did in Season 1. We gain insight into Anthony’s inner demons, the pressure he feels from himself and others to live up to the expectations of a viscount when his late father’s memory lingers with loss and trauma. Kate has her own reasons for seeking a match for Edwina, and for rebuffing potential suitors while she ignores her attraction to Anthony. Conflicts are addressed reasonably and without growing stale, sustaining the stakes throughout eight episodes.

If you light a match between those chairs the whole house will literally explode.
Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

That isn’t to say that Bridgerton Season 2 is by any means perfect. Early episodes fixate too much on blustering about who will be the season’s “diamond,” a fleeting comment the queen made to Daphne in Season 1 which everyone now treats as gospel. One can only assume this is directly related to the verve with which Julie Andrews’ Whistledown voiceover says “diamond,” a treat every time. Those voiceovers now function more as an omniscient narrator than text from actual Whistledown Papers, but that doesn’t make them any less delectable. 

The viscount’s tangled web of desire overshadows everything else we’re supposed to care about, like Benedict (Luke Thompson) and his allegedly heterosexual painting career, Colin’s (Luke Newton) lingering feelings for Marina (Ruby Barker), Will Mondrich’s (Martins Imhangbe) new business, and whatever is going on with the king (which comes up for one scene and serves no purpose). These stories might have been better served in a later season. As is, they feel like a distant afterthought, shoehorned into an otherwise mesmerizing romance. Like Season 1, the episodes lose momentum in the middle stretch, repeating the same beats in order to fill eight hour-long installments.

But with Anthony and Kate — and Bailey and Ashley — Bridgerton Season 2 strikes gold. Even the blockbuster debut season couldn’t come close. Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon (Regé-Jean Page) gave us frequent sex scenes between two attractive actors, but the first season never realized what this season does: The true meaning of sexy. Hiring an Indian actor as Kate gives the taut relationship the feel of a Bollywood romance, where characters frequently flirt, fantasize, and declare themselves, but never share so much as a kiss. There are viewers who will not understand, and that is their loss. But for those who do, this author promises an unforgettable courtship that will not soon be surpassed.

Bridgerton Season 2 premieres Friday on Netflix.