Bridgerton Season 2 is coming next month! The long wait, the speculation, the worries, that will be soon be in the rearview mirror and we will be able to discuss actual content. But before we get to that, we have to set our baseline. Because we have high expectations for Season 2.
And by we, I, of course, mean me and both the large part of this great fandom that read the books and has been in love with Kathony for ages, and people who are just excited for an enemies-to-lovers done correctly. But, as it always is, those of us who come into it with both knowledge and love for the source material carry a lot of expectations, and often, a lot of apprehension.
So, without further ado, here are seven things we want from Bridgerton Season 2:
KATE SHARMA TO EMBODY THE SPIRIT OF KATE SHEFFIELD
We are super excited for Kate Sharma, and truly celebrate the show’s push for diversity not just by casting Simone Ashley to play the leading lady of Season 2 — but also making sure she isn’t just a WOC playing a white character, with the experiences of a white person. Bridgerton Season 1 was a strange mix of escapism with some casual and unexplainable racial undertones, but Simon being Black was still a huge deal and we truly hope Simone — and Kate, can become as beloved as the Duke.
And the easiest way to get there, for book fans, might just be to make sure Kate Sharma embodies the spirit of Kate Sheffield. Not her lived-in experiences, but the feisty, sure-of-herself yet surprisingly vulnerable, take-charge personality that made us fall in love with her. We love that already, imagine how much more we can love her while Simone Ashley brings her to life as Kate Sharma.
ANTHONY’S BACKSTORY
Anthony Bridgerton is an interesting romance novel hero, because so much of his backstory, so much of what makes him Anthony, is tied to his family, and the tragedy that marker their life and his …the loss of his father. And as someone who lost her father, and who always found comfort and even a tiny bit of catharsis in Anthony’s journey of grief, I absolutely need to see that.
Because loss, and how we handle it, is a part of life. And the show would do a disservice to Anthony, and all of us who have lost a parent, if it wasn’t willing to show us this part of the story, warts and all. We don’t love Anthony in spire of it, but because of it.
FULL, UNEQUIVOCAL CONSENT
This probably doesn’t need much of an explanation, but after the controversy surrounding Season 1 — a controversy that has existed for as long as the book itself has existed, as the storyline depicted in the show wasn’t just present in the book, it was even more problematic — Season 2 needs to show us not just consent, but unequivocal, enthusiastic consent.
Kate and Anthony deserve it, and so do viewers.
THE SHARMA FAMILY
Yes, the show is called Bridgerton. And yes, we love the Bridgerton family a whole lot. But in Season 2, we also need to see the Sharma family take center stage. We need to see Mary with her daughters, and we also need to see the relationship between Kate and Edwina, as their relationship is really the foundation for the love story between Anthony and Kate.
This is especially important considering that the Sharma family isn’t and shouldn’t be treated like the Sheffield family. We want to see diversity, yes, but we also want to feel it.
THE BRIDGERTON FAMILY
But we also really do need to see the Bridgerton family being, well, them. It lines up with the backstory we need for Anthony, too. We want to see them after Edmund’s death, and how they grew to be the unit they are now. But we also want to see them in the present, spending time together, having fun and yes, making fun of each other.
And may that include Francesca? Pretty please.
SETUP FOR BENEDICT’S LOVE STORY
We’re getting a ball to end Season 2, just like we did with Season 1. Would it be too much to ask for that to be a masquerade and for a certain heroine to show up to set up Benedict’s season? This is Kate’s season, and that’s exactly what it should be, but just we wouldn’t say not to a tiny glimpse, or a mention.
If not, we at least need Benedict storyline to be leading him to where An Offer from a Gentleman requires him to be. Just like Season 1 took the time to develop Anthony and build him up for his season, so does Season 2 need to do with Benedict.
KATHONY, KATHONY, KATHONY
But in the end, we’re here for Kate and Anthony, first and foremost. We’re here for their love story, for one of the best-realized enemies-to-lovers in fiction. We’re here for two people who felt a spark from the first instant, but who didn’t come together just because of that, no. Two people who learned to trust each other, then confide in each other and in the end, found in each other the strength to be vulnerable, and to admit their feelings.
They didn’t choose to fall in love, no, but they still chose each other. And that’s precisely the Kathony we want. The one with the spark, the banter, and yes, the clear cut decision to put their love over their pain and over their fears. Now that’s a love story for the ages.
Are you excited for Bridgerton Season 2? Share with us in the comments below!
Bridgerton Season 2 will premiere on Netflix March 25th.
