*** Warning SPOILERS ***
The first season dthe Bridgerton she was undeniably and unmistakably sexy. The Regency Era drama, based on the novels of Julia Quinn, broke into Netflix in December 2020 and instantly became a sensation for the streaming platform. Created by Chris Van Dusen and produced by the teacher of television Shonda Rhimes, Bridgerton delicately balancing chaste British manners with the wild and often graphic depictions of the shared lust between the protagonists of the series Regé-Jean Page And Phoebe Dynevor. The first season of Bridgerton was the costume demonstration of the well-known maxim “a lady in the street, but a monster in the sheets”, but the second season of Bridgertonwhich arrives today on Netflix, has almost completely eliminated the sex it had defined the first season, to its detriment.
This, in part, was designed. Following the course of Quinn’s novels, the second season of Bridgerton did without Regé-Jean Page’s rude Duke of Hasting to focus on the love story between Lord Anthony Bridgerton of Jonathan Bailey and newcomer Kate Sharma from Simone Ashley. After initially flirting on horseback, Anthony and Kate’s relationship becomes biting and competitive. They exchange digs during polo matches and verbally quarrel while playing croquet, both vowing to find each other utterly revolting as they secretly pining for each other. Their relationship is not unlike that of Kate and Petruchio in Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew: an arrogant and too proud man and constantly at odds with an intelligent and stubborn young woman, also called Kate, who has sworn to give up men. Quinn acknowledged the similarities between her Kate and Shakespeare’s, telling Glamor that “a minor actress could have allowed Kate to turn into a caricature of her. Taming of the shrew “.
As such, it takes a while for their relationship to blossom. It doesn’t help that Kate has a seemingly perfect younger sister, Edwina (Charithra Chandran), which is the object of all eyes and has multiple suitors – just like Kate’s sister in Shakespeare’s play. But Bridgerton departs from Shakespeare’s narrative by making Anthony Betrothed to Edwina and not Kate. While this creates a very real obstacle that keeps Anthony and Kate’s passion for each other at bay, it also destroys any opportunity for the lovebirds to physically engage. And as a result, the full three-minute sex scenes from Season 1 are now exchanged with hushed whispers in the gardens. The cunninglingus on the stairs has been replaced by almost kisses in libraries. Everything is forbidden in the educated Regency society.
A Bridgerton without sex goes against the tide of the current television landscape, which seems to tend in the opposite direction. Programs like Euphoria of HBO, Pam and Tommy of Hulu, e Minx of HBO Max have staked a lot on fragrant displays of eroticism. The first season by Bridgerton it fit more exactly into this narrative, with Bustle who had come to categorize the show’s sex scenes based on how much of Page’s butt we could see at any one time. But it would be difficult to compile a similar list for Bailey’s buttocks in Season 2, as Anthony spends most of his time mulling over family affairs.
Eventually, Anthony and Kate consume their love outside, under a pergola, in a scene straight out of a romance novel. But after seven episodes of waiting, the moment doesn’t seem quite convincing. Delayed satisfaction can be sexy, but if you wait too long, you are in the dangerous territory of losing interest. We can only watch Anthony and Kate ignore their true feelings for each other for so long, repeat the same conversation about choosing “family duty” and “honor” over their affection for each other. the other, before desperately wanting to shout “go ahead” to our television screens or just move on to something else.
The magic of the first season of Bridgerton it was in her dexterity to balance the outward prudence of the Regency era with her soft underbelly. At the end of the second season finale, the show seems to realize that the balance is gone; inserts a scene of Anthony and Kate, just married, kissing on beautiful white sheets. When the bride and groom come down to greet the family members who are waiting for them, they make jokes about their delay, and even consider going back upstairs to pick up where they left off. Looking at these scenes, one cannot help but imagine the producers of Bridgerton who try to cram as much fun as possible into the final moments of the season, realizing that perhaps they have leaned too long on the dynamics of Taming of the shrew by Anthony and Kate.
Sure, shooting Season 2 during the covid made it more difficult to film intimate scenes, with most of the actors and crew having to stay two meters away. But by design, this season has always been more about sensuality than sex. While some may appreciate the purity and prudence of the second season, many will find that Bridgerton it does not raise the temperature to the end. And unfortunately, this pays off Bridgerton 2 rather boring which, as Lady Whistledown will tell you, is the greatest sin of all.
Source: Vanity Fair
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