Dear Reader,

The second season of Bridgerton has finally arrived! Lady Whistledown is back, along with our favorite cast of characters from last season. Well, not really. Season one told the story of Daphne and Simon, the young lovers whose story captivated us mid-quarantine. They were so perfect, and all other characters took a backseat. Everyone had lives, yes, and stories, but they were so minor compared to those of the leading couple. This season has that turned on its head. Simon does not appear, and while Daphne does, she makes brief appearances in but a few episodes. We still have a leading love––Kate and Anthony––but Bridgerton showcases so many other storylines, now containing not just romance, but friendship and motherhood. Minor players last season have become equal with the leading characters from the most important storylines this season. This is a nice change, and yet it doesn’t feel right. While screen time is somewhat equal, Kate and Anthony have more depth and character development than anyone else. Eloise is still smart and rebellious, Penelope still naive and in love but kind (though now she’s smarter, which is something), Colin still handsome but naive, and Benedict––I don’t understand his storylines, or what he is, or what the show is doing with him. I’m happy with Kate and Anthony, but the show taking minor characters from season 1 and putting them into the spotlight while keeping them as shallow as they were last season is annoying. 

The best thing about this show is that it knows exactly what it is. It’s dramatic, the characters are unrealistic, and the show knows that and it uses that perfectly. All Shondaland shows have this quality of sheer drama, and that’s all they are. The stupidest things are occuring, the characters are taking everything so seriously, and still it would never happen, even in 1800. But the show knows that, and the show plays with that, and the show is so good because you can just watch the show and forget about all of your problems and watch these fictional people with their fictional problems. So, do I recommend it? If you’ve seen and enjoyed other Shondaland shows, or any show that has that same kind of fictional people with fictional problems thing going on, you’d love this show. If not, this is not for you. However, either way, if you do watch it, I hope you don’t really think about it and just lie back, relax, and enjoy the show, because it’s so, so good to absorb this drama.