With the second round of balls and soirees, “Bridgerton” returns to tell another love story with the Viscount at the center this time. Anthony Bridgerton, the eldest son, hopes to find a match during the season this year. He has a clear list of what he wants in his wife, and love is not a part of that equation. Along with Anthony’s quest for a perfect match, we also find the characters questioning who Lady Whistledown is once again. She stopped publishing for months, but as the season approached, Lady Whistledown was back with the gossip and scandals, infuriating many, particularly the Queen.
Apart from the mystery, “Bridgerton” Season 2 also witnesses a new Featherington in the house, the man who returns to apparently save the family from the immense debt left by Mr. Featherington. The second season gets a little Indianized this time with the “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gum” audio track playing in the background, all thanks to the two new Indian sisters, Miss Edwina Sharma, one of the most promising debutants this season, and Miss Kate Sharma, the elder, and protective sister.
See More: ‘Bridgerton’ Season 1: Recap – Things To Remember Before Watching Season 2
‘Bridgerton’ Season 2: Recap Summary – What Is The New Season All About?
Anthony Bridgerton is in search of the perfect Viscountess. According to him, marriage is a part of his duty to the family. The wife would bear him children and look after his family, and a little intellect would satisfy him as well. The death of his father, Edmund Bridgerton, affected him greatly, and it was from that day itself that he took the responsibility of the family. He learned one thing from his father’s demise: when one loses the person they love the most, it hurts greatly, and therefore, he always maintained a distance from people, even his family. He did not wish to hurt his loved ones if any danger fell on him, which is why he hoped to not fall in love with anyone. As Anthony looked for the right match, Eloise was terrified of debuting this season. She would rather prefer to read books all day long than wear a gown and share pleasantries.
Mrs. Bridgerton believed Eloise was of the age to get married and was hopeful that she would find a partner this season. Eloise sought comfort in Penelope, who struggled to keep her secret hidden from her best friend. At first, as Lady Whistledown, she felt a kind of power she had never felt before, but at the same time, she had too many enemies to deal with. With her gossip column, she tried to impress Eloise, who was slowly losing her interest in Whistledown due to a lack of a new perspective. Lady Whistledown, with her words, pressured the Queen to announce the season’s Diamond—the woman chosen as the best by the Queen herself. A wrong choice by the Queen would put her reputation in question, and the Queen was well aware of it. She chose Miss Edwina Sharma as the season’s Diamond, trusting the words of Lady Danbury, who vouched for the young girl.
The Sharma family had returned from India and was hosted by Lady Danbury. Lady Mary, the mother of the Sharma sisters, sought help from her friend, Lady Danbury, for her daughter to participate in the season. Miss Edwina Sharma was a sweet young girl who trusted her sister Kate to help her make the right decision. Kate was immensely protective of her sister and wanted the best for her. She hoped for nothing less than a love match for Edwina. When chosen as the Diamond of the season, Anthony Bridgerton was quick to ask her for a dance. The two made the perfect pair, according to the many who watched them dance, but not Kate Sharma. Kate had met Anthony right after she came to England and took her horse out for a run. She had later heard Anthony share his idea of a perfect partner with his male friends, and it was from then that she had set her mind against him. She knew he was not searching for love, and marriage without love is not what she wanted for her sister.
Anthony tried many means to get closer to Edwina by keeping Kate aside, but it wasn’t an easy job. Even though Kate hated Anthony for her sister, there was a spark between them. At Aubrey Hall, they bonded over sports and often found themselves getting close to each other. They were similar in that they were adamant, sharp with words, and respectful of their duties towards their families. Their attraction was inevitable, but they were both hellbent on their duties. After realizing her affection, Kate tried to make Edwina understand that there might be other suitable matches for her, but she wanted to marry Anthony and no one else.
Anthony agreed to marry Edwina, knowing that love would only cause great harm. As the two were about to get married, Anthony and Kate could not stop looking at each other, and when her bangle fell on the ground, he was quick to help her instead of repeating his wedding vows. Edwina noticed this a second before exchanging vows and ran away. She felt betrayed and hurt by the people she loved and trusted the most. She felt terrible that her sister never considered her as an individual who could accept the truth. Even after the marriage was called off, Kate and Anthony did not wish to add another scandal to the gossip column and decided to part ways. But in the end, love triumphed over the shame of a scandal, and their union brought the happily ever after ending they deserved.
Major Spoilers Ahead
Was Lady Whistledown’s Identity Revealed?
While most people are yet to find out who Lady Whistledown is, an important person in her life did unveil the truth. With constant remarks about the Queen and her decisions, the gossipmonger became the thorn that the Queen wanted to remove at once. She employed her guards to observe those who tried to get information from Miss Edwina Sharma. The palace guards were watchful and even spread rumors just to verify who the author was. On Anthony Bridgerton and Edwina Sharma’s wedding day, a guard noticed something unusual. He watched Eloise leave her brother’s wedding and go to a printer’s shop in Bloomsbury. This confirmed his doubt, and the news reached the Queen immediately. She reached the doorstep of the Bridgerton in her carriage, and Eloise had to directly face the Queen. She was taken by shock when the Queen accused her of being Lady Whistledown. The Queen wanted her to be her ally. If she refused, her family would have to pay the price. Eloise panicked. She either had to pretend to be the gossipmonger or have her family face the consequences. She decided to choose the former.
Penelope wanted to save Eloise, but she knew that the Queen might not believe the truth. Therefore, she wrote about Eloise’s secret to confirm that Eloise was not the author. Eloise met Thorne Sharpe at the printer’s shop. He authored a radical column, and she shared a similar point of view. They bonded over books and a similar worldview. Eloise was attracted to him, and he, too, felt the same way. When Lady Whistledown wrote about their friendship, she had to create a distance to keep him safe from speculation.
It was only at the Featherington Ball that Eloise noticed how Penelope shared gossip just like Lady Whistledown. To confirm her doubt, she searched her room and found the cash she earned from her business. When Penelope entered the room, she confronted her, and even though she tried to deny the allegation at first, she finally had to admit it. Eloise blamed her for ruining her friendship with Sharpe and the harm she caused in people’s lives. From the safety of her room, she wrote about scandals that destroyed lives and families. Penelope tried to share her end of the story, but it was too late. Though she continued to believe that she at least did something, she contributed in some way, unlike Eloise, who had many ideas but had not yet made an impact. Shunned by her best friend and her crush, Colin, she picked up the pen again, her only constant.
Who Was The Sharma Family? And, What Arrangement Did Kate Make With The Sheffields?
Lady Mary fell in love with an Indian clerk while living in England. Their relationship was not accepted by her family, the Sheffield family. Upon expressing her desire to marry him, her family outcast her, and she went to live in India with him. Her husband had a daughter, Kate, with his previous wife, and Lady Mary accepted her as her own. Upon his death, Kate took responsibility for the family and tried every way and means to provide them with a comfortable life. It was her way of confirming her place in the family after losing her father. She wanted to do whatever it took to keep her mother and sister happy.
When she noticed they were running out of money, she contacted the Sheffield family to secure a future for Edwina and her mother. The deal was that Edwina had to marry a wealthy white man, and she would be accepted into the family, and with that, she would receive her fund money. Kate made this arrangement, but her family was unaware of it. When the Sheffields came to dinner at Lady Danbury’s house, the truth came forward. She tried to explain that she did it all for her sister’s dowry and her family’s safe future. But it was a huge mistake considering how the Sheffields continued to despise their daughter for marrying outside of their social circle and spewed hateful comments regarding Kate’s parentage.
Upon learning the truth, Anthony decided to cancel the wedding not because he cared about the dowry but because he found that to be a good reason for society to accept the cancellation. He knew he felt for Kate and this could save him from making the mistake of marrying her sister. But when Edwina expressed how much she wanted to marry the Viscount, Kate asked him to reconsider the wedding, and he did so.
‘Bridgerton’ Season 2: Ending Explained
What is an epic love story, if not one with endless difficulty and suffering? Anthony and Kate loved each other, but they somehow found endless reasons to part ways at any given instance, only to grab each other’s hands secretly a few moments later! After the awful wedding that left the Bridgertons and Sharmas outcast by the town, Anthony and Kate tried to stay far away from another scandal. Their affair was known only by their family members, who advised them to stay apart in social gatherings to not raise an eyebrow. Kate was adamant about leaving for India soon, as she blamed herself for ruining her sister’s marriage prospect. She did not wish to be the center of attention and wanted her sister to thrive. She hoped to be a governess in India and to never marry. She was considered an older maid in the marriage market, as Lady Danbury had mentioned, and she did not wish to settle for whatever little options she had.
After the Bridgerton ball, which was not attended by anyone other than themselves, Anthony met Kate outside in the garden, where they both sought respite from all the drama. While they felt building tension whenever they were together, Anthony verbally reminded himself that he was a gentleman after all, and he must not do anything that would dishonor a woman. But this time, it became too much to resist; the two could not stop themselves from getting carried away in passion. The night was spent making passionate love, only to wake up in the morning to find that Kate had left. Anthony realized the mistake he had made, and he was ready with the ring to propose her hand for marriage, but he was informed that Kate had left with her horse. He followed her and watched her horse stumble and fall on the ground. Anthony rushed her to the house, and she took a week to recover. After her recovery, Anthony proposed to her, but Kate rejected him because she felt that he was doing it out of duty and not out of love.
It was only after Edwina asked her sister to be true to her feelings that Kate dared to dance with Anthony at the Featherington Ball before she left for India. Everyone around them whispered about the pair and the scandal, but the Queen approved this love story. They danced to their hearts’ content, and when everyone went to the garden to witness the fireworks, Anthony finally expressed his love for her, and she reciprocated. They agreed to marry, and their love story was a success.
“Bridgerton” season 2 started to feel like a stretch after the third or fourth episode itself. The series felt like a loop in which Anthony and Kate took heavy breaths whenever they came nearby. What could be derived from the trailer is told through an excruciating eight-episode-long series! Also, on a personal note, there seemed to be a particular injustice with the Eloise character. A rebel and a feminist, she is simply reduced to bait for the usual love trap.
Will There Be A Season 3?
All hopes are not lost for Edwina as both Lady Danbury, and the Queen took her under their wing; she will be back in ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3, it seems, and there is also a prospect with the Prince of Prussia whom we witnessed in Season 1. Season 3 might have Eloise in the lead, and we love her rebellious heart, but will the story be the same as “To Sir Phillip, With Love” by Julia Quinn? We will have to wait to find out. Lady Whistledown and her mystery will continue, though we fear how hateful she might get considering how she is constantly cornered by society. Nonetheless, the only wish is for this story to not become a drag with a very repetitive approach and storyline.
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