The Ton is back, new and improved. Bridgerton Season 2 brings back memories of Season 1, where we travel back to Victorian-era England, and the magnificence of the world at that time. The color palette is just as vibrant (yay!), and the series keeps a lot of the trademarks that Season 1 was come to be known for. However, that doesn’t stop Shondaland from making its own unique spin on the story, and ushering in a new era for the Bridgerton family.
The directing in Bridgerton is top-notch, and fits with the tone of the season. A lot of landscape shots, but that’s for later. The acting is resemblant of Season 1, the overall mood is the same. The only issue I have, really, is that the writing sags a bit in episodes 5-7. They’re more filler-type episodes than actually meaningful. There are meaningful moments (again, no spoilers) by the way, but not enough to warrant an episode.
The Bad
Per usual, let’s get the bad news over with first. The writing’s great and all for Episodes 1-4 and 8, but through 5-7, nothing really goes on. Those episodes seem like a filler for the rest of the season, and I grew bored while screening those episodes. I’m quite disappointed that I have to say those words, because I enjoy the show so, so much. I really hope these issues can be rectified in Season 3, and return to what Season 1’s writing resembled.
I expected a LOT of vibrant colors in Bridgerton Season 2, like Season 1. Ultimately, disappointed. In the first season’s marketing, there were so many pinks and greens in the series, but in this new season, it’s a more muted color palette, which isn’t good, in my opinion. One of the things that stood out about Bridgerton was that you could always count on the shiniest version of whatever color was on display. Now, it doesn’t have that.
The choreography was just a little bit off for the season. In Bridgerton Season 1, everything was tuned to absolute perfection, with everything from a large dance to a small move being constantly worked on and perfected. I hate to say this, but in Season 2, it felt like the cast/crew got overzealous in the wake of so many people loving the first. A lot just got sloppy, unfortunately.
The Good
Great, now that that’s over, let’s get back to me fawning over everything else. Damn, the acting was good. I mean, Adoja Andoh as Lady Danbury, WHAT? It was over-the-top amazing in Victorian-era greatness. Jonathan Bailey was quite intriguing as Anthony Bridgerton, and Simone Ashley captivating as Kate Sharma. However, my personal favorite was Charithra Chandran as Edwina Sharma, her poise and skill will sweep you right off your feet.
The costume design in Bridgerton should win Emmys, I’m not even debating it. Like, the extravagance and portrayal of the Victorian era is so accurate and overblown that it’s not even funny. If done any other way, it would be hilarious, but somehow, the designers have made it so the cast can continue the story well without being impeded by the stunning costumes.
The directing wasn’t particularly impactful or stunning for me, but it did have its moments. In Bridgerton‘s first season, there were quite a few amazing landscape shots of England or the countryside, which I thought was beautiful. Although with a more muted palette, I’m glad to see that the filmmakers have stuck to their guns and kept with that precedent, because whenever you’ll see a screengrab from the show, it’ll likely be a landscape.
Everything Else
I mean, the cinematography’s great. A lot of people don’t pay attention to it, unfortunately. It’s a shame, because it’s such a crucial part of the entire production process. Phillip Blaubach and Jeffrey Jur are masterful in their creation and shot selections. The craft for something as minor as the location of the camera when 2 people are speaking…..wow. I’m amazed.
Just going to finish off strong, with awards season. The Emmys are in September, and this series is eligible for nominations. Will it win? Costume design almost for sure, in my opinion. Bridgerton has a strong chance in a lot more of the technical awards, but due to the sagging story in 5-7, I don’t see how it could win. That doesn’t mean that the show won’t be nominated for Best Drama Series (it likely will), but I don’t think it’ll win.
Bridgerton Season 2 was good, not great. It set the building blocks for Season 3 to catapult off it, but was ultimately unable to fully satisfy me, and likely other viewers. Hopefully, future seasons (3 and 4 are already in the works) can improve off Season 2’s faults, and capitalize on Season 1’s strengths. The new season arrives on Netflix on March 25, 2022, and while not the best, you won’t want to miss it.
Overall Grade: A