BRIDGERTON SEASON 2 Diversity Review
🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘/5
**contains spoilers**
Dearest Reader,
Oftentimes we are forced to take what we can get. Often we must make do. As women, as people of color, as humans. There comes a time in everyone’s life when you realize some things are simply not meant for you. And the more “other” you are, the more often that time comes. So much of what we know as romance, whether that be on screen or in books, is filled with white cis heteronormative love. Though the queer community has made some great inroads with films such as Love Simon, Ammonite, Blue Is the Warmest Color, etc. and biracial romance has been making headlines with studios pushing for color blind casting, we still have a long way to go. Now before I say woe is me for us South Asian girls, I have to admit it’s not all bad because we do have Bollywood. You know that trillion dollar industry where you can get an action film, a musical, a romantic comedy, and a tear jerking drama all in one place? Yeah that. But at the same time, though we relate to that narrative in some ways, it doesn’t represent the fullness of our experience.
For us ABCDs (American Born Confused Desis), us first generation residents of brown town, those who live with one foot in one culture and the other foot in another, never quite fitting just right, Hollywood has never been our salvation. The few films that include South Asian characters limit us to the smart sidekick, the tech geek, the asexual asian. We’re your geek squad, but never truly the romantic interest. And if we are the romantic interest, that’s part of the farfetched comedy of the plot — like the nerd pulling the football captain. It seems lately the only one making inroads in this sphere is Mindy Kaling, and as much as I love her on principle, I never related to her experience or, to be more explicit, her relationship to whiteness. So, where does that leave us?
Most of my life I have walked a lonely road with one candle: Bend It Like Beckham. At the age of 11, Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ Joe became a stamp on my love map, and till this day that ending airport scene is still on my romantic bucket list. Now at the age of 30, romances have come and gone, but that DVD copy still sits on my bookshelf, ready to get me through a heartbreak or just remind me to not be such a cynic about love. It made me feel as seen as a preteen could while watching a romance that was definitely for an audience a bit older than her. It was my Sixteen Candles, my Dirty Dancing.
And though, on one hand, it’s a little depressing to think it’s taken literally 20 years, I’m happy to report lightning has finally struck twice in the same place courtesy of Bridgerton Season 2. Kate and Anthony are the Jasminder/Joe 2.0 that I didn’t know I needed but damn does it feel good that they’ve arrived.
When the promo photos first came out, I was immediately obsessed with our Tamil Queens Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran. I had a little countdown on my calendar to the premiere, and since it’s dropped I’ve watched it all the way through multiple times. Its my light when all my dark romance books get too…well dark.
Now, Shondaland, and particularly Rhimes and Chris Van Dusen, have consistently done well with black on screen representation, but Bridgerton Season 2 took it to a whole new level. You can tell off the cuff that they hired South Asian writers and historians to their team because the story is so authentic. For reference, in the book Kate and Edwina are white. This was a creative decision by Van Dusen, who says that this was the period piece he always wanted to see, and oh my gosh did it pay off. That haldi ceremony where the instrumental theme song from Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham is playing in the background, yup I fell in love. It was not only a beautiful moment that fit in so well with the overall aesthetic and themes of Bridgerton, but it was also so very Indian. It showed audiences that Indian culture doesn’t need to be exoticized — it can be beautiful, glamorous, elegant, and all these wonderful things that are often only relegated to whiteness, and still belong. It showed audiences that Kate and Edwina can straddle two worlds, and find balance between the two. It was a sequence that represented the fullness of what it can look like to be a brown girl in society that is decidedly not brown.
Another example of this was the moment in the final episode when Anthony says Kate’s full name — Kathani Sharma. How many period pieces have we seen where the declaration of love comes with the female protagonist’s full name? This was that and so much more because it showed that Anthony saw all parts of Kate — not just the side she presented to the town and the English high class. Kate is Indian and she talks often about how important her homeland is to her — it’s a part of how she drinks her tea, it’s woven into her fondest memories, it’s part of her wardrobe, and it’s an essential element of who she is. Anthony saw that and acknowledged the fullness of her identity when he proposed. For audiences who are first and second generation, straddling the line between our ethnicity and our country of residence, who often deal with the shame and insecurity that comes with people being unable to pronounce our names and become a way of othering, this was an incredibly affirming moment. Its importance cannot be understated.
Even the responsibility that links and separates them is so very Asian: duty. Duty is a core part of Asian culture. It’s the foundation of our families and communities. Duty, or Dharma, is also a cornerstone of Hinduism. Though we don’t hold copyright on it, this was just another reason why it felt fitting and natural that Kate be Indian. On the flip side, it was a nice touch that Kate was able to take her responsibility to her family seriously without it being her entire character. Often for Asian characters, duty is like if we could typecast motive— it’s the one thing that propels their entire character. But for Kate, she also has her deep love for her family and a desire to be independent and true to herself. She has her bravery, her love and her compassion. She was a complex person that understood Anthony because they were so similar in many ways, but ultimately because their values aligned.
What I found so interesting watching this season was that very idea — that two characters can be one and the same with the only real difference being their gender.
Bridgerton Season 2, at its core, is a study in how gender affects character.
Kate and Anthony are both people who lost their fathers at a young age, and were forced to take on the responsibility of their families. They put themselves last and feel an immense sense of pressure and responsibility for everyone’s happiness and security. They are happy to sacrifice themselves and have trouble accessing and understanding their feelings. Even their controlling tendencies and competitive natures mirror each other.
Yet, despite how similar they are, how society views them is very different. Though Lady Bridgerton wants Anthony to find a wife, she never entertains the idea that it’s too late for him at his age. On the other hand, at the mere age of 26, Kate is considered a spinster. While Anthony has respect and a place in society, Kate herself notes that there is no place for her and she is relegated to the edges. Eloise, wisely, retorts that this seems to be a fault of society and not women, but nevertheless Anthony does not face this obstacle.
Moreover, a theme for Anthony throughout the series is honor. Anthony feels conflicted because he wants to kiss Kate and dreads the day “the last thread of [his] honor finally snaps”. This is the same Anthony that was literally had sex with Siena Rosso, the opera singer, outside on a tree while his valet turned his back in Season 1. But, Kate is a lady so her honor and virtue live in her hymen apparently and must be respected/guarded. He’s so distraught the morning after he sleeps with Kate that he proposes out of fear of what will happen to her honor. But, Kate doesn’t need protection. What she wants is to be loved.
Kate, who took care of her mother and sister, who grieved the deaths of both her biological parents, who gave her all to her sister, is able to take this moment and stand up for what she believes in — true love. What’s wonderful about Kate is she has moments of traditional strength, but also moments of soft strength. She is witty, quick, and aggressive. At the same time, she is also the little girl who picked up the pieces of her family, and who was willing to stand aside to give her sister what she wanted. She is willing to accept when she’s wrong and apologize. She’s willing to be accountable and take the time to repair the harm she’s caused. Kate shows us that strength has many faces. It’s not simply the men who can carry immense burdens, but even young girls.
I would daresay that Kate carried the burden even better than Anthony. Lest we forget how Anthony almost had Daphne married to Baron Berbrooke, and that was after chasing all her suitors away. He did it out of a sense of responsibility, but really what he was doing was allowing Daphne’s life to be collateral damage to his growing pains. It seems fitting that Kate gives him hell this season. But, while Kate and Anthony are similar in this, Kate disliked Anthony because she didn’t think him capable of loving and respecting Edwina as a person, but only her as viscountess. To be fair, Anthony admitted as much. Kate’s goal was always for Edwina to find happiness, and her direction and instruction was to ensure that she was also sizing up her suitors, instead of just trying to prove herself to them. I don’t know if I can say that Daphne’s happiness was Anthony’s primary motivation, at least not in the effect his emotions had on his actions.
One of my favorite quotes in this season came from Lady Danbury. She says, “when passions cool and fate intervenes, what else is a woman left with but herself?” No one showed this to be true more than Edwina Sherma. The season’s diamond is shown as a kind, beautiful, soft, and naive soul. But when push came to shove, Edwina was the one that found the strength to stand up for what she wanted even when Anthony and Kate could not. She’s the one that inspired the Queen to save them, and found the strength to forgive Kate and accept the relationship. Edwina grew the most because, when faced with the truth, she met the moment. Eloise is similar in that way. Though she has many white feministy moments — where she sees women’s independence as the one thing that means liberation for her, but she cannot understand women needing or wanting something else — she has a great moment where she stands in solidarity. When she’s asked for a dance and her partner says he doesn’t know many girls who can even articulate a thought, Eloise has a choice: she can be swayed as special and one of a kind, she can be a “pick me”, or she can stand by the sisterhood. It’s no surprise which Eloise picks. She says it’s because women haven’t been offered the same opportunities and she is so right. I just wish she was kinder to the idea that women can be offered more opportunities and still choose to be a wife and mother, and that’s okay as well.
It’s clear to see why Bridgerton does so well in gender diversity. I mean hell, they even gave us a gender swap coming out of the pool moment with Anthony. But, the element that hits it out of the park is that Bridgerton not only has amazing female character, it has amazing female relationships. So often we see a badass heroine and she’s surrounded by men. Other times we see a complex woman and her main antagonist is another woman. This happens all the time in romance specifically — the other woman, the mate’s girlfriend, the sabotaging coworker, the cattiness, the female rival, the list goes on. But, not here.
Lady Danbury’s mentoring of Kate is one of my favorite aspects of the show. She not only pushes Kate, but also stands by her as best as she can. She sees herself in Kate, and instead of trying to control and shape Kate, she freely helps her the best way she knows how — even when they’re not aligned when it comes to Anthony. In a similar vein, Kate looks out for Edwina. She reminds her to also judge Anthony while he is judging her. It’s not just about whether he’s interested. Her opinions and feelings matter as well. Kate and Eloise, a match that seems so natural, also find a moment where they come together as two characters who have the most potential for understanding each other. Another dynamic duo is Penelope and Madame Delacroix. Not only do they keep each other’s secrets, but they help each other boost their businesses. When Penelope needs advice, Madame Delacroix does her best to stand by her side. She even protects her the best she can when Eloise comes around. In turn, Penelope drives business to Madame Delacroix. I loved seeing these two women, both smart and scrappy, find an unlikely friendship and camaraderie as business women trying to succeed in a patriarchal and harsh world.
On the flip side, Penelope is also the one to hold Eloise accountable. When Eloise discovers Penelope is Lady Whistledown, she’s understandably upset. But, when she insults Penelope, Penelope doesn’t take it lying down. She stands up for the fact that she did something, that she made something of herself. While Eloise is constantly talking about doing something, and is often blind to her privilege, Penelope became a writer Eloise, at one point, admired. She has influence and creates change. I loved this moment because quiet Penelope becomes the force we know as Whistledown, and Eloise has to come to terms with the idea that she doesn’t know everything and she doesn’t have everything figured out. How do two women, who were once on the same team, operate now that they are on opposite sides? Can a friendship recover from that conversation and that betrayal? It’s wonderful to explore these ideas in a female friendship, and I’m excited to see where they take it Season 3.
The character that surprised me the most in her solidarity was the Queen. Throughout the two seasons the Queen has been seen as powerful, desperate to keep that power, fickle, and petty. Yet, somehow she’s still charming. Her friendship with Lady Danbury is very humanizing, but even with that insight into who she is, it was her wrath I was most afraid of when Edwina fled the altar. It’s also a wrath I think we would have gotten if not for the King’s surprising and unintentional intervention. Ultimately, it’s Edwina’s kindness and grace that reminds the Queen of her humanity and her own love story. I loved the fact that she reclaimed her power and image, not by outing Lady Whistledown, but rather by standing by Edwina, the Sharmas and the Bridgertons. She found power in doing the right thing, by lifting people up, and by standing by a group of women who were all trying to do the right thing.
There’s power in that sentiment.
So, to no one’s surprise, I am giving Bridgerton Season 2 five elephants for its phenomenal racial and gender diversity and representation. Though there were no queer or ability elements in this bad boy, I didn’t think they needed it in this particular season. It’ll be interesting to see if the writers jump at the opportunity for the latter with Penelope and Colin taking up the fourth book. But that’s a story for another day and a review for another time.
I’ll close by saying this: Bridgerton’s release changed period pieces forever. No longer were they all white actors, with the only queerness being two lesbian women living in a small corner of the world heatedly, secretly finding romance. No. The creators, through their vision, decided to cast with color in mind, and they decided to blow the idea of what a period piece looks like out of the water. They then gave everyone else permission to do the same. That’s the thing about diversity — once you open people’s worldviews it’s hard to shrink them back. Bridgerton did just that, and in doing so, made Hollywood a place that’s a little more inclusive for us all.
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