Where were you when you found out Regé-Jean Page wasn’t returning to Bridgerton for season 2? Like many fans of the period drama, I was working from home, looking forward to making the most of the eased lockdown restrictions that evening when Netflix slapped us across the face with the news. While I initially hoped this was some kind of sick April Fools Day joke delayed by a day, I – along with the five friends I could now sit socially-distanced in a garden with – eventually accepted the fact that The Duke would not be appearing in the show’s highly-anticipated second season before turning to the bigger issue at hand: will Bridgerton still work without its breakout star?

Page was definitely one of the biggest highlights of Bridgerton’s first season, which some critics labelled as soapy, hollow and filled to the brim with Austenian clichés, so I’d be surprised if Shonda Rhimes hadn’t broken out in a light sweat when the heart-throb and 007 candidate handed in his resignation. However, after watching the first six episodes made available to me, I can confirm that Bridgerton not only works without the Duke of Hastings but it thrives – and that’s purely down to the arrival of Kate Sharma (played by Simone Ashley) and her electric chemistry with eldest Bridgerton brother Anthony (Jonathan Bailey).

Season 2 opens on a familiar sight, with the Bridgerton family preparing for first day of the debutante season but this time, the happily-married Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) is the one waiting for her younger sister Eloise (Claudia Jessie), who is entering (or rather being dragged, kicking and screaming, into) society. Meanwhile, Anthony has decided it’s time to find a wife but has resigned himself to never finding love after being rejected by his season 1 lover Siena (Sabrina Bartlett).

Returning to the Ton is a delight in itself and as soon as a horse and carriage trots into shot, you realise how much you missed the Regency era buildings, the literally breath-taking corsets, the formality of the balls and the orchestral covers of chart-topping hits that shouldn’t sound as good as they do. I even felt a pang of 2020 nostalgia for the show’s awkwardly animated, screensaver-esque opening credits.

But it’s the dynamic between the thorny “spinster” Kate Sharma – the Indian-born daughter of a former Ton member, determined to find her younger sister Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran) a husband – and the arrogant, somewhat superficial Anthony that will get you hooked once again on this saucy 19th century series. Those who mistakenly watched the first season with their parents will be pleased to hear there are fewer racy sex scenes and from what I’ve seen, the staircases Simon and Daphne didn’t get to last time around remain unsullied, but if you love a bit of slow-burn sexual tension, then you’re in for a real treat.

Of all the romcom tropes, my favourite has to be the enemies-to-lovers storyline. From 10 Things I Hate About You to Much Ado About Nothing, there is nothing more satisfying when irrational hatred between two characters turns into unadulterated passion – and as for Kate and Anthony, they are delivering major Benedick and Beatrice vibes.

Netflix

After meeting accidentally whilst both riding in the woods, the pair bump into each other at the first ball of the season, at which Anthony takes an interest in Kate’s accomplished sister Edwina – however, after over-hearing Anthony speak cynically about love and emotionlessly about marriage, she makes it her mission to get in the way of their potential relationship. Of course, there are many moments where fingers accidentally touch, eye contact is held for a bit too long and faces are just centimeters apart, giving us the kind of palpable tension that reaches heights that not even the Duke and Daphne’s relationship reached.

While the episodes are a bit too long and at points the plot is stretched quite thinly over the season, Bridgerton’s second season is just as, if not more, addictive than its first. Aside from the focal romance, we get to see Eloise come into her own while she’s still on the hunt for the person behind Lady Whistledown, while season 2 is rather stressful for Penelope (Nicola Coughlan), who is finding it more difficult to hide the fact that she’s the one writing these gossip rags.

Ultimately, if you loved the first season, you’re going to savour every single episode of this regency romp, its intriguing new characters and the impressive performances of its excellent cast, with Jonathan Bailey shining in his well-deserved spotlight.

Bridgerton returns to Netflix on Friday 25th March. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.

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