PremiumBridgerton Season 2 recap - Passion ignites, scandals unfold, and Lady Whistledown strikes again!
In Bridgerton Season 2, the intersection of passion and politics takes centre stage against the backdrop of Regency England.
Last Updated: 01.15 PM, May 13, 2024
We never thought Eloise (Claudia Jessie) would be a blushing debutante! She won't be like her sister Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), who's visiting from their Clyvedon home, but Bridgerton season 2 promises excitement.
Eloise's Debut and Lady Whistledown's return
Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) wants excitement in society's second season after an eventful Season 1. Eloise looks like she might swoon as she presents herself before the Queen, but Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews), Penelope Featherington's pseudonym, steals the show.
Now that his opera singer sweetheart has left, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) is seeking marriage rather than love. He treats wooing like a business transaction and burns through a long queue of gorgeous prospects, stating he's waiting for 'perfection'. On his morning ride in the woods, Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) beats him in an impromptu horse race. Finally, Anthony is curious.
Kate is with her stepmother, Lady Mary (Shelley Conn), and sister, Edwina. As we know, Lady Danbury's sponsorship of Edwina's season debut is high praise. Kate, a 26-year-old spinster, doesn't want a husband.
At Lady Danbury's (Adjoa Andoh) opulent party, the Sharmas hear that Lady Mary is on the Queen's bad side because she was once the Queen's "diamond of the season" but married a "common worker" who already had a child, Kate.
Kate Sharma and Anthony's encounter
Anthony and a group of brothers talk about the season's girls outside Lady Danbury's conservatory, and Kate overhears his plan to marry without love. Kate, an independent woman, tells Anthony she's not impressed by his chilly view of women as status symbols. Edwina should steer clear of this bachelor.
The wise Lady Danbury knows that the Sharmas have a secret. She uses her Lady Danbury charm to convince Kate that Lady Mary's parents, the Sheffields, will only give her the family fortune if Edwina marries into the English aristocracy. Kate has hidden this from Edwina so she won't feel compelled to rush into a marriage for the family.
The Sharmas charm Lady Danbury, who works with Queen Charlotte to “shake up” the ton this year and keep things new, says Lady Danbury's scheme works: The Queen gives Edwina the season's diamond. Anthony should act now. While they dance, he finds Edwina attractive and more substance-filled than anyone he's met. His sole impediment to wooing Edwina is his new nemesis, Kate, who will be harder to overcome than any mom.
Anthony stands out in Edwina's long queue of suitors, and he asks Kate to take her sister to the races. After she brutally rejects him, Anthony squeezes into the stands next to Edwina, captivating her more than Kate's escort. Kate refuses to let her sister marry a rake.
When Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) returns from overseas, Penelope, who has been writing to him, is the happiest. Her elegant messages inspired Colin to become more introspective and swear off women for now.
Lady Danbury's scheme
Of course, later on, the Queen reveals her pet zebras to the Sharma sisters. Lady Danbury immediately recognises the Queen's plan to use Edwina to reveal Lady Whistledown's identity. Despite her lack of desire for marriage, Eloise is determined to discover Lady Whistledown's identity. A new clue leads her to Penelope's print shop in a dingy neighbourhood, but Madame Delacroix (Kathryn Drysdale) witnesses Penelope carrying a new letter through the market, leading a third amateur detective to the truth.
Lady Danbury has another soiree, this time asking men to perform for the women. Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) assists Anthony, who didn't receive an invitation, in delivering a unique speech about womanly beauty. Edwina falls in love with Anthony's spectacular speech, both from the heart and from the fire. Kate would slowly clap if she were not enraged.
A bee sting killed Edmund Bridgerton (Rupert Evans) ten years ago while he was hunting with Anthony. We finally understand Anthony's family pressures, his mother's dependence, and why he's so hard to love.
Back in the present, Lady Portia Featherington (Polly Walker) is panicking that Cousin Jack (Rupert Young), the new Featherington heir, will marry and uproot the family. She tries to get him to marry her daughter Prudence (Bessie Carter), his cousin—it's a royal tradition! Unfortunately, Prudence has a poor wit and turns Jack off on their first meeting, while Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen) returns!
Pall-mall mishaps and almost moments
Anthony has invited the Sharmas and Lady Danbury to join the Bridgertons at Aubrey Hall a few days early for their annual gala. Right away, Anthony has a ring for Edwina.
The kids start playing pall-mall, a game similar to croquet but with harder mallets. Anthony and Kate knock each other's balls out of play, sending them far into the woods. While retrieving them, they trip and fall into the mud—just kiss! Anthony suddenly realises his family obligation, relieving the excruciating sexual tension. He has brilliant rapport with Edwina but not Kate's wild chemistry. Anthony almost proposes to Edwina at dinner. Everyone leans forward, ready for it, but he backs off, crushing Edwina, who thinks she has done something wrong. Couldn't it be that Anthony and Kate looked at each other before his proposal?
A bee bites Kate as she confronts Anthony for shattering her sister's heart. Anthony panics, but Kate holds his chest to comfort him. Kiss already! No, not yet...
The Bridgertons are busy preparing for the big ball at Aubrey Hall. Edwina thinks Anthony didn't propose because of Kate. Edwina's assumption is correct, but not for the intended reason. She thinks Anthony knows Kate dislikes him. Kate believes she should get to know him better.
After learning more about her brother's possibilities, Daphne doesn't like Edwina for Anthony—she's too lovely and perfect.
Edwina invites Kate to hunt with Anthony and Benedict, where Kate and Anthony have another almost-but-not-quite-sexy moment but break up before the vital moment. Later, at the gala event, Edwina forces Kate to dance with Anthony to get her permission to propose. The dance culminates with Anthony storming out after Kate says she'll leave London when her sister gets engaged.
Kate pursues him. They openly despise each other, which we all know is the biggest turn-on. When Daphne enters, their lips almost touch. Daphne, wise, advises him to follow his heart. Anthony concurs.
The proposal that wasn't!
He rushes to Kate to confess his love! Just kidding. Finally, he proposes to Edwina.
Lady Featherington sets up a trap to catch Jack and Prudence alone at the ball, with the intention of tricking Cousin Jack into marrying Prudence. The scheme fails. Jack admits that he is poor and needs to marry for her wealth. Cressida-like woman.
Queen Charlotte is thrilled that Edwina, her jewel, has found the best partner. Anthony wants a rustic wedding, but the Queen will host it. Today, like in Regency England, wedding planning is crucial for the bride and husband.
The engagement upsets Kate, but Lady Danbury points out that given their agreement with the Sheffields, the Sharmas should be even more eager to wed than the Bridgertons. Anthony pretends nothing happened, but he is so envious when another man takes Kate on a boat excursion that he falls into the water.
Kate says she's pleased to be alone, but Eloise, who sneaks away from the promenade to attend a women's rights conference, is more convincing. She meets Penelope's print shop employee, Theo Sharpe (Calam Lynch), who may be a good fit for her—finally someone she can bond with over writing and ideas.
Lady Danbury hosts a meal for Lord and Lady Sheffield (Anthony Head and Shobu Kapoor) to meet Edwina in London. The Sheffields, Mary's parents, are immediately smitten by Edwina, but they don't want to see Mary or Kate because they're still upset about Mary rejecting their match years ago. As tension rises, the deal to marry Edwina to a nobleman becomes clear. Anthony kicks the Sheffields out of the manor, which appears romantic, but he and Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) are outraged at discovering the ruse.
Anthony and Kate's forbidden affair
Kate attempts to resolve the issue, but Anthony refuses—another passionate debate that causes more love tension. Anthony says they should stay apart for their families' sake, and Kate, despite her sentiments, encourages him to marry Edwina.
The peacock-filled Anthony and Edwina wedding is the season's highlight. The Queen plans to exploit the wedding to expose Lady Whistledown by planting suspicions among guests.
Edwina is glowing, and Kate is trying to be pleased for her. Kate offers her mother's bracelets to Edwina for the wedding, but the bride insists she wear them. Daphne makes one last attempt to persuade Anthony to break off the wedding to Edwina in the Bridgerton camp, but Anthony always chooses duty over love.
Kate and Anthony stare at each other at the altar. Anthony quickly grabs Kate's bracelet after she drops it. The church sees what's going on, and Edwina runs off the altar, gasping.
Edwina ultimately attacks Kate, but Queen Charlotte is most upset. She thought this was her wedding (a royal prerogative). Edwina, wiser and sadder, declines Anthony's wedding offer.
Then, many explosions—not the Queen's—occur simultaneously. Penelope makes progress with Colin. Jack flirts with Lady Featherington and succeeds (unexpectedly). The season's long-awaited kiss comes when Kate and Anthony confess in the church alone.
Lady Whistledown writes to Queen Charlotte that her diamond of the season was the season's biggest scandal. After the breakup, the Sharmas and Bridgertons are pariahs, and their adversaries, notably a smug Lady Featherington, are thrilled. Two families have a great idea to improve their image: throw a ball!
Eloise's discovery and confrontation
The Queen suspected Eloise of being Lady Whistledown after observing her lurking around Bloomsbury near the print shop while visiting Theo. The Queen will disgrace the Bridgertons if Eloise doesn't confess in three days. In order to save her BFF, Penelope turns to Madame Delacroix, who advises that Lady Whistedown write something disparaging about Eloise.
No one attends the Bridgertons' ball. It's stunning that no one came, yet they make lemonade and dance more than they would have if everyone had come. Lady Whistledown reported seeing Eloise with "political radicals" in Bloomsbury. Penelope's perfect plan succeeded too well, and the Sharmas, Bridgertons, and Lady Danbury cannot handle the scandal.
Another fight between Anthony and Kate leads to their giving in to their “impure, forbidden” impulses. All night. In the gazebo. While it rains, Anthony wakes up alone outside in the morning. Anthony chases Kate's horse. The horse bucks, knocking Kate out after she smacks her head on a rock.
Even though the Bridgertons are in disgrace, Lady Whistledown hasn't released a scandal sheet in a while. The Bridgertons suffer from Kate's knockout and Eloise's slipping away to see Theo.
However, the Featheringtons are thriving—except for Penelope, who worries about ruining Eloise's life. Jack raised money from investors, including Colin, by throwing the Featherington Ball.
The Bridgerton youngsters keep getting hit. Benedict discovers Anthony's contribution may have helped him get into art school. To keep her out of trouble, Penelope tells Eloise that the servants are chatting about her flirtation with Theo. In tears, Eloise breaks up with him.
Final moments and hopeful beginnings
After Kate wakes up, Lady Bridgerton urges Anthony to marry for love, just as she did before her beloved Lord Bridgerton's bee incident. Kate rejects Anthony's proposal at her bedside and decides to return to India. She must first attend the Featherington Ball.
Eloise assumes Penelope is Lady Whistledown at the sumptuous gala—who else could be so perceptive and knowledgeable? Before discovering more, Colin takes Penelope into a back room, but not to do anything scandalous. He reveals Jack's gem-selling deception. Lady Featherington sends Jack fleeing after taking a lot of his money.
Kate and Anthony dance to an orchestral “Wrecking Ball,” a fitting ending to their turbulent relationship. To avoid embarrassment and take credit, Queen Charlotte claims she broke off the wedding.
A couple forms; friendship dies. Eloise confronts Lady Whistledown—or Penelope, her assumed best friend. Penelope promises to stop writing scandal sheets, but Eloise can't forgive her for separating her from Theo. Maybe she's unhappy that Penelope has taken action for her convictions, which Eloise hasn't done. To make a bad night worse, Penelope overhears Colin telling his brothers he'll never court a lady like her.
This night is also about joyful endings. Anthony finally expresses his true love for Kate. As fireworks burst behind them, they kissed openly.
Penelope stays as Lady Whistledown; thus, Season 3 will have more Julie Andrews and tea. Watch out, Colin Bridgerton—you're next!