Listen close, dear reader, for another season ofBridgertonis almost upon us. Season 1 was a splendid affair starringPhoebe Dynevor,Rege-Jean Page, andJonathan Baileyamong others, full of romance, mystery, and scandal among the members of high society in Regency era London. Here’s everything you need to remember before Season 2.
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The Arrangement
Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) is out of options after her brother Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) scares away any worthy suitors at the beginning of the season. She needs to regain popularity among the men of the ton, or else she’ll be forced to marry Lord Berbrooke (Jamie Beamish), an awkward and admittedly creepy man. Simon, the Duke of Hastings, (Rege-Jean Page) wants nothing to do with marriage this season. He’d sooner skulk about his late father’s estate alone than entertain the eager mothers and daughters of the ton. Daphne and Simon act like they are courting to raise Daphne’s value in the eyes of the ton and to give Simon space to get his father’s affairs in order without interference.
Their arrangement works a little too well, leading Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) and Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) to believe that their meddling is responsible for the union initially. Violet is confused when Daphne begins to entertain other suitors, including the Queen’s (Golda Rosheuvel) nephew Prince Friedrich (Freddie Stroma) as is Lady Danbury when Simon keeps avoiding a proposal. They see the bond forming between the two, and know only as mother-figures do that there is something truly special there.
As Simon and Daphne’s friendship grows because of the arrangement, so do their romantic feelings for each other. When Simon abruptly calls for an end to the arrangement, Daphne is heartbroken despite receiving a proposal from Prince Friedrich soon after. After Daphne and Simon are seen alone in a garden at night, a big no-no in this era, they are forced into a hasty marriage to save Daphne’s reputation.
Their marriage starts off hot and heavy. Now that they are allowed to touch, their passion for each other can’t be held back. However, Daphne enters the marriage believing that Simon is physically unable to have children. When she discovers that his inability to have children instead comes from a spiteful vow to his father to end the Hastings line, Daphne becomes furious. She believes he is using her sexual inexperience to aid in his deception and tries to call his bluff while they’re making love. Their distrust for each other forces them apart until Ladies Bridgerton and Danbury encourage the pair to look past this moment and see their love for each other. In the end, they reconcile at the Hastings Ball and decide to have a child together and seem to live happily ever after.
The Bridgertons
While the primary focus of this season is on Daphne and the Duke, the rest of the titular family has their share of drama and romance as well.
Despite being the head of the Bridgerton household, Anthony is in no rush to marry. He takes his position a little too seriously when it comes to Daphne, scaring off many of her initial suitors and almost forcing her into a marriage she doesn’t want. He wants to run away with opera singer Siena (Sabrina Bartlett), but his responsibilities keep him tethered to London and the rules of society. Siena doesn’t want to be a part of that, and they break up. After that and Daphne and SImon’s successful marriage, Anthony realizes it’s finally time for him to find a bride, whether he loves them or not.
Eloise(Claudia Jessie) is the next Bridgerton lady set to enter society and be married off, but that’s the last thing she wants to do. Eloise would rather attend university than a soirée and wishes for more out of life than having babies and growing old. She is best friends with Penelope Featherington. Her investigation into the identity of Lady Whistledown gets the attention of the Queen, and they briefly work together to unmask the writer.
The second-eldest son of the Bridgerton clan, Benedict (Luke Thompson) feels a lot less weight on his shoulders, but still goes through an identity crisis of sorts when he crosses paths with the artist Sir Henry Granville (Julian Ovenden). Benedict rediscovers his love for art and the freedom the life of an artist seems to hold. Benedict discovers that Granville has a secret relationship with another man, but seems more intrigued than judgemental. He starts to date the modiste, or dressmaker, Genevieve Delacroix (Kathryn Drysdale) right as Eloise suspects her to be Whistledown.
Colin (Luke Newton) unfortunately gets roped into the Featherington’s drama when he proposes to Marina Thompson (Ruby Barker), unaware that she is pregnant. He is friends with Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) but has no clue that she’s interested in him romantically. He doesn’t have the same burdens as his older brothers and is therefore able to escape the drama of society life and travel Europe at the end of the season.
The Fall of the Featheringtons
The Featheringtons start the season on rocky ground with the ton. When all three daughters – Penelope, Philipa (Harriet Cains), and Prudence (Bessie Carter) – are presented to the Queen, she shows displeasure at their gaudy attire and lack of decorum.
At the start of the season, the Featheringtons are forced to take in cousin Marina Thompson because of Lord Featherington’s (Ben Miller) gambling debts. Marina is much more popular amongst the men of the ton, which makes Lady Featherington (Polly Walker) jealous. When she discovers that Marina is pregnant out of wedlock, she seeks to marry her off to whoever will take her and not ask questions. Marina wants to marry for love, or at least not to an old guy, so she seeks to make Colin Bridgerton her husband. Penelope becomes incredibly jealous and does everything she can to keep them apart. When Whistledown reveals the pregnancy to the rest of the ton, the Featheringtons are shunned from events.
Lord Featherington’s gambling debts affect how the rest of the family interacts with society throughout the season. His daughters have to rewear dresses because they can’t pay Madame Delacroix. He dismissed Philipa’s only suitor because they can’t afford the marriage dowry. He is able to win back some money after betting the Featherington estate against Simon’s friend Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe) in a boxing match, but is then killed by the bookies he used to make the bet.
At the end of the season, Marina is set to be wed to Sir Phillip Crane (Chris Fulton). He is the brother of George, a now deceased soldier who is the father of her baby. The rest of the Featheringtons are uncertain of their future. They have no money, and the house is set to be inherited by an unnamed heir of the Featherington estate.
Who is Lady Whistledown?
Lady Whistledown’s pamphlets became the talk of the ton this season because of their ability to wittily convey the gossip of Grosvenor Square. Some people hate her, others admire her, but what most can agree upon is that she made this marriage season a bit more interesting. Eloise is set on finding out who Whistledown is, partly out of admiration and partly because it allows her to keep busy and avoid her inevitable entry into society. Eloise warns Whistledown of the Queen’s trap, but is still unable to uncover her identity definitively. Her final suspect, Madame Delacroix, is revealed to be innocent after Benedict reveals he was with Delacroix the night before during the interaction between Eloise and Whistledown.
So whoisLady Whistledownthen? Eloise may not know the answer yet, but it was revealed in the final episode that Penelope Featherington is Whistledown. It will be interesting to see how long Penelope will be able to keep her secret from Eloise in Season 2!
