‘Bridgerton’: Get to Know Anthony Before Diving Into His Love Life in Season 2
Last winter, the first season of Bridgerton took the world by storm. While the series’ initial installment focused on Daphne Bridgerton’s road to love and marriage, her brother Anthony’s equally scandalous love life gained just as much attention.
The show is based on Julia Quinn’s besting selling romance novels, with each book focusing on a different Bridgerton sibling. It is well documented that season 2 will primarily be about Anthony, played by Jonathan Bailey.
Since production has been halted due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we may not see a new season until late 2022. However, Anthony’s book, The Viscount Who Loved Me, could hold some of the details the show’s writers have instore for their viewers.
(Spoiler alert: This article contains possible spoilers for Bridgerton Season 2 and definite spoilers for the book The Viscount Who Loved Me}
Anthony Bridgerton will look for a wife he can’t fall in love with until he meets Kate Sharma
Season 1 left Anthony devastated as his mistress Siena moved on from his advances. In the show’s final moments, Anthony declares that he will be looking for a wife but not love.
The second season will introduce fans to the Sharma sisters. In the book, Kate and Edwina’s last name is Sheffield. Anthony initially set his sights on the younger of the two, Edwina, as she has every quality of a wife he is looking for with no risk of falling in love with her.
Kate Sharma brings the ‘enemies to lovers’ trope to the Netflix hit
Of course, thwarting his every turn is Kate (played by Simone Ashley). Determined to prove to her entire family that Anthony is no good, she is constantly snooping and looking for a reason to get the eldest Bridgerton out of their lies once and for all. There’s plenty of angry flirting, sexual tension, and like The Duke and I, a forced marriage.
It’s important to note that Siena is not in the books, though the eldest Bridgerton boy had a misteress named Maria before the events in The Duke and I. She is barely mentioned in the second book, though Kate overhears Anthony propositioning her to be his mistress, as he is insistent on not falling in love.
Bees will be even more prevalent in ‘Bridgerton’ season 2
Season 1 opened and closed with a bee buzzing around the Bridgerton estate. Anthony’s father was killed by an allergic reaction he had after being stung by a bee. Season 2 will likely explore the eldest sibling’s daddy issues and how they play into Anthony’s reluctance to fall in love.
If you thought sex in gazebos and libraries was scandalous, season 2 is about to up the ante. One activity pivotal to The Viscount Who Loved Me is pall-mall, a croquet-like mallet game. Book readers know that both Kate and Anthony get very competitive when it comes to pall-mall.
During one game, Kate is stung by a bee on her chest. Freaked out by his own father’s demise, Anthony goes to suck out the venom, and the couple is discovered, forcing them into an engagement.
Throughout the early days of his marriage, Anthony fights his feelings for Kate until his wife gets into a carriage accident, making him realize his love for her. Will the writers use every detail from The Viscount Who Loved Me? Probably not, as season 1 introduced characters like Siena and Marina, who hold lesser roles in Quinn’s books. However, many details from the book, including the pall mall scene, will probably make their way into the Netflix show.
