Bridgerton season 2 review: Netflix series takes the title 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham' quite literally

2.5/5

When Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) intends to marry, duty, desire, and scandal intersect, only for him to meet his match in his intended bride's (Charithra Chandran) rebellious older sister (Simone Ashley). What happens when responsibility clashes with one's actual heart's desire? Indeed, there is the potential for a major scandal.

After Regé-Jean Page's exit as Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset, what excited Indian fans for the second season of Bridgerton? Well, many would, hands down, say the new cover of the iconic Bollywood song, the title track of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. However, that reason is not good enough when you finally hear it in one of the episodes (Let me just say it, in episode six). The Netflix series, which created a huge wave back in 2020, has been one of the most-awaited shows on the streaming platform.

The Gossip Girl of the Regency Era continues from where it was left off in the first season. This time, the story mainly focuses on Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and his turn to find the potential bride. We all know that his heart was broken in the first season after he couldn't make it public with the love of his life. But now, he takes matters into his own hands to find a wife who can help him carry forward the Bridgerton lineage.

The second season will give you major Bollywood vibes, not only with the K3G cover but also with its screenplay. But that's not the only Indian touch in the series. Enter the Sharma family, including a single mother, Lady Mary Sheffield Sharma (Shelley Conn), and two half-sisters, Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) and Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran). Like in any typical Hindi movie, Kate and Anthony start on the wrong foot and pick constant fights with each other even before they know their names. Naturally, we expect that they are the potential suitors who have a meet-cute.

But in the next moment, we see Kate going the Simon way of not wanting to marry and finding a husband for her sister Edwina. Unlike Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), this one gets into a serious love triangle with the people involved, leaving them in denial.

Several sequences that are "supposed to be" emotional turn out to be very funny and caricaturish. It's mostly in spoofs or things that are based on anti-love stories that create sequences that are not romantic.

Yes, the series is set against the backdrop of the Regency Era, but did women seriously do heavy breathing with their bosoms while getting turned on? Well, that's the most sex sequences you can expect in the entire season, barring towards the end of the series.

However, I have gone far ahead because Bridgerton season two takes the pace as slow as a snail. Thankfully, the makers left it to the viewers to predict everything properly and did not leave any surprise elements this time. However, it is a slow burn and kind of piques interest after episode six.

Until then, the only sequences that keep the series going are those featuring Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie). It's just a treat to watch her have savage replies handy to everyone, even when she is making her entry at the debutante ball. This season, her hunt for Lady Whistedown continues, and this time we know who it is. Her scenes with Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) are palpable and quite interesting. It's just like having a hero walk hand-in-hand with the antagonist without knowing her reality.

I just hope the third season is all about Eloise. We deserve her solo storyline now.

But this season seriously seems to have been made while the writers were putting it on at gunpoint and asked to "Make haste!" Most of the actors try to keep up with the half-baked storyline and end up giving several yawn moments.

Coming to performances, Bailey as Viscount gives major Darcy vibes from Pride & Prejudice. His individual sequences in places are where he does justice to his role. There's not much chemistry you can expect between Ashley and him.

Meanwhile, Ashley is the feminist hero we deserved on this show, and making her of Indian descent is an interesting touch given her circumstances. She gives it back to all patriarchal thinking and makes herself stand apart from everyone else. Ashley's sequences as Kate are quite interesting. They include horse-riding, getting into a puddle, or showing her knees amid the floor-length gown.

The makers have not gone colour-blind with the second season, but they have managed to bring diversity on screen. But only having the Haldi ceremony as a part of the wedding ceremony, well, their research ended then and there. A little more from Indian culture, apart from "Bombay", "Appa" and "Amma", would have made it more charismatic.

Just like Simon was MIA for most of the season, Dynevor as Daphne also made an extended cameo appearance. And to be honest, the actor creates far less impact than one would have expected from her presence.

Bridgerton season two is less scandalous and brings about less sexual passion than the previous season. Chris Van Dusen takes a simpler route in storytelling, which is not novel and is lacklustre.

This year, Shondaland brought another interesting series to Netflix, Inventing Anna, which grabbed my eyeballs throughout all the episodes. But with the second season of Bridgerton, I became bleary-eyed until I reached the end of the series.