Nothing could prepare the fandom for this one. With the highly-anticipated second season of Bridgerton dropping on Netflix this week, scenes of a scandalous nature were sure to play out as Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton fell for each other in the “will-they-won’t-they” story arc of our dreams.
WATCH: Bridgerton Season 2 | Official Trailer
But, for those fans who had read The Viscount Who Loved Me, the novel on which the season is based, there was sure to be a gasp of shock and serious confusion when the famous “bee sting” scene finally arrived and the whole… thing… didn’t happen.
We know, we were sitting on the edge of our seats, yelling into the abyss in confusion. Not necessarily a bad confusion, as this obviously meant the marvellous Shonda Rhimes had something even wilder in store, but confusion nonetheless.
Julia Quinn, who penned the Bridgerton book series and was heavily involved in the adaptation, previously revealed that the love triangle between Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), Kate (Simone Ashley) and her sister, Edwina (Charithra Chandran), had been “amped up” for the hit show.
Fair warning, though, this article contains spoilers for the novel and the TV series from here on out.
Why did they change what happened in the book?
According to Adjoa Andoh, who plays the wise Lady Danbury, mixing up the story was key to keeping things fresh for viewers.
“You do have that great encouragement of the love that you had from Season One, which means that when we hit the ground with Season Two we hit the ground running,” she tells WHO.
“You know who we are, we know who we are, and we drive straight in. And then when you bring in the Sharmas you’ve got that extra new energy coming in, and how does this new energy interact with this energy that’s already been established. And so that really makes it fizz.”
Meanwhile, Queen Charlotte – AKA the marvellous Golda Rosheuvel – reveals the new story arc helped remove the pressure of repeating themselves.
“I think what’s really interesting about Bridgeton and the structure of it, is that there’s a focus on a new sibling each season,” she tells us.
“Coming back to Season 2 it felt new, kind of the same, but new. So the pressure of repeating ourselves wasn’t there because it is a fresh storyline, but you do have the baseline of [the rest of the characters].”
Given that the storylines of most other side characters were majorly developed for the show, it makes sense the existing love stories were upgraded to match. Especially when you consider how similar this love story was to the previous…
What originally happened in the book?
If you’re not across it, allow us to break down exactly what changed from The Viscount Who Loved Me to Bridgerton. Well, not everything that changed because that would take all day – after all, most of the side characters barely get a mention in the books.
In the novel, Kate and Anthony do indeed have a snarky, bitter, low-key sexy relationship as he attempts to woo her younger sister – though, the readers can of course tell they’re both clearly into each other.
Kate is also stung by a bee at the Bridgerton family estate, however Anthony doesn’t just start hyperventilating and then run away.
He actually tries to suck the poison out so she doesn’t die, because he’s literally that scared of bees and convinced they will kill people he loves. He also thinks he’s predestined to die at the same age as his father, but that’s a whole other thing.
The pair are caught in what is obviously a very compromising position, by their own mothers and Lady Featherington, leading them to have a swift marriage to cover up the scandal.
Even after the wedding, Kate believes Anthony has been forced in to this marriage with her when he really wanted her sister.
It’s only when they are being, um, intimate that she freaks out and he reassures her that he’s basically been obsessed with her for ages. Woo.
While they enjoy a brief respite of wedded bliss, their relationship faces further hurdles because Anthony struggles with admitting he loves her and wants to have a bunch of children with her… because he has daddy issues. Just like Season One.
Meanwhile, Edwina doesn’t really care about Anthony marrying her sister instead of her – unlike in the TV show, where she was seen to be devastated.
This was a major sticking point for some OG fans, who felt a bit jipped that the series fractured the relationship between the siblings instead of following the book.
But, when you think about it, the changes make a lot of sense – but it would have been great if they found a way to change the story AND keep the steamy romance between Kate and Anthony alive.
Not everyone who watches the show has read the books. And while the novel keeps you engaged from the very first page to the very last, the story arc is somewhat similar to that of Daphne Bridgerton and Simon, Duke of Hastings, in Season One.
For fans of the show, it might have felt a little repetitive to watch the same will-they-won’t-they storyline transform from being sprung hooking up, forced to marry, happily married for a moment, then struggling because of past trauma involving the leading man’s father, before ultimately figuring their stuff out. See? Repetitive.
While Anthony’s issues are different (he “knows” he will die at the same time as his dad and therefore can’t properly express love for his wife), there’s no denying the similarities.
In changing the storyline, they’ve managed to keep fresh fans and old book-lovers on the edges of their seats. Even if it meant an infuriating shift in the number of steamy scenes.
“It’s like the new season is supercharged in a way,” Adjoa tells WHO. And we suppose she’s right, duh, because she’s Lady Danbury.
Bridgerton Seasons 1-2 are available to stream now on Netflix. Looking for a new show to fill the Bridgerton-shaped hole in your life? See our guide here.
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