What Happened in Bridgerton Season 2? Full Recap of the TV Show Before Season 3

Bridgerton is back for a third season, and there’s a little something to remember before you watch.

The Regency-era show remains a fan favorite for its fashion, characters and, of course, romance. The hit Netflix drama is returning for another season, with the first four episodes of season 3 dropping on May 16, 2024, followed by four more episodes on June 13, 2024.

Season 3 will focus on the budding relationship between longtime friends Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). For fans of the Julia Quinn novels that inspired the show, Coughlan told PEOPLE in June 2023 that the season is “very romantic” and “very faithful to the source material.”

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Before the latest episode, the show’s first season laid the groundwork for viewers with the slow, rocky relationship between Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), which ultimately ended in the lovers’ marriage.

For the show’s second season, fans got a chance to revisit their favorite characters—minus Page, who left the show after the first season—as well as a few new faces.

To prepare for Bridgerton season 3, here’s a recap of what happened in season 2.

What happened in season 2 of Bridgerton?

In season 2, Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) sponsored half-sisters Kate and Edwina Sharma, played by Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran, to travel to England to find a husband for Edwina. Meanwhile, Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) is looking for a wife—not for love—to fulfill his duties as head of the family following the death of his father.

After Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) crowns Edwina the “diamond” of the season, Anthony pursues her but is conflicted about his feelings for her independent and headstrong sister. Kate’s opinion of Anthony immediately soured in the season’s first episode when she overheard him talking to a group of men about his intention to marry out of duty.

While attempting to woo Edwina, Anthony continued to confront Kate, who remained protective of her sister and had no thoughts of marriage. Despite plans to propose to Edwina, the chemistry between Anthony and Kate grew, although they continued to fight.

After Kate insisted on going ahead with the wedding, Anthony and Edwina made it to the altar, but their wedding was disrupted when the bride ran away upon realizing her sister’s feelings for her fiancé.

While Anthony’s complicated love story played out, his sister, Eloise (Claudia Jessie), faced her own issues with love throughout the season. Throughout the series, she resists love and marriage until she meets Theo Sharpe, who works at Penelope’s printing shop.

After they meet, Eloise begins sneaking out to see him, developing feelings, although this eventually leads Queen Charlotte to suspect that she is Lady Whistledown, the anonymous author of a scandalous pamphlet.

Season 2 also deals with the financial troubles the Featherington family must overcome. Jack Featherington, a distant cousin of the family, has inherited the family fortune after the death of Archibald Featherington in season 1. Lady Featherington had planned to have her daughter Prudence marry Jack, but it turns out he has no money of his own.

Although he devises a scheme to defraud the upper class, he is eventually caught by Lady Featherington and sent away, but not before she takes a portion of his newly acquired fortune.

Meanwhile, Colin and Penelope’s friendship continues to grow in season 2, while Eloise and Penelope’s friendship is tested. At the end of season 1, Penelope is revealed to be Lady Whistledown, and Eloise eventually discovers her friend’s secret in season 2, causing a rift between them.

Where did Bridgerton season 2 leave off?

After Anthony and Edwina’s wedding is called off, both the Bridgertons and the Sharmas are shunned from society, reinforced by a rare ball due to Penelope’s latest news as Lady Whistledown. With Queen Charlotte believing Eloise to be the real author behind the anonymous pamphlet, Penelope attempts to distract the queen and write an article about her friend, which causes even more scandal for the family.

After one of their heated arguments, Anthony and Kate finally surrender to their desires for each other in a heated moment in the gazebo, but their new romance is cut short when she flees on horseback and