EP Chris Van Dusen talks to TheWrap about those big book changes and finally getting Anthony and Kate together
“Bridgerton” Season 2 brought Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma’s love story to life, and while it didn’t exactly follow Julia Quinn’s book “The Viscount Who Loved Me” (on which the show is based), the characters did get their happy ending.
Creator, executive producer and showrunner of Season 1 and 2, Chris Van Dusen, broke down all of those huge moments for TheWrap, with a deep dive into the finale (and end of season) twists.
(Spoiler alert: This article, after the recap, goes deep into the major moments from Season 2’s finale, and other poignant episodes from the Netflix series, featuring commentary from the show’s executive producer Chris Van Dusen. You have been warned.)
A Brief “Bridgerton” Season 2 Recap
Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) married and found their second uber-competitive pall mall moment as Season 2 wrapped up (the pair were passionately kissing as the show faded to credits), but the journey to true love was a very bumpy ride. In fact, although Anthony had chemistry with his eventual wife and Viscountess from the first episode when he saw the gorgeous Kate, her hair loose as she sped on her horse through a park, it took a while before they were able to exchange “I love you.”
The elder Miss Sharma, though, wasn’t looking for love. She’d come to ton from India with her younger sister Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran) and their mother (Kate’s step-mother) Mary for a season. Kate was determined to see the beautiful Edwina find the perfect match, and for her baby sister only the best would do (Kate was also keeping from Edwina the secret that the younger sibling’s maternal grandparents funded the trip with the expectation Edwina would find an English gentleman to marry).
Kate was immediately turned off by Lord Anthony Bridgerton after she overheard him at the first ball discussing with the boys (other lords) his rather detailed list of what he wanted in a wife (with love not part of his requirements). When Edwina was named the season’s diamond by Queen Charlotte, though, Anthony set his sights on the younger Sharma and Kate set her sights on making sure that didn’t happen.
Anthony did get his way, though, and he and Edwina made it all the way to the altar, but by then, his chemistry with Kate overflowed and brought a stop to the wedding – the one which Queen Charlotte and all the ton attended – when Kate dropped a bracelet as she stood there as Edwina’s maid of honor, and Anthony bent down to pick it up. Edwina, in that moment, realized her own relationship with the Viscount wasn’t hearts and roses and her sister and her groom were attracted to each other.
Edwina opted not to go through with the marriage after some really raw conversations with both her sister and the Viscount, and the whole failed wedding caused a great scandal in the town, and major problems between the sisters. The two families united in trying to smooth things over on the social scene, and even held a ball that no one attended, which led to Kate and Anthony getting together in an intimate way (they had sex in the back garden as their passions overflowed) for the first time.
Distraught by her breach in propriety, Kate jumped on her horse and rode hard, falling off when the horse got spooked in the rain. Anthony, who had come to propose the morning after (out of duty for compromising her) found Kate unconscious, with her head bleeding, and brought her home. For a week, she was in bed recovering from the injury and in that time, Anthony realized how deep his feelings were for Kate.
The ton’s final event of the season was a ball held by Lady and Lord Featherington, and both the Sharmas and the Bridgertons attended. By the end of the ball, Kate and Anthony expressed their love for each other and he asked her to marry him (Edwina had also forgiven her sister). While there was no wedding for Kate and Anthony, the show’s final moments had them in a steamy bedroom encounter, where it was revealed they had indeed tied-the-knot. After which, they joined the other Bridgerton siblings for a competitive game of pall mall.
There was another huge twist at the end of the season when Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) figured out that her best friend Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) is the real Lady Whistledown, which led to a huge blow up and the end of their friendship.
