The wait for a second season of the Netflix original series “Bridgerton” finally ended on March 25. The eight new episodes follow the beloved Bridgerton family as they continue to navigate their way through romantic relationships, formal introductions to society and scandals in the 1800s. 

“Bridgerton” was first released in Dec. 2020 and since then has been a smashing success, with 251 million hours watched in the first week, making it the second most-watched Netflix original series.  

The first season of the series centered on the budding romance between Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Bassett (Rege-Jean Page). However, the focus shifts in season two to Daphne’s older brother, Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), and his love interest, Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley).

The season begins by reorienting us to the main family of the show, the Bridgertons. After the successful marriage of their daughter Daphne last season, the family moves on to introducing their other children, Anthony and Eloise (Claudia Jessie), to the marriage market. In the first season, we saw that Daphne had a high level of interest in marriage — which, much to his mother’s disdain, isn’t something that her brother Anthony shares. Also differing from her sister, Eloise is very modern and rebellious for her time period as she loves to read and opts to be independent rather than marry, which becomes a point of conflict later in the show. 

During this season, the show provides us with much more backstory than before and even a couple of flashbacks. This information is crucial to understanding the characters and their development through the seasons. For instance, during this season we see a flashback to the death of the Bridgerton family father, Lord Edmund Bridgerton, which was mentioned last season but never fully explained. Adding this aspect into the second season helped the show feel more character-oriented. 

The romantic relationships and drama between each of the characters is a huge part of the plot, making “Bridgerton” addicting to watch. While following so many different characters at once could be hard to follow, the storytelling is completely immersive. Between the stories of new marriages, family secrets and friendships, there is enough drama in this show to entertain anyone. And on top of the compelling plot, the elaborate sets and gorgeous costumes draw viewers into the “Bridgerton” universe. 

Something else I really enjoy about “Bridgerton” is how it is so different from other shows on Netflix. Being based in the 1800s makes the show stand out from other Netflix originals like “Never Have I Ever” or “Ginny and Georgia.” 

“Bridgerton” is a great show for anyone who wants something they can emotionally connect to, while also feeling like they are watching something completely new. The drama and complex relationships make the show truly not one to miss.