It is only the tenth day. The tenth day.
Between my own cultural critic duties (because yes, I’m a Kate and Anthony type person), I have managed to sneak in endless viewings of Bridgerton’s second season, the guiltiest pleasure of the year so far. I have been in an incurably sunken place. The moment The Viscount Who Loved Me, the eighth and final episode ends, I immediately restart the whole series over.
First, I was struck by the chemistry showcased on my social media timeline, haunted by these steaming snippets of a show that greatly disinterested me in its previous season. Yet, still, blaming my desire to finally impulsively watch on illness (I had been feverishly sick for two weeks), I read Julia Quinn’s novel in a single night, renewed my dead Netflix account (haven’t had Netflix in almost two years), and began the addictive series afterward from 1:00 AM to 9:00 AM on a Saturday morning. In this essay, I will explain why I must confess my passion for this pairing as well as the questionable writing decisions breaking my heart.
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| Kate (Simone Ashley) reveals her scheme to Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh). It appears that Anthony’s conversation hits her hard for other reasons. Kate, unlike her sister, is not of noble blood— one of Anthony’s key requirements. Thus, this already hurts Kate and she dare not tell a soul including her family. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
Now show Kate is unlike the self-deprecating Kate Sheffield in the book. Kate Sharma is brazen, outspoken, and quite competitive. She has a lot of bite and refuses to back down (these traits somehow disappear in the episode six— more about that later). Thus, seeing her riding her horse swiftly at dawn across the park, egging on a stranger provided a refreshing pace, especially for a man suffering from the troublesome weight of civic duty and great insomnia. Anthony appeared utterly defeated and downtrodden after another empty liaison meant to portray his rake reputation. In this one scene, however, Kate has sparked Anthony’s spirit immensely without even uttering a word. When he catches up with her, their short conversation is riddled with jabs, flirtation, and laughter. Later, Kate mirrors Anthony in terms of raising her sister Edwina, a naive, spoiled girl trained to find a suitable husband. Their mother Mary, the shunned Sheffield daughter, seems as absent as the once grieving Lady Violet Bridgerton. Thus, this perfect setup promised a wondrous story between Kate and Anthony— for their similarities were undeniable.
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| The sisters Kate (Simone Ashley) and Edwina (Charithra Chandran) with Newton (Austin), the lovable corgi who deserves more screen time. Truly wished they included that humorous dog walking scene from the book. It would have been superb seeing Kate, Anthony, and Newton together, the picture perfect family. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
When Edwina asks Kate if anyone saw her on that inappropriate morning ride, Kate says “no.” This white lie presents the start of the unraveling— the first kept secret. What would have happened if Kate had shared meeting that handsome stranger and how he momentarily ruptured her feathers? What if Kate had said she almost got lost and he told her the way back to Mayfair— encouraging a rather stimulating victory lap? Kate, not one to gush or fawn, has not come to London to find a suitor. Like Anthony, love is not on the cards for her. Edwina, who should have been more Mary’s priority than Kate’s, is all Kate lives for. This sisterly love seems to symbolize a more paternal love, mirroring the obligation Anthony feels towards his younger siblings— fatherly duty mingling with brotherly affection. At the conservatory ball, Kate slips that she knows the viscount. Lady Danbury’s quick sharpness of “I don’t recall introducing you” forces Kate to further tuck in her mistake. Yet, for a small, coy moment, we glimpse Kate’s quiet burgeoning longing for Anthony, a beautiful considered spinster who wanted nothing for herself in the season. Kate maneuvers through the crowd, her eyes entranced, watching and eventually following Anthony out onto the terrace. Then, she overhears a man much different from her impromptu morning ride and it breaks the spell of her premature desire. They soon exchange heated barbs with one another— Kate giving Anthony the most stabbing final words:
“Your character is as deficient as your horsemanship.”
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| Cinderella Kate sees Prince Charming Anthony at the first ball of the season, but she is beyond disappointed to overhear he’s not charming after all— despite the pleasing smile. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
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| Although Kate has hit him with a sharp, unladylike tongue, Anthony was honestly intrigued. And then, she still hadn’t even told him her name either... DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
Oh, the burn of a fiery queen aka our future viscountess.
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| Introductions are made during the Queen Charlotte’s annual diamond ball. Kate wants to keep Edwina, the diamond, faraway from Anthony. Anthony wants Edwina for his wife. Let the games begin. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
Anthony, like Kate, has kept a list of wife requirements and names— for himself as Kate has for Edwina. In Off To The Races, the second episode, Anthony is shut out from the long line of suitors for Edwina, the season’s newly announced diamond, from Kate (who is cruelly called a beast in Lady Whistledown’s blasphemous scandal sheet). Anthony’s later behavior at the races are downright mean— underhandedly having Thomas Dorset feign interest in Kate? He must have known that most men of the ton much preferred and desired Edwina’s company. Still, Kate is intelligent about the horses, the tracks, and weather— besting Anthony at least on the winning horse front. She also knows when she’s been had. Funnily enough, I firmly believe that Anthony subconsciously brought that silly red ribboned horse for Kate, not Edwina. It is Kate who appreciates horses. Also, duly noted that we never once see Edwina ride a horse, much less ride astride like the ever so confident Kate Sharma.
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| At the horse race, Anthony looks surprised by Kate’s whistling in Off To The Races written by Daniel Robinson and directed by Tricia Brock, DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
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| Anthony should have gifted Kate this horse for real, DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
An uninvited Anthony then crashes the private Danbury soirée prepared to read his brother Benedict’s poem. Anthony stops, briefly glances at Kate, and balls up the paper. He honestly tells Edwina that he’s not a man of poetry, but a man of action and duty. Now, this clearly indicates that he would not love Edwina, only fulfill a role. Edwina— more likely turned on by the passionate conviction in his voice more so than the candid honesty in his words— is smitten. Kate warns Edwina again about Anthony’s intentions, but Edwina refuses to understand, her easily impressionable youth mind utterly compromised. The girl was gone, under the spell of callous flattery. It is the stares between Anthony and Kate that bring this saga to its knees— these harrowing stares that say endless simmering things. And Lady Violet and Lady Danbury notice them.
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| As Anthony tries to pass off Benedict’s words as his own, this look directed at Kate with Lord Lumley nearby on his far left sets an interesting stage. Lord Lumley meets Kate’s criteria to a T— smart, poetic, loving. Whereas Anthony offers no grand romantic gesture. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
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| Anthony seems to raising his glass to say “checkmate” to Kate. At the same time, there may be a hint of regret. He has hurt her twice already. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
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| Kate doesn’t take kind to losing, especially in front of an audience. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
A Bee In Your Bonnet, the third episode, makes deliberate changes from the book. It is all good and fun beginning at the pall mall match on the Aubrey Hall country estate— the Bridgerton interaction with the Sharma family, Kate choosing Anthony’s black mallet of death, how apparent the highly competitive, shows-no-mercy Kate fits in with the ruthless Bridgerton clan, and jilted Edwina appears out of her league. In fact, Edwina lacks preparation for this particular life situation. Although everyone has a pitiful smile reserved for the girl, it is no real shock to see her cut out and sit under the canopy having lemonade with the matrons. After Kate and Anthony find themselves chasing after their faraway balls, they find themselves stuck in the mud and laughing together— the first time since the horse race in the park. Unfortunately, Kate shifts their cheery mood back into the game and hits Anthony’s ball near Edmund Bridgerton’s grave. In the book, Kate wins the overall game. Instead the writers chose Anthony’s depression to abruptly interrupt the playfulness and have him snap at Kate. Further still, there seems to be a missing reaction, a missing component to their families seeing Kate and Anthony return muddied, seeing them out of English respectability. However, it was beautiful that Anthony and Kate’s eyes kept straying towards one another at the family dinner— Kate far down at the table with his high-as-a-kite brothers Colin and Benedict and Anthony at the opposite with Edwina and observant sister Daphne for company. At the end of the day, Anthony and Kate’s staring matches said more words than these writers ever gave them.
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| Kate’s black ball and Anthony’s pink one land in muck in A Bee In Your Bonnet, written by Alex Pillai and directed by Sarah Thompson, DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
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| Anthony and Kate share their first laughing fit together since the race in the park. It’s very sweet and contagious seeing them become comfortable with each other, revel in fun outside of performative societal duties. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
The big, anticipatory Bee Scene comes riddling with even greater tension— a traumatized Anthony having a panic attack as Kate is stung by a bee in the flower garden, much like his father who died from its fatal prick. Unlike the book, Anthony witnesses both his father’s demise and his mother’s descent into despair. Kate doesn’t understand what has caused Anthony’s shocking disposition. Yet she is patient and nurturing, breathing in time with him, placing his hand above her breast, her other hand on his own chest— not even wearing gloves, which alone is inappropriate. She tells him softly, “it was just a bee... it was a bee.” As they breakthrough together, Anthony calming down and Kate remaining his steady, therapeutic compass, their faces are drawn closer, their labored breathing becoming a more intimate exercise. Here, their suppressed feelings are coming to the surface, something they were not expecting. The chemistry is oozing, palpitating— bursting through the screen. Thankfully, the show writers veer from book Anthony vampirically sucking the venom out of Kate in front of three witnesses (yes, I suffered secondhand reader’s embarrassment). Still, any other proposal was better than the one we eventually received.
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| Kate is ever so gentle with Anthony, softening further to aide him into returning to his normalcy. Her patience with him is an utterly significant turning point. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
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| Anthony begins calming down and almost rewards Kate’s restorative healing treatment with a kiss. Naturally, this scares the enemies into running away in opposite directions. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
In Victory, the fourth episode, Kate and Anthony are pushed closer together by Edwina herself. The girl simply cannot see what most of Anthony’s family already does (mainly Lady Violet, Daphne, and maybe Benedict). Even the Sharma family sponsor Lady Danbury witnesses it brimming beneath the surface of every Kate and Anthony interaction. Edwina is so hellbent on becoming Anthony’s wife due to his title and wealth that she cannot acknowledge the pink elephant in the room. Edwina notices not Anthony’s wandering eyes or Kate’s behavior slipping away from her earlier severity. Sadly, all the romantic stories that Kate has instilled in Edwina, Kate is slowly experiencing for herself and she has no confidante to confess her conflicting emotions. While Kate once admired Lady Danbury for her independence and prestige, it becomes quite clear that Lady Danbury is not necessarily a supportive ear for Kate. Even sadder, Lady Mary seems more inclined to care about Edwina’s dreams and fears than Kate’s own. Lady Mary claims that she loves Kate as her own daughter, but that love is not shown enough. Kate does so much for Edwina, almost too much. It is unbearable to watch her begin to sacrifice what she just found.
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| In Victory, written by Chris Van Dusen and Jess Brownell and directed by Alex Pillai, Kate and Anthony’s yearning for each other grows more and more apparent. They continue to be alone together and in close proximity three separate occasions, but refuse to acknowledge their true feelings. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
These four pivotal scenes shift Anthony and Kate’s world— the hunting, Edmund’s library, the ball, and the second near kiss. Just as in the horse race, Kate refuses to be ridiculed for being a lady who enjoys the thrill of the shoot. As she joins the men on the mission for stags, a reluctant Anthony is still bereft by her presence. Once receiving a wicked glance of Kate’s sticking and bare thigh, Anthony almost loses his gentlemanly composure. When Kate deliberately runs off on her own from the pack, Anthony is the one who finds her. They begin arguing about the bee incident and the invisible flames are madly burning the very air around them, drawing them in even further. Thus, Anthony showing Kate how to hold an English rifle (again, they’re not wearing gloves) propels an incredibly erotic moment— Anthony noticeably inhaling Kate’s lilies scent that will drive him insane throughout and Kate closing her eyes, overcome by the stimulating emotions tamping down the walls of her “dislike” of him. That night, Edwina only cares if Kate and Anthony got along, more so than the stag hunt itself— a short revelation that Edwina doesn’t consider Kate’s interests unless they purposely suit her own needs.
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| In his father’s private library, Anthony and Kate have a monstrously short conversation. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
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| And it’s their heated eye language doing most of the talking. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
Later in Edmund’s library, a sleepless Kate is looking through books as a tormented Anthony pauses by the door, his hands touching the doorframe like a man touching a woman’s skin. Even the way Anthony holds the book Kate finds, he demonstrates this subtle caressing, this desperate need for his fingers to linger on anything that pleases Kate. In that, you believe that Kate too would be Anthony’s prize— but not necessarily a possession. He wants to possess her surely. Only two minutes and seven seconds, this scene alone of Anthony confessing how his father died to Kate and the way their eyes tenderly gaze at one another wields the very definition of forbidden love, of captivated longing. Still, the writers should have had Kate spill her own memories of her father, her own recollections of his death. Kate has kept so many secrets close to her heart, so much is unrevealed about this woman who loves riding horses and shooting. There was ample room for further intimacy here, an intimacy beyond two people unchaperoned in the late hours in a state of undress. Although the writers smartly digress from storm-phobic book Kate a bit, the audience deserved her Achilles heel too, her vulnerability in addition to Anthony’s with the bee.
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| Kate is always watchful and alone, the woman of no nobility. The noticeable pain as she bears witness to Anthony and Edwina dancing is heartbreaking. Kate knows Edwina meets all of Anthony’s requirements for a wife. And Kate does not. Still, her heart is on display. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
At the ball, Kate receives her first dance— Edwina’s messy request for Kate to take the floor with Anthony. Oh Lord. The drama unfolds from there. In this extremely important game changer, Kate and Anthony’s feelings for each other are quite evident in every single touch and stare passing between them. The floor is practically burning as the usual fighting twosome cannot flee. And Kate— she is so utterly beautiful. Anthony never compliments Kate in the show as he does in the book, but here on the dance floor— hell in earlier scenes— you can see that Anthony is attracted to Kate, finds her pleasing to his eye and temperament. She is everything to him and he cannot even comprehend it yet. He doesn’t want it either. She matches him step by step as skilled as any other lady. It is bittersweet that this woman trained her sister on the judicial practices of courting rarely having the honor to receive her own spotlight. This is the first time, Kate demonstrates all she knows in the ever watchful presence of the ton. Remember that Kate does not care for what anyone thinks of her. Alas, Daphne and Lady Danbury watch the exchange with concern while Edwina only views a progress that suits her own girlish prospects.
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| Edwina pleads with Kate to dance with Anthony. There are other ways less intimate that Kate can give Anthony her blessing. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
Alas, Kate bows as required to end the dance, saying that she will leave for India (her motto) after Edwina marries much to the shock of Anthony. The look on his face— widened eyes and opened mouth— spoke volumes. Except Kate doesn’t understand the words on his expressive page. He leaves the floor without bowing to Kate. She follows him into the library (unsure if this is Edmund’s from the previous night), shuts the door, and demands to know what upsets him. The following dialogue is conflicting to be sure— Anthony’s line of questioning quite nonsensical and Kate claiming to hate him when she’s shown everything but hate in their last few encounters. We all know why Anthony is upset about Kate returning to India. Kate and Anthony don’t though. They beat around the bush until getting closer and closer, the fireplace in the room crackling loud, their wet lips dying to succumb to the inevitable. Unfortunately, Daphne storms in and flees the scene. Daphne should have done more than talk to a stubborn Anthony. And Lady Danbury could have done more than cryptically talk to a skeptic, rightfully unsure Kate. Although Daphne and Lady Danbury offer these two hungry souls some sage advice, Anthony and Kate veer in the opposite direction. Then, we are left with this nightmare.
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| Kate and Anthony’s first dance is filled with pent up longing and angst. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
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| Anthony’s shock that Kate is leaving for India— sigh. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
The proposal scene is very hurtful and bad— secondhand embarrassment bad. No need to sugarcoat the obvious. It destroys the beauty of Victory. Maybe Anthony is upset by Kate returning to India. Maybe he doesn’t believe she would say “yes.” Maybe he still believes she hates him. The title certainly suggests Anthony’s “win” over Kate. Anthony got Kate to change her perception of him alright— via a most painful, heartbreaking humiliation. And Edwina throwing her glove at Kate as Anthony puts his father’s ring on her finger? C’mon. Disrespectful. Uncalled for. In the book, Edwina doesn’t even reach this far with the viscount. There are better avenues to pursue than a lopsided triangle— furthermore where the woman in love is treated wrongly by the man who inspires it in her. In episode two, we see Anthony play a most disturbing prank on Kate— making a Thomas Dorset feign interest in her. Yet Anthony on his knees for Edwina— Kate’s lovesick sister— proved to be the worse error he ever made. And Anthony never apologizes to Kate for publicly hurting her like this. Thus, personally Victory finishes the minute Anthony follows Daphne out of that library door.
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| What is the definition of passion? Kate and Anthony’s breathing. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
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| Kate is swaying on her feet, leaning into Anthony’s hot mouthed whisperings, and almost admits her desires with her lips. A first kiss by the roaring fire would have been incredibly riveting. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
In these first four episodes, the writers established an instant attraction, Kate becoming Anthony’s sworn enemy (because let’s face it Anthony was wrong to pursue Edwina, a girl wanting a love match), and the humble inklings for a heated annoyance to manifest into a rather urgent longing. It is especially brilliant that these two characters who share the same ideals and mannerisms were not looking for love. A traumatized Anthony did not want his future wife to suffer as his mother had in losing his father. Kate is a hardened merchant’s daughter and disillusioned by love as her age reached spinsterhood. She believes herself unworthy of finding a match due to an independent spirit and knowing that no man would ever understand her rebellious, much less her lack of noble birth. Obviously, Victory is my tortured favorite of their beginning, but sometimes I rewind back to those few minutes at Lady Danbury’s soirée or Anthony’s shocked face at Kate defiantly walking in the mud during the pall mall game.
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| Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) encourages the knuckleheaded Anthony to admit his feelings for the right Miss Sharma. Of course when Anthony says, “I know what I must do,” he would take us down this damned, destructive road instead of following his heart. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
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| Meanwhile, Lady Danbury urges a tearful Kate to tell Edwina “whatever it is you feel.” Unfortunately, Kate swallows her love whole, swallowing it deep inside as the man she covets proposes to her sister the very next day. DP: Jeffrey Jur. |
Since the illness has faded from my body, the fictional Kate and Anthony remain heavily present in my memory. They were not just a mere cure for an ailing, but a refreshing historical romance story that swells up every single thing inside a person. If only, the writers cut down on the Featherington drama, removed the triangle element, and gave us a helluva more Kate and Anthony scenes to devour before the third season. How can we ever mean to focus on a couple that is not Kate and Anthony? That challenge is harder than Anthony holding his nose whenever Kate walks past him.
