“Bridgerton” season two was released March 25 on Netflix. The show first rose to popularity in late 2020 and I was glued to my laptop, just like every other woman, watching it during quarantine. I was captivated by the betrayal, deception and forbidden love the characters indulged in.

The series mainly focuses on a social, elitist family, the Bridgertons, and the entire town of Mayfair in 1800s England. Ending on a remarkable true-love marriage between the eldest Bridgerton daughter, Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), and the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), I had high hopes that this new season would be as captivating and charming as its predecessor. Once I clicked play for the first episode and progressed through the show’s total of eight episodes, however, it failed to make its mark. 

The storyline begins with the eldest Bridgerton son and viscount of the family, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), on a search for a wife in the courting season. Determined to seek only a business marriage, Anthony represses his emotions, especially love, due to witnessing his mother grieve his father’s death and realizes he never wants to experience that. His world is turned upside down when he meets Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), who is part of a family from abroad being sponsored by a local family, in a heated horse race in the forest. 

Accompanied by her little sister, Edwina (Charithra Chandran), and mother, Lady Mary (Shelley Conn), Kate acts as an adviser for Edwina as the latter prepares to participate in her first courting season. Edwina ends up catching Anthony’s eye, motivating him to court her through her agreeable disposition. As the courting continues throughout the series, Kate and Anthony have an “enemies-to-lovers” relationship as they face the pressures of taking care of their family, maintaining their public reputation and, most importantly, keeping their growing romantic feelings in control.

There is so much potential for more screen time for the two, given that they are major characters, but the show mainly focuses on side characters like the Featheringtons, a poor family frequently involved in scandals and the search for the town’s gossip, Lady Whistledown’s true identity. Although at first interesting, both plot lines are one-dimensional and uneventful, feeling like filler to pass time between scenes of Anthony and Kate.

When they do have scenes together, Anthony and Kate are either bickering or one is upset and the other is infatuated. The plot line of the pair repressing their romantic feelings felt dragged out, forced and boring. 

Honestly, season two was lackluster and the bit of romance that was showcased throughout was bland. It felt as though this season was a spin-off of the first, attempting to stray away from the very formula that made Bridgerton so successful during its debut. I wouldn’t stress about watching this; nothing can truly top the first season.