I agree something weird happened behind the scenes in Bridgerton because who vilifies the heroine in a romance? Who doesn’t give the heroine a good monologue? Especially after she’s been told off and treated like she’s conniving when we all know she sacrificed years of her life and was willing to sacrifice her happiness for her sister’s sake and suffered all season? Who doesn’t let the heroine say anything about that? Who doesn’t put the heroine front and center in promo? There were so many bad decisions in s2. It’s like they didn’t understand the expectations for historical romance or the audience for it at all. Forever grateful for Simone and JB but the writers and showrunner…I have no words!

I really think there’s layers to it but also just bad management. I think the writing team should have worked together to write episodes and not divided them up. It’s not cohesive.

I think they did want to do something different that season 1 which okay sure but they took it too far and completely missed the mark for the romance genre like you said.

I think CVD had a realllllly weird obsession with Edwina. Again, which I don’t understand? Like okay flesh her out more but good god they changed her completely??? And then try and make her the main character for some reason? We!! Aren’t!! Here!! For!! Edwina!!!! I don’t!!! Care!!!! About!!! The Goddamn wedding!!!!!!!! Screw all your BTS, the obsession with the dress, etc on that one terrible, episode where you basically assassinate characters left and right. I tried. I tried so hard to understand. But I’m so over it. Everything I have learned or heard about that episode makes me mad. I am not hating on the actress but good god everything she says just makes it worse and makes herself look worse. Did she think she was the hero? Even my causal viewer friends did not like edwina. (Also, that one quote where it felt like her wedding, etc and how she’s can’t quite separate herself from the character…like maybe you’re in the wrong career that’s really not good for your mental health. I’d say the same if it was any other person on who said that instead. A character is always going to get hate no matter who they are. You have to accept criticism. Note: she is a good actress so pls no one try and kill me)

tldr: How did noooo one turn around and say….this is bad?

Also let’s just try and villainize your leads (like let’s be honest there were points where we just didn’t want to root for Anthony with his behaviour) and let everyone shit on them and then try to sell the sister soulmates tag line and the family love (Christ we didn’t even see that with the Bridgertons they were just MEAN).

I’m not one to make conspiracy theories but a part of me really feels like they felt they couldn’t promote a openly gay man and an a brown woman for a romance so they didn’t try. I think CC had a louder voice than SA (who maybe is just quiet generally) and things went her way a bit more promo wise (why do I also think she got babied a bit bc she’s relatively new to acting? That might be my imagination though). I think they scrambled after rege’s exit but for the life of me can’t imagine how that effected the scripts that much (except maybe adding more Featherington scenes?).

Part of me thinks there was alterer motives but honestly I think it comes down to a lack of leadership/direction or at least some people up top had conflicting ideas about the season and this was the garbage they produced

Simone Ashley & Jonathan Bailey you always be famous to me, thank you for your outstanding performances and you did the eldest siblings proud and you deserved so much better 💜

End of rant ❤️‍🩹