Unless you are watching Bridgerton only for the Duke of Hasting’s handsome face, then the second season of the Netflix original is anything but a disappointment. 

    “Bridgerton” is a Netflix show and originally a series of eight novels written by Julia Quinn.  Each novel is dedicated to the story of one of the Bridgerton children. 

        Two years after the first season, Netflix gave fans eight more episodes based on the second novel “The Viscount Who Loved Me.” Fans were quick to react when discovering the absence of last season’s newlyweds  Daphne Bridgerton, played by Phoebe Dynevor, and Simon Basset. The season only features Daphne a few times and her new husband, Simon, played by Regé-Jean Page, is not featured at all. 

    The main character switched from one sibling to another. The oldest Bridgerton sibling Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey, is determined to follow his duties as the viscount. Daphne sought a love match just as her parents had during her season and found it. 

Unlike his sister, Anthony is seeking a marriage that is better compared to a business relationship rather than a love match. A marriage to get his duties of finding a lady for the Bridgerton home as well as producing a family. 

    However, this season is in for just as much scandal as the last. A trio of three travel back from India: a mother and two sisters. They joined London’s social season to secure the youngest sister Edwina Sharma, played by Charithra Chandran, a husband. Will the Sharmas put a muddy boot in Anthony’s plans?

    The season’s plot is not at all what I expected, but made for great drama. However, the second season does not feature as many sex scenes and saves a majority of the tension for the end of the film. Although it was appreciated when my roommates were present, it does not create the same tension and build-up as it did for the duke and duchess. 

    In reality, the couple was also introduced differently. Daphne and Simon were to act as a pairing while our new romance was too scandalous to start. 

    On another note, I love the new characters introduced in the film but I have to point out a thought that has been bugging me. If the Sharma family is from India, their culture and traditions are different from those of England. Yet, there is no cultural clash -or any of the Indian culture- appearing at all in the film.

    A majority of this is because in the second book, the Sharma family is not only white but also the Sheffields. The creator, Chris Van Dusen, said after the first season of Bridgerton aired on Netflix that he wanted to expand the show’s multicultural perspective which is the result of the Sharmas.

    I love the Sharmas, however, I do not love the lack of representation of Indian culture. If he wants to “expand the show’s multicultural perspective” why weren’t there any details of Indian culture?

   The way the Sharmas are written is literally like they took a white person and dipped them in caramel or chocolate. Despite being born and raised in India, the Sharmas do everything the same as everything else in London. Their culture and traditions evaporated into the London air.

    That problem is my only complaint. The dresses worn by everyone in the film are amazing, colorful and the behind-the-scenes Madame Delacroix is not only amazing but an artist. 

    On the topic of Eloise, we follow into some of her adventures throughout the show. Of course, she is still hunting for Lady Whistledown, but during her hunt, she meets someone new. I will not spoil any details, but it was interesting to see that she had the capability to blush.

    Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, the eighth episode ended on a gigantic cliffhanger. Eloise catches a key detail (and mistake) by Lady Whistledown that spoils some of her fun. 

    Despite the diversity issues in the show, the plot is amazing. I am rooting for the Viscount and new Viscountess the entire show and even found myself hating Anthony because of how stubborn he is. Any fan of romance, great music, friend drama and everything else in the English tea, then the second season of Bridgerton is not something to miss.