Top 10 Sexiest Anthony Bridgerton Moments in Season 2

10. Apple Eating

This was going to be in my honorable mentions until I saw just how many people in my comments mentioned this as a favorite sexy scene for Anthony. So I reexamined, and I asked myself why this was such a memorable and popular moment even though its so small. First off, Anthony is looking wrecked. It's when we really see his veneer cracking after the bee scene, and he is in full brooding mode. It's a great parallel as he and Kate stare into the distance, thinking of what's happened and what they've shared. Jonathan Bailey does an amazing job of making us dream about what's behind his eyes, and in this moment, it's all Kate, confusion, arousal, and denial. Now for the apple. Psychologically, fruit, particularly round fruits like apples, pomegranates, peaches, are female reproduction, a symbol of sex and desire. More than that, the apple in specific is an allusion to the Bible and temptation. He is Adam being tempted by Kate's forbidden fruit. And it's highly telling that he snatches it and bites into it with fervor. It's foreshadowing for how, once he goes for it with Kate once he decides he's going to. He bites into her apple with abandon, and, whether he's aware of it or not, that's definitely what Anthony is doing. And I think that's why we find it so damn sexy. Watching Anthony brood and bluster over the woman he claims to hate is a dream come true, but when it's all built up with the context, it shines through as a supremely sexy scene.

9. Stay Away Montage

One of my favorite uses of music this season and probably the best editing of S2, this montage has so much going for it in both the storytelling and the sexiness departments. A nice shot of the Viscount's never goes amiss, but it's so much more than that. The juxtaposition of all the different aspects of his life set to this more and more manic pace is enough to make us dizzy. We feel all these disparate pieces, from the interviews with the young ladies to the visits to sex workers to the duties of being Viscount Bridgerton, and the juggling act Antony has to do to keep them afloat. It manages to draw out our sympathy for him (guy looks wrecked, honestly), while also displaying just how hollow and unsatisfying all of this is to him. It puts us immediately in the same place as Kate eventually fills. We look at that and want to soothe, to fix, to be the force of nature that jars him out of his stupor. We see that the women in his life, be they ladies or prostitutes, hold no special place. They each occupy a small section of who he is, and they don't mix. There's also more than a small bit of attraction in the idea of the workaholic, of being the thing that distracts them from their "duties," and establishing him as that is a good move. It doesn't hurt that they throw in some shots of him in delightful scenarios, whether it's a nod to S1 with the spoon to him downing last night's wine with aggressive fervor to shots of his hands to him striding about very naked. It's all very female-gaze. And it makes this montage a supremely sexy one that does the amazing work of character building at the same time. Sexiness for its own sake is all well and good, but it elevates to something special when it can also be narratively important. And this one certainly does that.

8. Bachelor Party

I honestly have trouble putting my finger on exactly what makes this so hot. He's sullen to the point of petulance, snarky, slouchy, brooding. Even a bit of a jerk. And boy howdy, does it work for him! There's a kind of vulnerability we see in Anthony here that he covers with prickliness, but is nonetheless very present. He feels exceptionally out of control, trying to resign himself to a fate he does not want. And all Colin and Benedict’s teasing just paints more clearly for him the reality he's going to have to face. He's going to be marrying one woman while in love with another; her sister no less. He is in a whirlpool of doubt, guilt, fear, anger, and self-loathing. I'm not sure I fully want to examine why that's so damn sexy, but brooding, dark-haired, oldest brothers with issues...well, if that isn't already an official kink, it should be. All this hits a peak when Benedict jokes about the wedding night, and Anthony looks like the Colosseum just crashed down on his head. It reads to me like Anthony had been so caught up in making sure he got married that he wasn't thinking about the reality of being married. And the truth of that is that he'll be taking a woman to bed while actively wanting someone else. I think he balks at that. Especially when the women in question are sisters. Part of what makes this so hot is the forbidden nature. Anthony has already declared that no matter what, he'll spend all his time wanting Kate. It's an interesting flip to the book, where Kate worries Anthony is thinking of Edwina when he takes her to bed. In this case, if Anthony had gone to bed with Edwina, it would have been pretty much impossible for him NOT to think of Kate. It's not a turn of events anyone wants to contemplate, and yet, Anthony is staring down the barrel of it. That's why he's slamming back huge glasses of whisky like it's his lifeblood. He is not OK. And there is something so devastatingly sexy about seeing Mr. Control lose his ever loving shit.

7. Harmony Dance

I feel like this is an underrated moment for sexiness for Anthony. He isn't being overt or even trying to come across as hot, and I think that's what makes it so perfect. First off, he is open in ways we haven't seen him before. When the world has crashed down around him, he doesn't implode or spiral, but rather makes the most of things. We also get to see him at peak Daddy Bridgerton with his little girl, Hyacinth. She has never existed in the world with any other father, and the moment that he calls her down to come dance with him exploded ovaries around the world. His cheekiness and charm as he awaits her is everything. It's a looser, happier, sweeter version of Anthony than we have as yet been privy to, and it proves how much he has to offer beyond what he's originally thought of as his duty. We see him truly stepping into the role he was born to play, a role we imagine his father likely played. He's loving, larger than life, and open. It's no wonder we, and Kate, respond so much to that. And of course, when he is with Kate, when they dance together in so much happiness and love, it's a glimpse into how they will be when they can finally be together and show their love. The moment at the end of the dance when they move together, drawn powerfully into the other's orbit, when he seems to almost form himself around her body even though he isn't touching her...it's magic. It turns out to be a kind of foreplay for them that lends a slight edge, that Kate has to spin away from him to hide the obvious power and intention in their gaze, their shared energy making them obvious, as well as oblivious, to all else. This whole scene is a different kind of sexy than we've previously seen, not his brooding but his happiness. And a man who is loving, caring, and joyful, and a man who looks at the woman he loves the way he looks at Kate, is one of the sexiest things there is.

6. First Kiss

This moment I am blending with both what we see in episode six and the small flashback in Kate's mind in episode seven. When they are at the altar in six, both of them look so broken up, devastated after Edwina's speech. Anthony looks like all the fight has gone out of him, like he has nothing left to give when Kate says goodbye, as though that has crushed him more than anything else. And yet, when Kate kisses him, everything lights up. He's momentarily shocked, for a second not knowing what to do with his lips or his hands. Gotta love the consummate rake being shocked by a kiss. And when he sinks into it, it is absolutely glorious. It's not easy to look good kissing onscreen, especially kissing like that, but they more than pull it off. Anthony's very proprietary hold on her, the way he cradles her back and moves with her, is enough to make a girl melt. And the look on his face, the way he holds her hands, after they break the kiss, is swoon-worthy. Further, the little flashback Kate has where we know another more comes after, that from that spot, he leans in close, pauses, SNIFFS HER, and then moves in...I think we were all as breathless as Kate. We can feel the desperation seeping out of them, and there is something so sexy about a man who doesn't just want but actually needs the woman he's with. Anthony can't tear his eyes from her, his lips from her, his body from hers. We know all the torture, restraint, guilt, that has been coursing through him over this attraction. Finally, when Kate gives him the chance, he takes it. He devours her like he's starving, yet holds her like a treasure. It's a complex slate of emotions and desires that the two of them balance so well in this scene. He's tender and soft, yet voracious and unrelenting. It's a heady mix that makes this scene one of the sexiest Anthony moments all season.

5. Hunting

This scene is a delicious mix of versions of Anthony who are all hot in different ways. We get happy, flirty Anthony while on horseback with Kate. He's even a little tentative, stealing glances at her when she isn't looking. It's a kind of sweet bashfulness we don't see from our Capital R Rake, and it shows he is clearly in a different headspace with Kate than he is with anyone else. Their conversation is tender and earnest, Kate talking about her past and them opening up. He gets to know more of her here, and their enjoyment of each other is clear. That leads into the deliriously horny version of Anthony where he and Kate are sparring, and a glimpse of her thigh stops time. Again, Capital R Rake at his finest when a glimpse of hidden flesh turns him upside-down. Hiding a partial in those tan breeches isn't easy, is it bud? And that of course leads us into classic, angry-horny Anthony, where he and Kate bicker about who "looked" at whom, and how. They cycle quickly though into another version, domineering-horny, who decides he knows best and has to teach her something. I find it very interesting that Kate lets him do this, but I think she wants to get body-to-body with him as much as he does. So we get this intimate embrace where he wraps himself around her, where he can smell her, feel her, with their bodies coiled close, both of them clutching something literally deadly. It's a heck of a metaphor for them playing with fire here. And yet, it's sexy as hell. Everything about Anthony throughout this scene screams of the many ways he wants Kate. He wants her as companion and friend, as passionate sparring partner, and as the living, breathing, scalding woman, the lover in his arms. It's powerful, it's absolute, and it's complete. And how can we not fall for a man who wants a woman like that?

4. Jealous Anthony

This one is an interesting mix. Don't get me wrong: I find this super sexy. But I also get annoyed with Anthony over his jealousy. Dude, you just proposed to her sister, you don't get to be jealous! But, also, isn't that what we love about jealousy, and about this story? It's a fierceness, a misbehavior, an acknowledgment that some forces, especially those of attraction and our own heart, are not under our control, no matter how hard we try. Anthony doesn't want to want Kate. He wishes he didn't want to murder any man who so much as looks at her, but he does. This whole season is Anthony not wanting to act on his darker impulses, and not being able to help himself when he's with Kate. That's really the fantasy. So here, even as Anthony has further pushed Kate away, trying desperately to erect a barrier that he thought he couldn't cross, he still can't help himself. He has to burn holes in them with his eyes even as he's speaking to his mother and fiancée. He has to practically shove Dorset out of the way to help Kate himself. He has to fondle her hand because he had an excuse to touch her earlier in the day when they sized the ring, and now, he's obsessed with getting that contact again, at really any cost. There's a desperation, a fierceness, a primal nature, to jealousy that we respond to. It's a desire to be claimed, that Anthony has, on some evolutionary level his brain can't fully acknowledge yet, recognized Kate as his mate. His more feral instincts desire to lay claim to her, to butt heads with any man who may also want her, to make her his own. And when it's done with all the fervor of Jonathan Bailey, its enough to give you shivers. And of course, ending with him getting dumped in the drink and emerging in the most transparent wet shirt I've ever seen really doesn't hurt.

3. First Dance

I think we all gave a collective swoon at this moment, from when he takes her hand to when they rush off the floor...it's all breathless, yearning, glorious intensity. They are literally dancing around each other, trying not to come to close, to reveal to much, even though so much has happened between them. But the dance forces them together in dramatic fashion. And what a glorious dance it is. There's definitely something in a period drama that seeing a man dance like that, Anthony with his leg sweep, the hand placement, all of it, that sticks with us as viewers. There is magic in this scene, in the choreography and style, in the way they move together. The beauty of the scene coupled with the intensity of the two of them, finally closr and touching at length, is powerful. They cannot hide what's brewing just under the surface. One of the most beautiful moments is when they are huddled close, both facing the same direction. This is their default pose, from the hunting scene to here to the epilogue. They both have parallel goals, but it caused them to crash together anyway. Its the little breaches of proriety, too, with his lack of gloves, his bare fingers on her collarbone, storming off the dance floor because he can no longer function with the news that she'll be gone. Anthony is so caught up in Kate at this moment that he loses sight of all else, and what is sexier than that? This is where things are hanging in the balance for him; he's honestly considering switching sisters, damn the consequences. There's just about nothing hotter than when Kate tries to dismiss her own desires, but Anthony won't let her. This scene is an immense turning point for them both emotionally, and the rawness of Anthony combined with the beauty and grace of the moment, is gloriously, unabashedly, peak Regency fantasy, sexy.

2. Hero Anthony

Is there anything sexier than a hero moment? Well, one thing, according to this list, but that's still pretty darn sexy! After the night Kate and Anthony share, Anthony is determined to make Kate his wife. Obviously he has many, complex reasons for this, but he can't even bring himself to wait for a reasonable hour, or for the once-a-season rain in perpetually sunny Bridgerton to pass. He goes immediately, and when he hears Kate is gone, knows just where to find her. It's already a hero moment, that he rushes out into terrible conditions, desperate to find the woman he can't even admit he loves. He's soaked through and sees the worst imaginable: Kate falls. Anthony swings down from his horse like a fairytale prince, scoops her in his arms, and carries her to safety. It's everything we want in a romantic rescue. It's dark and Gothic, rain-drenched and intimate, and so deeply painful as this is exactly what Anthony feared. He has finally done something for himself, finally let go of the stranglehold he has on his duty, and the worst happens. His drive, his desperation, his love for her, is everything. This scene plays on our every emotion and leaves us more desperately in love with Anthony than ever. His shock and care for her as the doctor arrives, his guilt and bewilderment, they're all part of the complex web of emotions he feels in that moment. It is more than we have seen from him yet, and it's enough for us to shatter with him. His heroics are glorious and his raw emotion is devastating. It's an undeniable alchemy that draws us ever closer, ever deeper, into this amazing character.

1. GDFR

This is it, the sexiest Anthony moment of the season, and one of the sexist things I have ever seen on TV. Everything about this is hot. He kisses Kate and immediately lifts her skirt, going directly for what he wants after being denied it for so long. But she is as desperate for it as he is, and responds wildly, hungrily. And every step of the way, Anthony wants to devour her. Every shot of this exchange is enough to induce vapors in the watching audience, from him pulling off her glove to stripping off his shirt to her thumb on his lips. Wow. His utter devotion to her pleasure is obvious, his every move coming back to that central goal. There is nothing hotter than a man who knows what he's doing and plans to put that to good use. Anthony certainly does. I really appreciated all the different poses and positions they were in, how they showed that this was not quick, but instead long, desperate, and pleasurable. His devotion to her is deep and wildly erotic, until he finally goes down on her. I have to praise Simone's acting her as well, as playing out a solo orgasm is not easy, and Anthony's sexiness would fall flat if he didn't have an amazing Kate to work with, so that has to be highlighted. And certainly part of the reason this is so damn hot is her reaction, so props. But when Anthony has his head between her legs and looks up to make eye contact...? Fuuuuuuuuuck. I have genuinely never seen that shot on television before, but wow is it effective. That he is not only enjoying himself but totally unabashed, that he holds Kate's eyes as every bit of their eye contact has been foreplay for this moment, is everything. So often women are taught to be ashamed and to hide our pleasure, that even intimate exchanges with our partner should be shrouded in shame. Bridgerton says no to that and instead celebrates female-centered pleasure, and does so with a gorgeous man fully invested. And of course, there's the way he grips her hand as she finishes, as she blacks out with pleasure and holds onto him as her tether. Their hands have been as important as their eyes in this season, and that they have ahold of each other, not furtive or stolen, but are gripping each other fiercely in this moment, is everything. When after this, Anthony comes back up for more, we see position changes again and more kissing, thrusting, loving...because TV land might finally be catching up to the books on which these shows are based. And guess what? Girls get multiple orgasms in those. This scene stands alone as one of the sexiest ever filmed, and Anthony is at peak hotness for so many reasons. It is gorgeous to watch, culturally meaningful, and just damn sexy.