Top 10 Bridgerton Season 2 Characters
#10 Edwina Sharma
Edwina Sharma, and indeed Charithra Chandran, had one of the toughest and most intimidating roles this season. Parts like Edwina’s, where she is pretty, young, and expresses traditionally feminine traits like not wanting to dirty her dress and wanting to be the diamond, tend to get words thrown at them like “spoiled” and “bratty” at the least. I was supremely impressed with how well Edwina managed this, that she was innocent in an understandable way, and that she did express anger and frustration when things came to a head. Her character didn’t have the best writing I’ve ever seen, with her big speech of making choices for herself falling a bit flat thematically, but I really respected her standing up to the Queen and the entire ton to do what was best for her. She is very naive, but she’s also been deliberately sheltered, so I can’t blame her for that reality. Her anger is understandable, and when she finally is in a headspace to listen to Kate and understand what happened, she is even the catalyst that gets Anthony and Kate together. I don’t think she’s the best written character of the season, but I really respect that they tried to make her more than just the roadblock between Kate and Anthony. She was fighting an uphill battle the whole season, both in the story and against the natural reactions audiences often have to a character like her. She did pretty darn well with the hand she was dealt, and so I wanted to shout her out here.
#9 Jack Featherington
I believe my exact words were: sorry, but you cannot get me to care about who inherits the stupid Featherington estate. Enter Jack Featherington. Tall, charming, mischievous. Instant chemistry with Portia while putting her in her place. He brings a whole, fresh energy to the story that I found delightful. Maybe it was because I expected less than nothing from the Featheringtons this season, but this became one of if not my very favorite subplot. His selfishness came off charming, his scheming delightful. I knew I wasn't going to ever see him as the hero, so that made it delightful to love him as something gray, not quite a villain. His appreciation of an older woman was a breath of fresh air, and the chemistry the two had definitely sizzles. He absolutely served his purpose and, while I found him and his story delightful, I'm glad we closed the book on him. A swindler was a delicious presence to add to the story, and every scene he was in was made better by his presence. He makes this list more than anything because they made not only something of nothing (a character that doesn't exist in the source material), but charmed and enthralled me with a character I was sure I wouldn't care about. That is quite the feat.
#8 Benedict Bridgerton
Benedict was an utter joy this season. The comic relief in such a great way, I think they must have adapted B to be a bit more like Luke Thompson. The goofball energy is strong, and while I might have expected that more from Colin with my preconceptions about the characters, it's done flawlessly with Benedict this season. His arc is tender and relatable, fears about our own talents and imposter syndrome common and powerful. He is at his best when he's drunk and high, an interesting thing that, while making for wonderful hilarity this season, I am curious to see addressed more seriously in future. He's not in a great place at the moment, and I definitely feel for him. His one conversation on the swings with Eloise was a sweet call back, and the two of them together make my favorite sibling relationship (though Anthony and Daphne give them a run for their money this season). Still, Benedict is unflappably charming, whether he's shouting to the ether, playing croquet, or "modeling." I am interested to see where the future takes him, especially as I think he needs another season of setup before we get his forever love. But we'll have to see, and no matter what, if it's Benedict I'm probably going to love it. This season's arc for him felt less like an arc and a bit more like a nudge closer to set up an arc, which is why he hovers at this level on the list. I have zero doubts that he'll shine when his time comes.
#7 Lady Danbury
I loved Lady D last season for being to no-nonsense woman that put Simon in his place and was there for people in her indomitable manner. This season gave her so much more of her own story, her own vulnerabilities. Her friendship with the Queen was an interesting backdrop, and I totally loved watching two strong, older, black women absolutely run the scenes together. But Lady Danbury was at her best in the quiet, intimate moments with Kate. She is the unwavering supporter of the elder Sharma, and is there for her in such a real and utterly necessary way. I love that she saw herself in Kate, and that she didn't chide Kate for her arrogance and confidence. She didn't make Kate an enemy even though Kate entered with a rather massive chip on her shoulder. Too often, shows and society seek to teach young women humility. Kate is not humbled, she's taught, and all by Lady Danbury, who has her own dash of arrogance as well. It's a great quality to see in women onscreen when it's not being demonized, and Lady D stands for strong, independent women at every turn. Even, and especially, when she cracks, it makes everything around it so much more powerful. The scene of her and Violet laughing hysterically was one of the best in the show, and seeing her realize, as is so on theme with the show, that some things cannot be controlled, was the perfect arc for her.
#6 Penelope Featherington
I really struggled with Penelope this season, but I think that's the mark of a well made character. Last season, I was fully on her side, even for her mistakes, because they really did feel like mistakes. But she clearly had a greater sense of maliciousness this season, even while she was trying to adapt. I was with Eloise at every turn: last season, Lady Whistledown was exciting and new. By this one, I was asking more from her. And goodness, did she deliver. She gave more antagonism, more arrogance, more selfishness, more lies. And I'm here for it. This is what I asked for when I said I wanted realistic and complex female characters. I want a girl who is the smartest person in the room and is sick to death of being ignored. I want a girl who is bitter and angry and lashing out, but who is also is making her own way in the world, who has power and strength and drive. I want a girl who wants to help, but not at her own expense, who thinks she knows best even when she doesn't. I want the mess that brings. I want to love her at times and dislike her at others. I want to cry with her when Colin breaks her heart and be angry at her when she ruins Eloise. I want to feel the tear in my soul she does when she picks up her pen again after losing everything because a self destructive spiral isn't pretty, but it is relatable. Penelope this season was a powerful character, and it set up a truly remarkable arc, I hope, for the coming seasons when she is able to mature and understand both herself and the world around her.
#5 Violet Bridgerton
Not going to lie, I did not like Violet much in Season 1. I was frustrated with her playing favorites with her kids, the truly horrible way she treated and pressured Anthony, and, while I empathized with her awkwardness around having "the talk" with Daphne, I was severely disappointed. However, this season gave her a 180° turn. We see so much of her trauma and how deeply Edmund's death affected her. We see how she put so much on Anthony immediately and she even takes responsibility for pushing him into that role. Her fears and trauma was heartbreaking, and the way she showed up for Anthony this season was a great change. She sees in him what he's trying to hide and is worried about his happiness above all else. Moreover, her friendship with Lady D was a delight, and showing the good moments and the strains were very strong. The quiet moments with Anthony where she is vulnerable with him, shows her own scars and acknowledges his, make her character. And it's no accident that it's her encouragement, her beautiful speech about pain and loss and true love, that pushes Anthony to take that risk. We wouldn't have Kanthony without Violet, and her character this season was phenomal.
#4 Eloise Bridgerton
Eloise, and her arc, was a delight this season. She was everything I loved about Season 1 Eloise, all her spunkiness and charm, her wit and her flouting of society, all with an added mix of vulnerability that made her even deeper and more endearing. This is exactly how to develop a character: think of what would be the worst thing in the world for them, the thing they dread the most, and put them in that situation. Eloise is not only being forced to participate in the season that she abhors both personally and ideologically, she is being compared to Daphne at every turn. That's quite the curve to get graded on when she doesn't even want to do the assignment. Her conversation with Pen in the flowers is one of the highlights of the season. Still more, to push her and explore her as a character, they give her the one thing she never wanted: a love interest. It shows how her ideas are most valuable when they're put to the test, and helps her see how her world might look with someone who appreciates her. While I personally wouldn't mind seeing Eloise go unattached as a literary and academic lady for the rest of her life, in a show about love, that's likely a pipe dream. Theo is the next best thing, and the way it helped her tease out her own character was brilliant. She wasn't defined by him, but learned about herself through him and their relationship. Eloise's defining relationship, though, is with Penelope, and I was glad she finally figured out the truth. This puts Eloise in a fascinating place for next season, and I can't wait to see what mischief, feminism, and emotional depth she brings.
#3 Daphne Basset
Being completely honest, I despised Daphne in Season 1. I was not going to like nor defend a rapist (which is what she is, no sugar coating it in ignorance or her own pain). I really didn't see my way to ever liking her character. But removing the Duke did wonders as it didn't force me to be reminded of or relive that toxicity dressed up as romance, and it gave Daphne an entirely new purpose. I sympathized strongly with her desire to be a mother, and getting to see her fulfill that role was a joy. Moreover, she loosened up a bit, and I think Phoebe inhabited that part in a much deeper way in S2. She is able to express herself and her opinions, she has a great deal of wisdom earned through a difficult previous year, and she stands up for her family. Especially Anthony. After their relationship started off rocky the year before, it was a delight to watch it deepen and grow. Still more, she was a fabulous connection point for the audience who felt just as she did, wanting to shake Anthony and shove him toward Kate with all our might. Daphne was so much of the sanity this season, and she really came through when things got rough. She didn't even really lord any "I told you so" energy over Anthony when really he probably deserved it. I loved the depth and care of Daphne this season, and how mature she's become. Daphne has really taken the role of sister, Duchess, and mother in stride.#9 Penelope Featherington
#2 Anthony Bridgerton
Not giving him the top spot nearly killed me, but I think he, "gentleman" that he is, would have happily ceded it to the taker of that place. But then, with their famed competitiveness, maybe not. Really, it's a virtual tie as the character of Anthony with this season has become one of my absolute favorites of all time. He was set up for a good arc in the first season, though S2 was where we really get who Anthony is and why. The revelation of everything that happened with his dad is heartbreaking, and the psychologically revealing conversations he has with Kate and Violet and even Daphne are phenomenal. It doesn't hurt that Jonathan Bailey acts the ever loving shit out of this part. Everything from the devastated boy to the sexually charged rake, the domineering viscount and the loving older brother, the playful lover and the earnest man, it's all there to perfection. It is impressive to take a supporting character who was some degree of problematic or unlikable in the previous season, and turn him into an emotional, irreplaceable leading man. They absolutely did that with Anthony. Every choice he makes, even when frustrating, is psychologically sound and adds whole new layers. When he finally gets the right girl, it is a revelation. He deserves to be in the pantheon of great romantic heroes alongside the likes of Darcy and Heathcliffe, with all the flawed tragedy and heart-stopping romance of that brand.
#1 Kathani Sharma
It really had to be Kate. From the moment she blasts on screen, riding astride and straight into our, and Anthony's, hearts, she was the queen of this season. Everything about her was a perfectly styled character, from her deep, powerful love of her family to her stubbornness and controlling behavior (all echoes of Anthony). I loved that Kate gives us a different brand of womanhood than Daphne or even Eloise. Kate is the head of the household, dresses (as much as one can in a gown) and talks like a man, and expresses tradionally masculine characteristics. Those same characteristics, including ambition, arrogance, and assertiveness, tending to be demonized in women while being heralded in men. But Kate shows the power of an arrogant woman, and it isn't a story of her being "humbled," which would have been tired and problematic. No, we get a slow, gentle, unfurling of her history, of her pain, and get to watch her fall in love. Kate becomes more comfortable with herself and her vulnerabilities, doing things for herself and believing, finally, that she is worthy of love. What's more, she does this all as a woman of color. Kate brought a depth of culture and a true love of her heritage to the screen that has inspired so many. Simone Ashley is the perfect Kate, and I can't imagine a better leading woman for Season 2, for every reason both in the story and in our world, than Kathani Sharma.