Storylines in a Possible Queen Charlotte Season 2
From everything I understood in the discussions around Queen Charlotte, this story is a miniseries, a one-and-done season. However, with Queen Charlotte being successful and seeming like a critical darling praised over Bridgerton (despite my own misgivings on this), I am starting to wonder if another season is coming. They certainly left the door open for that, with so little time of the King and Queen’s marriage covered, and so many stories that could still be told.
So with no confirmation that a season two is even a possibility beyond Shonda saying she’d be open to it, and with wild speculation being my bread and butter here, I’m going to try and predict what some storylines might be in a potential Queen Charlotte Season 2.
Queen Charlotte Coming Into Her Own as a Ruler
As much as the hype around QC seemed to be about Charlotte coming into her power as queen, I don’t think we really got to see that much. She learned to stand up to George, for sure, and to fight for them as a couple. But I wanted to see much more of her taking control of her court and her public. We saw a brief glimpse of what she might be as a political strategist with the Danbury Ball, though that was supporting Lady D at her behest, and more with the final ball to bring Parliament to them. So I would love to see more of how she is able to learn from Augusta and use her sphere of influence as Queen to exert control over society and politics. I think she’s got a lot of room to run there that didn’t get largely explored in these six episodes.
Charlotte’s Feelings About Her Children
Getting little baby George at the end and discovering Charlotte is pregnant once more, it’s clear that the set up for the births of fourteen more children is there. One of the biggest issues I had was trying to figure out how Charlotte went from someone optimistic with George to such a distant mother. Obviously she has a ton on her plate and I sympathize, but I would be very interested to see how her early days with her children play out. I could definitely sense the possibility of her resenting that she’s a mother at all — she’s allowed not to want that from a human perspective, but from her position as Queen of England, she isn’t allowed not to be that. So I think it would be a very interesting route to go where she is a reluctant mother, despite going through it so many times, and how that affects her. I’m worried that the show was hesitant to allow their leading ladies to be truly bad mothers or even resentful ones, trying to give a sense of happiness to both the Queen and Lady D about their children when all the evidence is to the contrary. It’s almost like they gave a nod to this lack of maternal desire, then papered over it so as not to alienate the audience. I would hope for braver things from the show in a potential season 2.
Lady Danbury’s Big Love
Even though we got to see Agatha’s first steps away from her husband and on her own as a woman, I just don’t think that this short affair with the first guy that was nice to her is her big love story. And from comments from Shonda and Arsema, it sounds like that’s the perspective they’ve taken as well. I would really love to see more from her and the evolution of her character. My initial instinct before the show released was that her love might be Adolphus, but honestly he’s not my favorite person either after seeing the show. I would be thrilled to see more of Agatha’s love life explored, as the way she talks to Violet makes it sound like she has had a few tricks up her sleeve in her time.
George’s Continuing Mental Illness
As I write a fan fiction version of this in my head, an episode is called “Good Days and Bad Days” as Charlotte and George learn to work with his illness. I think it was a really powerful thing that Charlotte had to realize for herself that she wasn’t a magical cure for George and that’s not how mental health works. Him being happy, healthy, and supported is certainly helpful, but it doesn’t stop him from being ill. I would love to see that play out in a day-to-day thing, where he has days when he’s all there, and days when he’s not, and how she loves him and supports him and works with him still.
Violet’s Debut
We got to know a very young, not even out on the Ton yet, Violet Ledger in Season One. The actress totally stole my heart, even if we didn’t get much of her, and I would love to see more of her as she steps out into society. The relationship between her parents could be another interesting aspect to explore, and how they relate to her on her own love journey. What we’re all obviously most looking forward to is Edmund, though, and I think showing their blossoming love story, maybe even juxtaposing that with a modern storyline of love for her in the Regency era? I know Violet has been tossed out as a possibility for the next spinoff, even by cast and crew, and while I think that’s a possibility, I feel like if they’re going to return to this world with these same characters, they’ll just do so as another season of Queen Charlotte. Then again, who knows?
Brimsely and Reynolds
Obviously I want all I can get of this couple, but why Brimsley is dancing alone at the end instead of with his man is certainly a question worth exploring. If there was a second season, I would love to get into the nuance and details of their feelings and romance. I am convinced that Reynolds has some kind of feelings past friendship for George, and that would be a fascinating aspect to explore (more on that in a later post). But how we go from this couple so full of hope and possibility to Brimsley on his own is a mystery that has people clamoring for answers. So whether Reynolds died or they break up, it’s an idea people are desperate for the show to explore further.
Edward and Victoria
Parents to Queen Victoria, where we left this couple in Queen Charlotte, they were announcing their pregnancy to the Queen. I think they could have a very interesting story, a continuation thematically of the arranged marriage turning to something real. They would have the opportunity to go into several of the children’s stories if they wanted as well, but I think this pair is the most logical as they ended the series and have the most historical significance. I think it would be a great choice to expand the world and dive into more of the stories of the royal family.
In all honesty, I don’t think there will be a season two because of how the show was designed. However, I could see them deciding to do more with it if it’s highly successful and, maybe even more, if it wins awards. I do think there will be more spinoffs though, and it will be interesting to see where those go.
