No one: Julia: If Penelope has a million fans, then I am one of them. If Penelope has ten fans, then I am one of them. If Penelope has only one fan then that is me. If Penelope has no fans, then that means I am no longer on earth. If the world is against Penelope, then I am against the world.

I actually enjoyed Season 2 more than the first, a rarity for me. Kate and Anthony just had more chemistry compared to Simon and Daphne, and the "Enemies to Lovers" plot is far more compelling to me than the "Fake relationship pact inevitably becomes real."

The book isn’t always better, and people only think it is because they don’t understand the nuances of switching mediums, and Bridgerton is a really good case study of this phenomenon.

“I don’t like my rights being denied” I ALMOST VOMITED Kate was in the trenches wtf

God, the not-so-subtle racism and misogyny that permeate the Bridgeton fandom (specifically on twitter) is insane.

I saw one guy say “people don’t want an adaptation of their book, they want a dramatization” and some book fans just won’t admit that some book plots, themes, and ways of storytelling do not make a good tv show

My personal problem with the Bridgerton fandom is that their expectation is Wattpad. Like any character somehow being complex and having real problems automatically makes them annoying. Two of my favorite scenes of the whole show were the fight between Eloise and Penelope and where Edwina blows up on Kate. There were actual stakes: both pairs had an incredibly strong relationship, REAL reasons to be upset with each other while also understandable reasons on why they acted the way they did. But I guess the fans would rather see corny lines between the main couple. But also I'm in the minority who preferred the main couple of S1 but the side plots of S2.

Alot of people hated Anthony before his season too and now everyone is Gaga for him. Sometimes you need to bring characters to their lowest so you can bring them up to their best.

if they listen to the fans and make eloise's story accurate to the book im jumping off of a bridge

also i like edwina it's silly to claim she takes away from kate when she is a huge part of who kate is as a person

I understand someone thinking Penelope is a bad person for her actions, but I will never understand anyone claiming that she’s a bad character. Penelope is so interesting!! She’s incredibly multifaceted. She’s shy and kind while also having the capacity to be searingly mean and selfish. She’s incredibly observant and probably the smartest character on the show (sorry Eloise, you’re great too!) And yes, she’s a morally grey character, but how does that not make her better?? It is so interesting to watch an otherwise soft-spoken character make big, controversial decisions. Do people just want protagonists who always do the right thing all the time, never making any mistakes or bad decisions? I just think Penelope is probably the most layered and nuanced character in the show and she did that as a supporting character. I’d love to see what they do with her character as a lead!

Even with Kate and Anthony’s story, I found the changes they made were absolutely fantastic! 1) Taking away the repetition of the forced marriage 2) Changing the trauma bonding library scene 3) Removing/Changing any non-consensual stuff/violence (“I will stop” “Do _not_ stop”) 4) Changing Anthony’s reasons for wanting to get married 5) Actually making Edwina a conflict for Kate (Kate sacrificing Anthony for her sister did SO much more to explain her character to the audience than simply telling us that she sacrifices everything for her) 6) Kate actually being secure in herself when it comes to Anthony

Can’t wait for your Sophie “little rat girl” spreadsheet next season

like a very large part of kate's character unlike daphne IS her backstory. she stepped in as the head of the house when her father died, she raised her half-sister to be a perfect heir (by the way if i did all that work in the middle of early 1800s india and all i got was I'm Only Your HALF-Sister i would be way more pissed than kate was) she dragged everyone to london to grab her sister a suitor, she's the main spur of the story. not having a single flashback of her life in india (or even specifying where or WHAT in india she's planning on returning to!!!!) is a detriment to the story. although it DOES mean we don't have to see any racially insensitive caricatures so it's probably for the best anyway great vid i agree 1000%, the problem isn't the amount of kate vs anybody else but that the showrunners quickly ran out of things for her to do after her relationship with anthony came to light

THAT IS MY REASONING BEHIND LOVING PENELOPE. she is complicated! she is hypocritical! but shes also SMART and LOVING and FUNNY and LOYAL (yes loyal she saved eloise and the bridgertons from social destitution argue with the wall) she is so beautifully HUMAN! the most realistic character julia quinn has created but of course people just reduce her to bitter and mean :D

I read The Viscount Who Loved Me after season 2 expecting a rivals to lovers romance between equals, but instead it was about a violent man provoking and assaulting an insecure young girl. I still liked some of it, but I don't understand people who prefer the book.

Kate& Anthony had so much chemistry, it baffles me people can’t see it. Like the moment they met, you could feel it lol. Do viewers need everyone to always say their feelings aloud to understand the longing looks and slight touches that a ship has for each other ?? It was so obvious

I'm not all the way through the video yet, but I passed the threshold of the spreadsheet and felt like I was going to explode. I'm a commercial romance writer, and I also write it in my spare time. When I write romance for a company, I inevitably get the same instructions: no side characters with plots, the main female isn't allowed to speak overly much unless she's the love INTEREST (so, if the Bridgerton novels were from a Bridgerton-only perspective, Daphne wouldn't be allowed to talk but Kate would be), and everything has to be reminding the reader that the two love interests are GOING to pound town, all for the benefit of this enormously loud fraction of fans. I agree wholeheartedly with Julia when she said these people would be the WORST showrunners. I MUCH preferred season two, because I bought in to the romance more! I liked all the deviations for the Featheringtons being shady and the actual genuine interaction between Bridgerton siblings that wasn't just Anthony yelling at Daphne. If these fans want to watch two people have sex to the exclusion of all other plot and characters, there's an entire industry out there waiting for their patronage. Just because a piece contains sex doesn't mean that it has to do so to the detriment of everything else. TLDR if you don't like porn with plot, just go watch porn. It will not only improve fandom spaces, but writer's rooms as well.

I am glad you have the same level of patience of fans going "I wish the male lead got more scenes of him being a borderline r*pist" as I do. Which is None sjsjjsks But also god I love when people decide to pit women (ESPECIALLY women of color) against each other. Edwina is such a necessary part of the story and if you don't love her then you don't love Kate I said what I said.

I agree with you so much about Penelope. I think so much of the hate for her character is rooted in audiences refusing to see the stakes for her as Lady Whistledown. A lot of people think she’s just being Lady Whistledown for fun, when in reality it’s implied that her mom does not care about marrying her off - instead, her mom is actively ensuring that she doesn’t find a husband by not caring about her success in the marriage market and by sticking her in god awful dresses. Her work as LW is in many ways a means of having an income in case she doesn’t find a husband. And that raises the stakes but also humanizes her a lot more. But because many vocal fans have expressed their hatred of subplot since s1, we can’t see those stakes more explicitly played out on screen. If it were up to me, I’d ask for more Penelope because she really deserves and her character is the most interesting out of the entire cast line up!!!

not only did i really like and appreciate the changes they made to The Viscount Who Loved Me (the bee scene ended up being one of my favorite scenes too! as opposed to how pretty awful it was in the book), the relief i felt when marina was still alive and theo was introduced was enormous cause im hoping eloise ends up with a love interest who actually deserves her

i watched the show before reading the books and was amazed at how...awful the books were. like props to shonda for turning those books into great shows honestly

Who else agrees Julia should be the only one allowed to have an opinion about Bridgerton! 🙋🏽‍♂️

as someone who (unfortunately) did spend some time on the bridgerton subreddit, yeah their takes were equally baffling lol. i saw a lot of comments on the wedding episode complaining that it was too dramatic and i was like damn we are watching this show for very different reasons. i thought we were all here specifically for the drama but i guess not! some people just wanted zero conflict and i don't get it, that would be so boring. thank you for having correct opinions, julia, it's so reassuring to know that i'm not crazy

I liked Edwina. I thought her story line was really interesting since she was portrayed to be really naive and fragile, especially from Kate’s view. once Kate comes clean about the romance and the plot with the grandparents, Edwina actually handles it with maturity, proving Kate wrong. Edwina acting maturely about all the drama really showed how immature Kate and Anthony were being. I thought it was a great empowering arc for Edwina.

Its surprising but not shocking that this season's critiques feature more anti-women rhetoric than the first season, which literally featured female-lead sexual abuse towards a man

Also, the way Colin says he's not interested in Penelope in the show, I feel like they're leaving themselves legroom for it to be a misunderstanding ("I meant you were by dearest friend, I couldn't think of you romantically until ABC moment")..

my thing is that scam plotline felt like such a tedious, long-winded way to figure out feathers getting their wealth back. pen, fly on the wall that she is, not picking up on the scam and not being affected by the reveal felt weird. ends on a heartfelt lady feather moment but it's so unearned. "im a mother i care about my daughters more than anything" when all she does is be rude to her daughters. 🤨 felt like time we could've spent developing kate or pen. i will always support the girls though. i hope pen kills someone next season. straight eloise sent a deep chill through my bones.

It makes me so angry when people keep arguing which woman is the worst when actually the real villains are: In Marina's story: sir George. He should have married her before going to war, but he didn't, therefore he was the one responsible for ruining her life. In Edwina's story: Anthony. Omg, he makes me so mad. He is supposed to be all grown up and head of the family and instead he is a selfish brat thinking only of his own reasons to marry and being all honest about them to everyone else but her. Wth dude, not cool! In the Featheringtons' story: Portia's idiot of a husband. What was she supposed to do after he gambled all their money and then died leaving her with nothing? And don't even get me started on Simon: I cannot see why people like him. Yes, he's got his issues but instead of communicating he spends all his time hitting people. Toxic masculinity much? And the duel? Dude, the rules in the sociaty are not fair but they are simple: If you get cought, you will have to get married. You do not shoot people just because you broke the rules. And I absolutely hate Anthony for the duel as well. Communicate you idiots! How are we supposed to root for these duelling, brooding men, I've got no idea.

Honestly I love how dramatic Penelope and the lady Whistledown plotline is! Her big fight with Eloise was a great culmination for both of the character's trajectories over the course of the season. I really like that Penelope is a very complicated character who isn't a perfect angel or just straight up a bad person; she's got a vindictive streak in her that I find really fascinating, especially compared to how it came out in season 2 vs season 1. In season 1 it feels more selfishly motivated since while she's trying to protect Collin from potential social ruin, a lot of it feels more like lashing out at Marina for pursuing the man she loves. But in season 2 I completely understand why she did what she did, it really was to protect Eloise and she didn't see any other way to do it, since Lady Whistledown is really the only way she's ever found to have any power in her life. That doesn't make it right, but Peneople is a young girl in a bad situation and she did the best that she could. But that doesn't mean her actions were entirely unselfish, since there was some motivation in how she was jealous of how close Eloise had grown to Theo and that Eloise was abandoning her. BUT EVEN THEN I find that to be more compelling than the season 1 conflict because it really felt like a symptom of Penelope coming from an abusive household that treats her horribly and Eloise being one of the only people who really cares about her for who she is. I just love morally ambiguous female characters!!!

I’m almost positive a good 20% of the views on your first Bridgerton video were from me…it’s literally my comfort video

I say all of this with the caveat that Eloise and Penelope are my two favorite characters in the whole show and their friendship is the relationship I'm most invested in across the entire series: I actually think Eloise and Penelope's friendship in the show is a really astute exploration of privilege, and also that Penelope has never done anything wrong, ever, in her entire life and anyone who thinks she has is probably themselves quite privileged and also missing the entire point. Eloise could, theoretically, do anything with her life. She's rich, she comes from a big family with older brothers so she has no need to marry or have kids, she's thin, she's pretty. She could run off tomorrow and take some sort of bohemian tour of the continent and write radical novels or whatever and never come back to England and no one would care or notice. But she doesn't, because Eloise talks a big revolutionary game and has all these ideals but, as we saw this season, ultimately lacks any courage to follow through on them because she's more comfortable complaining and blaming other people ‐ something Penelope very astutely points out in their fight. Penelope, on the other hand, is unfortunately kinda fucked. She's from a family with no money and a poor reputation, she's one of three girls, and she's not considered conventionally attractive or having any other qualities that would make her an enticing marriage prospect. Her writing Lady Whistledown is more than just a fun thing she does because it pads her ego to be good at something (which for the record would in and of itself be a completely valid reason for her to do it!!! She deserves to find her purpose and calling as much as any Bridgerton brother!!!!), it's her only means of providing for herself for her future. Eloise doesn't seem to care at all about Penelope's circumstances. She never listens to Penelope's thoughts, feelings, or opinions. She repeatedly takes for granted that Penelope will offer support for whatever dumb thing Eloise decides she wants to do, when Eloise decides she wants that support, and not bother her or ask anything of her when Eloise doesn't want to give it. She ignores Penelope's warnings about how her behavior is going to get her in trouble and then has the absolute audacity to somehow make it PENELOPE'S fault that Eloise's poor judgment and rashness and unwillingness to listen puts Penelope in a position where her only choices are to betray Eloise a little or betray Eloise a lot. Eloise thinks Penelope had other choices of what she could have done with her life, but that's a function of her own privilege and projection: ELOISE had other choices. ELOISE could have behaved better or at least been slightly more considerate of the effect her actions might have on other people. ELOISE is for a change forced to face some consequences for her actions instead of being indulged, and it's only because of how loyal a friend Penelope is that this is the first time that's ever happened. Penelope ever so slightly chose herself over Eloise for once in her life, and Eloise is too privileged to recognize how precious the loyalty Penelope showed her until that point is. I'm really glad they added this conflict with Eloise and Penelope even though they are my two favorite characters and I love their friendship so much and hate to see them fight. Eloise needs to learn what Penelope has in spades: humility, compassion, and a recognition of what privileges she does and doesn't have, and Penelope needs to learn what Eloise has: brash confidence and a willingness to put herself first when necessary. Anyway, I thought this was all made very, VERY explicitly clear on the show, but I guess the fact that it's the plus sized character who's the one more in the right while the conventionally attractive character is the one who has a whole lot of learning to do means its's a bit too subtle and nuanced for some people.

Everywhere I go I see people who didn't like S2 but I love it so much and watched it again and again. the slow burn, the passion, the stolen glances, the staring, the compliments disguised as insults, the heaviest breathing, the realistic confession, the trauma, the hot consent, & the angry s3x

My secret wish, if the producers aren't going to go by the book and have Eloise write to and fall in love with Sir Phillip Crane, is NOT for Eloise to be with the printerboy, but to FINALLY notice the looks the Bridgerton FOOTMAN gives to her when he fetches her everywhere at her command!!! He sure looks like he has the hots for Miss Eloise!!!!!

I liked season 2 more than season 1 in pretty much every way. I don’t watch the show for the sex scenes and constant scenes of romance. I arguably like the scenes with others characters and side plots MORE than the main plot. I really enjoyed the more scenes between the Bridgerton siblings this season, and the side plots with them and others. If the show became what I’ve heard the books are, nothing more than a repetitive romance story over and over, I would probably stop watching it. So I sincerely hope the writers don’t listen to people who want that.

i like (mostly) everything about season 2 more than season 1 i actually PREFER when there's a fair amount of subplots and the romance is like an undercurrent, slowly shifting and developing... it just leaves with a lot more to be desired and i guess im a sucker for slow burn what can i say also i didnt care for the sex scenes in s1. to me daphne/simon's relationship was ruined after they got married. i did not like the turn their relationship took at ALL. kate and anthony were perfect all the way through

i truly believe the people that don't like pen, just have a problem with understanding nuance and complexity and have low interpretation skills and a lot of the hate she receives is definetly rooted in fatphobia, that being said, the vast majority of people still love pen/polin and will enjoy their season, if not, we can make it up for them.

"I AGREE WITH YOU COMPLETELY!!" -- me, continuously for the last 45 minutes while watching this video

Some of the "fans" are insane and crazy. As a South Indian brown skinned person myself, it is racist to brand the choices you don't like as racism. It's not right to mask your own hateful feelings toward the show as "racism" There's nothing more racist that pitting two women of minority backgrounds, and using them as your tools to be hateful online... It's no wonder that so many of the cast members either left twitter or limit their comments and posts on other soc meds

Here's why people think there was "less" of Kanthony: Firstly, They were hardly alone together in moments of candidness/honesty. We saw Simon and Daphne alone quite a bit, seeing them interact in the scheme, talking openly, sex, etc. With Kanthony, all the time they were alone had so much tension (sexual, emotional) and less frankness, more of them acting with the mask of what was expected of them, and thus we are left somewhat "unfulfilled" by their interactions, however hot those scenes were. I think it's just that our takeaway feelings of frustration (rather than our blissful glee, i.e. the final scene of S2) after their scenes in S2 episodes 1-7) is clouding our ability to see that the numbers, in comparison to S1, are actually the same lolol. Secondly, a lot of S2 was spent explaining WHY it's hard for them to get together (Anthony's flashback story, Kate's shame of "betraying" her sister), rather than just showing Kanthony being together (opposite of simon/daphne). Totally different plot devices than S1, but let's be honest, WHY DO WE NEED THE CONSTANT COMPARISON, THEIR STORY IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM SIMON AND DAPHNE. And thank god, bc S2>>S1.

the fandom screams for complex female characters until they do something wrong. LET FEMALE CHARACTERS HAVE FLAWS! the reason eloise is my favourite character is because she isn't perfect, she is actually really interesting. she's also a lesbian but we can talk about that later.

This is petty AF .. and I LOVE it!

I don’t have social media other than KZfaq. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. I had no idea about these complaints and I thoroughly enjoyed this show.

So as someone who also read all of the books and is USUALLY a person who is all about staying loyal to the books I agree they made the story better with the changes. My main problem in the book was that while I liked Kate I did not like Anthony because he was such an ASSHOLE in the books. I loved Anthony in the show because they removed what wasn't working in the books something they should have done in season one with the whole Daphne SEXUALLY ASSAULTS Simon thing that they somehow DECIDED TO KEEP. Book to screen adaption is all about figuring out what works and what needs to be changed either because it doesn't translate well in a visual medium or because the story could actually be IMPROVED if certain changes were made. I hope that judging by this season moving forward they'll continue sticking to the parts of the story that works and improving or changing the things that didn't work in the books. .Cough Chough Sir Phillips ENTIRE CHARACTER.

Edwina was my favorite character this season-Iwas always so genuinely happy to see her on screen. I didn't know people didn't like her :(

Thank you for your thoughts on Pen. I understand why people might not like her and I don't think she's always a good person, but she is incredibly complex and I've never felt like she was beyond redemption or that she doesn't deserve love. Especially when so many of her actions are motivated by the lack of love she receives in her own home.

I appreciate a good Bridgerton take on this fine day, bring it on I’m ready to be educated and/or vindicated!

regarding the last part, I love how Penelope has made morally ambiguous decisions because she's been backed into a corner whether the intent behind those decisions was benign or malicious. It's on-brand with the racy position Lady Whistledown has stood behind, and, unlike in the books, it explores the stretches of her influence and the consequences that Penelope is left to grapple with. She's a compelling character who juggles the stakes of her double life. The decisions she's made thus far make her a very compelling character. Honestly, I find some issue in the underlying idea that the Bridgerton fandom tends to have about female characters. They don't allow to be anything but kind, compliant, and agreeable. Let them be angry at the hand they've been dealt with. Let them be ambitious. Let them use their teeth and claws. Let them rage.

Honestly, I have reached the conclusion that this fandom is extremely toxic and they just can't be reasoned with. Being on Twitter after the release of S2 was starting to put me off the show so I just stopped reading their rants and complains about changes from the books, the scenes being cut, the Edwina promotion and all their other ridiculous complaints. And guess what, I loved S2 and I don't care what everyone else says lol. These people hate everything that isn't their vision of the books and don't realize that most people actually care about the other main characters too. Who would care about the characters if they made them one dimensional like Edwina was in the book, that would be so boring to watch and no one would care enough to watch other couples' season if they don't get some development in the seasons where they aren't main. And how boring would this show be with no conflicts between the characters??????? I will never understand these complaints, genuinely cba with these people.

I agree that I hope in season 3 they'll focus on Penelope repairing her friendship with Eloise and her having some redemption. Adding her romance with Colin doesn't give that issue the weight it deserves. Having some separation with Colin and Eloise might help Pen figure out how to define herself outside of them. She'll have to think hard about the choices she's made. She's hit rock bottom so nowhere to go but up, right? Although I do fear it might get a little worse before it gets better. I believe Pen has a lot of good in her so I believe in her. She's interesting, she's flawed and I'm team Penelope ❤️

Making a spreadsheet to prove you're right is the level of commitment to the truth that I cannot help but admire

I agree with you about Penelope. They seriously aren’t going to do her any favors if they skip over Benedict’s story for her and Colin. I think if they dedicate next season to repairing Colin and Penelope’s relationship as a side plot it’ll be much better received in season four. People are saying Polin was more built up this season and I just don’t agree. Colin is too young and Penelope is still too insecure. They need to grow a little bit more as characters

I hope for Penelope that Colin does more to deserve her interest - in the show, he seems nice enough, but impulsive and immature, even a little generic.

Sometimes... deviations from the source material... are good.

Agree with almost everything. I will add that a lot of the slow burn elements that people liked from this season is based on the inclusion of the forbidden lovers trope. It made everything more intense and sexier. And the only way to really achieve is to give them an actual obstacle. And that obstacle was Edwina. Having them get married half way through the season would have just eliminated one of the best pieces of this season. And for what? I just think people wanted a sex montage like Season 1. Can’t convince me otherwise. lol I really hope the writers stay AWAY from social media. When it comes to sites that take the aggregate of the public opinion of the show like Rotten Tomato or IMDB, overwhelmingly fans prefer Season 2. The writers did a good job of making a compelling season of television. If they listen to the LOUD minority on social media, they are going to ruin this show for casual viewers. And Bridgerton was only going to become the #1 most watched English language show on Netflix by attracting casual viewers. Also, holding the source material as some great literary classic like Austen or Brontë is laughable. The books just gave Shondaland and co. a framework. I prefer they do everything they can to improve the stories and make the most compelling seasons of tv they can send out.

"People often forgo meaningful comparison of entertainment value, theme, or whatever else in favor of playing spot-the-difference and patting themselves on the back for finding them"--heck yes, and I'm completely in support of a video expanding on it side note, I love that floral fluffy ruffle-adjacent shirt

I have never in my life seen so much work put into SPREADSHEETING for a period romance show, this is so crazy. I feel like I was watching a ted talk, MAD respect for Julia. Damn I feel bamboozled.

I'm really excited for season 3!!! I mean, I don't much care for Collin 'cause I don't think he's treated Penelope as well as she deserves, but I still wanna root for her to get everything she dreams of, even if that's Collin. Looking forward to seeing how they make the flip for us to root for him!

I really love that season one and two are so distinct, like whether you prefer the fiery-passion-can’t-keep-our-hands-off-each-other romance or the slow burn it’s something for everyone! Very worried about Polin’s season being next tho lol I agree they should’ve waited another season

i LOVE the penelope/eloise conflict. i want the drama i want the messiness i want it all. i like how penelope isn't a goody-two-shoes. and that eloise is genuinely all talk, no action. i can see some very interesting directions they could take their storylines if they don't chicken out.

I feel like my dislike for Penelope is slightly different. I want her to be more vicious and backstabby. As much as I like her and Eloise's friendship, I was genuinely like "Girl, fuck your friend, this is your business." be the villain, i'd love her more.

Also, the love triangle between Kate-Anthony-Edwina allows for that moment when Anthony is like, “I know what I must do” and then proposes to Edwina. It makes so much sense for his character but our brains are thinking he’s gonna propose to Kate it’s such a great gasp-worthy twist I loved it.

People not understanding that season 2 would inevitably have "less" contact between the two leads because they're in a live triangle. But also, I don't think they should have left it all the way to halfway through the ceremony. Just personally I think that was taking it too far for poor Edwina. Also they both deserved at least another argument about the parentification of Kate so there's that. Also Also, Colin will always be an idiot but I did like him having sense kicked into him by marina and then realising that he actually liked penelope. That was good. Personally, I think penelope made some bad choices in bad situations and probably should have told eloise she was whistledown when she was threatened by the Queen

if i am anything, i am a penelope featherington apologist. if pen has one fan, i am that fan.

girl your statistical analysis in here is so cool and impressive! also don’t get worried about having some scenes that you weren’t sure how to categorize. that always happens when coding (labeling) things in research! you just have to go with your best judgement sometimes.

Coming through with looks and facts! You do the lords work Miss Julia

I liked all the subplots and other characters. I liked the tension of waiting for the next scenes of the lovebirds. They were literally giving us the same terrible tension and sense of waiting and wanting the two of them were going through. The subplots last season really felt like they were more self contained and the ones this season feel more like they know they're going to have a multiseason arc so they can spend a season setting up the subplots for seasons to come within the subplots of this season, most of the major subplot characters will eventually get their own season and they were starting to plant the seeds for those. Just my take, if you like something different that's great if we all liked the same thing vanilla would be the only ice cream flavor.

Honestly, I think one of the problems is that bodice rippers are a guilty pleasure for a lot of people but these people haven't considered that the tropes of that subset of romance would be absolutely horrifying translated to screen. I loved reading The Viscount Who Loved Me, with the recognition that it's a fictional fantasy, but as soon as I considered seeing Anthony on screen behave like book Anthony I was relieved that they didn't try to keep things exactly the same. A good example of this is Outlander! I love both the books and the show but they definitely toned down some of the domineering 18th century elements of book Jamie and made him a bit more "modern" on screen, which was for the better. (Although that is a less extreme example).

honestly my favorite part of season 2 was portia being portia. idc what anyone else thinks, her subplot was necessary and objectively a great decision.

I actually loved this season but in regards to the screentime issue, I do think Kate’s was mishandled and a lot of Kathony as well (I am one of those who wanted more bodice ripping unfortunately) and I did have issue with how they portrayed the Edwina/Kate relationship before the wedding as well as after it. But the Twitter people are on a whole other level of conspiracy theory tbh like wtf? Again, your Bridgerton opinions are superior as always

YESSSS I’ve been waiting for this ever since season 2 dropped!!!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼

watched the first bridgerton video after i feeling meh ab s1 so im excited to watch this one after loving s2

I LIVEEEEEEEEEEEE for your hot takes on Bridgerton. I literally watched your OG video like 6 times (all the way through) and I havent even started this one yet but I just know it's gonna be fire

IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE!!! TURN IT UP!!!!!!

I was just watching Bridgerton season 2 edits and saw this video. Impeccable timing, Miss Julia. ❤️

yall dont understand how many times ive watched your first bridgerton video im so ready for this

THANK GOD YOU'RE BACK AND WITH THIS I CANT WATCH IT RIGHT NOW BUT I REALLY NEEDED SOMETHING LIKE THIS

I haven’t watched it yet but I can’t express how much I’ve been waiting for this video. The first Bridgerton video was so good. Oh my god the bee necklace I can’t

I am living for your attention to detail. Spreadsheets? Absolutely! You brought the receipts, queen!

I recently discovered your channel because of Bridgerton and began to read along with your Bridgerton book vid as I discover the written series. Keep it up! Love all the bookish vids

i was just rewatching your og bridgerton video!! its a comfort vid of mine~

This is like my third time coming back to this video, and my first time watching it after having actually watched the show, and agree with everything you said

I've had an exhausting & stressful day but seeing the notification for this video made me so happy & has brightened my day 💙

you're voice is so soothing, I want to listen to it forever

your video was posted to the bridgerton reddit, and I'm so glad because now I know you exist and wanted to tell you that you're amazing and I love this video and your other bridgerton video, and Penelope stans unite, and I am LOOKING FORWARD to watching the Cinderella ranking video. Anyway, specifically this video, I rewatched a lot of season 1 after first watching and obsessing over season 2, and you vocalize something I'm pretty sure I felt after seeing all the "GRRR SUBPLOTS STEALING KANTHONY'S TIME SEASON 1 DIDN'T DO THIS TO SAPHNE BUT IT SUCKS NOW THE SHOWRUNNERS MUST HATE KATHONY GRRRRRRRRRR" criticism, but I wasn't really able to vocalize it to myself, because I *know* that season 1 has an entirely comparable amount devoted to subplots and featheringtons. And the thing you explain so well that I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere is how the Marina subplot in season 1 was thematically tied to and had a dramatic throughline with the main plot, so even if the subplots were ostensibly their own thing (even though Daphne and Simon became involved when they went back to London, especially Daphne) it didn't really *feel* like this disconnected, separate plot going on, taking time away, because of this thematic intertwining. In contrast to season 2, where the subplots were not connected and the show felt more like an ensemble drama with characters going through their own unrelated things. Which, I didn't mind at all, because in a show that's going to have a new main romance featuring a different Bridgerton sibling as the star of each new season, you have to do the work to set up their characters and conflicts so people will be invested in their romance from word go. I feel like a lot of the time in the first half of season 1 with Simon and Daphne was exposition heavy on them, because they didn't have a prior season to set up their characters, but that isn't the case with the other siblings or Penelope, who have the advantage of past subplots of set up. Like, for an uncontroversial example, look at Benedict. He's had his own subplot in both seasons so far (which apparently no one cares about in terms of it stealing time FOR SOME REASON, GEE, I DON'T KNOW), and what is it all about? Season 1 he started to seriously explore his interest in art after befriending a professional artist, but it mostly turned into being exposed to various flavors of socially forbidden relationships, and the tricks people develop to keep their love lives on the DL while maintaining a veneer of acceptability in society. Benedict is ultimately turned off by the falseness of that life in season 1- he tells his brother and sister about seeing Madame Delacroix rather than keeping it hidden, and he distances himself from the artist friend, but maintains the interest in art. Season 2 is focused entirely on the art- Delacroix breaks off their casual, no strings relationship in the first episode to prioritize her art career, which kind of shames him about his own lack of serious focus, and he dedicates himself to becoming a real artist and going to the academy, but mostly just continues his foray into the casual hedonism he's come to associate with artists, and ultimately ends up being totally disenchanted with the entire idea of this life for himself in a bout of imposter syndrome when he finds out his place was paid for by Anthony. This all sets the table magnificently for his romance with Sophie- the conflict they'll face as a couple and have to overcome, how the arc of it encompasses an emotional journey that Benedict has to go on to achieve his HEA of marrying her and becoming a successful professional artist, and it sets it all up in the first two seasons in a subplot that apparently no one even cares enough about to complain that it's taking up time, but by the time the story is told, it will have felt totally earned.

you're literally my favourite person on youtube lol, so glad you posted!! saving this to watch after i finish this essay i have due

Girl, you're so smart, I LOVE your essays! You definetely deserve 10x more subscribers!

THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER BRIDGERTON VID I"VE BEEN REWATCHING THE FIRST ONE I LOVE YOUR BRIDGERTON HOTTAKES JULIA

This is exactly the amount of dedication I expect from my fandom content, THANK YOU FOR GRACING ME WITH YOUR TIME AND EFFORT M'LADY

i found your channel through that first bridgerton video and have become a huge fan. also, you are beautiful and your hair looks glorious and shiny and i love you

i just want to say: you have the absolute sweetest voice!!! it’s sooo soothing!

every time i watch one of your videos i'm shook by how beautiful your hair is!!

girl i been waiting for this one!!!!!!!!!!!!

S2 was SO GOOD. S1 was very boring for me personally and the miscommunication was super annoying. I loved the slow burn in S2 as well. I did think the 2nd older bro was gonna be gay/bi lol. Like how all them kids all straight? 🫠 also the only plus size girl is an insecure gossip girl 🫤

Something about your videos and channel bring a sense of comfort and peace to me! Both of your Bridgerton videos are my comfort videos.

I LOVE that you incorporated factual numbers and information to back your stance. Hard to argue with and I’m glad that this is the approach you took.

I'm so happy you made a video on season 2, the first thing I did after watching the season was rewatching your first video :""D

yes Julia right on time to save me from my boredom

Julia does a great job exemplifying the scientific process in this video about bridgerton and is so delightful? She goes from hypothesis, to methods, to results, to discussion of the results, and then even had an error section. 10/10 scientific method! XD

julia being right as always! love your videos!