Bridgerton Season Two: XOXO, Lady Whistledown

The infamous Lady Whistledown returns in season two of Bridgerton, a Netflix Original based on a series by Julia Quinn. Bridgerton’s executive producer, Shonda Rhimes is well known for her other work including Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and Inventing Anna.

Lady Whistledown anonymously writes and spreads the town's secrets, in a way that resembles the series Gossip Girl. But instead of having to wait six seasons to find out who “Gossip Girl” is, it is revealed in the season one finale, and further explained in season two. The audience finds out that Eloise Bridgerton’s closest friend Penelope Featherington is Lady Whistledown, yet her identity remains a mystery to the majority of the characters in the show.

Season one focuses on Daphne Bridgerton and her marriage to Simon, The Duke of Hastings. Season two returns with a new focus on Daphne’s older brother, Anthony Bridgerton, who has decided he will get married this season. Anthony disregards his mother’s advice to marry someone he loves and instead is looking for the perfect girl, and is constantly disappointed until he meets the Sharma sisters. Edwina and Kate are from India and they are in town for the marriage season. Kate, the older sister, is considered an old maid, and is only there to help Edwina get married. Edwina meets all of Anthony's requirements, and as they are courting, he falls in love with her sister Kate.

The series does an amazing job of balancing multiple storylines related to different siblings of the Bridgerton family, following Anthony, Daphne, and Eloise separately. The tension between Anthony and Kate as they try to hide their feelings from others is thrilling and will leave you gripping your seat. It is gut-wrenching to see the loving relationship between sisters being torn because Kate hid her feelings for Anthony, and a relief when they forgive each other after the wedding is called off.

It is refreshing to see a series set in the past reimagine history to include people of color. Season two has an even more diverse cast than season one, which includes Golda Rosheuvel as the Queen, and Regé-Jean Page as Simon, the Duke of Hastings. Season two stars Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran as main characters Kate and Edwina Sharma. In the series, people of color play important roles, and aren’t just included as side characters. Although critics complain it is not historically accurate, Bridgerton is a fictional story that can be enjoyed whether or not anything is actually historically accurate.

Fans expect another season of Bridgerton in the future, and rumor has it that it will focus on another Bridgerton sibling, most likely Benedict. Will the town find out who Lady Whistledown is?