Bridgerton

As a 23 year old black dude, I actually liked this show. I honestly thought it was going to be a full on comedy, but it actually had a lot of dramatic themes. I won't lie when i watched the first two episodes, I was very, very confused as to why there were alot of black royals. I thought for a second that this was true, but if memories served me right, it wasn't. But then I began to understand that this is all fiction and a made-up fantasy on what if life was like this.

And I have to admit, I kinda liked it. Some people don't like the film because of it being politically incorrect. But there are HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of period dramas that are more accurate than this. So why don't those people just go and watch those? I think people just want to complain about something because human beings are never satisfied. Even some of the greatest period dramas that are pretty historically accurate has it's fair share of haters. I didn't take it seriously. I just turned my brain off and enjoyed the fantasy.

Claudia Jessie played Eloise with extreme class. Hope she continues to "stun the stage" in her future acting career!

The costumes, settings, music are all beautiful, but we've seen them before. This season lacks the substance and intrigue that led so many to bingewatch the first. A gaping hole is left with the resolution of Simon and Daphne's romance. The love triangle between Anthony, Kate and Edwina feels forced, with none of the actors particularly charismatic. The heightened focus on Eloise is detrimental, with the actress' eyerolls, overreaction, and unrealistic conduct reminiscent of Anna Chlumsky as Vivian in Inventing Anna. The other subplots are so redundant that they could have been crafted from film left on the editing floor in Season 1 and weren't enthralling on the first go-round (e.g., Penelope's unrequited infatuation with Colin).

My rating of 6 is the average of a 7 for Season 1 and a 5 for Season 2.

Fun for those who enjoy the frothy visual thrust, light story and modern casual take on costume drama. It's a trashy soap opera in a dream version of Regency. I do like the diversity in casting and experimentation in costume. Casting is strong. However I can't seem to appreciate this production as much as I wanted. I find the direction and delivery of lines tends to self conscious, loud, stagey and over the top. Also the soundtrack is the same thing again and again, pizzicato strings, not creative, boring that flattens depth of emotion or drama. Otherwise a heady trip with lots of short scenes whipping from one character to another. It's good, just not totally my cuppa. A pleasant pretty distraction.

Let me just start that I am a fan of the books so I am watching this as I did when I watched all the live actions of Pride and Prejudice, with eyes finally getting my wish of seeing my fave books come to life, and I was not disappointed. Is it a masterpiece? NOT AT ALL. Is it accurate to the books? Not so much but they did get the heart of it. There's a lot of issue I find with it but somehow I still find myself watching it because I love the genre.

To note: If you are into the ACCURATE retelling of history then I'm telling you right now SKIP THIS. This isn't about the accurate retelling of history. So if the "diversity" and "wokeness", the designs of their costumes, the way they acted takes you away from the story because of inaccuracy then you will have a bad time. This isn't a documentary. This isn't a biography. This isn't a true story.

Now first of, the books star different siblings so each season will focus on different Bridgerton with splice inserts of side stories. S1 is more steamy and shoves a more lustful play on their romance it's a fake love turned real love trope. S2 is a slow burn and might be boring for some as it is less steamy, it's an enemies to lovers trope.

Now. If you're into the book series do give this a try! Of course it wouldn't be 100% accurate but I did feel that it was very true in how romance book genre goes. It's like a whimsical romance. Glazed over. Or whatever term. Something like those Hallmark Christmas romance movies but with more mature scenes. Modern music made classical. They really brought to life the family dynamic of the Bridgertons. I love how they interact with one another as a family.

Finally. If you're just looking for a Pride and Prejudice or historical setting romance show then do give this a try! You might just like it.