The Major Change In Bridgerton Season 2 Only Book Readers Notice

Shondaland and Netflix's "Bridgerton," debuted its first season in December 2020. Shortly after its release it became Netflix's biggest show with an audience of 82 million (per EW). The Regency-era drama created by Chris Van Dusen follows the young Bridgerton siblings as they attempt to find love. With the aid and often admonishment of an anonymous writer, the Bridgertons and several other affluent families of London spend entire seasons searching for suitable matches.

The show is based on a series of eight books written by Julia Quinn, each of which follows the story of one Bridgerton sibling. The first season looked at Phoebe Dynevor's Daphne as she debuted and found love in the Duke of Hastings Simon Bassett (Rege-Jean Page). The season, inspired by Quinn's novel "The Duke and I," took some creative liberties with its source material in crafting the world we saw onscreen. The show made several changes, including the introduction of characters like Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) and the revelation of Lady Whistledown's identity, which actually happens in the fourth book (via Business Insider).

It is no surprise then, that Season 2 of "Bridgerton," which follows Anthony's (Jonathan Bailey) story and is based on Quinn's "The Viscount Who Loved Me," also departs from the books. Apart from the small changes, the second season has also made a major change to its narrative that Quinn's fans will notice almost immediately.

In Season 2, the eldest Bridgerton sibling, Anthony intends to marry a girl with "acceptable wit and gentle manners." Merely trying to fulfill a familial obligation, Anthony decides to court Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran), the diamond of the season, but realizes that he has feelings for her elder sister Kate (Simone Ashley).

This love triangle is a part of Anthony's story in the book, it's just not as dramatic as its portrayal onscreen. The book doesn't include the show's big moments such as Anthony's proposal to Edwina, the dramatic interruption of their wedding, or the heartbreak that follows. In the book, Anthony courts Edwina, who vows to marry only after her sister's approval. In a bid to get that approval, Kate and Anthony are forced to interact, leading directly to their banter, fights, and some "almost" moments.

Unlike the show, however, Kate gives her approval to Anthony while the two are on a walk. An untimely bee interrupts them when it stings Kate. (Yes, a similar scene is used in the show, too.) In order to save her Anthony hurriedly performs life-saving actions that to an onlooker might look intimate. This forces marriage on the two of them, although it takes time and an accident for the couple to attain marital bliss (per PopSugar).

With these and several other changes made in the show, it will be interesting to see what the fans of Quinn's books have to say about "Bridgerton" Season 2.