“Bridgerton” executive producer and showrunner Chris Van Dusen has shared the titles for all eight episodes of the show’s second season, and they pay homage to Julia Quinn’s book.
On Thursday morning, Van Dusen posted a tweet showing the premiere will be called “Capital R Rake,” which is a nod to Lady Whistledown’s column in the first chapter of Quinn’s “The Viscount Who Loved Me.” It’s what the gossip queen called Anthony Bridgerton (played in the series by Jonathan Bailey) as she described him for her readers ahead of the latest season on the ton — Rake (not rake).
Episode 2 is called “Off to the Races,” and eagle-eyed viewers have no doubt seen images and footage from the new season showing the Bridgerton and Sharma families enjoying horse racing.
“A Bee in Your Bonnet” is the title of Episode 3. Now, book readers know there is something quite significant about bees in Quinn’s novels, so could this episode be the one involving flashbacks with Edmund Bridgerton, the late patriarch of the family?
Episode 4 is called “Victory,” followed by “An Unthinkable Fate” (Episode 5), “The Choice” (Episode 6), and “Harmony” (Episode 7).
The Season 2 finale takes its name from Quinn’s novel — “The Viscount Who Loved Me.”
In the first part of TheWrap’s interview with Van Dusen about the new season, which was published on Tuesday, the show boss dished on the big romance ahead between Anthony and Kate (Simone Ashley).
“What’s happening this season as far as a central love story, I personally find it the best kind of love story to tell, meaning it’s complicated. It’s very complicated. It’s very messy. And it’s very real, you know, and it wouldn’t be a satisfying ride without those kinds of things,” Van Dusen said.
As the trailers show, Anthony finds himself in the company of both Sharma sisters — Kate and Edwina — throughout the ton’s season, and while Edwina (Charithra Chandran) seems to be a perfect fit with the Viscount’s marriage requirements, there’s just something about Kate.
“I don’t think there’s any point in the season when we’re not clear about which romantic love story we’re really telling and focusing on,” Van Dusen continued. “For Anthony and Kate, enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes of the genre. And I think that’s because there’s just so much inherent conflict to mine.
“Anthony and Kate — or Johnny and Simone rather, are just so good at that sort of thing — that razor sharp banter and the constantly one upping of one another,” he added. “It’s so fun and you watch them go toe to toe throughout the season. And you feel that frustration. It’s really palpable and there’s something magnetic about the two of them. They’re opposites that are drawn together and they’re mirror images of each other in a lot of ways. And I think there’s an excitement there that you just know that the payoff, when we get there, it’s going to be worth it.”
“Bridgerton” Season 2 drops March 25 on Netflix.