Relationships, Mental Health, and Trauma in Bridgerton Season 2 - Minimal Spoilers!
The Bridgerton siblings and the Sharma sisters play a competitive game of pall-mall in Bridgerton Season 2 from Netflix
Bridgerton Season 2 & Connections to the Health: It’s Personal Podcast
By: Sean Tingle
The first season of Bridgerton came out at a tough time for many. A lengthy battle with the pandemic, a difficult election season, and so much more weighed upon us all. Enter the Bridgertons, sweeping us all off our feet and dazzling us with glamorous balls, dresses, and romance, with plenty of drama in between. It was exactly what many needed to help distract themselves from the rest of the world, if only as a brief respite - briefer still if one binged the entire thing in a single sitting.
As it explored the tried and true Period Drama and Romance genres, it spun a lot of tropes on their heads, while perhaps still leaving some to be desired in other areas. It covered topics ranging from society, sex, and gender, to sexuality, morality, and frivolity. Family dynamics were explored in great detail too, as was trauma and its lasting impacts on mental health and future relationships.
Love it or hate it, the Bridgerton family left many clamoring for more, and more did we get as season 2 dropped on March 25th of 2022. After what felt like an eternity, the Bridgertons experienced a triumphant return while making room for a new family to enter the scene and further explore different aspects of the human condition. It also dropped at a time when I was feeling under the weather, so I happened to be one of those who binged the entire season in one sitting on release day. Remember, Health: It’s Personal is a Judgement Free Zone, okay?! ;)
While some moments had me rolling my eyes, I was pleasantly surprised by season 2 and the addition of the Sharma family. As expected, Kate Sharma instantly became a favorite for me, as her wit, strength, and competitiveness were instantly charming and relatable. I also find it impressive that season 2 had me liking Anthony a lot more than I had in season 1. However, what impressed me, as well as shocked me, most was the addition of some explicit scenes dealing with loss, grief, trauma, and despair.
How Bridgerton amps up the role of family in season 2
In Defense of Anthony Bridgerton
'There's deep trauma' Bridgerton star admits she's 'so grateful' for emotional storyline
While this may be a bit of a spoiler, I came into the season hoping for a happy ending. I teach film studies and tend to prefer television, books, films, and video games that all explore the more serious, realistic sides of humanity, but sometimes I just want an escape. As this show often explores, “true love” and “happy endings” can be enigmatic, but we should still yearn for them. I knew that regardless of which losses, traumas, griefs, and desperations they explored, in the end, there would be some sort of happy ending for most, if not all, involved. It did leave enough loose ends for a compelling entry into season 3, though!
Portrayals of Loss, Grief, & Healing
This all led me to why I’m writing about it today, even though a part of me feels embarrassed or as if I should be “above” dramatic media such as this. It feels a bit like comfort food, or a guilty pleasure, but as we’ve been learning from all our amazing guests in the Sexual Health Series, pleasure is simply… pleasure. There should be no guilt or shame tied to it, so I’m working on this for myself as well. So, here I am, baring my heart for the world to see. While it was far from perfect, I loved Bridgerton season 2. There, I said it!
There were just so many connections to guests, episodes, topics, and conversations we’ve had surrounding the Sexual Health Series, but we also dip into our Anxiety Series, Depression Series, Coping Series, and Parenting Series in the themes covered by Bridgerton season 2. Quick shout-out to our Financial Health Series too, of course, as we can’t all come from wealthy families or associate with nobility.
As we knew from season 1, the Bridgertons lost their father long ago, but season 2 presents more context around this. It shows those events explicitly, as well as the ramifications, the impacts, the ripples of it all. How parenting can be challenging, even if you have the best resources available to you. Even if you have the best support system.
Losing someone you love is difficult regardless of your circumstances, and grief can take so many forms. As season 2 explores, it also impacts us in unexpected ways, sometimes many years later in our lives. Unless we address it directly, and unless we enact a plan to revisit that healing at various stages in our lives, it will consume us when we least expect it, potentially leading us to disastrous decisions.
Season 2 also explores happiness vs. contentment, something many of us may forget about ourselves in the 21st century as well. There is much talk of duty, obligation, and family, which many of us struggle with now. This leaves little room for ourselves and our own happiness, for doing something for our own selves once in a while. We are caught up with work, with making others happy, with pushing our own needs and feelings further down. Season 2 reminds us to stop doing this, at least once in a while. We never know how different things could possibly be unless we try, and we should allow space to heal from our past traumas, losses, and grief so that they do not get in our way in these moments.
As someone who also lost their father early in life, and as someone who had to step up and take care of a family in that time of crisis, grief, and loss, I now feel more strongly connected to Anthony Bridgerton despite honestly not enjoying when he was on screen in season 1. To see his path, his growth, and his healing on screen, as well as understanding why his behavior was impacted in these ways, was enlightening. I absolutely got emotional so many times, and yes, there were tears. It brought up so much for me, my loss, my family, my mother, and especially my little brother.
I’ve also been reflecting on romance, true love, happiness, and expressing all the emotions with those who matter to us most. This is something I’ve decidedly avoided for much of my life, and it is something I’m still working to rectify. Seeing these characters on screen has helped push me further in the right direction, and even if the drama can be silly at times, there are real-world meanings behind their actions, desires, feelings, and intentions.
Miss Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) stands before the Bridgerton brothers and Lord Featherington while hunting with them in Bridgerton Season 2 from Netflix
Below are a few episodes from our various series that I was reminded of whilst watching Bridgerton season 2:
Parenting Series: The Talk with Sexologist Dr. Lanae St. John
Our episode with Dr. Lanae St. John helped us understand how to even start having these tough conversations with others about sexuality, sexual health, and relationships. While folks in Bridgerton embody the hush-hush approach and nature of the time period, we can tell so many of the characters wish they could fully dive into these conversations and begin to better understand themselves… as well as escape the shame and stigmas around their own bodies and sexualities.
Listen to Dr. St. John’s Episode
Nutrition Series: True Beauty with Miss Wisconsin USA, Gabriella Deyi
Honestly, all the young ladies could benefit so much from hanging out with journalist, mental health advocate and Miss Wisconsin USA, Gabriella Deyi. She explains how there is no beauty without purpose behind it and the importance of competing in pageants with healthy practices, confidence and integrity. She discusses the pitfalls of focusing on external beauty and how under-eating and over-exercising isn’t the path to happiness or fulfillment. Gabby talks directly to parents and young adults about what’s truly important and how finding her "why" helped her turn passion into purpose, as well as offering young people action steps to understanding their true worth in a discussion that dives into nutrition, as much as food insecurity, race and empowerment.
Coping Mini-Series: The Panic Button Book with Author Tammi Kirkness
Many of the episodes from our Anxiety series came to mind, especially during moments of high anxiety for the characters in season 2 of Bridgerton. There were a few moments in particular where Tammi Kirkness’s book, “The Panic Button,” would have been immensely useful for them. Breathing, getting through these moments, and working through the anxiety or panic attacks can be a challenge, but we are not alone when it comes to dealing with it all..
Read: The Panic Button & Why Do I Feel So Worried? A Kid’s Guide to Coping with Big Emotions
Coping Mini-Series: Notes from Your Therapist with Author Allyson Dinneen
In this episode, Allyson Dinneen shares her refreshing collection of affirmations that gives readers the permission to feel all their emotions, no matter how uncomfortable. Her comfortability with and deep understanding of emotion, loss and grief largely come from the immense loss in her own life. She addresses the importance of knowing how we feel, and the power of realizing and accepting one’s emotions. All of this reminds me of what many of the characters go through on Bridgerton season 2, and I’m particularly reminded of Lady Whistledown, who I could imagine scribbling many of these notes herself, at least in private and for herself as she works to publish the latest gossip for others.
Read: Notes from Your Therapist - Allyson Dinneen
Depression Series: Understanding Depression with Therapist Rachael Chisenhall
Rach helps people rewrite their story, heal from trauma & beliefs holding them back, and have better relationships. She shares wisdom to help us better understand and support those with depression, and this episode is a great place to start when understanding depression or reflecting on your own mental health. I wish we could share it with several of the characters in Bridgerton, particularly Mrs. Bridgerton and Anthony.
Sexual Health Series: Relationships with Behavioral Profiler Lily Walford
Lily does her very best to help others find love amongst the noise and the dating industry that often provides false solutions and results in unhealthy relationships. She instead focuses on tailored solutions to help us trust ourselves and ultimately find a positive and genuine connection. She also teaches us how to spot a narcissist, and how to profile someone in under 6 minutes. She encourages us to deconstruct our ideas about love, relationships, and compatibility and reminds us that we are not responsible for someone else's happiness, so it's important to start from a place of wholeness. The characters who are looking to wed in Bridgerton could absolutely use her advice, both the men and the women, to ensure they are making a good love match for themselves… even if true love does seem to be evasive for many still.
Sexual Health Series: Purity Culture with Sexuality Educator Erica Smith
I think this one should be quite self-explanatory, but I wish we could hire Erica for just about EVERY character in Bridgerton! Some exceptions I’m sure, but the majority of characters are definitely caught up in Purity Culture, society, and worrying about what others think of them. While it definitely wouldn’t fit with the times, how cool would it be to sit them down with Erica and see her go to work in undoing all the harm, trauma, and misinformation they’ve experienced about sexual health, sexuality, and their own bodies over the years? How healthy would their relationships with themselves and others be after that?
Sexual Health Series: Family Planning with Dr. Lauren Demosthenes
In this episode, Dr. D tells us what prenatal care we might have access to, but don't know about yet, and shares her experience through a "postpartum wakeup call.” Considering the challenges of family planning in both reality as well as in Bridgerton season 2, this advice would be extremely helpful for all involved. Childbirth is especially dangerous for women, particularly in the time period Bridgerton takes place in, and having Dr. D there to help walk them through it all would simply be amazing to see.
Sexual Health Series: Shame and Body Image with OBGYN Dr. Jennifer Lincoln
OBGYN Dr. Jennifer Lincoln is passionate about providing authentic and medically accurate information about sex, sexuality, and sexual health. The human body is complicated enough as is, but then we have all these cultural and societal concerns to keep in mind as well. Body image, shame, male vs. female bodies, and gender identity are all important conversations we need to get better at having. Dr. Lincoln has great ideas on where to start. The men in particular within the Bridgerton world could benefit from a talk or 12 with Dr. Lincoln, and the women could use some support and reminders when it comes to body image and shame too!
Miss Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) looks into the distance in Bridgerton Season 2 on Netflix
A Few Final Notes
A few final notes: many are noticing that season 2 of Bridgerton doesn’t portray nearly as much sex as season 1, taking a more subtle approach this time around. However, I personally preferred this myself - despite wrapping up our Sexual Health series, I was much more interested in the interpersonal relationships, mental health conversations, healing, and growth portrayed this time around. It was spicy enough for me as-is, though they could have maybe been a bit more subtle with certain traumatic scenes or provided a bit of a warning ahead of time.
What Happened to the Sex in Bridgerton?
‘Bridgerton’ Season 2 is less steamy. It’s also more relatable.
I also wanted to point out that many of the characters might want to pay a trip over to our Financial Health Series, particularly the Featheringtons. Finding yourself in a dubious financial situation is bad enough as-is, but it’s worse when you drag your entire family into it or if it becomes scandalous for you all. Thankfully, these days, women have a tad bit more agency when it comes to their own financial health and independence at least. Lady Whistledowns and Self-Made Modistes rejoice!
And on an even more personal note, one that does slip into spoilers - you’ve been warned! The relationship that blossoms between Kate and Anthony reminds me a bit of my own relationship with my partner. Someone who unexpectedly taught me that true love does indeed exist. What got me the most, however, was their teasing of one another, as well as their friendly(?) rivalry and competitiveness. This is something we have as well, though we have sworn off certain activities such as games and sports as we may get a little TOO competitive and heated at times. We just have to know our own boundaries and ensure we’re being respectful… though we do love cooperating and working as a team, as we’re able to put those skills together in a more positive, productive way. Watch out, world!
Judgement Free Zone
Remember, unlike society in Bridgerton’s this is a Judgement Free Zone! We’d love to hear your thoughts on Bridgerton season 2 or anything else you’ve been enjoying lately. Have you made new connections or had realizations when watching, reading, or playing something that relate to health or mental health? Let us know! Plus, we’re always looking for new suggestions for our own free time!
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