Bridgerton Season 2 intended to represent the Brown culture in the most sincere way but turns out a lot of understanding of the culture was missing.

One of the most popular alternative history regency romance series on Netflix is Bridgerton. Created by Chris Van Dusen and Jess Brownell, the series, set during the early 19th century, is an adaptation of the book series of the same name by Julia Quinn.

The popularity and success of the show were seen since the premiere of the first season, as fashion and interior design trends started to get influenced by the show’s aesthetic, which was dubbed Regencycore or the Bridgerton Effect.

Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran in Bridgerton Season 2 | Credits: Netflix

Bridgerton, now in production for its fourth season, has had a positive response from the audience and critics. The audience, especially women, appreciated the fact that the show goes on to explore the power of the written word from a female perspective and has strong female leads.

Season 2 focused on the love story between Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma, but it was more than just their love story; the season became the representation of Brown culture, but it wasn’t enough.

Bridgerton could have done better when trying to represent Brown culture in Season 2

The announcement of Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey, and Kate Sharma, played by Simone Ashley, being the leads for Bridgerton season 2 was met with a lot of appreciation. It was based on Julia Quinn’s novel The Viscount Who Loved Me.

The season went on to introduce Kate and Edwina Sharma, who make their debut in London society. The two arrive to find a suitable husband for Edwina, played by Charithra Chandran.

Of course, the Sharma sisters, being from India, had various references and nods to Indian culture scattered throughout the season. This included using Indian terms like Didi or Appa, the fabrics, jewelry, and the Haldi ceremony that was held before Edwina’s wedding day. They even included a scene where Kate Sharma is oiling Edwina’s hair, which is a normal practice in Indian households.

Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran during the Haldi ceremony in Bridgerton Season 2 | Credits: Netflix

The fact that the makers decided to hire Ashley and Chandran for the parts, instead of hiring actresses with a fair skin tone but a little bit of an Indian accent, was highly appreciated. The legit representation of Indian skin tone is pretty less in Hollywood, but things are changing slowly.

The audience, especially the South Asian audience of the show, felt that they could finally relate to the characters they were watching on-screen. Particularly, Simon Ashley’s work as a dark-skinned Tamil actress playing a fierce, intellectual, and seductive love interest on-screen was something that had never been represented before. Bridgerton’s subtle nods to Indian culture throughout the season did not go unnoticed.

However, it wasn’t the best. Some argued that all the nods and cultural references used in season two fit perfectly into the aesthetic checklist for a season where the leading lady has her roots back in India. But after Yerin Ha was cast opposite Luke Thompson for the upcoming season, it forced the audience to think whether the makers were simply trying to check off diversity boxes for the audience’s praises.

Some critics went on to question whether, despite the makers’ attempts to ensure that the brown culture is represented in the utmost sincerity, there was something missing. They mentioned that Kate and Edwina revealed early on that they speak both Marathi and Hindi, but the audience only hears them speak in English.

Why weren’t they allowed to talk in Hindi or their mother tongue? It would have been nice to hear the two sisters talk about their lives in London or Bombay in their mother tongue, as that would have given a little more weightage to the representation of the Brown culture.

The sisters referred to their late father as ‘Appa’ when their father’s last name was Sharma, which is a name that hails from North India. Where Edwina uses Didi for Kate, the elder sibling uses Bon, which means younger sister in Bengali, a completely different language. Critics argued that the attempt to infuse the representation was good, but it was not the most accurate.

A little more research and deep diving into understanding the Brown culture would have given Bridgerton the status of the only show representing Brown culture in the most accurate way.

Bridgerton Season 4 hints at the return of one iconic duo

Bridgerton Season 3, led by Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton’s (Luke Newton) love story, concluded on a high note, leaving the fans satisfied with their arc. The makers later announced that they’d be adapting Benedict Bridgerton’s played by Luke Thompson love story for the fourth season.

When the makers decided to skip his story to cover Polin’s story, it did make a lot of fans upset, but now they finally have their beloved character’s arc back with Sophie Baek, played by Yerin Ha. But there is one pairing the fans are more excited to see than Benedict and Sophie, i.e., Penelope and Eloise.

According to Tudum, Netflix released 17 first-look pictures from the set of Bridgerton season 4, and one of the pictures featured Penelope and Eloise walking arm in arm. This hints that they have mended their friendship and moved on from the betrayal Eloise felt after finding out that Penelope was the author of Lady Whistledown.

Penelope and Eloise to come back stronger than ever in Season 4 | Credits: Netflix

Showrunner Jess Brownell, in speaking to EW, shared,

They’re more bonded than ever. Their trials and tribulations last season have added new depth to their friendship, and we’re excited for viewers to see how their relationship looks now that they have each grown up a little.

Brownell also touched upon a bit about Benedict’s character for the upcoming season, stating that he’s one of the characters everyone’s been rooting for and is deeply invested in his story. The showrunner added that the only way they were able to shake the character out of his normal routine was by pairing him up with a character as dynamic as Sophie.

Bridgerton’s showrunner noted that Sophie Baek is based on a Cinderella trope, but she is no damsel in distress. She lastly added that Sophie Baek is going to throw Benedict for a loop, and they cannot wait for the audience to watch it. The audience cannot wait to watch the beloved love story, too!

Bridgerton Season 1-3 is available to watch on Netflix.