Bridgerton Season 1 (2020) Spoiler Review

Hi everyone, welcome or welcome back to my blog! Bridgerton season 2 just released on Netflix a few days ago so I figured it was time for a rewatch of season 1 before I dive into the enemies to lovers brilliance that is Kate and Anthony! I watched Bridgerton season 1 back in 2020 when it first came out, with no prior knowledge of the characters or the series so I’m excited to rewatch it now, having, of course, seen it all before and having read the entire series of books as well.

Find my guide to the Bridgerton book series by Julia Quinn here + here on Instagram

EPISODE 1 – DIAMOND OF THE FIRST WATER

• I still cannot believe they got Julie Andrews to do the voiceover for Lady Whisteldown!
• Also, I wonder why we only got to see Francesca a handful of times in this episode and then basically never again.
• Anthony. The hair. The muttonchops. Oh, dear god, why?
• I just really don’t understand why we have to present the girls to the queen. I also really wonder why so many girls fantasise about living in this time period because as romantic as these fantasy love stories can sometimes appear, this time period looks absolutely horrible.
• I LOVE the opening credits! Absolutely stunning!
• It’s always so interesting to me how quick people are to hate Lady Whistledown until she says something good about them.
• Lady Danbury!! 😍😍😍😍😍
• I absolutely love the music at the balls! I do not often listen to movie or show soundtracks but, I listen to this one often!
• Anthony, in a very roundabout way, is protecting Daphne. But, god, he’s making it hard to love him right now. I will say though, that I absolutely love seeing all of these siblings together!
• So wild that in ep 1 Anthony and Simon were good friends but for the rest of the show they basically want to kill each other.
• Violet bugs me most of the time but, her talk with Anthony in the study was very well done of her.
• I absolutely love that we are going to slowly see Penelope and Colin fall in love with each other. I love that he danced with her after Cressida spilled her drink on her! I really hope they have more scenes together in season 2!
• Say what you want about this show, but the sets are absolutely beautiful!
• It’s a bit disturbing how they changed Berbrooke from pathetic to cruel in the show tbh, considering that he does eventually get married (in the books, at least). It’s so horrible to think about.

EPISODE 2 – SHOCK AND DELIGHT

• Oh my god, I love Eloise’s rants!
• One mention of Fran… 😥
• Colin and Benedict! I’m so glad I love their on-screen adaptations!
• “I wore my satin knee-breeches for the occasion!” what a pity for everyone
• Does anyone else absolutely loathe the queen?
• This episode is just one of the reasons Lady Danbury, because of the flashbacks, is one of my favourite characters in this show!
• It’s always shocking to me how much I love the dancing scenes in this era!
• The gay vibes I get from both Eloise and Benedict are absolutely impeccable and I just know they’re going to be straight and it hurts because I won’t believe a second of it.
• Oh my god the maids working with Violet to find dirt of Nigel Berbrooke is probably the first time I’ve liked Violet so far. Very smart!
• I absolutely loved the heavier discussion with Eloise and Daphne – it’s wonderful to see sisters talking together and sharing their worries.

EPISODE 3 – ART OF THE SWOON

• The dancing, the music and the settings/backgrounds are absolutely the highlight of this show for me!
• I just want to know who the fuck eats ice cream like that? It’s going to melt!!
• I absolutely love the scenes with the majority of the Bridgertons in the room, it’s so fun to watch them play off each other!
• I know this isn’t Anthony’s season but he is so much more interesting to me than Daphne’s storyline, which is of course not Daphne’s fault – she’s much more interesting in the later stories.
• Anthony’s face when Daphne invites him to have milk with her! So cute! I absolutely love seeing the siblings together, those scenes make the show!
• I just absolutely love Benedict trying to escape his meddling mother and oh my god they really did Anthony dirty with his hair in this season!
• The hand shot! This is the shit I absolutely live for, right here!
• I absolutely love Benedict’s support of Eloise! Their conversations are some of my favourite scenes in this entire season! I can’t wait for their seasons!
• The actress who plays Sienna does an absolutely phenomenal job in the role! She expresses her emotions so well and it’s so gratifying to watch!
• You know what, Lady Featherington may be a total cow but she’s very smart when she wants to be.
• It’s so sad to see the way Anthony and Violet interact, she seems to loathe him in most scenes so I wonder how she can’t see how hard he’s trying to fill his father’s place.

EPISODE 4 – AN AFFAIR OF HONOR

• Daphne at the boxing match 😂
• I really wonder what these people do all day. They barely seem to have any real job in society but spend all day at clubs or sewing. It’s baffling to me.
• I actually love how much this episode focuses on the other siblings. Colin interacts with Penelope and it’s very cute, Eloise gets a bit embarrassed, Anthony is lusting after Maria and Benedict is finding his art!
• This has been my absolute favourite episode in terms of Anthony’s character so far! I absolutely love how much he loves Daphne and I can’t wait to see him with his other siblings in their seasons! This rewatch is making me so excited for season 2!
• Ladies, there is nothing sexy about being grabbed in a dark alleyway.
• I love Violet getting absolutely sloshed and Colin trying to help her up the stairs! This is why I’m so excited for his season! He’s such a fun character and I can’t wait to get to know him more throughout the show!
• What this episode proves: men are idiots and should not be given guns.

EPISODE 5 – THE DUKE AND I

• I’ve never understood why so many people are so in love with Simon but after listening to his speech to the queen, while I’m still not convinced, I can see why so many people want to hire the actor!
• Poor Penelope
• I just really wonder what the fuck Violet Bridgerton was thinking having this awful conversation with Daphne, especially since this woman had 8 god damn kids.
• I’ll be honest, I have nothing to say about this episode. Now the rest of the season will be all about Daphne and Simon and I couldn’t care less if I tried.

EPISODE 6 – SWISH

• Oh, God Colin
• That scene with the family at the dinner table with all of the siblings together and Benedict trying to mediate between Gregory and Hyacinth might be one of my top 3 moments of this season!
• Well, I am so incredibly uncomfortable right now.
• I won’t lie, I absolutely adore Penelope and seeing her cry made me cry too.

EPISODE 7 – OCEANS APART

• A brilliant opening scene!
• Benedict giggled!
• So fun to see the ladies betting together!
• As much as I prefer some particular love stories like Polin, I do think Anthony is definitely my favourite Bridgerton!
• I understand that Simon’s father was genuinely horrible, but his vow to never have children is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.
• The music in this show is absolutely brilliant!
• “Please do not tell mother” is such a sibling line!!
• That ending! They acted their asses off and I appreciate it! I’m curious because I know not everyone agrees on this scene – do you think Daphne miscarried or just got her period late? I honestly thought she miscarried but I have no idea.

EPISODE 8 – AFTER THE RAIN

• Oh god, Marina’s storyline is so sad
• Eloise is such a little shit and I have no idea how she manages it
• Francessca is here!
• It’s so interesting to me that the first time I watched season 1 I didn’t care for Sienna and Anthony’s storyline but now it’s one of my favourite parts of the season. Annoyingly, Simon and Daphne are my least favourite.
• I’ve loved the evolution of Daphne and Eloise’s relationship this season!
• The unrequited Polin love! It pains me!!
• Anthony! 😭😭
• Say what you want about Lady Featherington, and I’m sure over the course of the show, I will have a lot to say. But, her husband, though quiet, was genuinely awful to her.
• I absolutely love Hyacinth! I know her story is second to last so it’s unlikely that we’ll ever get to see it but, I really hope that we see more of her in future seasons, if not see her story eventually!

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I did enjoy this season, enough to rewatch it before season 2 came out. But, I honestly think I will just re-read some of the books before season 3 comes out (I’m assuming next year???) instead of doing a rewatch. I love the Bridgertsons as an ensemble but, I do not care enough about Simon and Daphne as characters or as a romantic pair so for me, there’s nothing really drawing me to this season.

I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters from scratch here again and seeing the little glimpses of some of the younger Bridgertons who we won’t properly get to know for a few seasons (Francessca!) but, with some characters like Francessca, I wish she had been more present. I know she is mostly glossed over in the books and randomly chucked in in the middle of the series, but she’s one of my favourites so it would’ve been nice to get to know her a bit more like, we did with Gregory and Hyacinth, even though we barely saw them either. I hope that makes sense!

Other than those little thoughts I really am no thoughts, head empty about this season!

Have you watched Bridgerton?
Do you prefer the books or the show?

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