Warning: The below features spoilers for season two of Bridgerton.
Let's talk about sex, baby—or the lack thereof in our favorite period drama.
When Bridgerton first debuted in December 2020, viewers couldn't get enough of the steamy storylines. (Shout-out to the sex montage set to an orchestral remix of Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams.") So when we tuned in for season two of the series, we were shocked to discover that there was only one epic sex scene between season two couple Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). Oh, and it took place in episode seven—out of eight episodes!
We then had to wait until the final minutes of the season two finale to get a follow-up to that sexy encounter, and it was pretty PG-13, if we do say so ourselves. Reminder: Season one couple Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page) got together in episode five, giving us several episodes of saucy entertainment.
Understandably confused by the lack of heat in season two, we turned to Bridgerton creator Chris Van Dusen for clarity. His answer? Patience is a virtue.
"Sometimes waiting is just as sexy and just as steamy as, you know, getting there early," he explained. "At the end of the day, it's a different story this season, and we're following new characters. But our approach to the intimacy on the show, it remains very much the same, and we've used our intimate scenes to tell a story."
Per Chris, the Bridgerton writers room will "never do a sex scene for the sake of doing a sex scene," adding, "I think all the intimate scenes have a purpose. That was true for season one. And it's definitely true for season two. It's told a little differently this season."
While season one briefly touched on the enemies-to-lovers trope—with Daphne and Simon not liking each other before eventually falling in love—season two dives headfirst into this beloved cliché. Anthony and Kate hate each other at the start of the new installment, much like Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. But even when Anthony begins to court Kate's sister Edwina (Charithra Chandran), the pair find themselves continually drawn to each other, eventually learning they're more alike than they thought.
"It's one of my favorite tropes of the romance genre," Chris said of exploring this storyline. "And I think that's because there's just so much conflict there that's inherent in that trope that we got to mine. The two of them, Anthony and Kate, they get to verbally spar with each other all through the season."
He praised the season two leads for being "so good at that kind of thing," defending that this back-and-forth allowed for the "frustration" to build for the characters.
But did it build for the viewers? Respectfully, we would've liked to have seen the couple get together sooner than later.
Decide for yourself and watch season two of Bridgerton, which is now available on Netflix.