Bridgerton (Season 2 - 2022) [TV-MA] *****

Latest change: 1 May 2022 - final scene at the bottom:

Bridgerton Season 2 scene featuring Kathani Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) dancing with Lord Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey):

Bridgerton Season 2 poster featuring Simone Ashley as Miss Kate Sharma, Jonathan Bailey as Lord Anthony Bridgerton and Charithra Chandran as Kate's younger half-sister Miss Edwina Sharma.

I've decided to write my own review of Bridgerton Season 2, rather than rely on a professional film critic. Doing this forces me to deepen my understanding of the structure of the series, which enhances my appreciation of it. This review is evolving as I write it, which is why I've decided to post the date of the latest changes. I appreciate your patience. I should caution you that this review contains many, many spoilers.

Bridgerton is a period British romantic drama set in 1814, the Regency period, the same period as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Season 2 features several plot lines but the most important one involves Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) who has decided that this is the year he must take a bride, not because he wants to but because he is expected to. Lord Bridgerton has spent the last ten years, since the death of his father from anaphylactic shock resulting from a bee sting, focusing on his duties and responsibilities to his family - his mother and younger siblings. Finding a love match is not his focus.

The other major part of this plot line involves the Sharma family, newly arrived from Bombay (today, Mumbai), India. Lady Mary Sheffield Sharma (Shelley Conn) is the daughter of Lord and Lady Sheffield, however she was disinherited when she married a clerk of Indian heritage, a widower with a young daughter named Kathani, rather than a titled British male, and then fled from England to live in India. She and her husband had a daughter Edwina together and the two half-sisters grew up together, the elder Kathani (Kate) played by Simone Ashley and the younger Edwina, played by Charithra Chandran. Sadly, Lady Mary's husband passed away, leaving her alone with their two daughters.

Kate grew up feeling the same sense of duty and responsibility to her family that Lord Bridgerton felt for his, and secretly she wrote to Lord and Lady Sheffield and extracted from them a promise whereby if their granddaughter Edwina came to England and married a titled Englishman they would pay her dowry. Kate convinced her mother to use the last of their funds to return to England to find a husband for Edwina but, sadly, did not reveal her arrangement with the Sheffields, hoping to shield Lady Mary and Miss Edwina from controversy.

The final piece of this plot line involves an annual ritual in which all of the eligible young ladies are presented to Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) and she selects one of them as her Diamond, her preferred choice for the season's balls and parties, her Diamond becoming the most eligible future bride.

So, this year, 1814, the queen anoints Miss Edwina Sharma as her Diamond and Lord Bridgerton decides she must be his bride, not because he is in love with her but because she is the logical choice. However, during the courtship he interacts with her older sister, Kate, who has done her research on him and, based on that and her own experience of him, decides that he is not suitable for her sister, whom she encourages to find a love match.

Unfortunately for Lord Bridgerton's and Miss Kate Sharma's plans, they begin to fall in love with each other. This love affair which begins as hatred, at least from Miss Sharma's side, and a sense of duty and responsibility by both of them, is what makes the second season superior to the first. The character development, drama depth and the romantic chemistry between Ashley and Bailey are well-written and well-acted.

But, more importantly than that, Kate Sharma is a strong, fiercely independent woman of twenty-six, considered almost a spinster in that time period. She doesn't need Lord Bridgerton and, in fact, she despises him. And she proves, repeatedly, that she is his equal. She rides horses as well, she can track and hunt deer as well, she can pick the winner in a horse race better, she can outplay him in a game of pall-mall (croquet) and she is his equal in their verbal sparring. This confounds him. He has never met anyone like Kate Sharma. He finds her exasperating and she finds him vexing (which is the same thing) while at the same time they are falling in love with each other.

I would go so far as to predict that Kate Sharma's character and ethnicity will be found in other characters and productions in the coming years. We need to see strong, independent women and especially strong, independent women of color.

So, what happens? Well, after spending years fulfilling their duties and responsibilities to their families, Lord Bridgerton and Miss Sharma finally realize that if they are ever to find true love and happiness they must, for once in their lives, think of themselves. And so I can tell you that there is a happy ending to their story, a very happy ending.

Every great romantic drama will have at least one pivotal scene. As the name suggests, a pivotal scene is one upon which the direction of the plot pivots or shifts. The credibility of the plot pivot or shift depends upon how well the actors execute the scene, which has an intense flow of emotion between the actors, and which the director attempts to capture all in one take. (There is more on the subject of pivotal scenes at the bottom of this review.)

One pivotal scene in season 2 involves Kate Sharma, Edwina Sharma and their mother. After Kate interrupts Anthony and Edwina's wedding ceremony by accidentally dropping an emerald bracelet, Anthony and Kate both kneel to pick it up, their eyes and hands meet and time is suspended. When Edwina looks down at them she realizes Anthony will never look at her the way he looks at Kate, will never feel about her in that same way, and she realizes she cannot marry him. She says she needs a moment and then runs out of the church.

The pivotal scene begins moments later when Kate, Edwina and their mother are alone and Edwina angrily confronts Kate and demands to know if she has feelings for Anthony LINK TO YOUTUBE VIDEO

There are several romantic scenes between Anthony and Kate that take place in the 8th and final episode, titled The Viscount Who Loved Me. One scene, from 46:30 to 52:00, takes place at a ball when Edwina and Kate are standing together and Edwina begins by saying to her sister: You will not be able to avoid him all night, Didi. And you should not attempt to. Kate and Anthony then dance to a classical arrangement of Miley Cyrus' famous song, Wrecking Ball. LINK TO YOUTUBE VIDEO

The great irony is that underneath their veneer of a focus on duty and responsibility, Anthony and Kate believe in the power of true love but have not allowed themselves to experience it. As Edwina tells her sister, life ends in tragedy, like her mother and father's tragedy. True romantic love is only found in the books that Kate read to her. So, in the end, Edwina proves herself to be more mature and practical than her older sister. This is affirmed toward the end of this pivotal scene when Edwina stands beside Queen Charlotte as they watch Anthony and Kate dance.
Edwina: I think they look beautiful together.

Queen Charlotte:  Beautiful, indeed... Miss Edwina, have I yet told you about my nephew? He is a prince. And he is available.

Another romantic scene takes place eight minutes later, from 1:00:00 to 1:02:50, in the garden after the ball. Anthony confirms that Kate plans to leave him and return to India. With nothing to lose, he declares his love for her and she acknowledges that she loves him, too. Then he admits that he cannot imagine his life without her, asks her to marry him and she accepts him. LINK TO YOUTUBE VIDEO
 

These four JPEGs contain 36 captioned images from that scene:

The film's final scene provides the ultimate spoiler, of course. It takes place six months later. Lord Anthony Bridgerton and Lady Kathani Sharma, now Viscount and Viscountess Bridgerton, have just returned from six months of honeymoon travel. They descend from their bedroom, where they had been enjoying an episode of marital bliss, to play a game of pall mall with their family. There has been a suggestion, on the internet, that Viscountess Bridgerton has a baby bump, which would not be at all surprising. What is clear from the final scene is that she is just as strong-willed and independent-minded as ever, and that the Viscount has his hands full with her. It will be interesting to see how their relationship evolves over the next six seasons of Bridgerton. And, by the way, the final few seconds of the scene, as the camera circles Anthony and Kathani, are known technically as a spin-around. So now you know. LINK TO YOUTUBE VIDEO


There are numerous reviews and videos being released so I will simply provide links to the ones I have found to be of greatest interest. You will also find reviews on IMDb and Metacritic.

Bridgerton Season 2
Season 2 synopsis and spoilers
Vogue: Meet Simone Ashley
Entertainment Weekly interview with Simone Ashley
Pinkvilla.com
What to watch - Bridgerton's pall mall scene

Simone Ashley reveals secrets of filming
Edwina and Queen Charlotte

Viscountess Bridgerton Tumblr blog

Kate Bridgerton Fandom Wiki

Labels: drama, Netflix, period, romance, rom-drama-faves
IMDb 73/100
MetaScore (critics=73, viewers=65)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=82, viewers=76)
Netflix
Lady Whistledown's guide to Bridgerton

PIVOTAL SCENES:
I first learned about pivotal scenes while watching the documentary Searching for Debra Winger (2002), about the difficulty of actresses finding substantive film roles after the age of forty. At the 80-minute mark Jane Fonda described the peak experience of film-making as the thrill and terror of making the pivotal scene. She characterized the scene as one with an intense flow of emotions between the actors, a scene that the director tried to capture all in one take. She described the enormous pressure it put the actors under, since the success of the film often depended upon the credibility of the pivotal scene. She painted a vivid picture of sitting in her trailer waiting for those dreaded words We're ready for you now, Miss Fonda, and then having to walk the gauntlet from trailer to film set, between rows of cast and crew, all of whom were thinking This had better be good. You're the big star; you're getting paid the big salary, so prove you're worth it, because we're all depending on you. Jane revealed that when the pivotal scene was successful it was better than the most intense lovemaking. But she also admitted that she remembered having had the pivotal-scene peak experience fewer than ten times in making over forty films since 1960.

After having learned about pivotal scenes I found myself looking for them in my favorite romantic dramas. Now, whenever I discuss pivotal scenes I like to refer to the classic scene in the rain between Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) and Elizabeth Bennett (Keira Knightley) from Pride & Prejudice (2005), in which Darcy proposes to Elizabeth and she rejects him. Ironically, this scene is set in the same historical time period as Bridgerton - 1813-1814. Here is THE YOUTUBE LINK.

Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) [PG] ****

Over the objections of her father, Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville), Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) agrees to allow Downton Abbey to be used as the set of a film titled The Gambler, produced and directed by Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy) and starring Guy Dexter (Dominic West in Errol Flynn mode) and screen goddess Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock).

The servants, of course, are beside themselves with excitement, as many of their number subscribe to the fanzines of the day. Upstairs, the temperature is different. The Earl is none too pleased to have the agents of such a vulgar profession loitering around his palatial residence. It’s a horrible idea! he huffs. Actresses plastered in makeup and actors… plastered. But the family and Downton Abbey need the American dollars. The maintenance of such a large staff is proving crippling, and the roof is leaking, so funds have to be found. The unthinkable alternative is to open the house on a regular basis to draw tourists or to sell it and see it transformed into a college, hospital, sanatorium, retirement home, orphanage or Anglican Church facility.

Besides the financial problems at Downton Abbey, another revelation has raised its unforeseen head. The Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) has discovered that the Villa of the Doves in the south of France has been bequeathed her in the will of an old paramour – and the Earl and his family have been requested to visit it before final documents are exchanged. So, while the Earl is off to France, his own estate is overrun by all the paraphernalia of a film crew, along with the glamorous movie stars.

Examining the cast of characters on IMDb as well as the film poster, there are two characters missing from the film. The first is Matthew Goode who played Henry Talbot, Lady Mary's second husband in seven episodes of seasons 5 and 6 of the original Downton Abbey TV series, and in the 2019 Downton Abbey film. The second is Lily James who played Lady Rose MacClare, a cousin of Lady Mary, in 21 episodes of seasons 3 to 6 of the TV series, but was not in the 2019 film.

Labels: drama, period, romance, rom-drama-faves
IMDb 75/100
MetaScore (critics=63, viewers=67)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=69, viewers=94)

all the IMDb film reviews

Blu-ray

Glenn Kenny review for rogerebert.com

The Bates Family - Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and John (Brendan Coyle)

Film producer and director Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy)

Anna (Joanne Froggatt), Mrs. Patmore (Leslie Nicol) and Daisy (Sophie McShera) discuss film star Guy Dexter

Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton) marries Tom Branson (Allen Leech)

Actress Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock) and Downton Abbey Footman Andy (Michael Fox)

Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and film director Jack Barber

Is that Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle) in the middle of the shot?



Lord Bertie Pelham, Marquess of Hexham (Harry Hadden-Paton), Lady Edith Pelham born Crawley, Marchioness of Hexham (Laura Carmichael), Lucy (Tuppence Middleton) and Tom (Allen Leech)

Lord Bertie, Lady Edith, Lucy and Tom

A bit about peerage and titles in Great Britain. Here is a link to an excellent reference:

King and Queen

Prince and Princess

Duke and Duchess

Marquess and Marchioness

Earl and Countess

Viscount and Viscountess

Baron and Baroness

This Is Where I Leave You (2014) [R] ***/****

A film review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews.net on Sept. 18, 2014.

This Is Where I Leave You is a card-carrying member of the family reunion category of motion pictures wherein circumstances bring together characters whose once-close relationships have grown distant over the years. The mechanism by which this happens is usually a big event such as a party, a wedding, or, as in this case, a funeral. The French excel at this sort of movie but American forays into the sub-genre often take on the feel of a lazily scripted sit-com. The difference is one of tone - to do this right, it's necessary to uncover the essential human characteristics of the characters, both good and bad, while avoiding instances of extreme melodrama. This Is Where I Leave You mostly achieves this goal, although there are instances, especially during the last act, when artifice creeps into the narrative in the service of providing a tidy ending.

There's humor in This Is Where I Leave You but it rarely goes too far. It's easy to be impressed by the dramatic capabilities of actors known primarily for lighter fare - in particular, Jason Bateman and Tina Fey, both of whom are terrific. There are also nice performances by Adam Driver, a perky Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton and veteran lightning rod Jane Fonda. The cast melds together and convinces in a way that the higher profile gang in August: Osage County couldn't quite manage.

There's not much story and what there is functions as setup. The Altman clan gathers at the rural New York state residence where they lived together for many years as a family before going their separate ways. The occasion is a sad one: the death of the patriarch. Arriving to join the grieving widow, Hilary (Jane Fonda), are the eldest son, Paul (Corey Stoll); the middle boy, Judd (Jason Bateman); the young, rudderless Phillip (Adam Driver); and the only girl, Wendy (Tina Fey). They bring with them their spouses, children, and significant others - except Judd, who is going through a messy divorce. To fulfill their father's last wish, they must sit shiva - or, as Hilary puts it, they're all grounded for the next seven days. This gives them plenty of opportunity to interact with interpersonal dramas playing out against the backdrop of their attempts to come to grips with their father's death and what his absence means for them.

This Is Where I Leave You recalls a pair of '80s films: The Big Chill (about ex-college friends reuniting after the suicide of one of their number) and The Breakfast Club (about high school kids bonding while trapped in detention). Although This Is Where I Leave You is substantially different in specifics from either of those earlier movies, there's a thematic and tonal kinship. Although This Is Where I Leave You addresses serious issues, it does so with a lightness of touch. Unlike the aforementioned August: Osage County, it doesn't wallow in ugliness or delight in people humiliating one another.

The script is a strength. Adapted by Jonathan Tropper from his novel, it displays balance between comedy and drama, never leaning too far in one direction or the other. No one throws out jokes or one-liners for the sole purpose of making viewers laugh. As in real life, humor flows naturally from embarrassing or ironic situations rather than being awkwardly shoehorned into the screenplay by a writer who wants to show off his comedic chops. While Judd (Jason Bateman) is unquestionably in a bad place, the movie doesn't allow him to wallow in self-pity and, as a result, the narrative doesn't bog down. Bateman's performance creates a deeply human character; it's some of the best work he's done in a while. Although This Is Where I Leave You is technically an ensemble piece, the main point-of-view is Judd's, which makes Bateman's contribution key. Even considering some of its late-innings flaws, this is an engaging movie that doesn't mistake histrionics and bile for solid family reunion drama. [Berardinelli’s rating: 3 stars out of 4 = 75%]

Blogger’s comment: This film reminded me of The Family Stone (2005), Rachel Getting Married (2008), Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and The Big Wedding (2013), in addition to the previously mentioned The Big Chill (1983)

Labels: comedy, drama
IMDb 66/100
MetaScore (critics=44, viewers=66)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=54, viewers=70)
Blu-ray
Berardinelli’s original review

 

Sanditon (2019+) [TV-14] ****

A film review by Brian Lowry for cnn.com on January 10, 2020.

Jane Austen's unfinished novel gets a modern makeover with Sanditon, a gorgeous eight-part Masterpiece miniseries. Although fans will find many of the requisite Austen touches -- including smoldering suitors and jockeying for a large inheritance -- this PBS presentation includes issues not only of class but race, with a dollop of sex for good measure.

Written and updated by Andrew Davies -- whose credits include Bridget Jones's Diary and four direct Austen adaptations, among them the 1990s TV version of Pride and Prejudice -- Sanditon transforms the writer's 11-chapter fragment, written shortly before her death in 1817, into a full-blooded drama, with bodice-ripping, blackmail and even a bout of nude swimming.

While purists might be taken aback at first, as University of York lecturer Hannah Greig told The Atlantic, the bones of the story feels like the beginning of a different kind of Austen novel, and the miniseries joins a roster of projects that have sought to revisit Austen in a more contemporary way.

As Sanditon progresses, it becomes easier to accept its juicier flourishes as the kind in which Austen herself might have indulged, arguably, if she was still plying her trade now.

The premise is pure Austen, as the wide-eyed but clear-headed Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) has a chance encounter with Tom Parker (Kris Marshall), who is en route to the seaside village of the title, which he hopes to turn into a fashionable tourist health resort.

Charlotte proceeds to join Tom and his wife (Kate Ashfield), and is quickly whisked into a world of intrigue, much of it surrounding Lady Denham (Anne Reid), whose patronage Tom needs, and whose wealth is sought by an assortment of scheming potential heirs.

Charlotte, meanwhile, meets Tom's dashing brother Sidney (Theo James), who smolders with the best of them, and initially doesn't like her very much; and the somewhat mysterious Miss Lambe (Crystal Clarke), an heiress of West Indian descent who brings a woman of color into the mix, with Sidney serving as her stern guardian.

That barely scratches the surfaces of the cast of characters, and there's an element of Downton Abbey baked into the project's appeal. The suspense surrounds not only who will wind up with whom -- complicated by a few whiffs of forbidden romance -- but also the future of Lady Denham's estate, and the tensions between the town's workers and its privileged class.

Sanditon features all the customary lavish period trappings the Masterpiece / Austen pairing demands, but also plays with conventions and expectations.

PBS periodically faces questions about its viability in the new digital world, especially with so many content-hungry commercial networks and streaming services providing US homes for high-class British dramas. Sanditon, however, falls squarely into the Masterpiece wheelhouse, and once people with a taste for such fare get a taste of its sumptuous amenities, one suspects they'll be in no hurry to check out. [Lowry’s rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars = 90%]

Blogger’s SPOILER: The second season of Sanditon began airing on PBS on Sunday, March 20, 2022, and was a distinct disappointment, at least to this viewer. Season 1 spent 8 hours building up the romantic and sexual tension between Sidney Parker (Theo James) and Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) and then killed Sidney off in the first minute of Season 2. What a waste.

Labels: drama, period, romance
IMDb 78/100
MetaScore (critics=71, viewers=63)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=65, viewers=94)
Blu-ray
Brian Lowry’s review