It has been brought to my attention, dear reader, that after spending my afternoons watching Bridgerton Season 2 instead of out promenading with the ton in the park, some liberties were taken. Now I hate to be the type of lady to say, "this was changed from the book," but I am indeed going to be that lady who will say "this was changed from the book."
I am a huge reader, so anytime I hear that a book is getting made into a TV series or movie, I read the books first. So far, I have read five out of the eight Bridgerton books, Anthony's story in The Viscount Who Loved Me being one of my favorites. And while I liked the show very much, they did make some changes from the original source material. Here are 14 things that are different from the book and the TV show.
(I must warn you that there are spoilers from Season 2 of Bridgerton. Read at your own risk, dear reader.)
The Sharmas
In the book, the Sharmas were actually the Sheffields with a different back story. The Sheffields were poor, which is why they were staying with Lady Danbury, but did not have a bad reputation, unlike Mary Sharma (formerly Mary Sheffield) who left London to marry a man from a lower class.
The Dowry
The stipulation that if Edwina marries someone of noble class, she will get a handsome dowry from her grandparents was added for the show, and was not in the book.
Edmund's Death
While the Bridgerton patriarch did die of a bee sting, Anthony was not there when it happened in the book.
Anthony's Reason To Not Marry For Love
With his father passing away at the age of 38, in the book Anthony has this irrational fear that he will not live past 38 as well. After seeing the grief that his mother went through, he does not want to put someone through that and therefore will not marry for love. While family duty was definitely a part of it, I think adding this element to the show would have helped to clarify why he wouldn't have pursued Kate, even after developing feelings for her.
The Meet-Cute
In the series, Kate and Anthony met after a "horse race" of sorts. In the book, they met at a ball.
Kate's Fear Of Thunderstorms
In the book, Kate has a debilitating fear of thunderstorms, all that stems from her mother's passing. During a storm, Anthony finds her, sits with her, calms her, and they both confide in each other. This scene was still in the series, but much shorter, and without the depth the book had.
Kate's Bee Sting
This is the moment that most drastically changed the course of the show from the book. In the show, Kate does get stung and Anthony starts to panic. To calm him down, Kate places their hands on each others hearts to let him know she is OK. In the book however, over come with fear, Anthony tries to suck the venom out of Kate's sting, which causes them to be found in a comprising position and forces them to wed.
The Wedding
As mentioned above, a wedding does happen in the book, just not between Edwina and Anthony, but rather Anthony and Kate. In the last third of the book, the latter pair are already married, and the majority of the time is spent with Anthony grappling with his notion that he would never fall in love. In the series, we don't see the nuptials between these two, just the engagement and then a post honeymoon scene.
Edwina's Journey
Edwina is much more of a secondary character to Kate's story in the book, and has no qualm with Kate and Anthony, as she never felt a spark with him. The series definitely gave her a very distinct voice, perspective and her own self-discovery journey. The drama between her and Kate raises the stakes and gives everyone involved more nuanced and complex motivations.
Kate's Accident
In the series, Kate runs away on horseback during a storm. Anthony chases after her, mirroring that very first scene we saw of the pair. In the book, Kate is in a carriage accident. Both moments are the inciting incident for Anthony to finally admit his love for her.
The Featherington/Benedict/Eloise Storyline
All of these plot points have been added specifically for the show. The books pretty narrowly focus on which ever Bridgerton the story is about, and the love interest that has caught their eye.
The Lady Whistledown Plot
We found out that Lady Whistledown was Penelope Featherington at the end of last season, but the reveal and the search for her identity doesn't happen until book four. Madame Delacroix is also not involved with Lady Whistledown in the books.
Colin And Marina
Marina was introduced last season, and again in Season 2 as she has a heated discussion with Colin, who seems to be trying to find his place in this world. In the books, Marina is never met, and only referred to in passing. As for Colin's self discovery, that happens in book four.
Penelope And Colin
We see the relationship between Penelope and Colin develop to an even deeper level during Season 2 of Bridgerton. Colin even seems to be seeing Penelope in a new light, that is until she over hears him say that he would never pursue her. He actually does say something along this line in book three, but we don't know where any of this is heading until book four. Although, I have a feeling we may get a Colin-based storyline in Season 3 of the show with how much they developed their characters this season. Especially since Shonda Rhimes told Entertainment Tonight that they are "not necessarily going in order."
Images: Netflix