Joys of Participating in Bridgerton imagination

Is it safe to speak about Bridgerton Season 2? If you still haven’t watched it, spoilers ahead!

Have to admit, I needed a minute to get into this show when Season 1 came out. Colorblind Regency Era with modern tunes performed in classic versions? The mere fact we were all surprised by it shows we simply had to participate in this imagination.

I have read somewhere the other day, a question being raised: “This TV inclusivity, is it an itch?”

I hope it’s not, it’s downright glorious! Seeing all those beautiful diverse faces, just how much do we miss in life not seeing those people on screen, in lead roles, and all the magic they bring along?

The world is tired. We need magic. We need glory. Celebrating differences and all they bring to the table, and they bring so much! Beautiful dark faces someone convinced us are less pretty than the light ones.

I spent 9 years in Los Angeles trying to help my ex-boyfriend's acting career, and sat in so many meetings at production houses or studios listening to executives explaining to us why “accent in the romantic lead would bother the viewer”. I could never understand why seeing passion on screen or a great, well-written story would be interfered with, with just an accent.

I could perfectly follow the story and get aroused if the guy handling a girl doesn’t speak in perfect American, British or Australian.

Same as diversity in race. You watched Bridgerton, both seasons. If you didn’t, watch it and come back to finish the article. Could you truly not follow a love story because one of the pair is shades darker? What a refreshing thing to see, people of color just existing, without the stereotypes and puns.

Inclusivity of the Bridgerton is not just in the color of the skin. It’s also about having currently THE ONLY openly gay actor playing a straight romantic lead in one of the biggest shows on the planet. And not just play. But play it so that the new bar of romantic leads needs to be established, post Jonathan Bailey take on Anthony Bridgerton!

What was that we just witnessed?

I met Johnny a few years back and I was in awe of how superior his portrayal was. Here comes an openly gay actor, the one that you probably didn’t cast for so many straight roles he was perfect for, and he shows all ya’ll straight actors how a romantic lead should be played.

He put all the Darcys and Heathclifs to shame, Johnny understood the assignment and he came to set to play ball.

I always felt so bad for actors forced to hide their sexuality for the sake of their careers. Imagine how hard it is to hide part of yourself for being able to put food on your table; the cruelty of that equation was never lost on me. Do we hire a serial killer to play a serial killer? Why then, do we have issues hiring a gay actor in a straight romantic role? Is he not able to kiss A PERSON?

Unfortunately, it's not about the capability to play a role, it’s studios not wanting to risk money, after all, they sell dreams and fantasy; they hire straight actors in romantic leads not because they can screw a woman on screen but because they want women watching thinking they can be with that guy after the credits roll.

It’s selling a fantasy.

But why?

Did ya think that actor is really going to fuck you if he weren’t gay? Damn his gayness, the only thing standing in the way of him & you riding into the sunset!

Why are we like this?

Can we not enjoy someone without projecting? He won’t date you, gay or not, you might as well just enjoy the performance. The only thing that will come out of your relationship with Anthony Bridgerton is you watching him moan on screen like you watch any other straight actor moan on screen.

Don’t leave 7 million comments on every single Netflix post about him: “Why is he gay??”, “Damn, he’s gay, what pity”, and so on.

Pity for who?

This man created character no Regency Era, no Jane or Charlotte will ever top, and here we are talking about who he likes to fuck.

So boring, so mundane.

What I like the most in Bridgerton is bringing sex to the Regency Era. I miss that in Austen or Bronte, and as once Charlotte famously trolled Jane Austen: “Passions are perfectly unknown to her”, we need a little passion, and even though most of the people I talked to loved Season 1 and Duke of Hastings’ very explicit climaxes, I liked Johnny, sorry the Viscount Bridgerton and the way his face gimmicks showcased all the stages of the relationship.

Yes, I get it, you all are hot for “you are the bane of my existence and the object of all my desires”, but erase all the words and put him on mute and this guy played all of this with his face; looks, hidden looks, stolen looks, heavy breaths, moans, I mean moans, that was pure art in moaning, face on face, face next to the face, face between the legs with eyes looking up and the hand there bellow the face (in Regency Era, cracks me up, do you think they had sex as we do, then?), and the BEE SCENE.

The bee scene.

The bee scene is the masterclass in acting.

No words, breathing, shaking, nodding and we understood it all.

Last dance with Wrecking Ball playing in the background. No words, just mimics of the face, longing, passion, fear of losing it.

So many scenes. But if I have to choose the one, it’s the bangles. The wedding, the looks, the bangles, the drop, the “allow me”, is just an award-winning scene. Watching it felt like seeing a beautiful painting right in front of you.

Simone Ashley, playing Kathani Sharma, an equal partner in brilliance. Her face, I’m so tired of Instagram faces of today, the huge fake lips, tons of make-up, same features; how refreshingly beautifully angular is her face? Stunning eyes? Lips? Her facial expressions are so precise, it’s unbelievable to see how not many roles she played, yet is this skilled in front of the camera.

Charitra Chandran as Edwina Sharma, another superior acting for only a few roles under her belt. The excellent juxtaposition with her older sister.

And finally, why are we so taken by this story?

Because we’re tired of all the men who can not communicate properly to even the simplest degree because everyone around us is watered down, mundane, because we long for a banter, our words to bounce off something. Someone.

Because, maybe, we are tired of the complexity of modern dating. Maybe because we long for the simplicity of walking off to a garden for a guy coming running after you to talk or almost kiss you or declare some grand gesture. Imagine, all you have to do to communicate is wander off to some garden!

We are taken with talking, bantering, communicating, courting, flirting, saving, protecting; yes we are all thought to be enough and loving ourselves and no one will love you until you love yourself and no one will come your way until you sort yourself and your life, but I’m tired of that notion.

I’m tired of not being feminist enough and woke enough to say, I sometimes want saving! I want someone to find me and sort me and I don’t love myself any less in that process. There’s something in someone showing you the best parts of yourself you forgot about, whether is a partner or a friend; this constant pressure from society telling us we need to be content alone and never need help or assistance or anything, is a very unfeeling way of life.

I don’t care for it.

Watching Bridgerton is participating in the imagination. A colorblind place where race doesn’t matter, where there’s passion, longing, saving, transforming, penetrating (not that kind, settle down) into someone’s existence, showing them who they’re ought to be.

It’s the furthest away from our current reality.

Race matters, color matters, no one is passionate about anything but one-upping each other on Instagram, no one wants to save or help or assist anyone, love is non-existent, affections are weakness.

And finishing the last episode is a cruel awakening back to real life.

Still, there are blueprints. Of what to eternally strive for.

Netflix is forever and we’ll forever have the Viscount Bridgerton and Kathani Sharma.

Real life is just unnecessary noise.

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