A Deep Dive Into Bridgerton: "A Bee in Your Bonnet" (S2, Ep. 3)

The third episode of the second season reveals some of the trauma in Anthony's past.

Hello, gentle readers. I must offer my sincere apologies for being so late in this third entry in my deep dive into Bridgerton. My other writing commitments got me quite swept off my feet this week, and I’m only now settling down to write this, my analysis of the third episode, “A Bee in Your Bonnet.”

I think I can say without exaggeration that this is my favourite episode of the season so far. It gives us some much-needed background to Anthony (and the Bridgertons generally), as it’s revealed that his father perished from an allergic reaction to a bee sting, a loss from which neither he nor his mother ever fully recovered. Meanwhile, in the present, the tension between Kate and Anthony continues to grow, even as the Featheringtons must contend with the increasing likelihood that the new heir will marry someone outside the family and Penelope enlists the aid of Madame Delacroix.

From the very beginning of the first season, Anthony has been something of a cold fish, someone unable to really let anyone into his heart. Now, we learn why this is the case: he wishes to avoid inflicting on any woman the absolute heartbreak his mother endured at the death of his father. It’s a moment of poignant vulnerability for Anthony to admit this to Violet. After all, it’s not as if he’s been very forthcoming about anything emotional (in that regard he’s very similar to his friend, Duke Simon). It’s to Jonathan Bailey’s credit that he’s able to capture the full complexity of Anthony’s character, and it’s impossible not to feel for him, as he feels the tremendous weight of his own grief and his responsibilities bearing down on him (we even see his father’s portrait hanging in the study at the family estate, a mute reminder of just how much they’ve all lost).

Nothing shows just how fragile Anthony’s peace of mind is as much as his taut encounter with Kate late in the episode, when he has a panic attack after she’s been stung by a bee. Given that this is a romance, however, his panic soon turns to desire, and the two very nearly share an impassioned kiss. It’s an exquisitely fraught moment, and I’ll admit I found myself on the edge of my seat, thinking we might get to see the two of them finally express something of what they’re both clearly feeling. Of course, things can’t reach the consummation stage just yet, and the two part. Clearly, neither of them is yet willing or able to admit their feelings, even as it becomes more and more difficult to keep them at bay.

For my money, though, the most wrenching part of the episode centered around Violet and her own grief at her husband’s passing. The Bridgerton matriarch has always largely hovered in the background, but this episode really gives Ruth Gemmell some rich material to sink her teeth into. She allows us to see just how deeply affected she is by her husband’s death, and the moment when she tells Anthony that is only going through the motions of life is one of the most raw and wrenching expressions of grief I think I’ve ever seen. If you’ve ever lost someone who is as dear to you as your own heart, her words will definitely strike a chord.

Not that the entire episode is dour, of course, and there’s quite a lot of joy to be found in the Bridgerton children’s brutal game of pall mall (a predecessor of croquet, in case you’re wondering). The actors fit so seamlessly into their characters that we can well believe they truly are a family, and I especially enjoyed Daphne’s little analysis of her siblings’ strategies, which she delivers to Kate and Edwina. Though she’s receded into the background, it’s truly a pleasure to see Daphne come around again.

And, of course, there’s the Featheringtons. Polly Walker’s Lady Featherington continues to scheme to try to keep the wealth in the family, and she recruits daughter Prudence in her efforts. The results are, predictably, hilarious, and the new Lord Featherington seems more than a little bemused by his cousin’s efforts to flirt with him. I truly do wish the show's creators would give Walker more to do, because she is simply divine (I know I say this during every write-up, but it’s true). While these moments are obviously played for laughs, Walker’s performance allows us to understand that there’s quite a lot at stake in this little courtship. Her livelihood, and that of her daughters, depends on their staying in his good graces.

Which brings us, finally, to the episode’s two other key players: Benedict and Penelope. Benedict, like the other siblings not named Daphne or Anthony, has tended to exist in the background, but we’re finally getting to see a bit more of him, in particular his artistic ambitions. In some ways, I find him even more fascinating than Anthony, and I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of hijinks he’s going to get up to once he officially enrolls at the Royal Academy Schools. Meanwhile, Penelope continues to show just how shrewd she is at manipulating others, since she manages to recruit no less a person than the modiste Madame Delacroix to help her in her efforts to keep Lady Whistledown’s identity a secret.

Overall, I thought this was an an incredibly strong episode of Bridgerton. It managed to strike the perfect narrative balance between moving the romance plot forward and deepening our understanding of the characters through a focus on their past. Given that we’re already on episode three, it’s good to see the bond between Kate and Anthony growing ever more obvious, though it does raise the question of just how heartbroken Edwina is going to be once they can no longer hide it (given the look of devastation on her face when Anthony backs out of his proposal during dinner, it’s safe to say she’s going to be quite crushed).

So, that’s all for today’s deep dive into Bridgerton, my lovely readers. I’ll be back shortly (I hope) with more erudite reflections on everyone’s favourite costume drama.