There are a fair number of delightfully insufferable characters in Bridgerton – ah, Lady Featherington – but none is more frustrating than the accidentally sexist and deliberately classist Anthony, eldest Bridgerton son and maniacal control freak. Fortunately, it seems like Shonda Rhimes will use the next series to enlighten viewers about the reasons behind his toxic behaviour – as evidenced by the Easter egg-style bees dotted throughout the first series.
Read more: Everything We Know So Far About ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2
While Julia Quinn’s original Bridgerton novel, The Duke & I, focuses on the romance between the Duke of Hastings and Daphne, the sequel, The Viscount Who Loved Me, centres on Anthony’s life as a rogue, and the family events that shaped his decision to remain a bachelor. Specifically, it reveals that the 38-year-old Bridgerton patriarch, Edmund, died from anaphylactic shock after a bee sting, leaving Anthony convinced that he, too, will die young – and, if he has his way, alone. Somewhat complicating matters? His obligation to wed as a prominent figure in the Ton.
When The Viscount Who Loved Me begins at the start of the 1814 season, Anthony has just reluctantly selected a bride out of a sense of duty – only to find himself enamoured with Edwina’s meddling older sister, Kate Sheffield, who believes Anthony’s rakish ways make him a poor choice of husband. Yet, inevitably, as the summer goes on, Kate finds herself more and more drawn to the combative Bridgerton heir, especially during a trip to his country estate. Cue lingering glances, heaving bosoms, and more pivotal scenes based around… bees, which act as a symbol of their romance.
In fact, the insects frequently (and tellingly) crop up in Bridgerton’s eight-episode run – with several members of the Bridgerton clan wearing bee accessories at various points. Benedict is seen with one embroidered on his collar at a ball, even donning a bee-covered waistcoat – while the legend that is Eloise sports bee pins in her hair and on her dresses. Perhaps most notably, the premiere opens with a bee landing on the front door knocker of the wisteria-covered Bridgerton house in Grosvenor Square, and another buzzes on the windowsill as the Duke and Duchess of Hastings welcome their first child in the finale. Let the sexually-charged verbal sparring commence.
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