The much-awaited sophomore season of Bridgerton has enthralled viewers, who binged the show almost immediately after its Netflix release. Besides the titillating romance between Daphne and Simon, followed by fan favorites Kate and Anthony, the Regency era drama also had plenty of plot twists in both seasons.
As viewers got familiarized with the world of Bridgerton and all the families in the ton, their secrets came spilling out. Everyone had something to hide, or a scandal lurking under the cover of gauzy dresses and genteel manners. Some revelations on the show were extremely shocking but made for delicious entertainment.
Penelope Revealing Marina's Pregnancy
Marina's pregnancy was a big pain point for her and Lady Featherington in season 1 of Bridgerton, and Marina almost got away with her engagement to Colin, except Lady Whistledown intervened.
It was shocking that she broke the news at the exact right time and saved the Bridgerton sibling from a neat trick, but the fact that Whistledown was always Penelope made this even more scandalous. While Penelope wrote about Marina to save Colin, it was also unprecedented because she threw her own family under the bus. Many Bridgerton fan theories abounded for season 2 regarding Marina, but her reality with Sir Crane was quite mundane.
Daphne Choosing To Marry Simon Despite His "Inability" To Have Children
Right since Daphne and Simon chose the fake relationship trope, fans knew that the two would end up together, but the circumstances were quite surprising. After being caught in the gardens and the "duel" between Simon and Anthony, Simon told a very maternal Daphne that he could not give her what she desired the most.
Most thought that Daphne would back down and not marry Simon once he gave her this piece of information, but her immediate and steadfast resolution to stay with the Duke was something nobody expected. It was a true testament to her love and quite surprising.
Lady Whistledown's Identity
As Lady Whistledown's delightfully written gossip rag infiltrated the ton and its aristocracy, people were dying to know the identity of the writer who somehow knew it all. Fans didn't expect to find out who she was so soon, but the season 1 finale had something else in store for them.
Neither the age nor relationship status of Whistledown, a main character, was revealed — instead, viewers were directly shown who she was. As Penelope sat on a train and wrote out her next letter, fans had to grapple with her being Whistledown, which made total sense.
Eloise Helping Whistledown Escape
Eloise inadvertently ended up becoming a part of the hunt for Lady Whistledown, and the Queen herself employed her to catch her in season 1. With a command from the monarch, it seemed that Eloise would be even more motivated to get the writer to her knees.
So, when Eloise ended up following the gossip author as she got her leaflets printed, but helped her escape the Queen's guards, it came as a big shock because not only did Eloise lose the chance to sate her curiosity, but she also outright disobeyed her Queen.
Anthony's Surprise Proposal
The relationship between Kate and Anthony was one of the best in Bridgerton, and their chemistry was off the charts, especially at Aubrey Hall. It seemed as if Anthony had switched his loyalty from Edwina to Kate, and as they began to leave the house dejected, Anthony made a surprise proposal — to Edwina.
It was a very strange thing for Anthony to do, considering he had eyes only for the elder Sharma sister, but he went ahead and proposed to Edwina, which was a big mess to get into. What made it even more outlandish was that Kate was on the verge of confessing to Edwina at that exact moment.
The New Lord Featherington's Finances
After the death of Penelope's father, the Featherington family was left penniless and in debt, with three daughters ready to get married. The new heir of the family, Cousin Jack, was supposed to save their fortunes with his wealth, but to everyone's surprise, he was even more broke than them.
With a failed ruby mining operation, his plan to marry up was ruined by Lady Featherington, as well. Viewers were shocked to see how far the fortunes of the Featheringtons would fall, even as Penelope had a big next of cash under her floorboards.
Nobody Turning Up To The Bridgerton Ball
The Bridgertons were easily the most respected family in the ton, so it was unprecedented to see them fall from grace in society so quickly. Getting abandoned at the altar made them unpopular, but Eloise's association with radicals made them untouchable to the aristocrats.
Lady Violet's much-awaited Bridgerton Ball was shunned by every single member of the ton except for the Sharmas. Music played in empty ballrooms and the food was eaten by the family themselves. No one saw this coming.
Lady Featherington Blackmailing Cousin Jack
Just like her husband, Lady Featherington also resorted to unsavory ways to gather money for her children. Along with Cousin Jack, she came up with a way to scam the ton members, which was how she managed to throw the last celebratory ball for them.
It seemed that she would leave with Jack for America from the way things were going, but instead, she recognized his nonchalance toward her daughters and blackmailed him to run away and leave them with almost all the money from the fraud. Talk about cunning!
Kate's Injury
After Anthony and Kate lost control of their passions and finally spent the night together, fans waited with bated breath for what would happen next. Many expected a proposal or a blessing from Edwina, but a rain-soaked horse chase led to a tragic accident for Kate that no one saw coming.
As she lay in a coma from her head injury, Anthony also shocked fans by not visiting his lady love. Almost everything about this sequence of events was unexpected, but it did eventually get the two closer than ever before.
The Queen Saving Anthony And Kate's Reputations
As Kate and Anthony danced away during the last ball, the ton began to whisper and sneer at their romance. Quickly, the dance became scandalous and the nobles started piecing together why the Viscount's wedding did not take place earlier in the show.
In a brilliant and astounding moment, the Queen herself stepped up to protect the lovers. She announced that the wedding didn't happen because she forbade it. She had no reason to give Kate and Anthony this gift, but her timely intervention cleared the path for Kate and Anthony to get together.