New images for Bridgerton season 2 have subtly pointed to a tragic turn for the eponymous family’s second-oldest daughter, Eloise (Claudia Jessie). Season 1 of Netflix’s Regency romance series focused on the love story of Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Bassett (Regé-Jean Page), the latter of whom will not be returning to the show. The next Bridgerton season will center on Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), following the story of Julia Quinn’s second novel, The Viscount Who Loved Me.
While she may not be the focal point of Bridgerton season 2, Eloise will surely still hold a prominent position in the overall story. By the end of season 1, Eloise’s mother had made it perfectly clear that she expected her middle daughter to make her debut the following season, despite Eloise’s objections. The younger Bridgerton’s search for Lady Whistledown’s true identity will also likely be a major plotline of Bridgerton season 2, guaranteeing Eloise even more screen time.
Sadly, the early Bridgerton season 2 images suggest that Eloise has lost her battle to avoid the gendered expectations of her society, as she’s clearly shown at a ball post-debut, accompanied by her mother and brothers. Eloise spent much of Bridgerton season 1 railing against the sexism inherent to the system of balls and courtship, but it seems that her objections were to no avail. No matter how intelligent or driven Eloise is, it seems she can’t escape the fate society has chosen for her. Just because she’s debuted doesn’t mean that she’ll be happy about it, however, and Mrs. Bridgerton will surely have her hands full trying to wrangle Eloise at social events in Bridgerton season 2.
Fortunately, if Bridgerton continues following Quinn’s novels, Eloise still has some time left before her own love story properly begins. The fifth book in the series, To Sir Phillip, With Love, focuses on Eloise’s romance with Phillip Crane – a character briefly introduced in Bridgerton season 1. It’s unclear if Eloise and Phillip will still wind up together in the show, but some major changes to Phillip’s role in the story – particularly in regards to his current wife, Marina Thompson – hint that Bridgerton could be making some big changes with Eloise. Either way, she’ll likely be safe from marriage through the season, as her older brother Anthony will be taking center stage.
It should be especially interesting to see how Bridgerton handles Eloise’s entrance to society. Her commentary on the backward nature of Regency romance was one of the highlights of Bridgerton season 1, and it’s something she must retain for her character to stay intact going forward. However, since Bridgerton is still a romance show at the end of the day, Eloise will eventually have to acquiesce and agree to marry. Or will she? With Bridgerton already ordered through season 4 by Netflix, it could still have some big surprises in store.