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Bonus Episode: The Viscount Who Loved Me v. Bridgerton Season Two
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Dearest Gentle Listener, in this special bonus episode of BookWatch, these BookWatchers welcome back special guest Megan Lachowski to discuss Bridgerton Book 2 - The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000) and Season 2 of the Netflix series adaptation (2022) which follows Anthony and Kate through their love story. Join the crew as they discuss the similarities, the MAJOR differences, and all the spicy scenes in between, in this special bonus episode.
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Transcript
Introduction to Bookwatch and Bridgerton
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of Bookwatch. We have a special guest tonight and I will introduce her after the messages. On this episode of Bookwatch, we are watching The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn, published in 2000 and its 2022 adaptation, Bridgerton season two, directed by Tricia Brock and Tom Verica. The show is adapted by Chris Van Dusen and the audio book is narrated by Rosalyn Lander. I'm Sarah Day. I'm Chris.
00:00:32
Speaker
And I'm Jordan. And we will get started after these messages.
Understanding the Podcast's Focus
00:00:45
Speaker
Welcome to Book Watch, the podcast where pages meet screens. Each week we dive into the world of adaptations, comparing beloved books with their cinematic counterparts. From faithful retellings to bold reimaginings, we'll break down what worked, what didn't, and what made each adaptation unforgettable. Whether you are a bookworm, a movie buff, or both, grab your bookmark, grab your popcorn, and let's watch some books.
00:01:10
Speaker
Welcome back. Before we get started, i want to introduce everybody who hasn't been around for a while to Megan Lechowski. Megan. Hello.
00:01:23
Speaker
If you have been around, then you will recognize Megan from our first Bridgerton episode coverage.
Impact and Representation in Bridgerton
00:01:29
Speaker
So Julia Quinn's The Viscount Who Loved Me was part of a wave of Regency romance novels that brought the genre back into the mainstream popularity.
00:01:40
Speaker
And the show's adaptation dramatically boosted sales of the entire series, introducing a new generation of readers to the books. Season two was celebrated as a landmark for South Asian representation, with viewers praising everything from Edwina's status as the diamond of the season to authentic cultural details like the holiday ceremony, hair oiling rituals, and generational jewelry. Okay.
00:02:07
Speaker
There was a little bit of critique with the blending of certain Indian, like regional differences, they kind of like blended all of those together, but otherwise did a pretty good job of representing that culture.
00:02:23
Speaker
Season two debuted at number one in 92 countries and was the most viewed show on US television screens for three consecutive weeks, according to Nielsen Media Research.
00:02:34
Speaker
This story and season focuses on how gender shapes characters differently. Anthony and Kate in the book... share pretty identical backstories of loss of a parent and responsibility yet um the difference in how that impacts them is very different um and how they overcome it is also very different and we'll get into that during our conversation but what did you guys think of season two and the second book and how the adaptation handled um the themes in the story and
00:03:10
Speaker
this relationship?
Book vs. Show: Diversity and Storytelling
00:03:11
Speaker
Well, as always with Bridgerton, I feel like i have a two part answer. um I mean, they it's so different from the book um that it's kind of like, OK, well, they handled it in a really different way. um They did not do a very direct page to screen adaptation. They did they had elements of that. But I still liked it a lot. And I think that adding in the, especially the cultural elements outside of England was a good call in general for the whole show, you know, not just this season. And um I think that they did a really good job with making it
00:03:53
Speaker
like normal, right? They weren't like saying, oh, here's a diversity hire. And we're just like adding in a person of color just so that we can look inclusive. They were really like, no, we're going to pull in this, you know, a whole culture. And like you said, they, you know, they kind of blended um different regions, which, you know, maybe they could have been more specific, but, you know, they brought in many people of color and did not make it like,
00:04:21
Speaker
um as if they were like trying to do that to to come across as like an amazing show because they were doing it. It just very naturally fit in with the whole storyline. So I think they did a really good job with that. And then in general, like I think that the side plots were really fun, even though they weren't in the book. um And the acting, as always, is really good. And the way that they filmed it is really good. So I think that overall they did a good job with...
00:04:49
Speaker
with the show or with the season. It's just so different from the books. You kind of have to look at them as different things, even though that the point of the podcast is a page to screen adaptation. But anyways, I think I liked it. I think that they did a good job overall.
00:05:05
Speaker
Well, with most of the things we review, the book was definitely better than the season, but it really was a well done adaptation. Still, they did a good job with Give mind everybody some depth still and you know showing us these interesting characters and weaving in some new stories to keep us busy with when the main book was a lot of ah in the heads of the Viscount. And so it was something you had to get out of that and add more storyline to. So.
00:05:32
Speaker
I really enjoyed the um the book even more after watching the show because I was able to kind of point out the – see the the seams where they added things or where they didn't add as much depth to this area or where they bring it back around. So I enjoyed the book though and I burned through them all pretty quick and i think I would definitely keep going. Yeah. I watched the show – before reading the books, I literally read book one and book two of the Bridgerton series yesterday and today. um So I like have a much more favorable view of the show, I think, than people who read the book first, just because that was the first thing I was exposed to. um
00:06:13
Speaker
But my friend and I always like to joke when we watch it, like there's so many different side plots going on. Like I just want to see Daphne and Simon or just want to see Anthony and Kate or whoever the couple of the season happens to be like I want more screen time of that couple because that's who I care about and so reading the book it was really nice to actually just have all of the time be with Anthony and Kate and like some little interjections here from we got something from Violet something from like ah Kate's mom and so like having more focus be on
00:06:49
Speaker
The main two, like, protagonists I liked a lot better in the book than how they do it
Character Exploration: Books vs. Shows
00:06:54
Speaker
in the show. I get for the show they need to, like, fill screen time, but... At some point I'm just like, I'm ready to start fast forwardings. I don't care about what's happening with other people. Like I just want to get back to Anthony and Kate. um So I still like the adaptation a lot. I still think this season is my favorite season of everything they've released so far. um Maybe the second half of season four will change my mind, but I highly doubt it. um
00:07:21
Speaker
And yeah, yeah, that's all I've got to say so far. I think like Megan was saying, they're just so different. like i I enjoy both separately. like I enjoy the books as a romance book. And like you said, Jordan, getting really deep into that one single relationship. But I also enjoy the show as the Shonda Rhimes drama. And it's if we focus on just one couple each season, there's nothing to tie us along the way. like We need that extra...
00:07:56
Speaker
drama story arcs from season to season like Bridget um sorry Colin and Penelope were hinted at at each season spoiler alert if you haven't seen season three it is about Colin and Penelope um and then there's like the queen and figuring out who Whistledown is was sprinkled in from season to season so it kind of ties each season together whereas a book like it's different because you are in these characters' minds. And so you you get to see, you know, it's just a different format. um
00:08:31
Speaker
So it is kind of hard to compare these ones because they are so different, but they do work so well both in their own medium. Let's go ahead and jump into the casting I'm just going to run through these And then you can let me know if you have any thoughts or feelings Obviously Megan you and I covered a few of these In our last episode together But let's recap Well actually let me start with Anthony Burgerton Anthony Burgerton played by Jonathan Bailey Because I know we all have things to say about Mr. Bailey Partially like how he's the love of my life
00:09:10
Speaker
Sorry, go ahead. that's I just wanted to start with that. I mean, he just is so um he is so perfect for this role. I think he's, I mean, it helps. He's a really good actor, but I mean, he is really, really, really good in this. And he really like embodies the,
00:09:29
Speaker
the um i guess like the overall theme of that personality of just like being, like, you know, pushed into a role at a young age where he has to be in charge of everybody and he's not prepared for it and, like, shoving down his feelings about his grief with his losing his father and then, like, you know, it just he is ah he has complicated he has a complicated life and complicated personality and he's so, like, he's so uptight and he does a... it ah Jonathan Bailey does a really, really good job of portraying all of that. So I think he was, like...
00:10:07
Speaker
the absolute perfect person to be casted in this role. All of our feelings aside, um you know, across the world for how we all feel about how much we love Jonathan Bailey, all of that aside, he just, I think genuinely was totally the right person for this role.
00:10:28
Speaker
The relentless rake. I think that, you know, it seems like gay men make the best slutty men, you know, that we got Barney Stinson from Met Your Mother. And now we got Jonathan Bailey here just works.
00:10:41
Speaker
And so i mean he really just has that Regency vibe to him, the Victorian vibe to his whole personality, I feel like. And I just i love it. He does so good. And speaking of Rake, I do feel like they went harder in that in the book. Like, yes, he had the relationship with the opera singer in the last season, but I don't feel like it was really mentioned that he slept around a lot in this season.
00:11:07
Speaker
think it's meant to be implied, but it definitely it wasn't as leaned into your writing. Well, OK, well, why don't I take this opportunity to nitpick? Because I think they didn't go very hard with this in the, and even though it was in the book, but then with Benedict storyline with him, like in his art stuff and just being so like such a free spirit and stuff like that, wasn't, they went really hard with that in the show. And that was like part of what he needed to kind of overcome or learn in the in his story in the book, but um not in this it book three.
00:11:43
Speaker
um But it was, really, in my opinion, it was really overdone in the show. And it made it like, it made him not as likable of a character, I guess. But, um but it was interesting how they went really hard with that. But then with Antony and him being the rake, they like didn't go very hard with that because it made it feel like with Kate being really against Antony, it didn't really make sense in the show because it was like, Antony seems fine, you know, like the, yeah but him being like a huge rake or whatever would make it more believable with her being really against him.
Character Dynamics: Anthony and Kate
00:12:15
Speaker
Right. It made it more about that first interaction they had being poor in her eyes than ah about him being, um yeah, the rake of the town.
00:12:27
Speaker
Speaking of Kate, let's talk about the Sharmas. They are the Sheffields in the book. And because they put made it an Indian family in the show, they changed their last name to Sharma. so we have Kate Sharma, played by Simone Ashley.
00:12:45
Speaker
Edwina Sharma, played by Karithra Chandran, who will be appearing in the new season of One Piece on Netflix, by the way.
00:12:56
Speaker
And then we have Lady Mary Sharma, played by Shelley Kahn.
00:13:02
Speaker
And then we have Lady Agatha Danbury played by Ajoha Ando, Violet Bridgerton played by Ruth Jemmel, Benedict Bridgerton played by Luke Thompson, Colin Bridgerton played by Luke Newton,
00:13:19
Speaker
Daphne Bassett makes a little cameo, again played by Phoebe Dynaver. Louise is played by Claudia Jesse Penelope.
00:13:31
Speaker
Featherington is played by Nicola Collin. Theo Sharp is played by Callum Lynch, who is not in the book. Portia Featherington is played by Polly Walker. Laura Jack Featherington, again, not in the book, played by Rupert Young. And we will get into both of those additional arcs later on in the episode. And then the wonderful Queen Charlotte, played by Golda Rashuvel.
00:13:57
Speaker
think everybody's great. i don't really have anybody that I am like. oh like that doesn't like they were like they don't feel right in their character um I love the addition of Queen Charlotte and I think her and Lady Danbury's relationship is really special um my I think my favorite character across all of the show is Violet Bridgerton she just is so kind and generous and loving and she just like makes you feel like she's one of her kids, even though you're watching her on the screen. um
00:14:30
Speaker
And I love her relationship with Lady Danbury. i believe it like starts to, they start to get much closer in this season than they were in season one. And I love watching that friendship between these two older women grow. um That's something that is very special to me. um But yeah, everybody else like is well cast. They act well, everything is great.
00:14:58
Speaker
Yeah, i I think in general, I mean, I agree with what you said, and especially with like the an older female friendship, because we just don't see that very often. I really, um i think that they did a really good job with it. the i I actually don't really, don't really, really like um who who plays Kate. I forget her name.
00:15:20
Speaker
Whatever. Simone. Yes. um i I don't know why, but I also felt this way about Daphne. i also, i feel like Penelope's the one that I that I think was like chosen the best as far as leading females for the, for the books, you know, like the those corresponding characters. um And then in the, the newer season that has come out, like I don't, I am, I like don't fully agree with who they chose to cast for the main girl. So I'm just like, do I have a problem with that? But, um but it's not because like, I think that they were bad at at acting or something, but just something about,
00:15:58
Speaker
the way that they are portraying their character, like doesn't really resonate with me. And I, but I mean, I also, I think that Anthony is really the only one of the Bridgerton kids. Well, okay.
00:16:12
Speaker
Sorry, going on a little bit of a tangent. Anthony, I think was great. And then Daphne, Colin and Benedict. I'm like not super sold on. And then and but then the rest after that so far, which are younger and they're not as featured. But like Eloise is I think is casted absolutely perfectly. And then Francesca, I really like who they chose as Francesca. And I didn't. The replacement or the original?
00:16:36
Speaker
Oh, that's right. The the replacement, because she was she was the replacement starting in this season. Right. I think that maybe the next one, but I couldn't don't remember for sure. She was barely in this season. she And it was not the replacement. It was the original actress. She was, I think, in the first episode, and that might be it.
00:16:52
Speaker
Okay. i And I don't remember if she's in season three at all. That's where she gets her relationship. She gets married. She is in season three. Anyways, yeah I think she's casted. The replacement is really is great. um Hyacinth is, like, perfect. So, anyways, I'm, like, it's something about the – the two, three, and four siblings. I just don't, I just like don't like super buy it. But I think that they all did fine still and I'm not like actually against them and I don't think that they acted it poorly or whatever. I'm just like something about the who the way that they're portraying it isn't really hitting with me. But maybe it's because those characters feel like they've been changed more than the others. But also I feel a little bit like that with Kate. But I also think that they made the dynamic between Kate and Edwina really different in the show compared to the Oh, yeah We'll get into that for sure. Striving it for me. So anyways. And Megan, will you remind
Character Portrayals: Daphne and Kate
00:17:42
Speaker
us? You read all of the books before the show, right?
00:17:45
Speaker
Yes. Okay. Maybe I hadn't finished all eight before I read the show or before I watched the show. But I definitely was reading at least in the process of reading all of them before I started watching the show. But I think I read them all.
00:17:59
Speaker
um But yeah, I obviously love the books. And then the show, I was not a fan of at first. And then now I like the show more. See, I love Colin. I think he his actor Luke Newton does a great job with that role, but um maybe i'll maybe I'll disagree with that as I get further into the books. We'll see.
00:18:16
Speaker
um and i i do think it's I do think it's because I have issues with the storyline more so than the actual And that one's out of order, right? Colin's book is in third in the series.
00:18:29
Speaker
His is fourth in the series. Right. I was going to say, I think oh enough I understand where Megan's coming from. Cause like, especially like having like literally just read the book, um, Daphne book, Daphne and show Daphne are two completely different people. And so, and then even Kate is not the same either. Like, I don't necessarily know which one is better or worse or which one I like more right now. Um, cause didn't rewatch either season before I read the book.
00:18:59
Speaker
Um, But there's they're so different that I think it's like, especially for you, Megan, having read the book first and you already have that image in your head, it's not gonna, if it wasn't exactly perfect, like it was gonna be a problem. And that's like totally valid because again, like I said, like Daphne is completely different book to screen. And so like, I think if they, yeah, like I said, if they didn't perfectly, perfectly nail the casting, no matter how good of an actor you are, it was just not gonna feel right because the character doesn't feel the same.
00:19:35
Speaker
I really want a flash forward scene at some point with a ah Julie Andrews playing ah future Penelope and i want them to make her up, make her be telling the story still even at an older age or something. That would be so cool.
00:19:52
Speaker
I never thought of that. That's awesome. Yeah, that would be a good idea. But um I liked all the I liked um I wasn't sure at first about the Shrima girls, but when um Kate smiles, you she lights up the room. And I think that's important for that character that she has to have that ah RBF and most of the show. And then.
00:20:13
Speaker
When she ah actually starts to be happy for herself, you see her light up the screen a little bit. And Edwina was super cute throughout the whole thing, and but could carry the screen when she needed to, to tell off her sister or tell off everybody she needed to And the mom was fun. So I think the book's better on the the different stories they added with those characters but and and all that. But I do think that I like the actors after a while. so And speaking of Edwina and like her agency, like I do like the show gave her a little bit more. and we'll get into the the added drama of them actually going to get married and like that wedding being...
00:20:56
Speaker
um thred But um I love the scene after that. And I didn't include this on our agenda. So I want to include it now that um the moment with her and the queen and when we meet the king, obviously that's not in the book. And having seen Queen Charlotte, we know kind of that their history um and how she kind of saves the day in that scene just gives her a lot more agency than she has in the book at all let's dive into our plot points um so what we're going to do it's a little different listeners i'm just going to go kind of through the story beats so we'll start with um anthony's motivation and kate's rule and their addition and the and their initial dynamic so in the book
00:21:47
Speaker
Anthony is determined to marry without love due to the fact that his father died young and he doesn't want cause that much pain. And then Kate is a fiercely protective older sister who actively blocks Anthony's courtship of Edwina. Again, he has more of that rake reputation in the book.
00:22:13
Speaker
So their initial dynamic, pretty similar to the show, is just immediate antagonism. Now in the show, Antony does fear love, but the motivation to get married is more about duty, legacy, and control more than morality.
00:22:34
Speaker
Kate's obviously still very protective, even more so in the show, I would say, than the book. um and there is actually the whole audit plot point about the money and how she reached out to the parents of Mary, but nobody else knows that.
00:22:53
Speaker
So what are our thoughts on kind of the introductions of everybody? Anthony's motivations, um, aren't that, uh, different, but the lead taking away his, the fear of dying element of it, ah kind of, um made me a little sad. Cause I, I, I like thinking about, i like seeing that on, on the, in the book, uh, that he,
00:23:18
Speaker
ah felt that he was going to die young because his parent died. I i had a parent that died young. And so I'm coming up on the age that she would have been my mom. And I'm like, I kind i kind of ah i relate with that. i I can see not that I feel like I'm going to die young too, but I can relate with his thought patterns there. So I kind of missed that one.
00:23:37
Speaker
um The older sister being protective was close enough. I feel like she blocked her in different ways, but it was still there. um And the money issue, I was I loved the fact that in the book, ah um Anthony agrees, wants to offer to um take care of the sister, whichever one wants to offer a dowry for them and stuff like that. I was, oh, he wants to take care of his family, even outside of his his siblings. So and that was that was good.
00:24:08
Speaker
Yeah, I, I'm an oldest sister. i have two younger sisters. And so I've always really related to Kate and wanting to protect Edwina. And especially, you know, when faced with the fact that this man that you believe is like morally corrupt and like not a good person is trying to tie himself forever to your sister. i was always like, get him, Kate, like, don't let him near your sister. Like I, I understood where she was coming from and I was on her side. um And for Anthony, like you said, like, his motivations are like, almost noble, like he always, you know, it's a romance novel. So he always communicates in the worst possible way. And says the wrong thing at the wrong time, like, at every opportunity, but his motivations, like, are relatively noble, like, he's trying to do the right thing, or what he thinks is the right thing, and he's not trying to hurt anybody, um but it still does, and then in the show, it's, like, you kind of lose that because there's not that focus as much on his own mortality and it's more about like you know passing on the Bridgerton name and like who will be the next I count after me like I can't trust my younger brother so I have to have a son like that is all well and good but it doesn't make you like or at least for me it didn't make me really be like oh like Because, again, as an oldest sibling, like you do feel that sense of responsibility. You've got to take care of everybody you know younger than you and take on that like parentified older sibling role. And especially losing a parent, he very much had to be everybody's dad, especially the younger ones. so like
00:25:52
Speaker
diverting the focus away from that i think hurt his character arc a little bit um but you know Jonathan Bailey is still excellent so it it was okay you'll forgive anything for Jonathan Bailey right pretty much and I am the oldest of four siblings when my when my parent died so that's why that also resonated with me oh yeah i bet yeah I'm the youngest um And so this does not resonate with me.
00:26:24
Speaker
You're the one we'd be taking care of. And I'm an only child. So it also doesn't resonate with me.
00:26:32
Speaker
um But yeah, I think that they, i I think they went too far with the, with Kate being protective. Like they, again, just like, I think that the way that they did it, and I don't know if that was a writing choice or a directing choice or what. um I feel like they went,
00:26:49
Speaker
they went like really hard with it. But I, but I think what made it seem like they went too far with it was that, um, like we talked about at the beginning where Anthony, Anthony wasn't really like a rake. And so it just almost felt a little out of place, like where Kate was like so protective, but it was like, but why? Like he seems like a good option for your sister. It just didn't really seem like it fit. So I, maybe that's where it kind of started and then it made it seem like, Kate being super protective was kind of coming out of nowhere um with how intense she was in the show. But ultimately, you know, yeah, I can I can imagine if I had a younger sibling and I was protective of them, that I would understand it more.
00:27:32
Speaker
Well, and it's because she was kind of looking for somebody to ladder climb or in this case, you know, just help her get that, uh, accomplish that goal of getting money for her family. It's like, this guy's interested. He's got status. He'll take care of his sister.
00:27:44
Speaker
Go let it be. But yeah it seemed like from the beginning, they wanted to make sure that there was that attraction that kept her like almost the hatred slash love that she felt for him. Right. Was what was drawing her to pull away. Mm-hmm.
00:27:58
Speaker
So Andwina's involvement differs dramatically from the page to the screen. In the book, um you know, she she's aware that Anthony doesn't love her and there's she doesn't have any feelings for him back. So there's not as a there's not as much emotional drama as there is in the Netflix show because we have a fully invested emotionally Edwina in the show. She thinks she loves Anthony.
00:28:32
Speaker
And so it's making this whole love triangle thing. happen which did not happen in the book at all so um like to the point where we're going and we're getting like there's a wedding um you know mid-season and so what are your thoughts on this added drama and kind of like um what's the word um betrayal on kate's part
00:29:00
Speaker
When I first watched the show, like, as it was coming out, I was eating it up. I was like, this is great. This is excellent television. I love the drama. I'm here for it. Like, no, don't do this. Yes, do this. Like, back and forth. Like, I was very into it. And then I read the book today. and then I was like, oh...
00:29:18
Speaker
that actually sucks because it like, again, having two younger sisters, there's nothing more special than that bond between sisters. And so having Kate like actively ruining Edwina's life in the show, like where she knows Edwina fully loves him and is invested with him. And she's still like, like can't control herself. And like,
00:29:43
Speaker
causes her sister harm and despair and anguish like that, i was like, oh, I hate that. Like, I wish it had, the relationship between the sisters had stayed more,
00:29:54
Speaker
innocent and more pure the way it was in the book. um So that really bothered me a lot because like, you know, I i always think of Hamilton as like, i I love my sister more than anything in this life. Like I would choose her happiness over mine. Like I would never, as an older sister, like I would never do any of the stuff that show Kate did at the risk of harming, even emotionally harming my younger sister. And so that always, like now that I've read the book and seen like how it went in this like alternate universe for lack of a better phrase i really dislike it hear that megan you ruined bridgerton for jordan by making read the book whoa whoa let's not hey don't put that on me again yeah i got on and that' sorrowful okay not even john the baby couldn't save her in this case
00:30:44
Speaker
and ah That's probably my least favorite part of any of the seasons, any aspect of the adaptations so far is that relationship because i completely agree. Like, yeah, it is...
00:31:01
Speaker
ripe for television, but we don't need to see more like drama on TV. There's enough of that. And there's so many examples of toxic relationships.
00:31:11
Speaker
And there's so few examples of like pure, genuine connection between people. And so to have two sisters in this book when it's like they have just have such a good relationship with each other and it's like and it's just relaxed like once Edwina finds out you know she like realizes that Anthony and Kate like do you have feelings for each other she's just like yeah like obviously it'd be great if you know we we I got married to this like Stunner who's super rich, but I mean he doesn't like me and he likes my sister and she obviously likes him so like go for it, you know, and that's so much more rare to see that on the screen. So I'm really bummed because it was written for them to have a really good relationship and they took it away so that they could make more dramatic television.
00:31:58
Speaker
Now, the way Edwina has her like a completely oblivious moment of like, I didn't even notice because I was so invested in this myself that I didn't notice was interesting. And Kate was willing to give up all that. She was going to stand by and not do anything. It was only because her sister finally noticed that she interrupted that everything got interrupted moved back around.
00:32:24
Speaker
Which is fair, but I think, like again, the difference between like show Kate and book Kate, I think if book Kate genuinely thought that Edwina had feelings for Antony and genuinely thought that she loved him and like truly wanted to marry him, that a lot of things would have gone differently and she would have behaved much differently. But because it she knew it was still, kind of she had that relationship with her sister where she knew it was still kind of up in the air and we're all just kind of casually... dating or courting and seeing where things go like she still felt like she could you know talk to him and like needed to have that those conversations with him and stuff like that so I hear you but I still hate it so the first kind of turning point in the book at least and there is a moment in the show that reflects this but Kate and Anthony in the
00:33:18
Speaker
show have a lot of tension ah throughout the first few episodes but the bee sting incident is a major turning point in the book And kind of completely changes the course of their relationship in the book because they're so the bee sting happens.
Iconic Scenes: The Bee Sting
00:33:38
Speaker
He freaks out like he does in the show, but he tries to suck the venom out um in the book and they're caught. And it is compromising position, even though it was the bee sting. So they're forced to get married because of the honor and all of that.
00:33:52
Speaker
um However, in the show, is nobody catches them. doesn't try to suck the bed of them out, but he does have a panic attack that she kind of helps him through.
00:34:05
Speaker
And want to mention that I was disappointed in the show for not including more of the storm characters. history with Kate and we'll get that storm stuff comes later in the book in the show. There is like a so kind of a nod to the storm in the show, but it's such a important part of their relationship that they both have this backstory of a death of a family member affecting them to this day and that they overcome it together.
00:34:35
Speaker
and that's such a strong, you know, bonding moment for them. And this beasting is the, you know, start of that story. coming undone in the book so i wish that the show included more of kate's storm fear um but let's talk about the itty bitty bee
00:34:55
Speaker
Throughout the entire season up to this point, they've had a bee fluttering around in different parts of the show that I kept pointing out to my wife that, oh, there's the bee. There's the villain. There's the bee. And they get finally get to the point where his he gets stung, and or she gets stung, and did then barely anything happens. I was like, well, that was anticlimactic. But because it is such a big moment, and you see so much or hear so much of that um that fear come through in the book of his...
00:35:23
Speaker
um his trauma, his, you know he ah believes that getting stung by a bee can kill you no matter who you are. He doesn't understand the science that you might be allergic to it. and that's what killed his father and possibly where he's stung and all that stuff.
00:35:36
Speaker
But um yeah, so I was disappointed not to see that be more drama there than it was. It was just ah another interaction for them to um kind of see each other again see and and get to know each other again more.
00:35:52
Speaker
It seems like they used that opportunity to be seen in the show for like heavy breathing and a close camera view of their faces rather than like having it make sense for plot line.
00:36:07
Speaker
And in the book, you can tell that And Kate is like, why are you overreacting to this? You know, and most people wouldn't react that strongly to something like a bee sting. So, you know, there's still that overreaction in the book, but in the the show, it's just like, I was like rolling. I mean, I love romance shows and romance novels and all of that, but I was like rolling my eyes. I'm like, oh my God, they're they're just like wanting like a closeup shot where they're like, oh, like breathing on each other rather than it being like, no, this is actually like because of trauma. And, you know, just so just kind of diminished the.
00:36:43
Speaker
The traumatic experience that Anthony had, I think, and like the way that he has to overcome it. Well, and they do include the flashback in the show, which I appreciated. But yes, I agree with you that they like, so we understand why he's reacting this way. But I do agree with you that they diminished what this truly means in the in their relate in their in the story of their relationship.
00:37:09
Speaker
Yeah, I agree too. I don't like what it does for Anthony's character antony's character in the sense that like, in the book, she gets stung by a bee and he takes action and he's trying to help her. And he's like trying to squeeze the venom out and then he's trying to suck it out. And he's trying to do all of these things. And like, he's panicking and he's freaking out, but he's still a man of action and he wants to save her. And he's trying to be a hero versus in the show, like he just kind of stands there and has a panic attack, which is a valid response when you're faced in a, you know, you're having like a, for lack of a better phrase, like
00:37:42
Speaker
not to diagnose it, but you're having like a PTSD, like flashback of the worst moment of your life. Like you're still valid for having a panic attack, but it changes his character fundamentally. I think for him to just kind of stand there freaking out versus freaking out and doing something about it and trying to save her and trying to help her. um And I think that comes with the change of, you know, in the book, he's not with his dad when his dad gets stung by a bee and dies. He doesn't see it happen. He finds out about it after the fact versus in the show through the flashbacks, we see that he was there and he watched it happen. And so like that, you know, i can headcanon that's that that
00:38:23
Speaker
explains why it was more traumatic in the sense that he was you know he had that fight or flight and he fro hit the secret third option of freeze and he froze um but it I wish that because we see him be the hero in lots of different instances in season one and in season two in book one and in book two and I think it like him being that man of action and trying to help and try to be the hero like that's who Anthony truly is and I don't like that the show took that from him in that moment he protects those he loves and so it kind of shows him that he loves her even if it's subconsciously how quickly he tried to save her and kept trying to save her exactly
00:39:07
Speaker
So like I said, this is kind of where these two stories divert from being similar because in the book, this moment is they're forced to marry. And obviously in the show, they do not. there But their tension and love-hate relationship continues. But there's the whole marriage to Edwina and then the falling out and all of that drama. But in the book, um we get the story about the storms and how her mother died when she was little.
00:39:42
Speaker
And she snuck into the room where she was dying and it was during a storm. And in the moment of her death, her mother kind of sits up and looks like she's screaming at the same time that we get thunder and lightning. So it was very jarring for you little Kate.
00:40:00
Speaker
thinking mean that her mom was like making this sound. And she doesn't realize that it is still a fear, but there's a rainstorm, a thunderstorm that's happening and she's having nightmares in her sleep and they're married. So they are sleeping together.
00:40:14
Speaker
And um so he kind of helps her through that. they He convinces her to go ask Mary about it and say, she might know, you know, what happened to your mom.
00:40:25
Speaker
And so they overcome that. And then they're also overcoming his fear of thinking he's going to die at the same age as his father. And then in the epilogue, we do get that birthday. And it's a lovely little epilogue.
00:40:40
Speaker
So, you know, the overall tone of the book is romantic comedy, enemies to lovers trope, but has a lot of emotional depth.
00:40:50
Speaker
Now, the show is obviously a drama. So after the bee stings, they are into each other And, but there's, he's, I don't remember if he's already engaged to Edwina at this point or not. um But she wants what's best for her sister. So she's denying her feelings. And this all could have been resolved if she had just talked to her sister.
00:41:19
Speaker
As Lady Danbury tells her, just be honest with your sister. And then it all kind of falls apart. We have a dinner with the parents. And the the deal is revealed in front of Antony and his mother they storm him out uh but he still wants to marry her i and then we have the wedding and the falling out at the wedding and um Kate wants to you know do everything she can to regain her sister's trust she's telling Antony to leave her alone and then um
00:41:56
Speaker
Oh, okay. Actually, let's touch base on the moment when Anthony realizes he loves Kate. In the book, there's a carriage. They are married because of the bee sting. They are married, but he still is determined not to fall in love with her. But the carriage scene happens. Kate is in a carriage, and the carriage has a wreck. And he thinks that she's dead, and that's when he realizes she he loves her. Yeah.
00:42:27
Speaker
In the show, he realizes. The horse ride. She was going on a horse. ah She rides her horse at beginning, and we see her go back to that in a later scene. yeah And ah he starts to follow her. The horse ah rears up, and when they get to a bramble, she thought she could jump, and she falls and hits her head and goes into a small coma, it seems like.
00:42:57
Speaker
Right. So both show and book do have a scene where she gets injured. Again, the show is much more dramatic. um And he still doesn't admit anything until she wakes up. It's been like a week where she's been in a coma.
00:43:11
Speaker
And then he returns to ask her to marry him. She still denies it. um But then they, you know, after getting Edwina's forgiveness, um she does accept the proposal. And I want to mention for the show is that they do have a moment where Daphne catches Kate and Anthony together in a room ah's in a somewhat compromising position, which, you is reminiscent of her scenes in the first one where she gets forced into a marriage. And it's kind of interesting that Daphne doesn't have, you know, has one experience for herself, but doesn't force her brother into that anyway. And he's being a man doesn't have to ah marry her in that scene. So it was kind of a ah callback there to the earlier stuff. And there is a scene early on with, um,
00:44:02
Speaker
Marina and Colin, too, and where she where Colin goes and sees Marina, which is, I think, leading to a later um conversation in a later season. But um it gave her some closure to that scene with her being happy with her twins and her husband there and Colin gets some closure as well.
00:44:22
Speaker
And I guess in the show, we also get the, f and the, um the um Penelope reveal as well at the end of this. Right. Where's that? That's only in the show though.
00:44:34
Speaker
Okay. Okay.
00:44:37
Speaker
Yeah, we can get into that when we talk about the additional arcs, but do you guys have any other thoughts on Kate and Anthony's relationship and their story arc before we move on the other
Relationship Evolution: Anthony and Kate
00:44:48
Speaker
dramatic arcs? Reading the carriage accident scene had me crying, like straight up. I thought it was so like sweet and romantic that he, like he had and he talks about it in the book, he's been pondering his own death for so long that he never stopped to think like, oh my God, what if my wife dies? What if somebody that I love dies and I have to live after that death. And he's just like, it was, he keeps that he was supposed to be me. It was always supposed to be me. I was supposed to go first. And I'm just sitting on my couch sobbing because I'm like, oh my God, because I'm seeing Jonathan Bailey's face in my head. So I'm like, oh my God, i wish we had gotten this moment where she wakes up in his arms and he's able to confess to her right then and there that he loves her and they're already married and you know because earlier in the book they have the conversation he tells her straight up like I'm never going to love you like we're doing this because we have to i lust for you and we are friends but I'm never going to love you and because he won't let himself and I think like that even that shorter arc in the book of him going from i am I
00:45:58
Speaker
I'm not going to love you. And then in his head being like, because I can't let myself love you to being faced with her mortality and being like, screw it, forget it. I love you. i please don't leave me. Like that is such a wonderfully romantic moment that we don't get. at it,
00:46:18
Speaker
breaks my heart because i would have loved to see jonathan bailey act that that bit out and i think he would have killed that give him all the awards in that moment and he didn't get it for sure yeah but he did the more i think about it the don't like this show anymore because they just they seem to just take all the best moments out and so i think i'm gonna join the megan anti-show train but But he did pull himself out of the water in a soaking wet shirt and stripped down. So does that redeem it for you a little bit? You know you got me there.
00:46:51
Speaker
You got me there. That was a great... Not – doesn't redeem it. It certainly helps. But was a great – that was an example of – it was an example of like, yeah yes, this was a good idea to put this into a TV show.
00:47:07
Speaker
Yeah. Because we have great visual evidence for this thing that we can all imagine. But – That is the type of stuff that should be put into the show. It's not like yeah changing Edwina and Kate's entire relationship. yeah That scene was hilarious because it was Kate telling Edwina it's not polite to stare and then sits there and stares herself.
00:47:28
Speaker
Hey, and weren't we all weren't we all staring at that point? Mm-hmm. Fair enough. um Yeah, the um I think the scene where the mom is giving birth to the breech baby and he has to make that decision for his own mother's like he doesn't end up making a decision. He says whatever she wants.
00:47:47
Speaker
But I think that could be a little bit reminiscent of his um having to make decisions for those he loves and possibly having someone else he loves um froze him up at that point too so he's had in this film had a few different times where he had to make these decisions that yeah um it kind of led to his final decision here with oh i can't lose this person so
00:48:12
Speaker
yeah i thought was a great scene and it showed his having to take on responsibility as a young young man when he really shouldn't have any business in making those decisions at that point yeah
00:48:26
Speaker
Well, and that was another example in the in this show slash book. I mean, they you know ah feel like I feel like the book does this in different ways, right? and The book is so different, but um Julia Quinn writes it and this show.
00:48:42
Speaker
demonstrates it where like the the way that people had to live back then and like the types of decisions that had to be made and who was able to make the decisions and stuff like they Julia Quinn does a really good job of writing it in a really lighthearted way but still making the point and then this show in a more dramatic way shows the same thing where it like that scene, you know, I, cause it's obviously, it's like, you can look at that objectively and be like, that is so messed up that somebody that young who just lost their father and now has all of these siblings to take care of. And now his mother is giving birth and you, he has to choose between his mother's life and his younger siblings life. And like the fact that he's the one to make that decision and the mother can't even choose. Like, And then us ah as women watching that are like, yeah, we know, like we might not, you know, thank goodness we don't have to deal with that specific thing anymore, at least where those of us who are recording where we live. But um that's like such a real thing that women had to go through for so long. And then in some parts of the world, like it's still the same issue. And so the show did a really good job in that scene of showing how –
00:49:57
Speaker
like objectively how messed up that is that somebody else has that much agency a man has that much agency over a woman's life and the people won't even like the people who are telling him to make the decision like they don't even care if the mom dies if you know violet dies or not you know they don't they don't care who dies they just need the man and i was talking to my wife about it actually watched it and said i don't even think i can make the decision you know if it was life or death now in our time of uh If she had, if some for some reason I had to make the call, I don't know what I would decide then even. And she was like, and she said the same about, you know, life or death decisions overall with me, if that was the case.
00:50:36
Speaker
It's not an easy decision to make. And then now you're a kid who's already traumatized from losing your father having to make the decision for your mother and sibling. So it was definitely a very impactful point in the show, I felt like.
00:50:49
Speaker
Well, and to your point, it's not even a decision just for Violet and that child. It's for all of his siblings because the risk is Violet dying. And now these kids are going to grow up with no father and no mother. And he at least is 18 and he can, you know.
00:51:06
Speaker
kind of fill that role of a father a little bit but like Daphne's the oldest girl and she's what like 11 when this happens like she can't mother those kids she's a kid like she's not even close to being an adult so yeah I agree that that showing that scene and the amount of pressure that's on Antony and you know beyond the life or death choice in that moment, just being the man of a house in this time period and at his young age, like, bro's been through it. he's He goes through it every day. Like, he just, he has a lot to carry. And so that explains a lot of why he is the way he is when we see him, you know, during these seasons.
00:51:56
Speaker
Hmm.
00:52:00
Speaker
Well, um on that note, um let's try to bring the mood back
Additional Story Arcs: The Featheringtons and Eloise
00:52:06
Speaker
up. And there are three-ish added arcs three main ones. We've got the featherings and the scheme to make money. If we remember in the last season, the father he killed himself because um he lost all the money in like ah the gambling thing, the bar the um fighting rings.
00:52:29
Speaker
And then Colin is involved in that in a sense because um the owner of the bar who was the fighter in the fighting rings warned him not to get into business because he was familiar with kind of the scheme and he had knowledge of it. So he warned Colin and then Colin ended up bringing it down in the end.
00:52:48
Speaker
ah But Miss but Featherington is... out scheming everybody and manages to still come out on top of the situation then we have the Eloise and Theo and Penelope dynamic where Eloise has met Theo and they're trying to figure out who is whistled down she confides in penelope obviously penelope doesn't want her to look into whistled down because she is whistled down and she does not want her best friend to know that there's the whole part about the queen thinking it's eloise and penelope write something really bad about eloise in the paper so that no nobody would write that bad about themselves so the queen is no longer looking into eloise
00:53:39
Speaker
And then a smaller arc is Benedict's story and going to art school and realizing that Anthony had made a donation and that's how he got in. And I have not read Benedict's book, but I know that he is still artistic in what we've seen of season four so far. um so I don't know how much of a foreshadow school is, but those are kind of our added storylines. Do you guys have any thoughts on those arcs and what added to show? The that really, and again, I haven't seen the show in a long time, the only one that I remember really being interested in was Eloise and Theo and Penelope and trying to figure out who Whistledown is. don't
00:54:24
Speaker
i The actresses who play the Featherington sisters and mother outside of Penelope are wonderful actresses because I hate them every second they're on screen. They're so annoying. I don't like anything about them. They're great actresses and they deserve flowers for that. um But yeah, their whole thing with them trying to make their money back in this, I was like, fast forward. Where's Jonathan Bailey? Where's Simone Ashley? Bring back Kate and Anthony.
00:54:54
Speaker
Benedict in art school, like, was small enough this season that it didn't bother me that much it was like okay like still like let's get through it but I wasn't like should I just fast forward this um and then I wish I wish Kate's mother story and the storms I wish that had been in there because again it's the shared experience of her and Anthony like losing their parents in traumatic ways and it's still being with them I think is really important as to like their love story. Part of their love story is how they are able to heal each other or help each other in their own healing processes. And so I think like taking that trauma away from her, like it doesn't it doesn't allow them to have as deep of a relationship just because he she can't understand him on that level the way that she can in the book. um
00:55:50
Speaker
So, yeah.
00:55:56
Speaker
I think the art school situation is interesting because he gets into it. We find out because Anthony made donation to the school. And but in in my eyes, I thought oh that was Anthony believing in him, wanting him, wanting him to have something nice or be able to get into the school he wanted to get into. So he made a way. But it.
00:56:16
Speaker
um ends up just backfiring when Benedict doesn't realizes he didn't get in based on just his merit as an artist. But I was like, that's your brother showing you love. He made sure you got the thing you wanted.
00:56:28
Speaker
And Colin, with his situation with the Featheringtons, that was um him proving to his brother that he could be trusted because he was checking out this situation and protecting the family, even though he was um looked like he might be getting a swindle throughout the whole thing. But he actually was unveiling it and protecting his family as well.
00:56:48
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I i agree that i can understand how Benedict would feel embarrassed about that and feel like...
00:56:58
Speaker
He, you know, he had to have his way bought in to be able to do anything, especially if he already has this sense of not really knowing what his identity is, not knowing where he fits in not knowing what his purpose is. So if he already has that going on, then finding out some information about the art school that he wasn't expecting, I could see how he would...
00:57:24
Speaker
make that leap but yeah we can see how that's anthony believing in him and wanting the best for him and um eloise and theo going to that plot line really liked that plot and um and eloise like trying to figure out who whistled down is i do think that at times it was overdone which is typical you know of the show in general, trying to make things more dramatic. um But i think it's a I think it's an interesting plot and it would make it would like make sense, especially with Penelope and Eloise's relationship and they're just kind of their personalities and stuff. You can see how Eloise, would she likes to...
00:58:04
Speaker
really like dig her heels into something and like really try to figure it out and get to the bottom of it so it makes sense that she would really want to like go to great lengths to figure out who Whistledown is and I like the the Eloise and Theo plot and that concept but i want I would want more of it. And so it just like kind of sucks that it was such a small side plot and we only got little snippets of it. And Jordan, like you were saying at the beginning, um there's not a ton of the actual main characters because there is so much side stuff. And all of the side stuff is interesting, but I wish that they could. That is one of the things I like about Julia Quinn's writing in general so how the and how the books were laid out is... they were um she really takes her time with the characters like there's not a lot of time that passes in a lot of the books because she like goes she just like writes a beautiful conversational dialogue she'll do like a whole chapter where it's like one conversation and it's really good because she just can write it really well and the show is so different from that it feels really fragmented so I like I like the side plots but um I wish that they could be actual like
00:59:14
Speaker
side stories like with their own shows you know rather than um taking up so much space in the show itself yeah I would I would I agree with that I would rather have like season 2.5 and follow the Featherington story and Colin and then like season 2.6 and follow Eloise and and Penelope and Theo like I think that would be better so that way you can give the main couple the time that they should have since it's their story and you can still like really explore and get into um all of those other side stories because it's not that they're just lame or dumb or not interesting I just when compared to the main plot line I don't care as much So if they had their own time and space to breathe, I could see myself like really getting invested in this whole like universe of of what's happening.
Series vs. Movies: The Adaptation Debate
01:00:13
Speaker
That reminds me, I think, Megan, I asked you this when we first recorded Duke I, but... but Like, do we appreciate the show and all of this added stuff? And if so, do we wish that everything was like mixed and mingled a little bit more than it is so that it's like all these stories being told over a few seasons instead of focusing on one couple each season with all these weird side plots? Or do we think it would have been better as...
01:00:40
Speaker
eight Netflix original movies focusing on the couple like the book does, a more faithful adaptation. And each movie, of course, is focusing on one of the siblings and their love story.
01:00:55
Speaker
I think it's, I don't know, it's so hard to tell because if they did... movies then they would then they can't do like any side plots at all really they would need to really focus for the movies and then it would probably be fun to do like um an extra like series like a mini series or something that's just all side plots maybe in between each movie or something so I think because, well, things are getting a lot more fluid as far as like making a movie versus making a show nowadays because streaming is everything rather than it having to be on cable or on the big screen in the theater. um
01:01:36
Speaker
So it would be easier for them. That like still feels a little bit unconventional, but it's kind of like the rules have changed. So why not do that? I i think it would... It would make more sense if they did a movie that it focuses on Kate and Antony and you so you get like little hints of maybe some other things that are happening just ah you know, for filler stuff because they all need that. But then they do like a show that's force four episodes or something and they do all of the side character stuff. And then we get that while they're making the next movie. And then they release the next movie. And then we get the same thing. Like, I think that that would make so much more sense. And that's not just with Bridgerton. I think that there's a lot of stories, you know, movies or shows or whatever, where that would make sense to do that. And that would be really entertaining for us as the audience. But I don't know. I don't know if we're there yet as far as um the powers that be in the...
01:02:33
Speaker
TV and movie world going so far outside the box to do something like that. But I think that that would make more sense because it would give us both, you know.
01:02:45
Speaker
I think if you did it like I'm thinking of the MCU and how they're like so far in the other direction that there's so many movies and so many shows that it, you know, for a lot of fans right now, it kind of feels disjointed because there's not enough connection. So I think if Bridgerton can find a happy medium and have the movies that focus on the main couple and then the side shows that fill in the background information and the side plots, like that would be my ideal universe. Because then I think, you know, if you're not trying to cram side plot in there, then maybe you can, you know,
01:03:18
Speaker
add to the drama of what's actually in the book instead of like throwing extra stuff in there that didn't happen or completely changing the plot line. Like I think a movie forces you to be tighter. and so there wouldn't be so much room to just like change stuff around because you have to stay within the confines of a film. And so maybe that would be better to like get more of a book accurate adaptation, especially in this one, we talked about how the plot changes. diverges like significantly um so i think if they had a movie they could have kept it the same and then had the show like i said like bridgeton
01:03:58
Speaker
2.5 and then thrown all of these side quests in in a TV show format to get you hyped up for the next movie, which has some sprinklings of the next season of the show ah and those side plots and so on and so forth, you know, as as we continue on through all of the Bridgerton stories.
01:04:19
Speaker
Just remember, Jordan, Percy Jackson movie. Stop. keeping the they kept the They kept the whole theme really tight together. it it just It turned out so well to do a movie that one, right? Yeah.
01:04:29
Speaker
no they massacred my boy is what they did in those movies okay okay so maybe maybe maybe we don't do a movie but if anybody could do this sort of thing like you're talking about netflix does do their own movies they release there so doing having netflix be able to release movies and tv shows on their own platform could really keep that tight together whereas marvel's doing their movies in the theaters and then doing tv shows and the it's a little tougher when you add that theater element. But if they kept everything right there on Netflix, I think it could work.
01:04:59
Speaker
I think that for the filthy casuals, I think it's going to, that doing it this way and having all the extra drama helps them ah get the viewership they're getting. So I think this is the right way to do it. And I think we may come into some of these later stories that little plot lines that come together in later seasons as we see more and more of these little spider webs being woven together.
01:05:22
Speaker
You know what i really want to see? i really want to see the older siblings come back more the way that they do, like in the epilogues and stuff. I want to catch up with yeah the Duke and Duchess of Hastings. I want to catch up with Antony and Kate and not just hear about like, oh, they're in India. Like, no, come back to London. I want to check in with you guys. So that's something I appreciate from the book is having those epilogues. Even there they're full of spoilers. So keep that in mind. Keep that in mind, dear dear readers. there haves Well, the second one's up because I think they all the books now have a second epilogue. And those are the ones that are a little bit yeah more spoil-y. Like I did not read the second epilogue for the Viscount that loved me because I did read the second epilogue for the Duke and I. And I'm like, oh, this is a spoiler. um
01:06:08
Speaker
Now Phoebe Dynaver who played Daphne she has said that she would come back anytime they asked her but they are not asking her and that might be because Regé-Jean whatever his name is um like left and he doesn't want to come back. Now I still think it could have Phoebe come back or recast yeah. If he wants to fumble back that's his business but we can still have our Duke of Hastings come back I think so team recast for sure.
01:06:38
Speaker
And um yeah, Jonathan and Simone, they have come back. But I do feel like this past season, well, this past half season um that is airing right now, i don't think anybody has come back. um And I don't think Phoebe was in season three at all.
01:06:55
Speaker
um So yeah, it is a little, it looks like like they start just dying off. And so it's it would it would be nice to see Because, i mean, we've we're by the time we're on season six, seven, eight, we're going to have seen those kids all the seasons. They have been since season one.
01:07:14
Speaker
And it's like all the older seasons to just disappear. oh Sorry, all the older siblings just disappear. So it is it's rather disappointing. Well, Francesca came back.
Family Dynamics in Bridgerton
01:07:23
Speaker
ah Penelope and Colin have kind of stuck around for the most part. And Francesca's story is currently getting – Well, Francesca's story is not really over. Exactly. Hers is – currently being expanded upon with what happened at the very towards the end of that season so um they are keeping some of them in there and i do think we'll get the other actors uh coming back around and i think i think these later seasons we will have more of some of the earlier things because you have to yeah it just sucks family going it just sucks because the family is so important to the bridgertons like even in the show they talk about anthony would do anything for his siblings everybody loves their mom and and mom loves all of her kids and like They're all together and they spend time with each other and they support each other the way that siblings, you know, in the that sibling way. And so like you can't talk about how important family is and then have the older siblings, like you said, Saraday, like just die off and disappear and never come back. Like that's not how family works. Like as an older sibling who has moved out of my parents' house, I'm over there every other weekend because I love my parents and my sisters and I want to be around. I want to be in their lives. I want to see them. And like the Bridgertons,
01:08:29
Speaker
are exactly that. They want to be around and support each other and and be with each other. And so like for whatever the numerous reasons are that these people aren't coming back or not willing to come back or not being asked to come back, it just like takes that sentimentality away from all of the other relationships because it feels like fake like oh they're not actually that close because all the older siblings don't come back and check in on their younger ones and that's just as a viewer as now a reader like that's just a bummer i don't think i've seen my siblings in over a year so counterpoint to your loving family we love each other but don't think i've seen them in quite a while Well, you know, how far apart are you? Most of us about two years apart each. And then I have a distance all in the same town.
01:09:21
Speaker
My parents live elsewhere, but we all live here. Well, hey, new it's February, but you can still have a New Year's resolution of hanging out with your siblings more. It's never too late.
01:09:33
Speaker
All right. So um do we have any final thoughts before we kind of hop off here? um Favorite book moment is the carriage scene when Antony finally confesses his love.
01:09:45
Speaker
Favorite show moment is Antony coming up out of that lake. I think we all have that favorite show moment. I hope Netflix is not tracking how many times certain scenes get paused and rewound and rewatched because that that's something that I'd be like, please erase my Netflix history when I die. It's probably an obscene amount, but what can I say? Throw away your Kindle and delete your Netflix history.
01:10:12
Speaker
I don't think I have anything else to say at this point. i don't know really i didn't even think about this until this moment but i guess what's jumping out to me for my favorite book moment is probably the um the oh my god what's it called the croquet paul mel paul paul i love Yes, I think I liked this, the show scene of that better upon my recent rewatch because I i have felt so bitter about the show until recently. And then i rewatched again.
01:10:52
Speaker
um to prep for season four coming out. And I like the show. And I also reread all of the books last year. And um I like every season of the show more than I have before. So I like that scene more now, but I i think it's better in the book because I just feel like there's, their as with everything else with the show, they make things so much more antagonistic and dramatic. And so the the show just felt kind of like, okay. But Um, but still, I do think it was funny and, and, um, and the show, obviously the Jonathan Bailey, the lake scene, but what I like about that other than the obvious is that just like we were talking about earlier where it's like so cute. The sister's just like looking at him and that's something that was like, would have been so, um, risque, you know, at that time and in that place. And i thought that they did it.
01:11:46
Speaker
They did that. Um, really cutely in the show like it was just enough of like um like a little bit of a sexy scene and um they're them being cute and giggly but it wasn't like over dramatized for once um it was just like the perfect you know couple not even a minute right it was like 30 seconds really and um I thought it was like the perfect little amount that they added something like that in Yeah, i just think there's a lot of missed opportunities of some of the the adaptation things that would have loved to see in front the book, but nothing and specific popping out to me.
01:12:22
Speaker
um In honor of my dog, who I've had for almost two months now, like six weeks, I'm going to say my favorite part was Newton. Yes. And all the chaos that Newton caused.
01:12:35
Speaker
Oh, Newton. I like in the book how much he loves Antinero right away and like responds to him so well. and i feel like in the movie they they subverted that a little bit, but it was still fun and cute.
01:12:49
Speaker
Okay. Well, um thanks for joining us. Megan, would you like to share where our listeners can follow you?
01:12:58
Speaker
Yes, I am mainly active on Instagram. um And I don't really have a podcast type of creative page for now. So you can follow my personal page if you want. It's Megan, M-E-G-A-N underscore Lachowski, L-A-C-H-O-W-S-K-I. And I have a dance page too. If you're interested in all of my dance adventures, I teach dance classes in the area that I live in. So that's my main creative outlet at the moment.
01:13:25
Speaker
right. Well, thank you so much for joining us. And we would love to have you back on the next one, which is, I think, an offer from a gentleman. Is that right? That's the next book. We'll have to figure out if we want to do book four and season three first, which is Colin, or if we want to do book three and season four, which is Benedict.
01:13:46
Speaker
Yes. we'll have to We'll have to discuss that offline. So listeners, write in. Let us know what you'd rather us do. All right. Until next time. by That's a wrap for this week's episode of Book Watch.
01:13:59
Speaker
We hope you enjoy diving into the world of page-to-screen adaptations with us. If you love this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a rating and review wherever you listen, and share it with a fellow book and movie lover.
01:14:11
Speaker
If you prefer to watch along, you can check out the show on YouTube, youtube.com slash at bookwatchpodcast. You can follow the show on Instagram at bookwatchpodcast. And you can follow me, Sarah Day, on Instagram at captain.mcd. That's M-C-D-E-E.
01:14:30
Speaker
And you can follow me, Jordan, on Instagram at jjcorrito. That's C-A-R-R-I-D-O. And you can follow me, Chris, at cyborgnight404. That's night with a K.
01:14:42
Speaker
You can also join the conversation in the Book Watch Lounge on Facebook at facebook.com slash groups slash bookwatchlounge. If you'd like to support the podcast, you can join the Patreon at patreon.com slash bookwatchpodcast. Tiers start at only $4 a month, and we would love to have you over there. Have a favorite adaptation you'd like us to cover, or a book you think deserves a screen adaptation, or just want to let us know of any feedback, send us an email at bookwatchpodcast at gmail.com.
01:15:12
Speaker
Until next time, keep reading, keep watching, and we will see you next week.