"You are getting what you always wanted, you are marrying for love.”(Chris Van Dusen, 2020) This is a quote from “Bridgerton.” Have you ever watched the famous British noble’s courtship series that can be called the “Gossip Girl” of the 19th century? “Bridgerton” is a well-known Netflix series that is created by Chris Van Dusen and produced by Shondaland. It is set in the 19th century, describing the British noble’s love and hatred in their social season. The series starts with bewildering Lady Whishledown’s narration which reveals an assortment of love, scandals and social expectations to British nobles. In comparing the character development and thematic evolution between “Bridgerton” Season 1 and Season 2, the transition of the protagonist's emotional transformation from hostility to a more compassionate demeanor is contrasted against the varying narrative emphases on explicit content and psychological depth, illustrating the dynamic interplay between character evolution and societal norms within the framework of romantic relationships.

      First of all, the protagonist of season 2, Anthony Bridgerton, changes his attitude from hatred to a gentler character. In Season 1, Anthony Bridgerton is a cynical viscount who is in charge of Bridgerton due to his father's death. His father’s death causes Anthony to take the responsibility of Bridgerton before the age of twenty, which adds to the stress he bears. For example, Anthony faces tough decisions such as keeping his mother or his sibling when his mother is giving birth or he must read a lot and make ends meet when his siblings are having fun. As a result, Anthony keeps complaining about shouldering responsibilities , which lead to being a bad brother to Daphne, the female protagonist of Season 1. However, in season 2 the producer makes Anthony different from the previous season. He no longer thinks that his happiness is only for his family but also for himself. He examines his heart, determined to choose what he loves rather than instead what is in the best interest of the Bridgertons, he chooses a woman that he loves, Kate. In addition, the protagonist Anthony Bridgerton undergoes a transformation, evolving from complaining about shouldering responsibilities and harboring hatred to adopting a gentler character who believes his happiness matters not only to his family but also to himself. In Season 2 of Bridgerton, Anthony goes through a transformation, from accusing the duties that he has to take and harboring hatred to adopting a gentler character who thinks he should not be harsh to himself.

      While Season 1 of the series leans heavily on portraying explicit sexual content, Season 2 shifts its narrative focus towards the intricate evolution of the characters' psychological states, showcasing a deliberate departure from explicit scenes to emphasize the profound mental and emotional transformations within the story. It has a lot of sex scenes in Season 1 of Daphne and the Duke, one of the protagonists of Season 1. Daphne is the second eldest child of Bridgerton, who is the first child to enter the social season. On the contrary, Simon Basset, the Duke, comes back to London to cope with his father’s death, which is the main reason that Daphne meets the Duke. As the Duke and Daphne get together, this show presents a lot of sex scenes of them to enhance and emphasize the relationship between them, showing their burning love for each other. In contrast, Season 2 presents more of the characters’ personalities to portray the bonds of the protagonists. For example, the bonds between Anthony and Kate, the main character in Season 2. Although they often fight each other either for serious matters or trivial ones, Anthony cannot take his eyes off Kate, neither does Kate. They attract each other simultaneously and spontaneously. Thus, they both start developing their relationship,eventually finding themselves falling in love with each other. While Season 1 of “Bridgerton '' emphasizes more barefaced sex scenes, in the second season, it focuses more on the characters’ psychological development, especially that of Anthony and Kate’s courtship and the fights, which makes them develop their feelings and emotional connection for each other. 

         Last but not least, the last difference between season 1 and 2 is the social status of the spouse. The spouse in season 1 is a noble, a duke; however, in season 2, Kate is a civilian. In high class, the nobles are asked to be “well-matched”, as was the case in the 19th century in “Bridgerton.” The Duke is a popular spouse for all the ladies in London because of his wealth, title and territory, a perfect husband. The one who marries the Duke will be the Duchess, and she will be the spotlight of London, which is a very enchanting opportunity for the ladies. On the other hand, Kate is neither a noble, nor does she have any title, and she is even sponsored by Lady Danbury and lives in her house. A spouse of Season 1 changes to a civilian partner of Season 2, which is a significant change in the dynamic, whereas the Duke has titles, wealth and is not willing to marry, contrasted with Kate, who is sponsored by another female British noble.

      In conclusion, despite various differences between Bridgerton Season 1 and 2, such as the attitude changes in Anthony Bridgerton, the sex scenes between Season 1 and 2, and the social status of spouses in Season 1 and 2. Although there may be an apparent absurdity to the series, it seems to cater to the audience’s desire for stress relief and entertainment in their lives.