Marvelous Geeks

Rejoicify! We’re six months away from the theatrical release of Wicked, and it feels like we’ve been waiting forever. Rumors of the movie’s development have swirled for well over a decade, with so many stops and starts that many fans were beginning to believe it would never happen. Well, we can believe it now, and the first full-length Wicked trailer is here to give us our first in-depth look at Oz. We get to see extended looks at Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, and Michelle Yeoh, along with more of the dazzling world of Wicked as interpreted by director Jon M. Chu (In the Heights).

Wicked has always been a particularly meaningful show for me, personally. It’s inspired me as a musical theatre writer, provided the backdrop for some turning points in my life, and even been the reason for forming treasured friendships. Over the course of 20 years, I’ve listened to the cast recording on repeat, seen the show several times, worked the tour as house staff, and even stood on the stage of the Gershwin Theater after seeing a friend perform as one of the principals.

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Best of 2022: Performances features spoilers for various shows. Please be advised if there’s something you don’t want to know.

Year after year, performances continue to get better and expand the world of television in a way that nothing else could. Sometimes, the performer is so good they’re the sole reason you’re sticking around. And sometimes, the performer isn’t given the proper credit they deserve because prestigious academies continue to disregard genre television.

For the Best of 2022 performances, each person in this category did something unforgettable, something indescribable, and left us in awe more on more than one occasion.

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A few little birdies over on Twitter told us it’s Kate and Anthony Week, and what better way to celebrate than to sing praises for Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey. Bridgerton Season 2 might have faults with pacing, plot, and certain changes from the book, but no series could ever say that they’ve found the perfect leads the way these showrunners could. (Or, we could just rewatch that promo video the official account posted for hours.)

Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey were born to play Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton, and they’ve done such an exemplary job that they’re paving the road for future adaptions. In the hands of lesser skilled actors, Kate and Anthony wouldn’t be the fiery, beautifully memorable couple that they are. It might be overused to mention this today, but truer words have never been spoken when we say both actors not only understood the assignment, but they aced it, passed with honors and flying colors.

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Bridgerton’s Season 2 finale, “The Viscount Who Loved Me,“ explores quiet moments between characters, and one of the most gut-wrenching, beautifully vulnerable moments is between Anthony and Gregory Bridgerton in their father’s old study.

To break this moment down, we need to go back to Anthony’s boisterous claims that his family needs to run everything by him—a moment that becomes as laughable as it is tragic, except ultimately, Gregory takes him up on this. The youngest of the Bridgerton boys sees something in the primary father figure he’s known and takes his statement to heart. Will Tilston plays this moment so well because Gregory doesn’t know what to do here—he doesn’t know what he’s going to gain or what will happen when he walks in calling to his eldest brother.

Anthony Bridgerton is far from a monster, and Gregory thinks the world of him, but here in this study, he’s still Viscount Bridgerton—armored, stoic, and frightening from the outside. And the brief moment where he thinks he’s disturbing him is critical to examining Anthony’s character and, ultimately, a younger sibling trait. Younger kids will always feel intimidated by their eldest siblings when it comes to serious conversations, and that’s the case with Gregory here.

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Portrayed by: Jonathan Bailey Book | Show: Julia Quinn’s The Viscount Who Loved Me and Netflix’s Bridgerton

Bridgerton might be a romance series, but its complex characters are the best part. While the first season focuses primarily on book one, The Duke and I, Viscount Anthony Bridgerton’s role preludes what is to come for his arc and showcases just how much is brewing within. The first season forces us to question plenty. Do we like him? Do we not? Are we supposed to? What is he trying to tell us with all the toxic masculinity he exudes? He’s here to tell us an abundance, and ultimately, we’re here to discuss anxiety, time, efforts, the absence of mental health discourse in the 19th-century, and eventual healing because Anthony Bridgerton’s struggles are relatable for many.

A few overarching themes throughout Season 1 appropriately set up what we know is to come for most characters, and the absence of transparency is a big one. The season focuses intently on the scarcity of communication between mothers and daughters and the absence of vulnerability amongst men. (The lack of honest communication even leads Simon and Daphne to their marital conflict.) The bottom line is, on Bridgerton, people don’t always talk, and men especially don’t divulge their emotions.

Before we dive deep into this analysis, we need to take a moment and commend Jonathan Bailey’s performances before anything else. If it weren’t for the wide range of emotions he consistently brings to the character, Anthony Bridgerton would not be as fleshed out in a season where he isn’t meant to shine. Anxiety looks different in everyone—no two people have the same stories or even reactions. But from the moment he first appears on our screens, Bailey takes every opportunity to show the audience that Anthony Bridgerton is consistently drowning in waves that will not subdue.

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Bridgerton Season 2 might be a diversion from Julia Quinn’s The Viscount Who Loved Me, but there is no denying the fact that Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey are the perfect Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton (Kanthony). To bring to life characters who are beautifully complex and deeply relatable, the series needed actors who understand the characters in such a way that answering questions about their future would be an effortless task.

And during the Bridgerton Season 2 global press conference, when asked about how Kate and Anthony could work through their trauma together, Ashley and Bailey knew precisely what to say. Thrust towards growing up far too quickly because of the grief they both experienced, Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton carried burdens more enormous than they deserved to, often compelling them to protect others above their own hearts.

In meeting each other, all that changes. “I always say it takes one to know one, and I think that really applies to these two characters,” Ashley says with full conviction. “At the beginning, they kind of … they really grind each other’s gears because I think they recognize parts that they may see as flaws in themselves in the other person.” Flaws they work through together, even unknowingly, seamlessly bringing the best of the other to the surface. Ashley also mentioned that they mirror each other a little bit and challenge each other, which is a truth we can see throughout the season as their relationship grows deeper

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The wait is halfway over, hive—the Bridgerton Season 2 premiere date has officially been announced by Netflix, and we’ve only got three months to go from this exact moment on. (Or well, exact if you’re reading this on Christmas day.) In an adorable video from our favorite cast, it’s officially confirmed that the series will resume on March 25th, 2022, right on time for tulip season to represent our perfect viscountess, Kate Sharma.

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We didn’t need the proof, but we’ve got it. Bridgerton season 2 first look proves that Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey are the perfect Kate and Anthony. The “enemies to lovers” trope just got a lot more exhilarating.

Inspired by Bridgerton book two, The Viscount Who Loved Me, the sneak peek showcases so much of what is an overarching theme throughout the novel—two people challenging in each other into astounding growth. Jonathan Bailey’s Anthony Bridgerton has been through a surplus of trauma he has yet to overcome. In season two, “he gets to deal with a lot of things that he hasn’t been given the space to deal with.” And according to Bailey during Netflix’s TUDUM event, “it’s causing a lot of tears.” Rightfully and understandably so as the viscount must work through pangs of grief, overcoming patriarchal chains, and learning to love amidst the chaos of it all.

And Kate Sharma—well, we’ve only had TV version of her 1:03 minutes and we’ll protect her for the rest of our lives. Witty, brave, bold, beautiful, fiercely protective, and so profoundly loving through it all. Simone Ashley’s Kate Sharma is a multifaceted treasure the world is going to adore with a fire in their souls.

Bridgerton season 2 first look exudes the kind of irresistible chemistry that’ll be talked about for hours on end post release. Magnetic, electric, and already so achingly intense, it’s game over from the start.

Anthony Bridgerton has already lost the battle of wits to a woman whose means of challenging him will result in the greatest love he’s ever known.

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Time to Anthony Bridgerton was always more than a sequence that measured the days, it was always more than the mere existence of something indefinite that people maybe shouldn’t ponder too closely on. Time, to Anthony Bridgerton is especially sacred—it is of the essence, a dark cloud that ceaselessly shadows his very being.

Time, to Anthony Bridgerton is a matter life and death and longing.

While there is very little the TV series overtly tells us about his reasons, the deliberate choice to place visual emphasis on the pocket watch throughout the season demands close examination. There is an avalanche of darkness buried within the eldest Bridgerton, and the moments of quiet development we see are so often when he is alone. (Or even if he is in the presence of someone else, and yet…alone.)

A watch tells time, it’s practical, and while some instances reflect just that, others coerce the audience to pay closer attention. Through the cinematography, the directing, and Jonathan Bailey’s conscious choices as an actor, Anthony Bridgerton is telling us something even while he’s silent.

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“Art of the Swoon” and the importance of transparency—the third episode of Bridgerton is all about the hands. (Was that not the thing we’ve all taken away from this?) While the episode might be somewhat lacking a bit thematically, it succeeds in making us swoon. And I suppose that’s the point. We’re not mad at to be frank. For the first time in my life, I wanted to be spoon—I imagined I’d say a lot of crazy things in my life, but that certainly wasn’t one of them. I wanted to be a spoon. We all did. And that’s the tea.

Well gentle readers, Daphne has started dreaming of Simon—as we all have, and it’s a beautiful dream to say the least. The set design on this series continues to astound me. There’s nothing … ugly. I almost want there to be because frankly, it’s setting up some unrealistic examples for my future. Daphne’s dreaming of the duke, and the duke is still denying all emotional attachment. But he is acting as her general and doing a fine job of it, especially where moments of faux jealousy are concerned. It’s always fun and games until a prince joins the equation and that’s when dukes get jealous for real.

But what sets up this series most excellently and what makes our hearts soar is Violet telling Daphne: “You must simply marry the man who feels like your dearest friend.” (Shout this from the rooftop. Write it on the skyline.) Friendship is fundamental in romance, and where all couples are concerned, this is the very detail that differentiates dalliances from love matches. Daphne and Simon are friends to begin with. Anthony and Kate will be friends. Benedict and Sophie … aren’t normal, but you get the point. Colin and Penelope are the epitome of friends to lovers. A romance’s success is based entirely on friendship and the decision to choose someone every single day. That is what it will come down to with all couples. That is what it comes to down to with Simon and Daphne.

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For starters, this was unplanned. Don’t get me wrong, Anthony Bridgerton is the dramatic buffoon viscount lord of my heart–I planned to write a character deep dive for him eventually, but I figured it’d be much more flushed out in season two. Then, season one of Bridgerton premiered and I knew I needed to get a head start.

Bridgerton might be a romance series, but the best part of it is its complex characters. While the first season focuses primarily on book one, The Duke and I, the Viscount Bridgerton’s role not only preludes what is to come for his arc, but it’s meant to showcase just how much is brewing within. There’s ample debate happening at the moment on social media–Do we like him? Do we not? Are we supposed to? Why was his characterization (presumably) sacrificed to make others look better? And while I don’t agree with that final question, I will note that if he isn’t liked this season, then character development next season will surely do the trick. But that’s neither here nor there, we’re here to discuss anxiety, effort, and the absence of mental health discourse in the 1800s.

There are a few overarching themes throughout the season that appropriately set up what we know is to come for most characters, and the absence of discourse is a big one. It’s the lack of real communication between Simon and Daphne that leads to their marital conflict. It’s the absence of communication between mothers and daughters in preparation for what marriage actually looks like. It’s the absence of communication amongst men and women unless cigarettes on swings are involved. The bottom line is, people don’t always talk and men especially don’t talk. And maybe, just maybe, if they did, we wouldn’t have an angsty regency drama to watch.

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