How Kate Sharma, in Bridgerton season 2, was overshadowed by Anthony Bridgerton’s family drama, despite being the heart of the season.
So far, we have seen three Bridgerton couples fall in love and marry after a series of hurdles and challenges. However, we can all agree that it was Kate and Anthony’s enemies-to-lovers storyline that stole our hearts.
While their love story was unique and quite different than what Julia Quinn had originally written, the one thing that Bridgerton season two made increasingly clear was: Kate Sharma was the heart of the season.
Simone Ashley’s breakthrough performance in the season, of the sharp, duty-bound, emotionally layered character, was what immersed us in the drama, however, Anthony Bridgerton’s turbulent family dynamics stole the show.
Kate Sharma deserved better after how Bridgerton season 2 treated her
Simone Ashley outdid herself when she starred as the strong-willed and duty-bound ‘elder daughter,’ Kate Sharma, in Bridgerton season 2. From her very first scene, Kate came across as a character that one would not like to mess with, fiercely independent and obviously intelligent.
However, while she was powerful no doubt, Kate was a complex, layered woman battling cultural expectations, class divides, and her own internal conflicts. A deeply self-sacrificing woman, she fit perfectly into the ‘elder daughter syndrome.’ Having lost her parents at a young age, she turned into a dutiful daughter and sister towards her step family, trying her all to give them the life they wanted.
Whether it was trying to fix her family’s bleak financial condition to wanting her sister to marry the best man possible, Kate Sharma gave it her all, trying to be perfect, while battling her own wants and desires. Yet, despite her emotional turmoil, she carried herself with immense grace, and it wasn’t long before fans rallied behind her.
However, as the series progressed, Kate’s brilliant character arc and her emotional struggles became increasingly overshadowed by the non-stop drama of the Bridgerton household. While we aren’t really complaining about Anthony’s never-ending emotional angst or Eloise’s rebelliousness, these plots took up way too much spotlight.
Having carried Bridgerton through much of the season, Kate’s personal journey ended up being pushed to the side, overly complicated by the love triangle that fans argue added little to the emotional depth of her romance with Anthony.
Kate-Anthony’s romance was brilliant, but it didn’t need this much trouble (or trauma)
In the original Bridgerton book, The Viscount Who Loved Me, Kate and Edwina’s sisterly bond is celebrated but not torn apart for tension and drama as Bridgerton season 2 featured. Moreover, Kate and Anthony’s love story was scarcely similar to how it was featured in the show, extremely dramatized and overly daunting at times.
While it all made sense and with time we have come to love the enemies-to-lovers storyline, it is the love triangle and the destruction of the sisters’ relationship that continues to not feel right even today.
Despite Edwina and Kate sharing a very sisterly, loving bond in the books, this fan-favorite bond is wrecked by making Edwina come between Kate and Anthony for dramatic flair, making her look more like a fool. At the same time, Kate and Anthony end up looking like villains in their own love story.
This unnecessary drama and trauma came at the cost of one of the richest character arcs of the show: Kate Sharma. Instead of giving her room to breathe and showcase her vulnerability and eventual emotional breakthrough with Anthony in a more satisfying manner, it all ended up being buried between the turmoil and antics of the Bridgerton family.
While season 3 did not feature whether Kate and Edwina’s bond had truly been repaired, it did give Kate moments to shine, showcasing her wit and intelligence. With season 4 in the works, we hope to see more of Kate Sharma, for after having carried the emotional weight of season 2, she deserves some more spotlight and recognition.