Fans Are Tired Of Hearing These Lines On Bridgerton
"Bridgerton" may reign as Netflix's dominant romantic series, but the show isn't without its flaws — especially its second season. Even the Duke of Hastings' charming good looks can't distract from certain repetitive lines and tired tropes you're probably sick of hearing on the hit show — and you aren't alone. While the steamy relationships and endless drama may be captivating, fans still say the series isn't immune to blatant recurring lines that are hard to ignore when marathon-watching the two-season series success.
Between Kate's continuous threats to retreat to India, the Queen going on about her "diamond," and Colin constantly reminding Penelope that they are such good friends, there's a lot of déjà vu in the series. And these script quirks deserve further examination for their eye-roll inducing ways.
Read on to discover the common lines and script quirks "Bridgerton" fans are tired of hearing while watching the hit Netflix series. You'll find you aren't alone after all.
Eloise complaining about literally everything all the time
Eloise Bridgerton is clearly the token "woke" character of "Bridgerton," bringing modern feminist ideals into the early 1800s. The second oldest Bridgerton sister challenges any and every patriarchal or sexist standard she encounters, doing so without a filter or lingering apologies. "She's a rebel, and she's a lovable rogue, and she's ridiculous and quick—and I think that's why people love her," Claudia Jessie, who plays Eloise, told Harper's Bazaar in 2021.
But not all fans feel the love for Eloise's rebellious ways. While many fans say her viewpoint simply doesn't make sense for the period drama, others have a problem with her habit of complaining over taking action (per Reddit). Rather than sounding like a feminist ahead of the times, fans say Eloise's comments on injustice often come off as entitled and privileged. "Her issues with gender norms make her look like a [spoiled] brat with no real troubles in her life," according to one Reddit user.
While Eloise is meant to be a voice of modern objection to dated regency expectations, fans say her "heavy-handed" dialogue can come off as insufferable rather than groundbreaking, with some fans describing her as a "rebel without a clear cause" (per CBR).
Penelope praising her work as Lady Whistledown as groundbreaking
It's beyond notable for a woman to run her own business — especially as a writer — in the 1800s. But Penelope Featherington of "Bridgerton" constantly asserting how groundbreaking and altruistic her actual writing is as Lady Whistledown doesn't sit well with fans. It doesn't help that Penelope's writing ego is supported by Eloise, who constantly shares how much she admires Lady Whistledown as a revolutionary. In reality, the mysterious author is just causing chaos by airing the secrets of the ton in a very public way
Rather than recognize her pamphlet as the petty gossip it is, Penelope puts all her value behind her persona, finding satisfaction and power in the revealing scandals. But rather than being a powerful trailblazer for women, Penelope is more of a relentless gossip who cuts women (and men) of the ton down rather than building them up. Even Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope, recognizes this unpopular character quirk, especially in the Season 2 arc of the character. "There's a certain level of cockiness to her this season," Coughlan told Today in March 2022. "It would change you if everyone in London was obsessed with you ... and everyone's talking about you all the time."
Edwina's saccharine dialogue
In Season 2 of "Bridgerton," fans are introduced to Edwina Sharma, a mild-mannered and polite young woman who is the picture-perfect debutante. Edwina meticulously crafts her own personality to be inoffensive and wholly ladylike. She's set on being well-liked by the ton and desirable to the most eligible bachelors.
But "Bridgerton" fans say Edwina is almost too agreeable, making her lack any sort of humanity or nuance. And that's not to mention her consistently saccharine dialogue that lacks any substance. One fan writes on Reddit: "Seriously, was [Edwina] even a character? She spends the first half of the season being overly nice to everyone (she gets the cringiest lines)...and it is never implied that all this is tiring or unnatural to her."
Charithra Chandran, who plays Edwina, even told Marie Claire she had a hard time connecting to the character for this very reason. Chandran told the magazine that she's "quite independent and autonomous in real life" — characteristics Edwina simply doesn't display in favor of being relentlessly sweet and amiable. The show's creator and showrunner, Chris Van Dusen, also admitted to Town & Country that the character is a bit "one-dimensional."
Kate's plan to return to India whenever something goes slightly wrong
Throughout the second season of "Bridgerton," Kate Sharma threatens to return to India, seemingly using the threat as a way to flee from her problems. In fact, at least four times throughout the season, Kate subtly (or not-so-subtly) uses her intention to return to India as a way to add distance between her and Anthony instead of facing their mutual attraction head-on. "A lot of the plot was super repetitive and it seemed that each episode often cycled through the same thing," one fan wrote on Reddit, citing Kate threatening to return to India as an example.
Though its understandable that Kate may have come to London with intentions of returning to her home country after "handling" her sister's future, it also becomes redundant to hear her constantly refer to the impending departure whenever conflict arises. In the end, Kate's desire to return to India seems less about her love of home and more about her desire to shut down conversations, making the often-repeated line annoying rather than plot-serving.
Kate and Anthony forever waxing poetic about their duties as the oldest children
Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton of "Bridgerton" have a lot in common, making their romance all the more inevitable. Case in point: the pair's respective places as the oldest in their families, which comes with significant responsibility. And you certainly won't forget how much responsibility it truly is with how much the two characters talk about their duties as older children — even when it's at the expense of moving the story along. "The back and forth between [Kate and Anthony] was hot early on, but it became almost annoying to watch ... It felt like every episode they would almost get close to touching, then they wouldn't," one fan wrote on Reddit, calling Season 2 boring and repetitive. "Then they would go into another monologue about their duties as being the oldest and putting their happiness on hold for others."
Sure, all of this internal turmoil is needed for the slow-build romance. But some fans insist that if they stop having the same conversation about the burden of their familial duties, they could actually kiss.
The Queen going on about her diamond
Every season of "Bridgerton," Queen Charlotte recognizes one debutante as the most eligible young lady looking for marriage, with this debutante becoming her "diamond." It's a prestigious title that every young woman (besides Eloise, of course) desires to claim. "This incomparable diamond of the first water knows how to smile, curtsy, preen and pose on demand — in short, all the accomplishments that will make her the perfect ornament for her husband to display," a Netflix article explaining "Bridgerton" terminology reads.
While Daphne's status as the Queen's diamond was celebrated in Season 1, Charlotte's "obsession" with her diamond in Season 2 is a little intense, according to some fans. And the storyline gets significantly overplayed. "[The Queen's] goals in life are pushing her diamond to get married and uncovering Lady Whistledown because she offended her," one fan wrote on Reddit. "How is the audience supposed to care about such stupid goals? The same scene [is] repeated again and again..."
While making a big deal about the "diamond" makes sense at the start of the season, the Queen obsessively meddling in Edwina's life (and storyline) never actually moves the plot forward and never contributes to either character's growth, according to these somewhat disgruntled fans.
All the confusing (and downright wrong) references to Indian culture
Some Desi fans of "Bridgerton" have critiqued Season 2 for flat-out misrepresenting Indian culture. From using "Hindustani" when seemingly referencing Hindi to saying Edwina plays the "maruli" (the Indian flute is called the murali), the season has seen many flubs regarding Indian culture. "As far as I know, there is no language 'Hindustani' or an instrument 'maruli,'" Indian behavioral and data scientist Pragya Agarwal tweeted. "There is Hindi & murali (flute) of course. I wonder if [the] creators of Bridgerton shouldn't have at least done some research and checked the correct terms before introducing brown characters."
While some argue that Hindustani is a colloquial fusion language of Hindi and Urdu, Agarwal says the term is only used in white-centric literature, not by actual Desi people. Others describe the term as "very colonial." Speaking of language, fans point out that the Sharmas, who have a Hindu surname, call their eldest sister "didi," which is Hindi, and their dad "appa," which is Tamil. Yet, Kate says Edwina only speaks Hindustani and Marathi. Simply put, it doesn't make sense.
Other missteps include Edwina citing the work of the Indian poet Ghalib, who was 16 and hadn't yet been published when Season 2 takes place. And that's not even to mention Edwina pronouncing "Ghalib" incorrectly.
Though there are some accurate depictions of Indian culture — like how Kate makes tea and the Sharma family's Haldi ceremony — many fans say the show is poorly researched.
Colin and Penelope always having the friend conversation
The storyline of Colin Bridgerton always putting Penelope in the so-called "friend zone" may build up to a (spoiler!) inevitable relationship, but the way the third-eldest Bridgerton lays the friend label on thick has some fans rolling their eyes. One Reddit poster wrote, "How many times were [the writers] going to throw [in] the same 'friend' conversation between Colin and Pen in the same season?"
Even critics are getting in on bashing this tired trope. One Decider writer and show fan described Colin's friend-zoning behavior as "nearly pathological," showing a deep distaste for this particularly repetitive storyline. "He hits Penelope with the 'You're-such-a-good-friend' card and seems to hammer that sentiment home again and again 'til as a viewer it's almost physically painful to watch," the writer commented about Season 2. "Come on, at that point, he has to be aware of what he's doing, and, frankly, it's just cruel."
One possible problem with the whole friends-to-lovers arc? Some critics say the pair lack serious chemistry on the show, making the whole "friend zoning" scenario cringeworthy and boring rather than a delightfully frustrating slow burn. Ouch.
All the lovey-dovey phrases created solely for fans to gush over
Prepare for a somewhat unpopular opinion: Some fans are simply over the over-the-top declarations of love on "Bridgerton." Sure, the series is built around grand romantic dialogue, including viral lines like "I burn for you" and "You vex me." But many fans are actually over the intense romantic sentiments, finding them downright mortifying to listen to over and over again. "I cringe each time I randomly think about that 'I burn for you' line from 'Bridgerton,'" one fan of the show tweeted.
While some phrases create a visceral distaste, other fans have taken to analyzing their dislike for these intense romantic phrases, blaming their detestation on the delivery and overall storyline. One fan wrote on Reddit, "[The line 'You vex me'] didn't seem passionate or even the result of pent-up frustration. It just seemed like something I would have seen in high school drama class... It was quite unnatural and cringey to me that [Kate and Anthony] would yell insults at each other and then immediately soften their voice."
While these two tired phrases can go, fans have almost unanimously voted to keep Anthony's backwards romantic declaration of "You are the bane of my existence and the object of all my desires." Now that's inarguably swoon-worthy.