Shonda Rhimes Herself Saved Bridgerton’s Best Book Scene in Season 2

Summary:

• Bridgerton Season 2 was heavily criticized for changing the original Julia Quinn story too much.
• However, one of the most iconic moments from the book was saved and perfectly captured on screen thanks to Shonda Rhimes' vision.
• According to Bridgerton's social media, the main purpose of the Pall Mall scene was to introduce a less formal version of Kate.

While the overall response to the second season of Netflix 's most romantic period drama, Bridgerton, was even better than the first, it didn’t escape criticism. While the general public enjoyed the ‘enemies to lovers’ story of Viscount Anthony Bridgerton and Miss Kate Sharma, book readers weren't so keen on all the changes.

The original story by Julia Quinn did not take the love triangle between Anthony, Kate and her younger sister Edwina as far as the series did. A lot of things were changed or cut, and fans don't seem to think that the season ended up doing justice to the book.

However, one scene from the book was saved and played a major role in the development of Kate and Anthony's relationship. And, as expected, that very scene ended up being a symbol for the whole season among fans.

Bridgerton S2 the Pall Mall Scene

In a TV show titled after the last names of 9 characters, there is no need to explain why the family scenes like Pall Mall are important. Not only do they play a role in moving the story forward, but they also build the world, highlight the sweet family dynamic between the siblings, and give the crumbs of content to the characters who aren't central to the season.

It's almost impossible to imagine Bridgerton season 2 without the iconic Pall Mall Game scene in the third episode. But without Shonda Rhimes' keen eye, it might not have made the cut. The official Bridgerton account on Instagram shared a BTS fact about the scene during the official rewatch party:

“Shonda Rhimes read the books and immediately knew the Pall Mall scene was necessary for Season 2. She believed it captured the essence of who Kate Sharma is & began to paint the portrait of what an interesting pair Kate and Anthony are.”

While it is true that the scene was very important in terms of plot development, many fans believe that it was also important metaphorically, since the colors of the mallets that each character grabbed are believed to have some meaning to them.

This is at least true for Edwina, who chose the blue Bridgerton mallet; Anthony, who ended up with a pink mallet symbolizing Edwina; and Colin, who grabbed the Featherington staple yellow mallet. Think what you will, but this little nod from the production made the wait for Colin and Penelope's own season a little easier for the fandom.

Fortunately, the end of the wait is near. On May 16, Netflix will premiere the third season of Bridgerton, which will follow the Polin love story and explore the ‘friends to lovers’ trope. Learning from past mistakes, the creative team has already promised to be more faithful to the original novel, so be sure to give it a try.

Source: Bridgerton on Instagram