Watch ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2 For a Good Cry

Because honestly, that was an emotional roller coaster I was not ready for, but appreciated wholeheartedly. If you haven't seen the eight episodes yet, I strongly suggest you do.I kind of watched season one, but was never fully committed to it.When it came back for the sophomore iteration, I was still not sure if we wanted to consume it. I'm not a fan of period dramas, old English accents and dialects, or romance shows. But something about this caught my eye.Firstly the fact that the series incorporates people of colour the way it does is admirable. Season 1 already introduced us to the alternate reality regency era that's a little more inclusive, but to see a dark brown-skinned woman as the main love interest and object of desire was mind-blowing for me, considering how discriminatory television has been known to be.I mean, I'm black and I grew up with Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan as icons. It is extremely new for me.This season is a definite win for the Indian and Tamil communities, but as a fellow person of colour, I'm proud and extremely impressed.That's what drew me in originally, the visuals I was getting, but after that I stayed because the writers managed to pull everything together so well. I was practically trapped by the good writing and also by how much chemistry the main couple has.I could not get through an episode without ugly crying, I swear.I'm not joking. It deals with so much more than romance, which will itself already have you in your feelings.The writers of this show have figured out how to turn poetry into a script, and build and release tension in ways that keep us as the viewers in tune with the rhythm of the show.Season 2 follows the second sibling of the Bridgerton family to be out on the hunt for a spouse. In these times, the summer months were the counting period for members of high society, and the viscount, lord Anthony (the eldest son), has a strict list of qualities he is looking for in a wife.Life does not work that way, however. That seems to be the lesson here, that no matter how well you plan your life, your destiny will always find you.If you're watching this, be prepared for the stolen glances, the forbidden lust, the whispers in the night, the sappy declarations of love, the fear and anxiety and the absolute thrill that come with falling in love.Beyond that, it's a show about family and tradition, and the in-between moments that bring people closer together.It is tragic and heartwarming and gut wrenching all at once, and if you don't cry a few times while watching it, there's something seriously wrong with you.The actors, especially Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma, Charithra Chandran as Edwina Sharma, Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton and Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton, do such a great job of pulling their characters off that it's easy to forget it's all fiction.This show was miles ahead of its first attempt, and it's nice to see how well they're doing to build the world around this upper echelon community and bring in elements other TV makers are too afraid to try.The Shonda Rhimes TV series debuted in March this year and is available for streaming on Netflix.– Anne Hambuda is a screenwriter, poet, columnist and creative thinker. Email annehambuda@gmail.com for more.