And it does! The common theory after season one aired was that the bee hinted at a second season focused on Anthony Bridgerton. Even without all the bees, this made sense: Bridgerton is based on a series of romance novels by Julia Quinn, each one focusing on a different Bridgerton sibling. In the show’s first season, multiple siblings get concurrent storylines, though Daphne’s is clearly the main one and follows the plot of the book, The Duke and I. Future seasons, though, will lean more heavily on other characters. The theory turned out to be correct because the love story of season two centers around Daphne’s older brother, Anthony, who leads the second Quinn book, The Viscount Who Loved Me.
The season also explores in more depth why bees have such an emotional meaning for Anthony and the Bridgerton family. In the books and on the show, an allergic reaction to a bee sting is what killed the family patriarch Edmund Bridgerton. This is what led Anthony to inherit the Viscount title and—spoiler!—marry his wife, Kate. In the book about their romance, the couple are caught in a compromising position after Kate is stung in a garden.
While the show nods to this scene—Kate is stung, Anthony fears it will kill her—the incident doesn’t result in a hasty marriage like it does in the book. However, the bee seems to symbolize Edmund and how his death has significantly affected who Anthony is now. It’s telling that the opening credits of the show include a beehive, for example. Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony on the series, even wore several bee pins while promoting the new season.
Whether the bee symbolism sticks around for seasons three and four remains to be seen, considering it holds the most significance for Anthony. While Netflix hasn’t commented yet on who will lead the next chapters in the Bridgerton story, the likeliest subjects are Benedict and Colin. If the show continues to follow the order of the books, then their stories—An Offer From a Gentleman and Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, respectively–would be the source material used.
What’s With All the Bees in Bridgerton?
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