Bridgerton Season 2 Episode 3 Recap – A Bee In Your Bonnet

Flashback: Edmund, the late Viscount Bridgerton, teaches Anthony to hunt. On their way back home, they stop in their garden at Aubrey Hall to pick some lilacs. Edmund says that they are Violet’s favorite. Anthony picks some for Daphne as well. A bee stings Edmund and he starts to feel difficulty in breathing. He falls to the ground as Anthony screams for help, and a pregnant Violet shows up. She holds Edmund in her arms and tells him to breathe, but he dies right there. Seeing all this happening before his very eyes, Anthony freezes. However, Violet tells him to go so he can protect his siblings from seeing their father’s current state.

Anthony invites Lady Danbury, Lady Mary, Kate, and Edwina for an excursion at Aubrey Hall. On their way there, Lady Danbury tells Edwina that it is a good sign that they got invited to spend some time alone with the Brigertons before the rest of the ton arrive for the real party they are hosting. Kate reminds Edwina to assess if Anthony is really what she’s looking for.

Portia tells Varley that it will be in their best interest if they find the new Lord Featherington someone malleable for a wife because if not, they might find themselves thrown out on the streets. They come up with a plan for Prudence to seduce Jack, the new Lord Featherington. Penelope finds this ridiculous.

Daphne arrives with her son, Augie, at Aubrey Hall. She learns that Anthony has invited Edwina and is curious about who she is. Anthony tells her that Edwina is perfect, but her sister is annoying and has made herself some sort of a gatekeeper. He asks Daphne for help to please both sisters. Daphne finds that Anthony helping for help is unusual, so she concludes that he must be truly smitten. She promises to help him to return the favor he has done for her during the previous season.

The Sharmas arrive at Aubrey Hall. Anthony tells approaches Kate and assures her that before they leave Aubrey Hall, her opinion of him will be better. As the guests are being led into their rooms, Anthony tells Violet he needs her ring. Violet tells Anthony that Aubrey Hall carries both good and bad memories, so she hopes he is certain of what he’s doing as it will be yet another memory associated with that house.

Flashback: Anthony instantly becomes the viscount the moment his father dies. All the responsibilities suddenly become his, from the funeral arrangements, death notices, to the medical care of her pregnant mother. He is totally unprepared for these circumstances, given that he is still shocked by what happened, not to mention, grieving.

Portia orders Madame Delacroix to make Prudence a dress with a very low neckline. When Madam Delacroix protests, so Portia decides to bring Prudence to another modiste, the new one who has just arrived from Vienna. Before leaving, Penelope tries to ask Madam Delacroix about the part of town where they last saw each other, but Madam Delacroix isn’t interested in telling her why she was there, nor about asking Pen why she was there as well. The silks Madame Delacroix ordered arrived and she’s not quite sure she will be able to use them due to the presence of the new modiste.

At Aubrey Hall, a game of pall-mall begins. Kate seems to enjoy and excel at it, while Edwina is unable to make a good shot. In the middle of the game, Edwina quits and decides to just enjoy refreshments with their mamas. At a certain point in the game, the balls veer in the direction of the bushes, so Kate and Anthony go and fetch them.

They find the balls in the mud and contemplate plucking them out, but both worry about being exposed as a cheater so they both go into the mud and hit the balls. Anthony steps out of the mud, but Kate gets stuck. He comes to help her and they both end up stumbling in the mud. They both laugh and they finally seem to be getting along with each other. Anthony takes the opportunity to ask what he must do to win Kate’s approval. Kate tells him that she is just protecting her sister, as he would protect his own sisters. Anthony tells her to set their differences aside from then on and Kate agrees. She hits the ball and it lands near the late viscount’s grave. This upsets Anthony so he tells Kate that the game is over and then he walks away.

Flashback: While Violet is giving birth, the doctor asks Anthony to decide whether to save Violet or the baby inside of her. Violet tells the doctor that Anthony should not be fit to make the decision because it is only Edmund who should decide. She says that with the kind of love Edmund has for her, the choice would be easy. Anthony realizes that his mother does not see him as someone who can make the right decisions, so he tells the doctor to do what she wants and then he walks out.

Portia tries her best to teach Prudence how to seduce Jack, but he does not pay any attention to her. Instead, he tells them that he has invited Lady Cowper and Cressida to dinner.

Edwina and Anthony seem to be getting along very well as they talk for hours in the drawing-room of Aubrey Hall. Lady Danbury and Violet seem to be happy about the progress of their matchmaking so far. Edwina tells Kate that their conversation has no dull pauses and that it is never one-sided. On the other hand, Anthony tells Daphne that Edwina is delightful, pleasant, and interesting.

At dinner, Cressida and Prudence try to best one another and catch Jack’s attention. Penelope asks about Cressida’s dress, and Lady Cowper says that they got it from the new modiste. She says that Madam Delacroix’s designs look tired in comparison to the designs of this new modiste. Jack invites Cressida to promenade with him.

Kate asks Eloise what she did to upset the viscount during the pall-mall game, and Eloise tells her that she has nothing to do with it – Anthony just does not like to go near their father’s grave. Eloise asks Kate about her choice not to get married, and Kate tells her that it is not ideal because society does not have a place for unmarried women. Eloise tells her it’s society’s flaw, not the woman’s.

Anthony visits his father’s grave. Flashback: Anthony asks Violet to join them in the family dinner shortly after Edmund’s death. Violet tells him that she is doing her best, but she cannot join them yet. She says she mostly feels sorry for herself that she has not died giving birth so she can join her husband. She says Edmund was the air she breathes, but since he is dead, there is no more air.

Violet joins Anthony at Edmund’s grave and sees that he looks weighed down. She says that courtship should be a time of joy. He tells her he’s content with the knowledge that he is fulfilling his duty to their family. Violet tells him that having responsibility for the family does not mean he should not have room for love in his life. She tells him that he deserves the feeling she got when Edmund placed the ring on her finger. Anthony tells her that love has no room in his marriage because he wants a pleasant life untouched by heartbreak and grief. He reminds Violet that she was barely there when Edmund died and that he does not wish to be the cause of the same pain to another.

At dinner, Benedict is high from the stuff Colin gave him to spike his tea. He knocks his wine glass over, prompting Lady Danbury to ask for a toast to make the dinner less awkward. Anthony makes a toast to Edwina and says that he has a question to ask her. Just when everybody thought that Anthony is going to propose, he instead asks Edwina not to tell anyone in London about his loss in pall-mall.

That night, Edwina cries and thinks that she has done something wrong, given that Anthony has not proposed to her yet. Kate tells her that she is the diamond of the season, so if Anthony does not propose to her, there would be plenty of other men who would want to.

Benedict is painting in his room when Colin comes to check up on him. Eloise comes with a letter for Benedict. After he reads it, Benedict rejoices and tells them that he has been accepted at The Academy. Eloise asks Colin why he ever returned to London if he so enjoyed his travels. Colin asks Eloise if she has heard from then Miss Thompson, now Lady Crane. Eloise tells him that she does not live far from Aubrey Hall.

The latest Whistledown says that the ton has fallen prey to the fickleness of fashion as they continue to patronize the newest modiste. She says that Cressida’s gown is tawdry and vulgar and writes that Madame Delacroix might be old, but she is capable.

Pen comes to Madame Delacroix’s shop and essentially admits to being Lady Whistledown. Madam Delacroix tells her that she has no intention of revealing her identity, so she should not worry. However, Penelope says she is not worried about that. Instead, she asks Madam Delacroix to help her with her business, saying that she has proved how she can help in her business. As they were talking, two customers come into the shop.

Back from her morning ride, Kate sees Anthony by the garden. He tells her that he did not mean to disappoint Edwina with his non-proposal the previous night. He says he still intends to propose, it’s just that he got distracted by everyone staring at him. “My feelings would not allow me to speak”, he says. Kate gets mad and starts telling him that he is toying with Edwina’s emotions and that all he is capable of is discontent. While she was saying this, a bee goes near her and Anthony is not able to focus. The bee stings Kate, causing Anthony to panic. He asks her if she can breathe and to assure him that she is well, she places his hand near her bosom, to the spot where she was stung. They get very close to each other physically, so much so that they are about to kiss. Before they can do so, a horse neighs. Realizing how close they have been to a kiss, both of them run from each other, barely able to catch their own breath upon stopping.

Our Thoughts

The new alliance between Lady Whistledown and Madame Delacroix proves to be a genius idea that seems to be a win-win situation for both of them. We just hope this does not backfire because they risk losing both their sources of income by associating with one another. The scene where Kate and Anthony almost kiss is something we have expected, and I guess the question here is really how many more times are we going to see this in the future and how much longer can they resist the unexplainable attraction between them.

In this episode, we finally discover what happened with the late Lord Bridgerton and where Anthony is coming from. WE must admit that we have seen Anthony in a different light after knowing what he had to endure after Edmund died.