Bridgerton: Did Season 1 Best Season 2 Or Vice Versa? Cast Your Vote!

It really is too bad Regé-Jean Page, the actor who made us burn for him and the Duke of Hastings, left the series at the end of Season 1. His onscreen magnetism is incomparable, and for many he was the No. 1 reason to watch.

Jonathan Bailey's big-brother character was meddlesome, self-loathing and  insufferable in Season 1, so it was difficult to imagine him as a leading man. But Bailey brought to his Season 2 performance all the passion, torment and hotness that viewers needed, and also proved that his viscount deserved every ounce of our love ... and lust.

Some viewers weren't feeling the eldest Bridgerton daughter's bangs in the show's first season, but few could deny the sparks between Phoebe Dynevor's coquettish Daphne and the mysterious Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset. The way they locked eyes and kissed and, um, those steamy love scenes, was nothing short of electric. Swoon.

Kate didn't suffer fools, and this included Anthony Bridgerton, who said very silly and offensive things about women, love and marriage that she wasn't meant to hear. Simone Ashley in turn brought a lot of depth and emotion to her portrayal as a doting older sister who accidentally fell in love with the man she despised, who also happened to be engaged to her younger sister Edwina!

Intimacy coordinator Lizzy Talbot choreographed the sexy and steamy love scenes in both seasons of Bridgerton. But as fans know, she had a lot more to do in Season 1. That's because once Daphne and Simon got married, they had a lot of sex. Like, at least two times outside and once in the library.

The passion that built between Kate and Anthony Season 2 was all about subtle touches, longing glances, close proximity and mounting sexual tensions. Whereas Simon and Daphne constantly ripped off one another's clothes, our favorite Season 2 couple didn't consummate their relationship until one episode before the finale. (But consummate they did!)

Some viewers were thrilled to see the likes of Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) and Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), both of whom were Black and well-heeled. At the same time, Page's Duke broke down mainstream barriers regarding what a Black leading man could be.Still, there were those who complained that Bridgerton suffered from colorism because all of the aforementioned actors are not dark-skinned. Actresses on the show who did have darker complexions either didn't have speaking roles or played servants, detractors have observed.

Viewers have been less vocal about colorism in Season 2 because Ashley, who plays Kate, and Charithra Chandran, who costars as her sister Edwina, are darker-skinned. Although Ashley and Andoh are around the same complexion, it's rarer to see South Asian actresses of Ashley's complexion play leading ladies.Season 2 had other challenges in terms of representation, as there are those who felt slighted because Benedict, who seemed to be gay or at least bisexual in Season 1, suddenly wasn't in Season 2.  Meanwhile, other viewers complained that the Sharmas' South Asian customs and cultures were muddled and vague.

One could argue that Simon and Daphne fell in love on the dance floor. She bumped into him trying to get away from Nigel, and the romantic sparks were instantaneous.They later danced and grew smitten while trying to convince the Ton they were courting (that's when he asked her to call him "Simon") and by the end of the season, the two danced to repair their marriage. And each and every time, we were swept off our collective feet.

Kate and Anthony danced three times in Season 2. The first time was awkward because Edwina had urged them to dance so the viscount could ask Kate for her sister's hand in marriage. Instead, the romantic tension between "Kanthony" only increased.The second time the pair cut a rug, at the Bridgerton family party, Edwina (after leaving Anthony at the altar) was so turned off by all their smiling, flirting and laughing, she accused Kate of not caring about her feelings and left.Which leads to the third and best dance the lovers shared, at the Featheringtons' end-of-season ball, where Kate and Anthony could no longer deny or hide their feelings and Edwina and Queen Charlotte gave the future husband and wife their blessing. It's a good thing, too, because the dance was so sensual and intense, people couldn't help but stare.

Nigel Berbrooke was never a threat to Daphne and Simon's love, but Queen Charlotte's nephew Friedrich, the Prince of Prussia, made the duke nervous. The prince was handsome, kind and genuinely liked Daphne. He even had the power to make her a princess — a fact Daphne hilariously pointed out to Simon — if they had married.Ultimately, the prince forced Simon to admit he adored Daphne and would be miserable and alone without her, and that's why he fatefully followed her into the garden.

In Season 2, Anthony initially introduced Thomas to Kate, to get rid of Edwina's older sister so he could focus on the younger Sharma and eventually propose marriage. But who are we kidding? The eldest Bridgerton took one look at Kate smiling at Thomas and was too jealous to allow things to go further. Anthony insisted on helping Kate out of the boat to stop Thomas from doing it, and the two men tumbled into the pond.In contrast, Kate had to suffer in silence as Anthony pursued Edwina and asked her to marry him, even though he didn't love Edwina. He loved Kate. Oh, Anthony.

Some Bridgerton fans think it was unconscionable that Simon lied about not being able to have kids. In truth, he simply didn't want them, especially if they'd have to struggle the way he did with speech. Plus, he wanted to end his family line to spite his deceased father.On the other hand, there are those who argue Daphne was wrong for practically raping Simon — and you know the scene we're talking about — in order to get pregnant. Thankfully, it all worked out in the end... even if the dual deceit proved bothersome.

In the book The Viscount Who Loved Me, Anthony never asked Edwina to marry him, and therefore their abruptly cancelled wedding never even occurred. In Season 2 of the Netflix series, Anthony proposed to Edwina in front of a heartbroken Kate and then tried and failed to avoid her.Sure, Kate and Anthony ended up together, but Edwina was about to marry that dude, and that is a lot for anyone to overcome, near death or not.

There were a lot of past pains for Simon to overcome. For starters, the main reason he didn't want to have children (aside from stuttering fears) is that he told his rotten father on his deathbed that he wouldn't procreate, in order to kill off the family name.Thanks to flashbacks, it's not hard to understand why Simon loathed his father, the first Duke of Hastings, so much. The man was monstrous to Simon's late mother, who died shortly after giving birth to her only child, and he was cruel to his son as soon as he learned of his speech disorder.

It's bad enough that Edmund, the Bridgerton family patriarch, died when Anthony was a teenager. Worse still, Edmund died in front of Anthony after a bee stung him, and the teen's mother went into labor with Hyacinth soon after. Because of the traumatic incident, the eldest Bridgerton feared bees and resented his family because he was forced to take care of them as the "man of the house."Thanks to Kate, Violet and Gregory's compassion for him, Anthony eventually overcame his fears and animus and realized he shouldn't run from bees (or love).

Simon followed Daphne into the garden alone because he burned for her. Overcome with emotion, the Duke grabbed the object of his desire and passionately kissed her. He stopped and apologized, but Daphne didn't want him to stop, so she grabbed him and kissed him right back.It's this kiss that eventually led to them getting married.

After nearly kissing three separate times, Kate and Anthony finally locked lips in the chapel (after Edwina called off the wedding, of course). It was the first of many kisses to come.

Ask Bridgerton fans if they prefer Season 1 or Season 2 of Netflix's hit Regency-era drama, and the answers will vary as much as any of the wigs in Queen Charlotte's massive collection.

Of course, the main reason for this is personal preference. Some viewers enjoyed the whirlwind romance between Simon and Daphne in the inaugural season to the slow-simmering romantic tensions that Kate and Anthony shared in the series' sophomore year. We also saw one set of lovebirds get married in the first season but not the second.

[connatix 75c97edc-f3bb-46c6-a7e7-405cc67f709d]

But, then again, Season 2 included a charming Corgi named Newton and Season 1 didn't give us that. (And that really matters to some people.) Sex scenes, dance choreography, backstories, representation, and romantic rivals also differed between the two outings and have helped to pull Bridgerton lovers to one side or another.

In an effort to better understand why fans might adore one season over the other, we at TVLine have compiled nine comparative components such as the leading men, leading women, couple conflicts, and so on to truly grasp what the world's modern-day Ton wants from this show based on Julia Quinn's bestselling novels.

Scroll down to check out the contrasts we've noted and vote for your favorite season in our poll. You can also drop a thought or three in the comments.

[crowdsignal poll=11096073]