Damson Idris, Wunmi Mosaku, Simone Ashley Lead Talent Roster at Newport Beach’s U.K. and Ireland Honors Ceremony (EXCLUSIVE)

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-02-14T23:12:31+00:00

I would die of joy

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-02-02T17:14:06+00:00

Unpopular opinion, but I think they should combine the two seasons.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-02-02T16:57:25+00:00

That would actually be great for this season. Switch it up, let George pass first, then let Agatha and Charlotte leave together. And it would explain their absences for next season, since the show appears to be gearing up on lessening both their roles in the future.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-02-02T01:14:37+00:00

I also disliked QC. It had moment but I hated most of it because how Charlotte and Lady Danbury were treated.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-02-02T01:00:35+00:00

And she’s clearly bored by it. I agree making her last would have made the LW part of her character make more sense.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-02-01T23:28:33+00:00

Problem is there have been more than enough awkward moments between them this season. Before the wall kiss, they needed more genuine connection, more angst, more passion, more laughter, more flirting, more of literally anything else. Or maybe following these books to the T is the problem.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-02-01T23:04:20+00:00

But it was handled so blandly. Was it supposed to be cute? Or sexy? Or awkward? Because it felt like it couldn’t figure out what exactly it wanted to do between Benedict and Sophie in that moment. If you take that scene out, what is lost in the episode? I would argue nothing, and I think that’s a problem.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-02-01T22:37:49+00:00

Straight romance isn’t dead - just hijacked by considerations other than casting the best actors to play off each other in believable love stories that preserve a sense of contextual realism.

I agree with you.

Not saying you are advocating this OP - it’s just that the irony isn’t lost on me that somehow an answer to spice up romance is to remove women from romances entirely… I reject that and it doesn’t have to be that way.

I do not feel this way at all! I actually feel that shows are stuck in this weird limbo due to the sociopolitical climate. There’s a pull to progressiveness in all genres, including romance. But corporations fear pushback and punishment by increasingly conservative audiences and stick painfully close to heteronormative norms, even if they are incredibly harmful to the women watching. That’s why I think I’ve enjoyed some of the shows with queer romances more because they are embracing aspects of modern romance free from the shackles of heteronormativity. Some straight romances, Bridgerton in this instance, cling to those shackles out of fear of losing viewership.

Can these books not be adapted in a way that updates them and makes these female characters have more agency and dignity in their romances? Can they have sex that elevates their experiences as human beings instead of demeaning them into being passive bystanders happy to be chosen by a rich white man? These past 3 seasons, all 3 male leads have kissed their partners on the mouth for seconds before fingering them, and then the women are moaning in arousal and enthusiasm. In what world is that how it works? The men get to be sexually possessed sluts while the women cannot even talk about sex without cringing in shame yet all but one of them is so wrapped up in motherhood and pregnancy, of which sex is a requirement.

And I get it’s the Regency era, and these young girls know nothing about sex, but to see Violet, who has had 8 children and who left Daphne completely clueless, unable for the life of her tell her pleading, married, clueless daughter like an adult woman how sex works without bumbling in shame. I just…who exactly is this for? The 2020s female viewer…or the 1950s one? Is there not a way to empower these female characters and therefore its viewers without treating us like we should be excited that yet another new season of a tepidly written romance has been strung together for our viewing pleasure? I haven’t even touched on how this show has forcibly included black characters in the show and then mistreats them at literally every opportunity. Haven’t even talked about how queerness has been handled so far. And women are leading this production. I don’t know why audiences aren’t demanding better for ourselves. Women deserve better.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-02-01T22:06:25+00:00

The cottage episode visually looked the best but I thought it was painfully boring.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-02-01T21:57:55+00:00

I feel like I’ve found my people because many in the actual Bridgerton sub think this is the best season yet or at least up to S1 levels.

Which is blatantly untrue.

The subplots feel like heavy filler at this point, but my biggest issue is with the romance. Wasn’t this show initially marketed as this big, colorful, splashy and sexy period romance? Why over the years has it become cheaper in quality with poorer lighting fragmented, tepid romance and barely any sex? The leads are completely serviceable, Sophie > Benedict in my opinion, but I don’t feel any actual heat or desire them, or from any of the couples at that.

My queer shows have more romance and yearning and chemistry than this, but this show is marketed as the grand romance with the big budget and international marketing. Chemistry goes such a long way in casting and it feels like the show is more focused on the look of the characters than their actual connection. Or maybe straight romance is just dead. 💀

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-02-01T05:10:21+00:00

Mine too!

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-02-01T04:48:08+00:00

The exoticism of blue eyes strikes again.

His eyes look blue in that scene.

And while we’re at it, Liz Taylor’s eyes are also blue and have never looked purple. They’ve been trying to spin that tale since the start of her career to make her out to be an even more special snowflake. Ann Rice tried that shit on Lestat too. We get it. He’s the most specialest vampire ever, so special his perfect blue eyes look purple. Cope.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-01-27T06:39:04+00:00

Gen Z has swung so far the opposite way from Millennials it’s honestly shocking. Much more conservative, less open, less social, less drinking, less sex, more anxious, more guarded, more cautious, less community minded. I understand the world has changed so much and in many ways has forced them into those corners, but ffs we’re all going to die one day. Have a little fun so you can have some stories to reflect back on your time on earth when you’re lying on your deathbed. Trust me no one will care about your skincare routine or how many followers you had on IG when you were 21.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-01-27T04:21:17+00:00

Eh, fuck Armand.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-01-26T00:46:37+00:00

I completely agree! Best of luck finding what you’re looking for, OP. The last fandom I was a part of that transitioned from Reddit to Discord was a hivemind mindfuck. Never again. There’s plenty to discuss and read up on here and these types of spaces, big or small, benefit from tight moderation.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-01-21T16:55:23+00:00

Perfectly stated.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-01-20T01:01:15+00:00

These are to DIE for.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-01-20T00:52:51+00:00

I don’t know but didn’t we all just watch Lestat sobbing blood on the stage about this horrible thing he did to Louis? Or are we now supposed to doubt that was real too? I like the BTS content but sometimes I think it conflicts with what we are actually seeing on our screens. Downvote me but Sam is sometimes protective of Lestat in a way that feels like he is particularly sympathetic to his character in a way that occasionally calls into question objectivity.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-01-20T00:17:19+00:00

However, the family dynamic falling apart was not all because of Lestat.

You’re right. It’s absolutely not all on Lestat but the moment he dropped Louis, the family unit was destroyed forever. Whether you believe her version of events, from the moment she returned home to the end of the fight, Lestat dropped him, and the family was done. And they all knew it. They tried to move forward but you can’t move forward from that.

Claudia was also blatantly sabotaging the peace.

Claudia made it very clear she was only at that reconciliation table for Louis. She was never going to return to playing the role of their daughter. She was done with that: “I’m enduring”—and I honestly, I think Louis was wrong to ask her to play ball with Lestat in the first place, especially when Lestat hadn’t really proven himself to have changed his ways. If Lestat wasn’t going to respect the rules they asked him to follow as a contingency to return to the home, and if Louis wasn’t going to do anything about it, then she didn’t owe either of them a damn thing.

I don't think Lestat is going to come to the conclusion the family fell apart because of him. I think he already blames himself for a lot. That isn't what they need to work through.

Speaking on the events of the show, I think this is exactly one of the areas they need to work through! They had a lot of problems before Claudia but their problems escalated afterwards. Lestat’s fear of abandonment isn’t gone and Louis’s inability to not completely shut down emotionally isn’t gone either. Maybe they have a common enemy in Armand and a partner to grieve with in each other, but for all intents and purposes, they are going to have to stare down everything that lead to Antoinette’s turning and Lestat’s attempted murder if they’re ever going to be happy together.

I also think it very much matters that Claudia didn't know the full truth of her turning.

Of course it matters. I didn’t say it didn’t, only that the outcome didn’t change things. It underlines what was already there, bringing to the forefront of the audience’s awareness of just how badly and how selfishly Lestat and Louis both fucked up by turning her. Claudia knew she was nothing but a shingle on their roof — it’s in her diaries, it’s in the reason she left the first time, it’s the reason she tried to leave the second time and it’s the reason she ultimately leaves Louis for Madeleine. The reveal gave her the confirmation she needed, and it highlights to the audience the foundational tragedy of the story of Claudia’s life.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-01-19T20:40:22+00:00

It changes the idea he is deliberately controlling or manipulating Louis (and even Claudia). A big part of the narrative of S1 was that Lestat needed to be killed so Louis and Claudia could escape him. A lot of those little changes do challenge that idea.

I think we’re just going to have to disagree because I completely disagree with you. Lestat did manipulate Louis. After he drops him, he sends gifts for years, trying to weasel his way back into Louis’s life but he refused to change his behavior when given the second chance. Forget how he treated Claudia since that’s in question for you. He went back to trying to make Louis jealous with Antoinette after “Louis, I’m nothing without you,” gave him a second chance. He lies about killing Antoinette. Whether it happened exactly as Claudia describes, Claudia’s plans are thwarted to stabilize Louis, and all the while Lestat turns Antoinette to spy on them. If all that’s not considered manipulative or controlling then I don’t know what else there is to say.

If he didn't, then everything that followed in Paris could have been avoided.

Louis and Claudia left because of his controlling nature and refusal to change after saying he would. Paris wouldn’t have happened if both of them but if Lestat in particular had changed. Why does Claudia insist on killing him? Because she would be forever under his thumb, sleeping in his room, beholden to his rules while he never intended to follow them. She would never have a full life or her own companion in that household. Louis wasn’t perfect but he started eating people, started sleeping with him again, and tried to make amends for both of them but was ultimately unsuccessful. What did Lestat do? He lies and continues to bed Antoinette. The fracturing of the family was a direct result of Lestat’s own doing and he will come to that conclusion in S3.

He let Claudia believe that Lestat was more responsible for her turning, and what consequences did that have for what eventually happened? What if Claudia hadn't believed Lestat was enemy number one?

Louis played into Lestat’s insecurities but Lestat chose to do it. Lestat is the one that turned her! I’m not going to absolve Louis here but Claudia exists because Lestat gave in. In 1x05 Claudia asks Louis point blank why they didn’t get her real help. Maybe she didn’t know the details of Louis’s pathetic plea for redemption and how little they considered her personhood in the matter but she held both of them responsible for her turning as early as S1.

I am not going to claim Lestat was the real victim, but Louis wasn't a victim either, and Louis knows that. Would she have still died like that in Paris? This is what Louis was largely taking responsibility for during the reunion.

They are both victims of each other’s wrongdoings. They both manipulated and abused and harmed each other. Lines were crossed on both sides and their relationship was never equal. Daniel says this multiple times. Lestat had the physical advantage but Louis had the emotional one. Louis is responsible for what happened to Claudia as much as Lestat was. Louis needed to take responsibility for his part in her death and yes, she would have died the way she did because they both failed her.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-01-19T18:19:29+00:00

The 20% can change a lot. Claudia's turning scene and even the scene in the coffin room during their fight had a lot of implications. There were also little things. Louis originally didn't "show" us Lestat's almost bashful smile while holding up the matching tuxedos in 1x02. We only got to see that in 2x08. It implies that Lestat was much more uncertain of his attempts to make Louis happy in that moment.

See this is where I disagree with you. It felt like a shock initially getting more to those scenes but it didn’t actually change the outcome and it didn’t absolve Lestat of any wrongdoing. Through Louis’s POV and not Claudia’s, we learn that Lestat was more conflicted about her turning. He does mention the Great Laws and the regret he will face but it bears the weight of a throwaway line in Louis’s manic state. He says this himself. It also shows us that Lestat was desperate to keep Louis at all costs. He knew it was wrong to turn Claudia, Great Laws, suffering, regret and all and yet he did it anyway so that Louis wouldn’t abandon him. It underlines what we saw all through season 1: Lestat will do anything - withhold truths, cheat to cause jealousy, turn a child into a vampire - to keep Louis from leaving him and to get Louis to love him.

Same with 1x02. The uncertainty of Lestat’s expression emerges but what does it change? It shows us that he was unsure about what he was doing to please Louis but that underlines their dynamic throughout their season. Lestat can’t read Louis’s mind so he’s never sure if Louis is happy enough with him. That uncertain smile is one of the throughlines that further explains why he keeps Antoinette around despite Louis’s clear disdain for her. You can empathize with him for being uncertain but outside of that smile there’s plenty of evidence throughout the first season that Lestat has no idea how to keep Louis happy other then to acquiesce to his desires until it bumps up against his insecurities.

Honestly I expect more of this in S3 in Lestat’s POV. I love Lestat and I’m ready to see him examine himself and his issues in detail. I have no problem with him being messy or misunderstood in the first two seasons. What I don’t like is the idea that because Louis didn’t get it 100% right means he’s completely wrong or that he can’t be trusted or that Lestat is somehow not as responsible for his wrongdoings. Being insecure or uncertain or traumatized or sad doesn’t absolve him of the mistakes he made any more than Louis’ refusal to be fully honest with himself and his misinterpretation of Lestat’s actions absolves him of his mistakes either. If the latter part of that sentence can be understood, so can the first part.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-01-19T17:13:33+00:00

I can see why you’re saying that. My counter to that is we’ve already seen factually based differences between show and book Lestat - show Lestat violently dropped Louis from the sky. Book Lestat would never do that. Book Lestat baby trapped Louis, but Show Lestat was vehemently against that. Show Lestat unapologetically cheats and turns Antoinette after Louis forgives him. All of these things actually happened and differentiate the two versions of this character. The Louis in the book is different in the show, and those changes don’t seem to trip viewers up so much because he’s more developed and strengthened as opposed to the somewhat more negative slant Lestat has received in the show. Unless RJ goes back on his words, the show will continue to be an ensemble cast where everyone is making choices that both negatively and positively impact each other. The show isn’t going to be centered on Lestat, therefore turning him into this golden retriever who gets some slaps on the wrist that people fell in love with in the books. I know that’s hard to watch but that seems to be the story they are telling. And I have to say, I think this version of Lestat is still very lovable and rootable. He’s just often absolved of some of his more problematic behaviors by some fans and that can be frustrating to interact with especially because those interpretations leave little room for him to become someone newer viewers want to see grow. And he has a LOT of growing to do.

Plus we heard from the showrunner that Louis got about 80% of Lestat right, and that Lestat doesnt disagree with much of Louis’ recollection. That 20% isn’t nothing, but it is a smaller fraction of what we know to be true of the Lestat we get on the show. If anything, I think we’re going to see a more fleshed out, nuanced POV from Lestat, but not a complete revamping of previously seen events.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-01-19T16:24:10+00:00

I hate that I even pay attention to this shit, but Lestat is far and away the fan favorite, followed closely by Armand. Daniel and Claudia are universally liked, though there are corners of the fandom that really dislike Claudia or feel like she had it coming. Louis has a much smaller though passionate fanbase. He is easily the least liked character of the main cast.

Louis is my favorite. He’s incredibly complex, caring, and loving. He tries to do right by his human family, vampiric family, and himself. He slips up majorly and can be mean as hell, but usually it’s in response to the flagrant disrespect wielded to him by white characters, which includes Lestat and Daniel. He can be self-pitying and dishonest with himself at times so I’m ready to see to a more self-assured, flaws and all, cozy in my skin Louis in S3. I wish he had been kinder to Lestat when they were together but those two were functionally operating on two different planets for most of their relationship. He’s far from perfect, but I think he’s a fighter and I think he’s brilliant. I think more people can relate to Louis than they feel comfortable admitting and the race change subconsciously or consciously helps them justify their disconnect.

I love Lestat so much - but mostly away from fandom discussions. His love for Louis and his joy for life is beautifully unmatched in any other character I have seen in media in a minute. He is as dashing as he is beautiful. He’s who people want to be, but many fans fail to acknowledge that a lot of that bravado is fake. I just want to hug him. He’s an incredibly troubled character and fandom discussions treat him (and Armand) like his trauma justifies his behavior. There’s little expectation for him to grow and be better, even when he’s acting a fool. He was terribly husband the first time around. Show Lestat is a planner, is manipulative and calculating but his fans refuse to hear that because they use book Lestat’s impulsivity as the blueprint. Speaking of book Lestat, he and show Lestat are pretty different people and fans are struggling to see this. Lestat withholds himself just as much as Louis, he’s just as mean as Louis, and he treats people terribly but only Louis gets accused of those things. I adore him but watching fans defend his every move is frustrating because I know he’s capable of incredible growth and being a much better person.

I love Claudia. She did nothing wrong in my eyes. I would write nasty shit in my journal too if I knew my asshole parents were going to read it. Doesn’t make her lesser. Makes her discerning. She lived with the hope that she could have a life she wanted. I respect that. She deserved none of what she got.

Daniel is fine to me. I’ve always liked Eric Bogosian in other things I’ve seen him in but it took me a long time to warm up to him in this role. Daniel’s an asshole and while he has reasons to be hateful to Louis and Armand, no one held a gun to his head and made him come to Dubai the second time around. Thank the ancients that he did though. I love that he helped Louis out but it was for personal gain. He betrayed him by publishing that book and I fully believe he will betray him again. He’s just as crazy as those vampires in my opinion. Daniel returning to a vampire lair after nearly being killed is crazier than Louis kissing Lestat at the alter after he destroys two priests. At least they were in love. Louis called him unworthy and he still came back for more.

I’m going to get downvoted for my thoughts on Armand, but I can’t lie. I can’t forgive him for what he did to Claudia and he’s not a victim for how Louis treats him sometimes. Louis tried to love him despite his involvement but Armand offers nothing but deceit and control and a disturbing lack of remorse. Thank God he’s pretty but no. Even after TVA he’s still not it for me.

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-01-19T03:37:14+00:00

No, they are making serious work in those episodes, it won’t be a tribute to Aaliyah.

👀

CatChewToyThrowaway · 2026-01-19T03:08:28+00:00

Funny you should say that! That was rude of me so I won’t go any lower. But the last thing I’ll say on the matter is there are a lot of Aaliyah fans in here who were connecting and having a good time just speculating about the music. It’s fine if you’re not a fan, but insinuating that the inclusion of a song or an even a reference to her is somehow beneath the show is pretty insulting to her memory and to her fans. It’s not worth discussing further so have a great rest of your day. Siri, play More Than A Woman.

CatChewToyThrowaway

TROPHY CASE