Simon Bassett, aka the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), won’t be in Bridgerton season 2, which fits with where the Netflix show’s story is headed but does leave question marks over the future of Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor). Bridgerton season 1 was a big hit for Netflix when it debuted in December 2020, and one of the reasons for that was the love story between Daphne and Simon, who served as the series’ narrative anchor. With Bridgerton renewed for season 2 (and likely more after that), then in TV terms it would naturally be expected that their journey would continue, but that’s not the case here.
While most of the cast is set to return, there is at least one actor who won’t be back, as Regé-Jean Page has confirmed he’s not in Bridgerton season 2. While few concrete details have been confirmed about season 2, it’s perhaps a little surprising that Page won’t be back at all. At the same time, however, that does somewhat fit with the structure of the story as it is in Julia Quinn’s series of Bridgerton books, which the show very much seems to be adopting.
With that, the main reason Simon (and with him, Page) won’t be in Bridgerton season 2 is that he isn’t a part of its forthcoming story. Whereas Bridgerton season 1 was based on the first book, The Duke and I, which was centered around Daphne and Simon’s romance, season 2 will be adapting Quinn’s second novel, The Viscount Who Loved Me. That means the story will be focused on Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and his quest to find a bride. While Simon and Daphne do show up in the second book, it’s understandable why there’d be no room for them (or at least for Simon) in season 2, since their story was very much wrapped-up with a happy ending. Things in that regard feel rather complete, especially given how many ups and downs they had in just eight episodes, and so there’s little else to explore in that sense.
Since each of Quinn’s books focuses on a different Bridgerton child, then this is something viewers of the show may need to get used it. It in effect turns Bridgerton into a quasi-anthology, where the central storyline will be changed up radically each year, but many of the same players could still come and go, which means it’s always possible Simon could show up again. That may depend more on Page, with the actor revealing that he only ever committed to one season, and that was part of the attraction for him. Page is the breakout star of the show, with his name already linked to playing the next James Bond. While Bridgerton is a hit, not being tied down to multiple seasons of such a major production frees him up for a lot more roles (he’s already working on The Gray Man, the Russo brothers’ next movie), and is easier to navigate than having to return to Bridgerton for a bit-part.
While it’s confirmed that Simon isn’t in Bridgerton season 2, Daphne’s status is a little more unclear. Again, her journey is over in terms of being the narrative focus, but as a Bridgerton herself she does have stronger ties to the remaining characters than Simon does, and likely more reasons to visit home. Dynevor herself hopes to be in Bridgerton season 2, and even has ideas for how she could fit into the story, telling Harpers Bazaar: “I’d like to see what happens next. And also, I’d like to see Daphne get involved in Anthony’s love life, since he was so involved in hers.” As Dynevor’s status hasn’t been confirmed one way or another, it does seem like the door is further open for her return, even if it is in a much smaller role than season 1. Simon may not be back in Bridgerton season 2, but it could still find ways of continuing his story thanks to Daphne’s presence and references to him, while focusing on Anthony’s journey.
Originally from https://screenrant.com/bridgerton-season-2-simon-rege-jean-page-daphne-missing/