Bridgerton: Why Season 2 Needs To Change Marina’s Story

Warning: SPOILERS for Bridgerton season 1.

Bridgertonseason 1 drew on Marina Thompson’s character from the Bridgerton books, but the Netflix show needs to change Marina’s story in season 2. Bridgerton season 1, episode 1, “Diamond of the First Water,” introduces Marina Thompson (Ruby Barker), who has come from her home in the country to live with her distant cousins, the Featheringtons. Shortly after Marina’s arrival, Lady Featherington (Polly Walker) discovers that Marina is pregnant. After Marina refuses to marry any of the suitors that Lady Featherington selected, Marina realizes how desperate her situation has become. Bridgerton then foreshadows Marina’s fate in Julia Quinn’s novel To Sir Phillip, With Love when Marina brews a poison juniper tea that may end her life.

In To Sir Phillip, With Love, Marina Thompson is only briefly mentioned. When Phillip Crane’s brother is killed in battle, Phillip marries his brother’s fiancé, Marina Thompson. Phillip and Marina have two children together – twins. Sometime later, Marina’s depression takes hold of her and she attempts to drown herself in a lake. Phillip rescues her, but Marina dies a few days later. After Marina’s death, Eloise Bridgerton sends her condolences – since, in the book, Marina is a distant cousin of the Bridgertons, not the Featheringtons. Phillip and Eloise exchange letters and end up falling in love, meaning that Marina was originally little more than a prop in someone else’s love story.

Since Bridgerton has already changed Marina’s character so much from the book, the show needs to give her a different story. Marina was as much a main character in Bridgerton season 1 as Penelope Featherington, Queen Charlotte, or any of the Bridgerton siblings (aside from Daphne, of course). Reverting Marina’s character to “prop” status would be a colossal mistake for the show, not to mention that it would be a huge waste of Marina actress Ruby Barker’s talent. Bridgerton needs to change Marina’s story going forward in a way that honors the character Marina has become – which might as well be a brand-new character, completely unique from the one in To Sir Phillip, With Love.

At the end of Bridgerton season 1, episode 8, “After the Rain,” Marina leaves London with Phillip Crane after accepting his proposal — but the story isn’t set in stone. There are any number of ways that Bridgerton could give Marina a better story than having her suddenly die so she’s out of the way for Phillip and Eloise to fall in love. Phillip could decide not to marry Marina, but continue to support her financially, or they could marry briefly and then separate after the birth of Marina’s child. Of course, it’s also possible that Bridgerton’s showrunners have already written a different story for Marina since production on Bridgerton season 2 is scheduled to begin this spring.

Ruby Barker is expected to return as Marina Thompson in season 2, but that has yet to be confirmed by Bridgerton’s production company ShondaLand. However, Marina Thompson was a breakout character in season 1 that quickly became a fan favorite, so it seems logical to include her in season 2 – and aside from that, it simply feels like her story hasn’t been told. Hopefully, Bridgerton season 2 will continue to diverge from the books, as it has already done, and give Marina a story that reflects the character she’s become rather than the one originally in the book.

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