How ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2 Addresses Regé-Jean Page’s Absence in the First Two Minutes

variety.com:

Emily Longeretta It’s been nearly a year since Netflix announced that “Bridgerton” would be bid adieu to Regé-Jean Page as Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings.

So, when Season 2 debuted on the streamer on Friday, the show wasted no time whatsover sharing where he was.Just as in the Julia Quinn books, Season 2 shifts focus to Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate’s (Simone Ashley) love story.

Still, many family members introduced in the first season pop up — with the exception of the Duke of Hastings, who simply stayed at home while his new wife Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) returned to the family estate for her sister Eloise’s (Claudia Jessie) debut season as an eligible bachelorette.When Eloise won’t come out of her room to meet with the Queen, Daphne becomes impatient, quipping, “Do you realize I left my husband and child at home for this?” Last April, Page spoke to Variety about his exit, noting that his part in the Shonda Rhimes-produced series was always set to be a “one-season arc.”“[I thought] ‘That’s interesting,’ because then it felt like a limited series.

I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit and then the Bridgerton family rolls on,” he said at the time. “One of the things that is different about this [romance] genre is that the audience knows the arc completes.