Why Bridgerton Fans Find Anthony Bridgerton So Annoying?
Anthony Bridgerton is a walking red flag.
After Simon Basset's departure after Season 1, the title of the Bridgerverse's number-one heartthrob went to the eldest Bridgerton sibling, Anthony. Over the course of the second season, Jonathan Bailey's character managed to capture the attention and love of many viewers with his distinctive screen presence and palpable sexual energy.
However, some people found Lord Bridgerton really annoying and difficult to relate to. Fan discussions on Reddit show that they had good reason to feel that way — several reasons, in fact.
Let's check your red flag radar and see what exactly fans hated Anthony for.
He is arrogant
Anthony is the eldest Bridgerton and takes responsibility for his family, but he does so with an insufferable arrogance. Fans say that Anthony talks more about his duties than he actually acts on them. This 'head of the household' title, which clearly weighs on Lord Bridgerton, serves as a source of his rudeness and controlling behavior. Anthony constantly insults and underestimates his mother and siblings under the guise of caring for them.
He doesn't care about others
Many viewers find that Anthony is self-absorbed and doesn't care about how others feel, which is especially evident in the way he plays with women's feelings. First Siena and then Edwina fall victim to Anthony's selfishness.
If he thought about them and their future before acting on his own desires and motivations, he would probably let these women get involved with someone more considerate.
He mansplains
The hunting scene did not sit well with many viewers. Instead of taking Kate at face value, Anthony questioned her abilities and put her down, apparently proving himself to be a better hunter — and a superior human being to all women in general. Yikes.
He refuses to respect boundaries
Another dangerous message of the hunting scene came when Anthony put his hands on Kate to 'show her how to use a gun' after she had explicitly told him not to several times.
All fans agree that nothing — not even a Regency romance — justifies normalizing the invasion of women's space without their consent.
He comes from a terrible source character
Those who have read Julia Quinn's books do not find Anthony's repulsive behavior unsurprising. As it turns out, Shondaland has considerably softened the off-putting source character. In the book, Anthony has serious aggression issues: he yells, threatens, grabs, abuses, and even strangles some characters. And in one scene, he even kicks Kate in the stomach, for God's sake!
Source: Reddit.