Warning: spoilers ahead for season 2.
From the very start of Bridgerton on Netflix, it was clear that an enormous amount of pressure had been placed on Anthony Bridgerton () as the head of his household.
The eldest sibling took on the role, inheriting the title of Viscount, following the death of his father, Edmund Bridgerton (Rupert Evans), who is .
At the start of episode three, a flashback sequence shows a young Anthony in high spirits out hunting with his father, before disaster strikes in a tragic turn of events.
Having stooped down to pick some flowers for his wife, Edmund is rattled by a bee that won’t leave him alone, which then stings him in the neck.
Anthony looks up to see his father suddenly unable to breathe, catching him as he falls to the ground.
Anthony’s mother, Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell), who is heavily pregnant, rushes towards them, with Edmund eventually dying in her arms.
Violet sobs with grief, before ordering Anthony to stop the other children in the family from seeing their father dead on the ground.
In the books by Julia Quinn, Edmund dies at the age of 38 after being stung by a bee while Violet is pregnant with their eighth child, Hyacinth.
However, in the books Anthony isn’t present for his father’s death, finding out after returning home with his brother Benedict that Edmund died in an incident witnessed by his sister, Eloise.
In the show, the trauma Anthony experiences from seeing his father die has a significant impact on him into his adult life, particularly when he sees Kate being stung by a bee.
The Viscount immediately panics, worried that she could experience a similar fate, but soon discovers that she’s alright after an intense moment between them.
Viewers shared on Twitter how emotionally hard-hitting they found the flashback depicting Edmund’s death and the heartbreak demonstrated in the performances by Ruth and Jonathan.
‘I had no idea that the Anthony and Edmund scene would hit me so hard,’ one person wrote.
‘Oh boy these flashback are hard to watch – I can feel in my bones all the pain, the suffering, the heartbreak Violet & Anthony felt after Edmund’s died,’ someone else said, before adding: ‘Ruth and Johnny performance during these flashbacks are PHENOMENAL!!!’
On the day of the launch of Bridgerton season two, Rupert set off the waterworks for viewers yet again by sharing a picture of himself and Jonathan in character as Edmund and Anthony respectively, writing: ‘Father and son…’
‘I cried all the tears I had in me! You were the perfect Edmund Bridgerton!’ one fan responded, while another said it was a ‘very beautiful and sad episode’.
Bridgerton is available to watch on Netflix.
