Kate and Anthony Week: Allow Me

 First published on Tumblr 14 May 2023

Two words, but they, and the 10 seconds in season two in which they appear, have so much meaning for Kate and Anthony's story.

Setting the scene: These two words are said at the altar during Anthony's wedding to Edwina. Just as the Archbishop was saying Anthony's vows for him to repeat, Kate was fiddling with her bangle and it dropped to the floor. Anthony immediately knelt to pick up Kate's bangle, and as he did he said 'allow me' as he gently placed the bangle in Kate's hand. This was the moment that Edwina had her epiphany (we won't discuss that here, maybe in the future).

So let us look at the elements, and then discuss why I believe this scene, and these words, are so important for Kate and Anthony's story (separate to them stopping the wedding with Edwina).

The Bangles: Kate said to Edwina that the bangles belonged to her mother, she wore them on her wedding day. From my research I believe that these are Kangan bracelets that Kate is wearing. My understanding is that these bracelets form an important part of the wedding ceremony. The Aurus Jewels Website (aurusjewels.com) expands on this, stating "The Indian bracelet is largely connected to marriage and symbolizes matrimony in a similar way to how a Western wedding ring does. Hindu brides frequently combine their gold bangles with glass bangles. Red and green glass bangles are considered to be essential signs of marriage." These were the bracelets that Kate's mother had to symbolise her marriage. What is striking with the earlier scene where Kate offers them to Edwina to wear is that Edwina had never seen them before. For Kate these bangles represented her mother, and her parents, it was something that she had not shared before. When Edwina returns the bangles to Kate, saying that she doesn't want to feel like she is taking what is rightfully Kate's, it symbolises that Anthony, like the bangles, rightfully belongs with Kate.

The Altar: In christianity the altar is the focus of all services, and represents the presence of christ during the services. It is at the altar that sacred ceremonies take place within the christian church, of which the marriage ceremony is one such ceremony, the uniting of two people.

The Vows: Within the marriage ceremony the form it takes is that of the vows, in which each person makes a promise to the other in front of god.

Bringing these elements together, we have the basis of a sacred marriage ceremony that is part christian and part Hindu. So, what does this symbolise for Kate and Anthony, and how do the words Anthony says translate into a vow?

By saying 'Allow me' Anthony is asking Kate's permission to give her the bangle, Kate does not object, but she must understand the significance of him giving her the bangle at the altar. This represents their marriage ceremony, with the bangle taking the place of the giving of a ring. By asking permission to give her the bangle, and Kate silently granting it, Anthony is mimicking the giving of a ring at the altar during the marriage ceremony, especially as it comes after Anthony's part of the vows was said (though not by him).

Further, this gesture on Anthony's part is not lost on Edwina, what she is seeing is Anthony asking Kate if she will take a symbol of marriage, and Kate not objecting, for Edwina this would have seemed like Kate and Anthony's marriage ceremony.

So, whilst the words may appear to be unimportant, they are in essence the beginning of a promise made.

How colour foreshadowed two future Bridgerton Brides

Foreshadowing is a big part of Bridgerton, as is the use of colour in the costumes, and season 2 was no different.  Whilst the colours of the costumes in season 1 tracked the journey of the leads, specifically Daphne, in season 2 the colours were used to show that Kate and Anthony were meant to be, but in episode 4 colour was used to foreshadow two specific Bridgerton Brides.  

Kate: 

In the beginning of episode 4 we see Kate in a light 'Bridgerton Blue' dress, the colour and the pattern matches Anthony's waistcoat.  Whilst the matching colours through the season indicated it was Kate that Anthony was destined to be with, it is this dress in Bridgerton Blue that points to Kate becoming a Bridgerton.  Kate wears this lighter blue only twice in the season, the first time is at the first ball when she first overhears Anthony, and again at the beginning of the House Party at Aubrey Hall.  I believe that this is the most significant moment of her wearing the signature Bridgerton Blue.  Kate is wearing the family colour at the country estate of the family she will soon be the head of, and it is significant that she is wearing this colour at the beginning of the house party.  

Penelope: 

Penelope is known for wearing yellow, however, in season 1 we had seen her in some pink and a bright lime green, in season 2 she is generally back in yellow, however, in episode 4 we see Penelope in green, and not the garish lime green we have seen her in before, but a softer green colour.  This is significant on two points, first it points to Penelope being a future Bridgerton Bride, with her dress colour being a mix of the yellow she would normally wear and the Bridgerton Blue, secondly this was a deliberate choice by the costume designer to put Penelope in Green at this point in the show as an easter egg for season 3, it is at the Bridgerton country estate, and marks the beginning of the house party.  It is also significant that in this scene Penelope is with both Colin and Eloise - who are both in Bridgerton Blue.  

What we see in episode 4 is two Bridgerton Brides, the one whose season it is and the one for the next season, in colours that represent their future within the Bridgerton Family.  Kate as the future Viscountess wearing the family's colour, and Penelope as the future bride of the third son in a mix of her family colour with the Bridgerton family colour.  

I look forward to seeing the colour journey in season 3 as we watch Penelope and Colin's relationship develop, and as we watch for the next Bridgerton spouse.  

Kate and Anthony Week: All I find myself being able to breathe for is you

First Published for Kate and Anthony Week 2023 on 12 May 2023

In the gazebo scene Anthony says these words to Kate 'all I find myself being able to breathe for is you', it is in essence Anthony's first love declaration to Kate.  

This line calls back to episode 3 when Violet, in the depths of her depression after Edmund's death, tells a devastated Anthony that 'Edmund was the air that I breathed, and now there is no air'.  That this from Violet came almost immediately after she told Anthony she wished that she had died in childbirth, further devastated Anthony, but also set him on his path of not wanting to marry for love, and not wanting someone to love him as his mother had loved his father.  

So when Anthony tells Kate that all he finds himself being able to breathe for is her, he is acknowledging the love that he has for Kate is as strong as the love that Violet had for Edmund, it shows Anthony's growth and his surrendering to love and acceptance that he will love Kate no matter where she is.  

This theme of the breath is prevalent with Kate and Anthony in season two, and is something that the production team worked on, specifically the sound engineers.  At times of Anthony and Kate being physically close we not only see them breathing each other's air, but we hear it as the sound of their breath is amplified and becomes a part of the story of Kate and Anthony. 

I have seen some viewers, in their rush to show their disdain for season 2, ridicule this aspect of their characters, mock the importance placed on breath and say how disgusting they found it.  This shows not only a lack of understanding of some of the central themes for season 2, it shows a gross ignorance in understanding the importance that the human breath plays in many cultures. 

I alluded to the importance in breath yesterday when discussing the dances of Kate and Anthony, and in particular the final move of the 'Wrecking Ball' dance, where Kate and Anthony are close, and sharing each other's breath.  In many cultures the breath symbolises life, it is spiritual, and in some cultures the sharing of the breath is something that is sacred and seen as being a gift from the gods. 

For me personally, I am most familiar with its cultural and spiritual importance within the Polynesian cultures, specifically that of the New Zealand Maori and Native Hawaiian cultures.  The sharing of breath, is the sharing of life, it is the way that they greet each other. 

For Hawaiians the traditional greeting, honi, where the two people greeting each other touch their foreheads and noses, welcomes each other into their space by sharing the breath of life.

This greeting is similar to the New Zealand Maori greeting, which also involves touching foreheads and noses, and the sharing of the breath, to welcome a person, where they are seen, not as a visitor, but as Tangata Whenua (one of the people of the land).  This is a spiritual greeting and the sharing of breath is seen as coming directly from the gods.  

The Inuits also greet each other in a similar manner, called Kunik, though this is usually only reserved for family members, as opposed to the New Zealand Maori and Hawaiians who use it more widely.  In the Inuit culture the Kunik involves pressing your nose and upper lips to the other person, and breathing in the scent of the person you are greeting. 

These are not the only cultures around the world that use the sharing of breath in greeting, whether for those that are family, friends, or honoured and revered guests, this act is spiritual and intimate.  It connects those that are sharing their breath, and it symbolises their life force. 

So for me, the addition of the breath in Season 2 with respect to Kate and Anthony is symbolic of their life force.  Kate is Anthony's life force, and he is hers, their sharing of breath throughout the series is a physical representation of this, just as Anthony's words 'all I find myself being able to breathe for is you' is a verbal representation of this.   

The depiction of this could have been something that was played for laughs, humour, and essentially mocking the beliefs that believe in the breath of life, it is a credit to Chris van Dusen, Jonathan Bailey, and Simone Ashley that it was done in a sensitive and serious way.  It is just sad that some so-called Bridgerton fans deem it something to be mocked and made fun of.