Bridgerton Should Have Killed Simon - Because He Ruins 3 Plot Points

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Warning! SPOILERS for Bridgerton season 2.

Bridgerton season 2 had to write Simon off the show – but killing off the character would have been a much better solution. While Regé-Jean Page's departure was announced shortly after Bridgerton season 1 premiered, it can't be said that audiences easily adjusted to the idea of not having the Duke of Hastings on the show anymore. The relationship between Simon and Daphne had been the focus of Bridgerton season 1, and it won over both those who already knew the story of The Duke and I and new audiences.

Although Regé-Jean Page's departure from Bridgerton appears to have been on good terms, to this day there has not been a definitive answer as to why he left. Regé-Jean Page and producer Shonda Rhimes mentioned how Simon's story in Bridgerton had been envisioned as a one-season arc, but recently producer Chris Van Dusen suggested that things hadn't worked out to bring Regé back. Whatever the reason, Simon's absence didn’t come without a price.

Related: Why Bridgerton Forgot Francesca Again — Where She Was For Most Of Season 2

Considering all the importance that Bridgerton gives to social structures and how important appearances were in that period, it is almost a break of immersion that Simon doesn't have an active role in the events of season 2. More than a fan-favorite character, Simon is the Duke of Hastings and married into the Bridgerton family tree. Given the importance his name alone carries in the context of the show, there should have been numerous explanations to justify Simon's absence from each of the major events of the season, which there wasn’t. Even if those explanations had been given, it would still have been a bit of a stretch to believe that Simon would not have