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Yapping about movies, tv shows, reality tv, pop culture moments, and anything else that I can't get off my mind.
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Welcome
Hello and welcome to the I Have to Say Podcast.
And today, I have to say, Queen Charlotte is the best Bridgerton season.
It’s not even a question to be honest, but we all have our own preferences I guess.
I already had an idea of which ones I think are the best, but it’s been YEARS since the first season came out. Has to be like five years. And…well…yeah. I looked it up. It’s been five years since the first season.
I kinda remember it vividly though, like that it was that long ago, because I was in the hospital after giving birth and watching the first season while my baby was sleeping.
But normally, my memory is not that great, and because I can rewatch tv shows and movies I haven’t seen in years and it’s a little bit like I’m watching it again for the first time, which I don’t know if I’m lucky or if that’s sad, but don’t tell me…
Anyway, I thought it was time for a rewatch since it’s been so long, so it’s all fresh in my mind while we chat about which seasons are the best.
I could complain about how long the season turnarounds feel for Bridgerton, but I’ll let it go for today and focus on the fact that there’s currently four seasons of Bridgerton on Netflix with the 4th finishing a month or so ago, plus the Queen Charlotte series, which I will be including in this ranking.
This time, I’ll be ranking them based on the leads’ first meeting, the main character and their backstories, the romance between the characters, and how interesting the side stories and plotlines are.
So, thank you for joining me. Thank you for being here. And let’s get started.
Leads’ First Meeting
The way the main leads of the seasons meet sets the tone for their romance. It’s the hook, setting the scene for how their relationship will develop over time. So I’m going to rank their first meeting based on how excited I was to continue their story.
Season 1
In Season 1, the leads are Daphne Bridgerton and The Duke.
Daphne and The Duke literally run into each.
The Duke is sought after this season because of his rank, title, and his looks, but I would say mostly his title, it just helps that he’s good looking, and is annoyed by the women and their mothers constantly throwing themselves at him.
He assumes that Daphne is another lady, looking to marry him and that she has found a creative way of getting his attention.
Daphne is offended by the accusation, because she is the diamond after all, and after some amusing banter and an interference from The Duke’s friend and Daphne’s brother, Anthony, the two go different ways.
Daphne’s instant dislike of him seemed a bit out of nowhere, but an attractive rake does naturally bring out the defiance within you, so I get it.
I loved their first meeting. It made me curious as to how they would end up becoming friendly and being together. It hooked me and there was nothing I would change.
So for their first meeting, I’m going to rank this season a 5 out of 5.
Season 2
In Season 2, the leads are Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton.
Kate and Anthony met by chance riding their horses in a field at dawn, which is frowned upon for Kate because she is supposed to have an escort with her as a woman in upper society.
Anthony sees her riding her horse alone and goes to follow her and make sure she’s okay, and that leads to a race between the two of them.
Kate wins and manages to jump over a set of bushes with her horse, which impresses Anthony.
He finds her as they ride horses and wants to learn more about her and why she’s there. They have some back and forth, and then she leaves, teasing Anthony about how she won and leaving him without her name.
Their first meeting is so…them. They’re so competitive and we see that all throughout the season, so it’s cute that is also how they met. And because they met there, Anthony also knows to go there to look for her later in the story.
Their first meeting is just on brand for who they are as characters and the way that they continue to playfully tease and pick at each other.
It hooked me, and it was the first time we saw Anthony genuinely interested in a woman that he spoke with this season, but what if they never saw each other again, you know? They left it up to chance.
So for their first meeting, I’m going to rank this season a 4.5 out of 5.
Queen Charlotte
In Queen Charlotte, the leads are Queen Charlotte and King George.
Queen Charlotte is trying to climb a wall so she can run away from her arranged marriage to Just George.
He catches her, though she doesn’t know it’s him, and they have an amusing conversation. By the time he reveals he is the King she speaks about, I was smiling from ear to ear.
And when George gave Charlotte the choice of marrying him in front of her brother, who wasn’t giving her a choice at all, I was thinking like “If she doesn’t want him, I’ll take him.”
It was a great first impression of George and an entertaining watch of their relationship
So for their first meeting, I’m going to rank this season a 5 out of 5.
Season 3
In Season 3, the leads are Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton.
Penelope and Colin are friends, so we don’t really get a scene where they meet for the first time, but instead, I’ll choose the scene when Colin offers to help Penelope find a suitor to marry.
It’s the first scene where we see them work on a task together and it brings them closer.
In that scene, Colin is trying to get back in Penelope’s good graces. She’s feeling hopeless. She just saw Colin again since she overheard him say he would never marry her.
Colin is clueless, unsure why she pulled away and wanting to help her after hearing her troubles.
It’s a classic move in the friendship to lovers trope, in my opinion, so I don’t mind it and I was interested in seeing at what point they would realize they were meant to be together, but it also doesn’t really stand out.
So for their first meeting, I’m going to rank this season a 3 out of 5.
Season 4
In Season 4, the leads are Sophie Baek and Benedict Bridgerton.
There are technically two first meetings in this season, but we’ll go with the one in the first episode.
Benedict spots Sophie aka The Lady in Silver from across the room and is mesmerized by her, which to me, makes this one probably the most romantic one. He sees that men are approaching her for a dance and she looks a little uncomfortable, so he steps in.
And because Benedict is trying to avoid his mom, he convinces her to go outside with him, where they talk and dance and share a moment together.
It was heavy on the Cinderella vibes, and a sweet meeting. I knew I was going to enjoy the season from this moment and wanted to see more.
So for their first meeting, I’m going to rank this season a 4.5 out of 5.
Main Character & Their Backstories
What pulls me to Bridgerton, aside from the romance, is that each character is really their own person on their own journeys. I know it’s a basic part of storytelling, but it really makes all the difference, because in this show, it establishes the stakes that we see throughout the story and their future relationship.
I’ll be ranking the main characters and their backstories based on how much I enjoyed their character and what they brought to the season and how compelling I found them and their backstories, with 5 being the most.
Season 1
Daphne is the oldest daughter and in this world, women of the ton spend their young life being groomed for marriage, so that when they’re of age, they enter society and start the courting process to find a man, get married, and have children.
Daphne has all these expectations on her as a woman, but also has her mom, Violet, hoping that she finds true love and doesn’t have to settle.
The Duke has returned back to the ton to claim his father’s title. His mother died in childbirth and his father was awful, sending him away because he had a stutter and treating him as if he didn’t exist. Because of how horrible his father has treated him, The Duke made a promise to his father while his father was on his deathbed that he would never bore an heir and their line would die with him.
Being the first season, and an introduction to the world, it took some getting used to for me and time to sympathize with the rules and ways of society, but I think Daphne’s and The Duke’s characters were a good way to introduce the world to viewers.
I think that The Duke’s character and backstory was dived into more than Daphne’s, but I was locked in to what was shown and interested in his character arc.
Daphne got more of a chosen one trope, being the diamond of the season. Though she had some roadblocks along the way, she ended up having a prince as one of her options.
So for the characters and their backstories, I’m going to rank this season a 3 out of 5.
Season 2
Anthony is the oldest brother, who has made it his mission to settle down. He’s not looking for love. He had love kinda in season 1 with a mistress who was below his rank and that didn’t end well. He’s seen his mom lose the love of her life and the grief that came along with that and knew he didn’t want that.
Anthony was also there when his father died from a bee sting and it’s one of his core memories.
Since Anthony’s father died, his life has been about responsibility and taking care of his family and he takes a pragmatic approach to finding his wife, not wanting to deal with the loss of losing a great love.
Kate is also the oldest child. Both of her parents died, but her stepmom treats her like her own daughter. Because of her stepmom's grief, Kate felt the need to step up in her family and take the role of the head of household.
She’s come with her sister to the ton to help her find a husband, but we learn that Edwina has to marry a man of English descent and of rank in order to gain their grandparents approval and the inheritance, which the family needs.
Kate and Anthony have different backgrounds but are alike. Both are the eldest children, both are pragmatic and competitive. Both have experienced loss and grief and have had to lead their families in navigating it.
I loved these characters and the backstories only made me fall in love with their love for each other more,
So for the characters and their backstories, I’m going to rank this season a 5 out of 5.
Queen Charlotte
We’ve met Queen Charlotte before in the previous two seasons, and she was unserious and demanding, with a soft spot and is constantly looking to be entertained.
She’s a necessary part of each season in my opinion, providing a comedic relief and being the person who can either up the stakes or make problems go away.
In Queen Charlotte though, we learn more about her. She was due to marry the King against her will in a scheme set up Todd…sorry that was for the housewives fans, but it was an arranged marriage set up by her brother as a display in the success of “The Great Experiment.”
Bridgerton is a show that isn’t led by race. Anyone of any race can be anything and the discrimination is based on class not race, but from my understanding it’s because of what Queen Charlotte and King George’s marriage represented, which was a blurring of lines between those of fairer and darker skin.
And throughout the season, we learn why Queen Charlotte is so wrapped up in Lady Whistledown. She’s lonely, has been lonely for years, though she rarely has moments alone. She’s been a pawn in her brother’s political games, has limited autonomy and ended up falling in love with The King, who is mad.
Based on the two previous seasons, we know that King George isn’t all there and is never around. Through this mini series, we learn King George was born into royalty and to be King, but he doesn’t want the title. He fulfills his responsibilities at this time when forced to, but he loves sciences, the moon, the stars, and farming.
He’s charming and seems to be genuinely caring, but then a flip switches in the series and he’s distant and cold and uninterested. As the season goes on, we learn it’s because he has an undefined mental illness and has been receiving treatment, which is essentially torture, like he was being torture in the hopes that that type of torutre will help his condition and he can be the man he feels Charlotte deserves.
The characters and their backstories in Queen Charlotte really shifted how I view the show and my attachment and understanding of the Queen. It really made me fall in love with the world
So for the characters and their backstories, I’m going to rank this season a 5 out of 5.
Season 3
Now onto season 3.
We were introduced to these characters in the first two seasons and learned of Penelope’s alter ego, Lady Whistledown.
Colin is one of the infamous Bridgertons. He likes writing and traveling and was looking to become a businessman.
Penelope is a Featherington, a family in society, but one that has had their fair shares of scandals and money issues.
We know that Penelope has been in love with Colin for a while and is friends with one of Colin’s sisters, Eloise.
Penelope has entered society three or so times and has yet to find a husband. It was believed she would become a woman who never marries, and she tends to go unnoticed and be forgotten, which is what helped her hide her secret identity for so long.
And she’s currently in a fight with Eloise because Eloise found out that she’s Lady Whistledown.
But aside from this, we don’t get much of the backstories of Colin and Penelope. They’re not new characters, but even in previous seasons,and especially with Colin, we don’t get very many moments that peer into their inner words, like we do with other characters. We don’t learn much about why they are how they are or what they’ve been through outside of conversations.
Like we’re not really shown anything new.
I like their characters, but we’re so focused on their external world and the decisions that they make, and not so much what they’ve been through in the past and their backstories. Penelope is a more complete character to me than Colin was, and even then I wish we got more of her outside of her as Lady Whistledown and her thoughts and the drama she finds herself in [as Lady Whistledown].
I know her and Lady Whistledown are one in the same, but it could’ve been cool to see like, the first time she wrote as Lady Whistledown.
We don’t even know for sure how she feels about her family, like, we don’t dive into it. It can be inferred, but it’s not shown the way it is for other characters.
So for the characters and their backstories, I’m going to rank this season a 3 out of 5.
Season 4
Benedict is the second oldest brother and has a reputation of being a rake. Since the first season, we’ve seen how he sleeps around and how he’s been noncommittal.
He’s passionate about art and likes to paint and draw. He's even got the opportunity to go to a prestigious art school, but he dropped out and stopped painting for a while after learning his brother essentially paid for his spot.
This season, his mother wants him to marry, and he entertains the idea, but then he meets the Lady in Silver and doesn’t want anyone except for her…until he meets Sophie.
Sophie is the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman and a maid. Her mother passed away, so her father took her in as a ward. Eventually her father remarried, but after he passed, her stepmother kept her as a part of the household as a maid.
Sophie is intelligent and kind but she’s also realistic. She doesn’t hang on to false hope and though she has a few spontaneous moments, she tends to make sure things make sense before she commits fully. She wants to stay out of trouble.
Sophie and Benedict are both interesting characters to me. We see a different side of Benedict this season that I enjoyed and Sophie was a refreshing change from the leads that we’re used to.
I was planning on ranking it a 4, but I think I’m going to rank it a 4.5 out of 5.
Much like Season 3, with Benedict we didn’t get much of his backstory the way that we got others, but we did get to see his life in the cottage and him showing off his art and I felt like it was more…the story just felt more complete than it did with Penelope and Colin.
So for the characters and their backstories, I’m going to rank this season a 4.5 out of 5.
Romance between leads
The romance between the leads is the draw, to me, and the main part of Bridgerton. I’m ranking the romances of each season based on if I think they have chemistry, if I think their love story is romantic or passionate, and if the couples seem to be meant to be.
Season 1
I have to be honest, I thought the first season was sooooo much more romantic than it actually is. Rewatching it I feel duped, lied to, and betrayed, because I didn’t remember their romance being the way that it actually is, at all.
It starts off cute in the beginning with how they met, and then from there, things get…complicated? And parts of it just feel wrong? And are wrong…
After their first meeting, Lady Danbury and Daphne’s mom, Violet, have a failed attempt at setting up Daphne and The Duke.
But after Lady Whistledown writes that The Duke is eligible and that Daphne is undesirable, The Duke and Daphne enter a fake dating arrangement where he publicly courts her so that women think he’s unavailable and leave him alone and so that men will see Daphne as desirable and want to pursue her.
Through the course of their fake dating, something grows between them, but The Duke doesn’t want to take the opportunity of marriage and having children away from Daphne, so he takes some steps back.
There are a few scandals that take place and it’s still pulling teeth to get The Duke to agree to marriage, even if it means saving Daphne’s reputation. And then once he does finally agree to it,he doesn't seem happy about it.
Though we are to believe The Duke has true and real love for Daphne and there are some sweet words said by him to the Queen, he was pretty clear the whole time that he didn’t want marriage or children and his mind really didn’t change until his hands were tied.
I mean Daphne even tried to force the issue about children at one point and failed. Like literally tried to force the issue.
Then we get the miscommunication trope where they’re both thinking the other is unhappy while they’re actually pining for each other and they end up working out and having a child together.
I finished the season pretty unsatisfied and a little annoyed at how their romance played out. While I think that they had chemistry, and there was some passion there, most of their relationship felt really unhealthy.
It felt like they were forced into these situations and I don’t really care that they say that they weren’t. It just doesn’t feel romantic.
I think that if they weren’t near scandal, they wouldn’t have gotten married and The Duke would’ve moved on with his life.
And I think that their whole debate about having children should’ve been a sign that they were not meant to be. They shouldn’t have been in a situation where they’re convincing the other to either have children or not have children…like…I didn’t like that.
So, because I don’t really believe in their love story, I’m going to give their romance a 2 out of 5.
Season 2
After they meet, Kate overhears Anthony talking about finding a wife and treating women as things to be had, so she doesn’t want Edwina and Anthony to court.
Regardless, Anthony is still interested in courting Edwina, so Kate is forced to play along and attend the family outings that take place.
In doing so, it’s clear that Anthony and Kate have biting chemistry and have more in common than Anthony and Edwina do. There’s light flirting, some teasing and competitiveness, and a series of moments that show they’re attracted to each other and have fun baiting each other.
But when a bee lands on Kate and Anthony has a panic attack because of what happened to his father, it’s even more clear to the other that they have grown fond of and are feeling deeper feelings for one another.
Still, they fight their attraction and their feelings and there’s all these reasons why Anthony has to marry Edwina. But when Anthony and Edwina make it to the altar, Edwina notices the way Anthony gazes at Kate and realizes that Anthony doesn’t love her and that he actually loves Kate.
The wedding not happening causes a scandal, and The Sharmas and Bridgertons show a united front though things are fractured.
At some point after an event they have together, Kate and Anthony finally do something for themselves and hook up. He goes to find her to propose and catches her in the field on her horse in the rain in time to see her fall and hit her head.
And even then, they’re both hesitant to admit their feelings because of growing up with their mother’s grief.
At the last ball before Kate is going to leave, they share a dance together and the Queen lowkey cosigns their relationship. Anthony proposes and she says yes and they have a happily ever after.
I know that Anthony and Kate’s relationship is a bit problematic because of Edwina, but their relationship is also passionate. The way they looked at each other, the way their attraction was impossible to ignore, and even just how alike they are, I truly think they were meant to be together. Their love is passionate and full of chemistry and bickering and I ate it all up and was looking for seconds.
So, for their romance, I’m going to give them a 5 out of 5.
Actually, I’m gonna give it a 4.5 out of 5 because it is messed up what they did to Edwina, even though I do think that they’re meant to be.
Queen Charlotte
After Charlotte and George meet, they get married and it seemed like they were going to get a happily ever after, but then George announces they will be living in two separate houses and I was heartbroken for Charlotte.
Charlotte goes to him to explain her loneliness and unhappiness and he forces her out. And then he randomly shows up for dinner and acts like everything is fine.
They have a love-hate relationship, embracing the even days, but otherwise ignoring each other, though they can’t stop thinking about the other.
And when George has an episode that leads him outside trying to talk to Venus in the sky, Charlotte brings him inside, is annoyed that she’s not been informed of his condition, and George goes to the doctor who, I think just wanted the ability to torture the King, honestly.
And I know, it doesn’t sound very romantic at the moment, but their love is clear as day and you can see it whenever they dance together and honestly whenever they talk and interact with each other. There’s a fine line between hate and love after all.
But what really got me, and showed me that it was mutual pining, was George’s episode, where we see that he’s blown away by Charlotte’s beauty and her intelligence. We learn that he’s stayed away, scared she won’t accept him, feeling like she deserves better than a mad King, and is being tortured daily in the hopes that he can get better and be back by her side.
And though he never gets better, we see that Charlotte loves George and always will. And I mean, we saw that in season 2, when the King pops out while she’s talking to Edwina.
Charlotte accepts and loves him as he is. They do have twelve kids or something like that after all.
The end, when they’re talking under the bed, still makes me cry.
So, for their romance, I’m going to give them a 5 out of 5.
Season 3
After Colin helps Penelope, they have a few meetings and lessons. Penelope and Colin share a kiss because Penelope is frustrated with how her progress is coming along and is still feeling hopeless. She just wants to kiss someone before she dies and so they kiss.
It shifts things between them, though neither act on it.
Penelope has gained the interest of another man, Lord Debling, Lord Debling realizes there is something more going on between Colin and Penelope, so he breaks things off with Penelope.
As Penelope leaves in her carriage, Colin joins and we get the carriage scene, where Colin technically dishonors her.
And then they get engaged to be married, only there’s a secret hanging above them, which is that Penelope is Lady Whistledown.
When Colin finds out he is pissed, and a bit jealous of Penelope’s writing ability, but eventually they get over it and Penelope’s identity is revealed to the ton.
Their romance had some hot moments not gonna lie, and I think that they make sense together, but it was two seasons in the making at the same time. I think that they’re meant to be and there’s chemistry there, but I don’t know if their story is romantic or passionate.
Penelope had been pining for years and Colin realizes there is more there as she tries to move on, which is a classic trope but always leaves me wanting more because what if she didn’t ask for his help in finding a suitor? What if she didn’t have other option in Lord Debling? Would he have realized his feelings for her?
So, for their romance, I’m gonna give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
Because I do think that it was inevitable that they would end up together, but I don’t really like how it played out all that much.
Season 4
After their first meeting, Sophie and Benedict meet again, two years later out in the countryside. Benedict sees Sophie getting into it with her boss, which is a man who has a bad reputation, so he steps in, getting both Sophie and her friend fired.
During the fight, I think that Benedict gets hurt and so he and Sophie flee to his nearby cottage so he can be nursed back to health.
They share some moments together where they’re connecting emotionally and intimately, and they share some kisses, but they try to keep things friendly, partly because one of Benedict’s caretakers says that because of their rank, Sophie is just going along with what Benedict is saying.
Benedict gets Sophie a job in his home as a maid, and at some point they hook up in the stairwell, and Benedict stupidly asks her to be his mistress, which is insane work…and that obviously offends her and she says no.
The stakes in their love story feels high though. Benedict has multiple people telling him, including Sophie, that they can’t be together because of her rank, even though it’s clear that they love each other and wish for things to be different.
And to be honest, part of me was like, ah! Just get over it, but I’m also trying to be sympathetic to the world.
In the world, it’s like…a big no no that a maid and someone of Benedict’s stature are together.
And you can see that that reality takes a toll it takes on Benedict, who has finally found the love that his mother has been talking about for years and he sees the person he wants to marry, and he just can’t, even though he does think about leaving his family behind to marry her anyway.
Luckily though, things end up working out through blackmail, and they end up having their happily ever after.
Sophie and Benedict’s romance, I think may be the most intimate one out of all the seasons we’ve gotten so far in my opinion. A deep love really formed there and we see Benedict smitten and yearning in a different way, which is a change of pace for him, and it’s clear Sophie feels the same but has seen the realities of the world and doesn’t want to live with any false hope.
Their will they won’t they did drag a bit for me, but I think they were meant to be. Benedict fell in love with Sophie before he found out she was The Lady In Silver, and I find that to be so romantic.
So I’m going to give the romance a 4.5 out of 5.
Side Stories
Though the romance is the main story, each season gives us something more to hang onto and build out the world and these characters.
I’ll be ranking the side stories based on if I care about what’s going on, with 5 being that I’m invested and 1 being that I just want to get back to the main couple.
Season 1
In Season 1, aside from Daphne’s and The Dukes situation, we learn about Penelope’s crush on Colin and are introduced to Maria Thompson, who moves in with the Featheringtons.
We found out Maria is pregnant and Penelope’s mom urges her to find someone to marry to avoid a scandal, so Maria finds Colin and they start courting. Lady Whistledown exposes Maria’s pregnancy. At this time, we also learn that the Featherington’s are broke because their father gambled away their money, that he came up with a way to earn along with the boxer, Mondrich, and by the end of the season, he passes away.
This season, we also see that Eloise admires Lady Whistledown, Anthony has a mistress and they have a whole storyline where they can’t be together and it ends with the mistress leaving Anthony behind.
Lastly, we learn that the King has some memory issues.
I was locked into Maria’s storyline because it was a scandalous situation and it showed us how much Penelope cared about Colin and what the Featheringtons would do to avoid scandal and keep their place in society.
I didn’t care much about Anthony’s storyline though and Eloise and Lady Whistledown is setting the scene for future plans,
So I’l give the side stories a 4 out of 5.
Season 2
In season 2, (or end of season 1) it’s confirmed that Penelope is Lady Whistledown.
Benedict starts art school and then drops out after learning Anthony paid his way and he explores his sexuality. Eloise is trying to figure out who Lady Whistledown is at the Queen’s request and she meets Theo Sharpe, who she starts crushing on and they have a whole situation happen with them.
Eloise finds out Penelope is Lady Whistledown.
Cousin Jack shows up in the Featherington’s household and Portia, Penelope’s mom, tries to set him up with one of her daughters so that they can keep the household and get his money, but then we learn that he’s actually poor, so they set up a scheme to sell fake jewels.
Colin visits Maria, who basically puts in a word for Penelope, and Colin helps Mondrich get patrons for his newly opened bar.
A lot happens in season 2 and as much as I love the main characters, I was also into the other storylines that were going on. Theo and Eloise’s relationship was cute while it lasted. Cousin Jack brought drama.
So I’ll give the side stories a 5 out of 5.
Queen Charlotte
In Queen Charlotte, our side story focuses on Lady Danbury and the great experiment.
Lady Danbury’s story, of being married to a way older, not attractive man, further shows how Violet and The Bridgertons are the exceptions in the ton and not the standard. Not everyone marries their true love. Some people marry as an arrangement or are forced to marry for financial or political reasons.
A few too many times we saw Lady Danbury used and treated as an object. Lady Danbury is smart, intelligent, and beautiful, but lets her husband take credit for things she clearly made happen.
Seeing her feud with The Princess was fun, and we also see she had a fling with Violet’s father when Violet was young.
We also learn about The Great Experiment, which I discussed earlier in the podcast, but it essentially blurred the lines between those of fairer skin and those of darker skin from my understanding,
I don’t know if we needed Lady Danbury’s backstory but I loved 99% of it and loved seeing her friendship with The Queen develop. It rounded out the season and expanded the world and I wish for more of Lady Danbury’s backstory in the future
So, I give it a 5 out of 5.
Season 3
In Season 3, Eloise and Penelope are no longer friends and Eloise has befriended Cressida, which none of the Bridgerton’s are a friend of.
Cressida though is another example that marrying for love is the exception in this world. She has to get married because they need the money and she is competing for Lord Debling, and when that doesn’t work out, she claims to be Lady Whistledown.
Francesca Bridgerton enters society and ends up meeting and getting engaged to John Stirling.
Violet meets Lord Marcus, Lady Danbury’s brother, and there’s interest there.
Benedict further explores his sexuality and tries out a polyamours dynamic.
The Mondrichs receive their aunt’s inheritance and a new title.
After rewatching, I thought some of these storylines were interesting, but I think it was moreso because of where they would lead in the next season, specifically with Francesca and John and The Mondrichs.
Cressida’s arc is also interesting, because she has been a part of every season, but this season she stands out more and is another reminder of what marriage means in this world.
If it’s not clear, though, this season isn’t my favorite, and I wasn’t drawn or obsessed with any of the storylines on their own, outside of Cressida’s,
so I give this a 2 out of 5 stars.
Season 4
In season 4, outside of Benedict and Sophie, we see Eloise sort of kinda more serious about entering society and finding a husband at her mom’s pushing.
Sophie’s stepmom continues to try to ruin Sophie’s life.
Violet takes the next step with Marcus and Lady Danbury wants to leave and is trying to get the Queen’s blessing, grooming Lady Mondrich to take the position of Lady in Waiting.
Francesca gets used to married life, and is trying to find common ground with Michaela, for John’s sake, and is having trouble getting pregnant.
And Lady Whistledown retires, only for a new one to take Penelope’s place.
I was actually interested in most of the storylines this season and it left me eager to see what would happen next, though I do think Lady Mondrich’s speech could’ve hit more if The Queen actually allowedBenedict and Sophie to be together, knowing she’s a maod. That part was disappointing..
So I will give this a 4 out of 5 stars.
Tally
Okay, so we’re gonna add it all up.
When it comes to the lead’s first meeting Queen Charlotte and Season 1 were tied with the best first meeting, and Season 2 and Season 4 were tied with the second best meeting.
For the main characters and backstories, Queen Charlotte and Season 2 were tied with the best main characters and explanation of their backstories, and season 4 as the second best.
When it comes to their love story, Queen Charlotte has the best one and Season 2 and Season 4 are tied with the second best love story.
And when it comes to side stories, Queen Charlotte and Season 2 has the best side stories and season 1 and season 4 has the second best side stories.
So, there were know surprises here. Overall, Queen Charlotte came out on top with 20/20 points, Season 2 got 19/20 points, season 4 got 17.5/20 points, season 1 got 14/20 points and season 3 got 11/20 points.
Season 3 makes me sad, cause I was so excited for Penelope and Colin’s story, but I do think because they were established characters and so much was going on in Lady Whistledown’s world, we didn’t get to see much of their relationship and how their feelings grew.
Season 5
Season 5 was recently announced and Michaela and Fransceca’s season and I’m really excited! It actually makes sense, because Franscesca wasn’t a main character yet even though she got married and we’ve been seeing a lot of her, so naturally it makes sense she’s the next one.
From their first meeting, it’s obvious Fransceca is attracted to Michela and as season 4 goes on, they spend more time together and get closer while John is alive.
Fransceca very rarely lets herself go. She is more reserved, holding her emotions and feelings close to her chest, and the first time we see her let her mask fall, and let loose, in this case it’s yelling, like she’s showing her emotions, is with Michaela.
I’ve seen people upset that it’s different than the books and I get it, but I’m also like get over it…you know?
From my understanding the show has taken creative liberties each season and each book, and though it’s nice when there are true adaptations, I don’t think Bridgerton was ever supposed to be a carbon copy of the book. We’ve already seen fertility issues highlighted and…I know this might surprise to some people, but same sex couples can experience fertility issues too!
There’s also conversations about if John and Franseca really love each other, and now that I’ve finished, I think they love each other. They’re comfortable with each other and were exploring intimacy, but for me, it’s to be determined if they were in love. I want to see how she talks about John as she and Michaela start their relationship.
Bridgerton does have a history of romanticizing passionate love vs. a quieter love, so I could see Fransesca going through some changes in her season with Micheala.
Like, even if you didn’t read the book, it’s kind of clear that John wasn’t going to be her final marriage, because Bridgerton romanticizes a passionate, louder type of love, over the quieter ones.
Every season, we see the main leads, and I guess it’s because she wasn’t a main lead, which is another sign that that wasn’t the end game. We didn’t even get a moment where she’s clearly attracted to John in the way that they show other ones, like they’ll zoom in on the lips or they’ll like zoom in on touches...I think Benedict..like...smelled Sophie’s wrist. At some point Sophie looked at his lips. They show little moments like that, and we didn’t get that between Fransceca and John and that was a sign this wouldn’t be her final relationship in the show to me.
It could just be that her character is more reserved, but I’m interested to see how that passion shows up between Francesca and Michaela and if it’s as muted as it was between Fransceca and John or if it’s going to be completely different.
Also, stop being homophobic about this and then trying to claim you’re not being homophobic. It’s weird and you are being homophobic. Just don’t watch if you’re not interested. Stop talking about it.
Conclusion
So that’s all I got for you. My bad that this was a longer one.
You can visit my blog www.ihavetosay.blog. I’m on instagram @ihavetosay with three ys like ihavetosayyy. I’m on threads @lyssa_posts_ and I hope you’ll join me on this podcasting journey and subscribe.
Next week’s topic is to be determined. Check out the socials for more information.
Okay. thank you for joining me. Thank you for being here. Bye bye.