Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers
First of all, I am very pleased to share with you that the Bridgerton we all grew to love over the first two seasons is back. Following a disappointing Season Three, I was worried that the show would continue to forgo the historical charm that made it so enchanting and whimsical. Yes, the show is not entirely historically accurate, but that sense of being transported into another time is more refreshing when modern beauty standards are not being forced onto our screens. Gone are Penelope’s dark false lashes and long nail extensions. And embraced is a natural glamor that emphasizes the beauty of the British Regency period. Bridgerton represents a balance of the innovative fashion of modern times and the honoring of periodic trends. And that balance is restored in Season Four.
While waiting for the release of this new season, I went ahead and read the book that the series fourth season is based on. Never have I experienced a television adaptation being better than its book origin until I read Julia Quinn’s 3rd Bridgerton book: An Offer From a Gentleman. The book, in general, lacked complexity, the feeling where so much is happening at once, and our attention as audience members is pulled in many directions. This is the element that makes the show so captivating and so much more immersive. While reading the book, I was missing the overlap of different storylines and romances and the integration of different character perspectives. So I was very pleased to see how the show elevated a good original book into a masterful piece of media, as it had done with seasons one and two.
The storyline for season four is, in general, basic. It follows a Cinderella-trope plot where the female main character, Sophie, is burdened with an evil stepmother and two stepsisters and is forced to be a maid in her own home. She breaks into the Bridgerton’s masquerade ball wearing a masquerade mask, so she is thus “completely unrecognizable”, and captures the interest of Benedict Bridgerton. They dance, the clock strikes midnight, Sophie flees, leaving behind a single glove, and Benedict is left behind starstruck, not even knowing her name. The rest of the season involves Benedict searching for this mystery girl he calls “the Lady in Silver,” while Sophie is right in front of him in her usual maid garb the whole time.
This brings me to my first main frustration: Benedict is completely blind. That other features of Sophie which were visible the night they met, like her dark hair color, light skin, or the sound of her voice, could not have helped Benedict recognize her, is unrealistic. Especially when he uses Sophie’s necklace (a tiny piece of jewelry) as the biggest determining factor in verifying her identity. One of the messages from the show here must be that Benedict had to undergo character growth, where he gained the ability to see past class barriers. It is mentioned several times in the show that maids are “invisible”. And Benedict himself struggles with “lowering himself” to actually see a legitimate future with her when he actually discovers his “Lady in Silver”.
The chemistry between the characters Sophie and Benedict, and the actors who portray them, is undeniable. Sophie and Benedict have a level of tension that rivals even Anthony and Kate’s in Season Two. However, the resolution of how Sophie and Benedict work out how to legitimately be together in the face of society feels hollow and somewhat fantastical. The ending is satisfying, but it still doesn’t fully accept who Sophie is. Her identity is forged, and Queen Charlotte just goes along with it after being lied to. This feels a little unrealistic (like a giant magical bandaid), but what matters is that they got their happy ending and will hopefully be around in society for the following seasons.
While I loved Sophie and Benedict’s story, my favorite part of this season was actually the maid wars, which is what it seemed to be what Lady Whistledown focused on the most in her scandal sheet. I loved how we, the audience, were brought behind the scenes, with the help of Sophie’s perspective, to witness the large roles the servants play. This ongoing conflict was very entertaining, and I remember the whole situation being just as funny in the book. It was interesting to see how the ton struggled to function without the help of their servants during this labor shortage and how they battled over and poached them from other households. I also loved how this conflict revealed how close and loyal Varley is to Portia Featherington. It was really sweet to see them reconnect on a personal level at the end of the season rather than just as employer and employee.
Another moment from this season that I loved was Francesca’s scene with her mother, Violet. We got to see another side of Francesca. She’s normally the quiet and composed character who doesn’t show much emotion, whether that be excitement or frustration. So for her to explode from the buildup of all of her emotions following the death of her husband completely captured my breath. This dialogue was also very revealing for Francesca’s character and what’s going on in her mind, and is, in my opinion, the best performance in the entire show.
Francesca’s story with John is tragic because they didn’t have enough time. They were married for two years before John passed from a cerebral aneurysm, which was portrayed as a headache in the show. I do believe that Francesca loved John and that there was something between them other than two people performing their duty to marry in society.
Going forward in the next season, my concern is, given that Francesca has struggled with fertility issues and having children seems to matter to her, how will the writers address that with her next love interest being a woman? Francesca also deeply cares about honoring John and his legacy, seemingly, maybe more so than actually having children. She comes from a large family, but we learned in Season Three that she enjoys her peace and quiet. So in this way, the gender of Francesca’s next love interest doesn’t matter as much as it might seem. What matters is how she will overcome the pressure she feels to perform certain duties and realize what it is she actually wants.
A big piece of the iconic Bridgerton brand that I thought was missing was the significance of Lady Whistledown’s scandal sheet. Because society knew the identity of Lady Whistledown, her role and her power were diminished. She almost seemed censored because she lost the safety anonymity provides. The show addresses this in the last episode, where a new Lady Whistledown makes her debut.
There is a lot of speculation as to who this new Lady Whistledown may be. Some think it is Lady Bridgerton because of what she said when she rejected Marcus Anderson’s marriage proposal. But I think she is too focused and busy dealing with her children being out in society to have time to observe others as closely as Lady Whistledown does. Some also think that the new Lady Whistledown could be Alice Mondritch. But I think she is better suited for keeping secrets than sharing them. I think the strongest guess is Varley and possibly also Lady Featherington working together. These women heard how much Penelope was making from printing her scandal sheets firsthand and might have been motivated by the potential for more income. Also, the tone of the new Lady Whistledown has shifted from the polished and aristocratic writing of Penelope to a more casual and informal tone of someone with a lower status. This would support the theory that it’s Varley.
So after watching this new season, I would rank the Bridgerton seasons in the following order, from my favorite to least favorite: Season Two, Season One, Season Four, and Season Three. While I loved Season Four, Season Two, featuring Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma, remains at the top of the pyramid. Season One, featuring Daphne and Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, is also a favorite of mine because it sets the tone for the whole show. I also believe Lady Whistledown was at her best in Season One, and so the level of drama surrounding the scandal is unmatched.
Even though Season Four leans more into the show’s fantastical elements, it is more balanced than its preceding season. I am very much looking forward to Season Five, which will center around Eloise Bridgerton and her match. I have also already read her book, and I think we all have much to be excited for, especially now that Lady Whistledown’s identity is a mystery again.