Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Season 4 of “Bridgerton.”
Netflix’s “Bridgerton”—a romantic, somewhat modern take on the English Regency Era adapted from Julia Quinn’s popular “Bridgerton” book series—recently concluded its Season 4 on Feb. 26. Following Season 3, which achieved record-high viewership on Netflix, yet was met with bouts of criticism from fans on everything from the fashion and styling to how it tackled the “friends-to-lovers” romance trope, I wondered if “Bridgerton” had peaked at Season 2 and gone all downhill from there. But I’m happy to report that Season 4 has proved me wrong! Let’s get into it.
What is Season 4 of “Bridgerton” about?
If you’re not already familiar with how the “Bridgerton” series is structured, it’s based off the “Bridgerton” book series, which follows the love lives of each of the eight siblings of the noble Bridgerton family. The names of the eight siblings are quite easy to remember, because they’re named alphabetically by the order in which they were born: Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth. Season 1 focused on the love story between Daphne and Simon, Season 2 on Anthony and Kate, and Season 3 on Colin and Penelope. Each love story also tends to fit into a popular romance “trope,” Season 1 is fake dating, Season 2 is enemies-to-lovers, Season 3 is friends-to-lovers and Season 4 is a “Cinderella” story. Season 4 of “Bridgerton” centers around the romance of Benedict Bridgerton. He’s the second-oldest Bridgerton brother who continuously defies and detests the social expectations of high society, sleeping around with multiple women and hesitating to step up to his older brother’s duties as Viscount once he leaves. Benedict ends up forming an unlikely attachment with Sophie Baek, a “Cinderella” heroine who now works as a maid in her own home at the hands of her evil stepmother after her father, the wealthy Lord Penwood, dies unexpectedly. The two meet at a “masquerade ball” hosted by the Bridgerton family, where everyone is required to wear some sort of disguise or costume–providing the perfect avenue for Sophie to sneak out in a mask and gown for the night to fulfill her longtime wish of attending a ball. But when the clock strikes midnight, as it must in this fairytale’s adaption, Sophie must flee and get back to her role as a maid before her stepmother and stepsisters notice she’s gone. She leaves Benedict with one of her gloves, prompting him to search all of London for a noble lady to who it belongs, not realizing that it was truly a maid in disguise.
What worked well
What really stood out for me this season was how there’s so much love. Obviously, there has to be romantic love between the two leads, but the amount of platonic and familial love that serves an actual purpose to the plot and characters was a highlight of the season for me. There’s the friendship between the servants in the Penwood and Bridgerton households (and Alfie walking Sophie down the aisle!), the sibling-like bonds between not just all of the Bridgerton siblings but Sophie and Posy as stepsisters, and John and Michaela as cousins. There are also the ongoing friendship plots between Queen Charlotte, Lady Danbury and Violet Bridgerton that highlight how older women—particularly women with no husbands—function in high society. Romantic stories will always highlight the beauty of romantic love, but what of the other kinds of love? “Bridgerton” utilizes its rich ensemble to showcase the love that also exists in friendship and family.
Speaking of love, how can I not give some praise to the romance of Benedict and Sophie? I love a good fresh take on the “Cinderella” romance trope, even when it doesn’t follow every detail perfectly, and the chemistry between Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha is off the charts. The first half of the season did a wonderful job at letting their romance slowly build up from their meeting in the countryside (well, not their first meeting, but Benedict’s not the brightest at times). The show allows moments like Sophie treating Benedict’s wounds in the cottage and their “accidental” running into each other during Benedict’s swim to build tension that leaves the audience longing for more once the pair must go back to society and conform to social norms again. I especially adored the introduction of the side characters Mr. and Mrs. Crabtree. They do well to act as parental, advisory figures to the main couple in the absence of Violet Bridgerton or Lady Danbury.
I did find it a bit hard to believe that Benedict takes practically the entire season to realize that Sophie was the woman he met at the masquerade ball, but I interpreted that as meaning to show that he was so focused on the idea of the woman he met as he tried to perfect her image in his paintings, that he wasn’t clued in enough to the reality right in front of him: Sophie. I also thought that ending the season with a shot of Benedict’s finished painting of Sophie with her uncovered face added was perfect—not only does it show his full commitment to her by being the only painting in the whole show that he’s finished and signed, but his continued passion for art.
As a side note, what is Yerin Ha’s skincare routine? I’ve genuinely never seen someone with skin that clear and radiant.
Sophie’s character as a whole was another highlight of this season for me. Every other female lead (and male lead, notably) has been a member of the upper class, so to see a character who has been exposed to life outside the comforts of high society is sort of refreshing. Sophie’s friendships with the other servants she worked with at each house was a much-needed addition to the side plots.
Sophie’s character is more dynamic than associating with just the working or upper class though, as she was raised to be a member of society (when her father was still alive), and then spent the rest of her teenage and adult years working as a maid. Watching her struggle with a dual identity between two completely different socioeconomic worlds was so interesting, especially when Violet begins noticing that Sophie is well educated and of a noble manner. I loved her styling as well–something about her in the funeral flashback scene was absolutely captivating–but my favorite looks of hers were the masquerade ball (obviously) and the wedding. A lot of her makeup and outfits reminded a bit of Daphne, which I felt was nodded to in the last episode when Queen Charlotte says to Sophie “You would’ve made an excellent diamond.” I’m excited to see what Yerin Ha does next! I’m assuming I’ll next see Luke Thompson in another Shakespeare adaptation or play, because all I could think every time he was on screen (mostly yearning) was how oddly Shakespearean he is.
I also cannot give enough praise to many of the acting performances in Season 4—particularly those of Hannah Dodd as Francesa, Yerin Ha as Sophie, Luke Thompson as Benedict and Ruth Gemmell as Violet/Lady Bridgerton. I would contend that the only reason John’s death didn’t feel strangely misplaced or random amidst such a busy plot is Dodd’s performance. Dodd takes on a new side of Francesca’s character that we haven’t really seen before—she had finally found her “match” (whether ultimately platonic or romantic) in a crowd of people that make her feel as if there’s intrinsically something wrong, or broken about her, and then had him ripped from her so suddenly. Given how Francesca is known to hate having lots of attention on her and the stress that comes with high society demands and events, we also see how Francesca operates when all the eyes are on her, now that she’s a young widow and must host a funeral and entertain people’s constant condolences. I thought Dodd did an exceptional job at not only portraying the dissociation and deflection that often comes in the early stages of grief, but how it changes you even in the most subtle of ways. Her gazes become colder, her statements turn into demands, and her need for control over other aspects of her life increases.
One of my favorite scenes from this season was in the final episode, where the servants have come to inform Violet and Benedict that Sophie has been arrested, while Violet and Benedict are simultaneously trying to explain who Sophie even is to Penelope, Colin and Eloise. I think “Bridgerton’s” strongest moments are when it utilizes its family dynamics to create chaos, but I couldn’t help but think how much better some of those scenes would’ve been with the addition of Daphne and Anthony. I do appreciate that, as opposed to Daphne, Simon, Kate and Anthony, Colin and Penelope are still present and serve some purpose in the plot of Season 4, even if minor. I was surprised that their baby (from Season 3) is hardly shown or mentioned, especially in Part 2 of the season, but it’s good to see them living their happily ever after. I’ll admit I’m a bit confused as to why they were still getting intimate in a carriage this season when they now have their own home to themselves, but I’m assuming that was meant to be a “throwback” to Season 3.
Hyacinth was also an unlikely highlight for me this season. In previous seasons she wasn’t given much character depth beyond wanting to attend balls and engage with high society, which acted as a contrast to Eloise, but Season 4 has made her a bit more dynamic by showing how the death of her father and John impact her perception of love. I also enjoyed the ongoing conflict between Eloise and Hyacinth throughout the season as they navigated how polar opposite their perspectives on marriage and high society are—I wonder if the resolution of this conflict and Eloise seeming open to marriage is meant to be setting up for her season. Hyacinth—along with Sophie, Violet and Francesca—had some of my favorite dresses this season. I felt like in previous seasons she was very confined to pink and white dresses, usually with high necklines and ruffles, but now as her character gets older, her style has evolved to more mature dresses. I’m so excited for her season when it comes out in… 2032?
What didn’t work
An aspect of “Bridgerton” that has continued to confuse me throughout the show is the camera work and cinematography. There will be times when a character is standing outside amidst the colorful, lively backdrop of the streets of Mayfair, and will be lit with studio lighting and a completely blurred background. And then there will be other times where the green screen behind the characters is so obvious that it’s actually distracting from what’s going on in the scene. For a lower-budget show the constant use of green screens in place of a real setting might make sense, as film sets can obviously be pricey to build or receive permission to film with, but as one of Netflix’s most popular shows, I find it hard to believe that “Bridgerton” is struggling for funds. “Bridgerton” Season 4 seems to be another addition to the conversation around “Netflix lighting,” a cinematography style growing in popularity as streaming services take precedence over theatrical release.
The hair is also just all over the place–during big ensemble scenes that feature many characters it feels like a strange conglomerate of different time periods when it comes to the hair styling. I would argue that when it comes to a show like “Bridgerton”—which uses the historical norms of the Regency Era as more of a plot device to the romantic storylines as opposed to a means of educating an audience on the time period—that visible modern makeup is acceptable. It makes sense for the show to still make the characters look somewhat modern in their styling, because the historically accurate alternative may not be palatable for a popular Netflix show. With this in mind, the hairstyling worked well in Season 1 (when the show was still attempting some historical accuracy) and didn’t distract from the other visuals, but throughout Seasons 3 and 4 there were moments where I’d sort of pause and go “is this still supposed to be in the Regency Era?” Lady Araminta and her daughters Rosamund and Posy in particular had some jarring color palettes and overall stylistic choices—a shame given how Katie Leung plays the perfect villain; her portrayal of the evil stepmother trope is perfect.
I was especially shocked by some of the styling in the famous masquerade ball scene that opens Season 4, with Eloise dressed up as a poor imitation of Joan of Arc, Penelope as a pirate (with a blond wig?), Lady Danbury as a sort of Greek goddess, and so on. Although I’m all for historical references, these felt like references for the sake of having a reference to draw from as opposed to using historical/mythological allusions as a plot device. Although Joan of Arc is considered by some to be an early “feminist icon,” are we truly going to draw comparisons between a wealthy and privileged Regency Era English girl who thinks of herself as “feminist” because she does not want to conform to all of society’s expectations for her, to a peasant French girl who believed she was being called upon by divine powers to lead the French army, became a key figure in The Hundred Years’ War, and then was ultimately burned at the stake for it? I don’t mean to say that Eloise isn’t a “feminist” in some respects, but I’d argue the two aren’t even comparable; so I’m not sure what sort of historical allusion “Bridgerton” was trying to draw between Eloise and Joan of Arc if just a basic concept of “feminism.” But as I mentioned previously, the makeup worked well this season to revert back to the simplistic, natural look of Seasons 1 and 2, and away from the overly modern looks of Season 3. I have other bones to pick with the styling and visuals, but they can be summed up into this: “Bridgerton” needs to move away from the modern styling (Season 3), and fall back on Season 2, which I would argue was a perfect in-between.
Moving on to the plot and characters—one of my main issues with this season (but really the show in general) is the fact that so much of the plot and the draw to the show rests on a strong ensemble cast for the Bridgerton family, and yet, each sibling seems to have their lead season, make a cameo in the next season, and then completely disappear and never get mentioned again. As I understand it, this is partially because Regé-Jean Page, who played the male lead: Simon in Season 1, left “Bridgerton” after the first season, which made it more awkward to continue writing Daphne into the story apart from occasional visits to her family, and then they just gave up on their characters entirely. Now that this standard has been set for the rest of the show, it seems that Kate and Anthony are being given a similar treatment. They did at least make an appearance in a couple scenes this season, but they added no real value to the plot, and their dialogue seemed slightly off. Kate, for instance, who is usually a witty, fiery spirit, is only given boring and flat dialogue, and Anthony just serves as another “reality check” for Benedict (even though Violet already accomplished this). I would’ve loved to see Kate weigh in a bit more on Benedict and Sophie’s romance and give sharp insights as she typically has, and to see Anthony explore his dynamics with his sisters as well as his brothers. We at least got a scene of the three older brothers: Anthony, Benedict, and Colin bickering over alcohol as they do each season, but it was so short it felt like a missed opportunity for plot exposition.
On the topic of the Bridgerton brothers and the male leads in “Bridgerton,” a recurring plot point that’s starting to grow stale is the recycling of the “reformed rake” archetype that the show employs at the beginning of every single season. In Season 1, the Duke of Hastings (Simon) is referred to by members of society and friends of his, such as Anthony, to be a “rake,” which if you’re not familiar, refers to a man in high society that defies all of the rules and expectations set upon him, often by taking multiple lovers, engaging in lots of drinking and gambling and overall being very prone to scandal. In “Bridgerton,” the concept of a rake is made out to be a sort of alluring quality for many of the male characters, as it prompts the female characters to take on an “I can fix him” mentality. Anthony, Daphne’s brother, resists the romance between the pair because he calls Simon a rake and insists he would damage her reputation and is not suitable for her. As such, in order for Simon and Daphne’s romance to work out in the end, much of his character arc throughout Season 1 is focused on him reforming his rake ways so that he ultimately becomes a suitable match for her. Then, in Season 2, we see Anthony, who was also established as a rake in Season 1, have to give up his promiscuous ways to finally step up to his role as Viscount and take a wife. This makes sense for Anthony’s character, given that he’s already shown to be avoidant of the responsibilities of high society and have relations with multiple women (of non-noble status) all throughout Season 1 as a good friend of Simon. But then, in Season 3, the Bridgerton brother who seemed the least rake-ish, Colin, has a time skip plotline where he travels abroad and becomes a rake (and a pirate for some reason) during that time. So, by the time he returns to England at the very start of the season, he is set up for the same rake redemption arc as the two previous male leads, and goes through it in a very similar way to Simon and Anthony.
After three straight seasons of the male leads being “reformed rakes” as a major plot point, I had thought that Season 4 of “Bridgerton” might try exploring different internal conflicts within Benedict, but it hardly does. It explores some other minor points about Benedict’s character of course, just like the three previous rakes before him, but most of his character arc is centered around going from a rake (which he is explicitly referred to as) to finding a way to conform to the expectations of high society. (I’d like to reiterate–big spoiler warning for Season 4!) Something that becomes a big point of tension in the story is Benedict asking Sophie to just “be his mistress” once he comes to terms with his love for her, but is blind to how that would make Sophie feel. Part of this conflict stems from the socioeconomic differences between them, but it also stems from Benedict’s history of taking several mistresses and lovers throughout all of the previous seasons. I’m hoping that in Season 5, the “Bridgerton” writers finally give the male lead a new avenue for self-growth and exploration outside of just learning not to live an overly indulgent, hedonistic lifestyle.
So, what’s next?
Season 4 has set up its plot such that the lead of Season 5 could really be Eloise or Francesca, but it’s not completely obvious who the lead will be, and no official announcement has been made yet. But I would guess that in order to give Francesca more time to process her grief for John (and to yearn for Michaela, probably), Eloise will be the star of Season 5 and Francesca’s storyline will continue to be a major sideplot to her romance. I’ll be curious to see how true Eloise’s season is to her corresponding book “To Sir Phillip, With Love,” because we haven’t actually seen much of Phillip at all since Season 2. “Bridgerton” may have redeemed itself just yet with Season 4’s finale, but we’ll see how Season 5 fares in comparison! And whether it might finally beat Season 2, which for me, will be extremely difficult.