It’s undeniable that Bridgerton is a widely beloved and successful show. There’s so much in the show to love: from its beautiful costuming to intense love confessions, it’s an irresistible watch. However, there’s one thing that I’ve always felt was missing: sapphic representation. I loved getting to see Benedict’s journey exploring his sexuality, and appreciated the romance between Brimsley and Reynolds in the spin-off series Queen Charlotte, as well as queer side characters like Lord Henry Granville. But, the more seasons Netflix released the more I started to wonder: where’s the sapphic love story? Honestly, it seemed so unlikely that I thought it would never happen. That’s why, when Michaela and Francesca graced my screen in Season 4, I was beyond excited.
To be fair, Season 4 didn’t give viewers much of Michaela and Francesca’s love story. Mostly, there were a few longing looks exchanged between the two, and Francesca’s confusion about her feelings, which manifested itself as annoyance toward Michaela. Nonetheless, I was overjoyed about what was potentially to come. The actresses, Masali Baduza and Hannah Dodd, have done a fabulous job creating chemistry between the two characters already, and I’m certain that if their love story comes to fruition, the showrunners, writers, and Shondaland will do them justice as they have done all of the seasons thus far. There’s something particularly beautiful and important about Francesca’s story, as her season has the potential to be a sapphic love story in a show that’s primarily focused on straight romances, setting a precedent for Bridgerton and similar period romances.
Even more exciting is the likelihood of a happy ending in Michaela and Francesca’s love story. It’s no secret that media about sapphics often ends tragically, with the main characters often not ending up together. For me, this can make consuming sapphic media exhausting instead of a restorative and representative experience. While not all queer storylines in Bridgerton have had a happy ever after (Brimsley and Reynolds, for example), I have a feeling that since Francesca is getting her own season, she’ll get her happy ever after like the rest of her siblings.
Additionally, I’m really looking forward to Francesca’s character as sapphic representation because of the way that she contradicts the stereotype of what it means to look like a queer woman. She’s hyper feminine, always seen in bright and sparkly dresses, contrary to some ideas about the appearance of queer women always being more masculine or alternative. Instead of Francesca and Michaela being caricatures of a slew of negative stereotypes, they’re instead unique and well-rounded characters.
Finally, while I’m immensely excited about Francesca’s upcoming story in Season 5 or Season 6, there’s always the possibility of queerbating, and that my hopes of a sapphic regency love story will be dashed. Unfortunately, there’s been a lot of backlash online about the writers changing the plot of Francesca’s story from one about fertility struggles to queerness, as well as the swift death of her husband John, which some viewers felt was disrespectful to his character. I hope that this criticism doesn’t prevent this story from being told, as representation is always incredibly important, and is something Bridgerton has done such a great job of incorporating so far.
For example, the show has consistently cast people of many different ethnicities as both main and side characters, as well as people with disabilities, like the character and actress of Hazel in Season 4. There are even multiple scenes that showcase a mother and daughter communicating via sign language. Another example is Penelope speaking to Lord Remington, who is a wheelchair user, in Season 3. One of my favorite things about media is seeing a piece of me on the screen, so I hope that the makers of Bridgerton recognize the beauty of sapphic stories in the Bridgerton universe and media as a whole.