**This article contains spoilers for Bridgerton**
Dearest gentle reader,
It would seem that the ever-watchful eyes of Bridgerton’s devotees have been most generously rewarded with the release of its highly anticipated fourth season. With the season out in its entirety, the loyal viewer may at last indulge in the riveting plotlines, the lovable characters, and, of course, the force that levels us all: scandal.
This author has much to say.
Lady Whistledown impersonation aside, Season 4 of Bridgerton is fully released, and I’m ready to talk about it. As an avid Bridgerton enthusiast myself, I feel like this season was one of their best yet. The new characters were incredibly likable, the villains were appropriately hateable, the plotlines were engaging, and best of all, the romance was palpable.
All in all, this season of Bridgerton hit the mark for me. Before I continue with my review, though, allow me to issue the following warning: spoilers ahead!
A peek into the servant’s world
First of all, I loved how this season dove into the life of a servant and brought to light the inner workings of each household. This is an avenue that’s remained largely unexplored since the show’s inception, as the story is often so caught up in the affairs of the Bridgerton siblings that it hardly has time to venture to the ranks below them.
Bridgerton’s latest season takes the collision of the upstairs-downstairs worlds one step further, with the second-eldest Bridgerton brother, Benedict, falling in love with Sophie Baek, an illegitimate maid.
Sophie’s life as a servant is particularly difficult, as she essentially operates as a full staff for her widowed stepmother, Araminta Gun, Lady of the Penwood estate. She works with only two other staff members, a cook and a footman, to run the Penwood estate after her father’s passing, making this season something of a Cinderella story.
Personally, I thought the idea that Sophie was supposedly acting in place of a full staff to be a bit ridiculous, as aristocrats of Lady Penwood’s status typically had to employ up to 100 servants to run their households effectively… but I digress.
Beyond Sophie’s life as a servant, the show both introduces new staff members and revisits familiar ones, such as Lady Featherington’s maid Varley. Having loyally served the Featherington family for years, Varley has long been sidelined, but the attention paid to her this season quickly positioned her as one of my favorite characters.
Benedict & Sophie’s relationship
I absolutely love both Sophie and Benedict. Benedict is my favorite Bridgerton brother, and Sophie, his love interest, stole the show this season.
Her introductory scene at Lady Violet Bridgerton’s masquerade ball won me over instantly. After she slipped in under the guise of nobility, her quick wit and warmth were evident in the few interactions she had before meeting Benedict.
Her true admiration for the splendor of the event was also singular, especially in a room full of aristocrats who paraded about spectacular parties with little to no true regard for them.
Sophie and Benedict’s chemistry was clear upon their first interaction. I found their faux “dancing lessons” outside of the party to be very sweet, and I was shocked when Sophie took Benedict by surprise by initiating their first kiss.
It was no wonder that Benedict’s subsequent enchantment with the mystery girl in the silver dress plagued him for the rest of the season, even after Sophie returned to her life as a servant.
The emotional conversations they shared throughout the season were also some of my favorite moments. Benedict’s vulnerability about feeling like the “spare” lent his character a new depth, and Sophie’s grappling with her father’s apparent abandonment gave them both a shared sense of unwantedness.
Let’s talk plot
The plot of this season was tremendously compelling. Things start to pick up when Benedict and Sophie meet again as strangers after Benedict saves her from a drunken assailant in the countryside. When they seek refuge at his cottage, the two begin to form an attachment and get a taste of what it’s like beyond the rigid societal laws that would separate them.
Their conversations about art, flying kites, and Sophie’s stubborn insistence that she knows how to leisure endeared me even more to their relationship and had me rooting for them from the beginning.
Their attachment, though, while utterly romantic, is completely forbidden to occur in any dignified way by London’s high society. Subsequently, things complicate when they return to the city, and Benedict gets the bright idea to ask her to be his mistress. What more could a girl possibly want?
As you can imagine, Sophie is less than pleased. For the rest of the season, Sophie tries desperately to retain her dignity while the two of them try to navigate their feelings for one another. Araminta, Sophie’s stepmother, tries to further sabotage Sophie in the meantime.
Araminta was especially detestable this season. Her scheme to divert Benedict from Sophie and turn his attentions toward her own daughter, after essentially condemning Sophie to the streets, was the epitome of bitterness. Sophie’s imprisonment at her hand was a further step towards unredeemable incorrigibility, making all attempts at humanizing her futile, at least for me.
And the others?
While all of this is happening, various other characters undergo emotional battles of their own. Between Francesca’s complicated grief, Violet’s romantic exploration, Eloise’s content surrender to spinsterhood, Penelope’s leverage, Lady Danbury’s desire to return home, and Hyacinth’s crisis of faith, this season makes full use of its viewers’ attention.
There’s never a wasted moment, and I didn’t find a single side story to be irrelevant or unnecessary. Francesca’s situation was especially devastating. After the sudden passing of her husband, John, she spirals towards a dark belief that she’d failed him in his death. She grapples with both the loss of her beloved partner and the lingering guilt of never having had a child.
The entire family is shaken by John’s death, which sets the scene for some of the more tender moments between siblings. I was particularly moved by Eloise’s heartfelt advice to Hyacinth on the topic of marriage, despite her own bleak outlook on the matter, and Benedict’s fierce defense of Francesca’s wish to avoid a physical examination in the wake of her husband’s traumatic death.
My take on the ending
The ending to this season was satisfying, in my opinion. I was a bit reluctant to accept the Queen’s easy acceptance of Benedict and Sophie’s union on account of her own entertainment, but I certainly wasn’t going to complain about a happy ending.
I thought the scheme they organized was clever, and I was especially delighted at Lady Violet’s assistance in orchestrating it all, despite having previously denounced Benedict’s affections for Sophie.
Sophie’s friends working together to free her from Araminta made for an exciting last episode, and I was ecstatic to see Sophie elevated to the status of nobility. I can’t wait to see her and Benedict together in future seasons!
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