I’ve been burning to talk about this for a while now… and excuse the reference but Bridgerton has completely occupied my thoughts since the second I binge-watched the entire show on Netflix the day after it came out. I wasn’t really sure what I was signing up for beyond the fact that the show was produced by Shonda Rhimes, and I’m a hardcore Grey’s Anatomy fan, and that it was some type of a period piece. My favorite book and movie is Pride and Prejudice, so I had fairly high expectations going in. There’s a fine line between boring and fascinating, and between too far-fetched and just enough in period pieces.
I loved the blend of modern and traditional in Bridgerton—I mean it’s pretty incredible to hear people in the Regency era talking about masturbation. Obviously, Bridgerton sacrifices any type of historical accuracy, but if you’re one of those people who’s pressed about that then kindly turn to another show and stop complaining. Bridgerton is not concerned with any historical figures, and that’s why the characters are all so original and captivating (my favorites are Eloise, Anthony, and Lady Danbury). I even liked Daphne a lot, which breaks my usual streak of hating the main character—they are almost always irritating. Daphne has her issues, but overall I came to love her and think Phoebe Dynevor did a great job playing her. Her chemistry with Regé-Jean Page is off the charts, making them one of my all-time favorite on-screen couples. I mean not to spoil anything but following one of the sweetest declarations of love I’ve ever seen (“To meet a beautiful woman is one thing, but to meet your best friend in the most beautiful of women is something entirely apart”) comes an intense sex-montage set to Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift performed on violins. It’s pretty incredible.
After I finished the show and went back a few times to watch all my favorite scenes, naturally I wondered what the books were like. In a perfect world, I would always read the book before I watch any film adaptations of it. However, Bridgerton caught me off guard and I wanted to be able to see the tweets about it, so I worked backward. The book series by Julia Quinn has nine books, one focusing on each of the eight Bridgerton siblings and one full of “second epilogues” for every sibling, giving a little bit more insight into the Bridgerton’s lives. I was ready to lock in and read all nine, but I had no clue what I was getting into. The series is truly in the fashion of adult romance, and I was expecting more of a young-adult vibe or even more of a historical drama-type series. Romance does not sacrifice plot, but the books do end up a little predictable, maybe because they each need time to provide some pretty hot sex scenes (about as good as the ones in the Netflix show). The first book tells the story that watchers of Bridgerton know, Simon and Daphne’s. Unlike the show, the other Bridgertons don’t play too much of a role besides how they affect Daphne’s life; we don’t see much of their personal lives because they each will get their moment in the sun. The rest of the series goes in alphabetical order through the stories of the Bridgerton clan (beginning with Anthony, ending with Gregory). My favorite books were Daphne’s, Anthony’s, Colin’s, and Hyacinth’s. I think Benedict’s storyline was the worst, and Gregory, Eloise, and Francesca’s were all equally good though not quite at the same caliber as my favorites. I loved the series and ripped through the books faster than I’d like to admit, and I even have the smallest desire to go back in and restart.
Since finishing both the Netflix series and the book series, I have a period piece shaped hole in my heart, and I am trying to find something to fill it. My roommates and I are tinkering around with Outlander, which is on Netflix. So far, it is no Bridgerton but we are giving it a chance. In my own time, I’m about a season and a half into Reign, which wavers in and out but is altogether really interesting and kind of mystical. Neither show is making me feel as rabid as Bridgerton, but it will do for now. Season two of Bridgerton will follow Anthony’s storyline, and I hope it stays as true as possible to the book because I think it could be a really interesting season, perhaps even better than the first? Only time will tell, but I will be waiting with bated breath to see what happens next in the Bridgerton cinematic universe.