in the end, Bridgerton Found its strange story! Aaaaand, of course, the celebration has already been cut short thanks to a depressing mix of homophobia, misogynoir and book purists.
As a television show with a huge fanbase, Bridgerton Naturally, the second half of its third season has provoked a strong response from viewers, which Netflix released over the weekend. Much of this again divided book fans from Netflix-only viewers. The show was not a completely faithful retelling Bridgerton The book is by romance novelist Julia Quinn – but it’s a selling point for her because Ozzie Bridgerton and their love interests are all straight and white.
The show’s biggest change is its famously color-conscious casting. Now, finally, we can add weird presentations to the list. Between the plethora of romance plot lines the show was juggling in its eight-episode season, which was released in two parts, there was a hint of idiosyncratic presentation from the narration of two different characters’ storylines.
The first was a development that the show teased early on but then seemed to forget. Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) has been what we might call queer-adjacent since the first season, primarily through his conflict with London’s sexually liberated underground party scene. She eventually stumbles upon her identity after a casual fling introduces her to the wonders of Trisom with other men. It’s a turn that seems long overdue, and I’m thrilled that I no longer have to label him as “the inexplicably straight Bridgerton.”
The second was a rather charming bait and switch. Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) is featured prominently for the first time Casting problems kept her AWOL, so we’ve spent most of this season getting to know him. He became a rarity for a Bridgerton – shy and retiring, Arguably neurodivergent, and most poignantly, steadfastly devoted to the idea of a spark-free romance with her new suitor John Stirling, Lord Kilmartin (Victor Ali). The pair make an adorable couple who stole my heart in the first half of the season — only for Francesca to meet John’s stunning, vivacious cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza) in the season finale and fall completely in love.
It is interesting that Bridgerton These two paths towards diversity have been chosen. In the books, Benedict’s story is a loose retelling of Cinderella, with Benedict playing the prince. Giving Benedict his own male version of Cinderella just wouldn’t be an interesting way to invert what’s likely The Romancelandia’s most patriarchal, heteronormative fairy tale. It will be deviant and exciting on several fronts – exactly what the show needs to keep its romances from becoming stale. The third season already pointed us towards this story in the fourth season, but rightly so WHO Benedict’s suitor remains to be seen.
(Here’s a whole rather delicious sidebar about fans’ ongoing attempts to figure out exactly who this casting choice was, only to fail; at one point many fans were Believer Baduza was cast in the role of Benedict’s future flame, only to learn in the final moments of the season that he would be cast instead of Francesca. That means there is still plenty of hope for Purusha/Purusha Bridgerton Romance is coming!)
As for Francesca and Michaela, they had a twist that we didn’t see coming at all, mainly because John and Francesca were already Devastating this season constantly emphasizes Francesca’s quiet confidence in her attachment to the socially awkward John, against the advice of her mother (Ruth Gemmell), who keeps telling her that true love should feel like a heady, emotional event, an imaginary lightning bolt. . That Francesca and John were just adorable And Notably Nonsexual Together was a strong and unexpected but welcome show of support from the show for romance on the asexual spectrum…until it wasn’t.
About the time Lady Bridgerton finally admitted that there was more than one way to be in love and that perhaps her daughter was right, Michaela showed up and struck Francesca speechless. Does this mean Francesca is demisexual, meaning she is only interested in romance and sex with someone she has already had a first love with? Perhaps, but that seems to be a nuance Bridgerton — which doesn’t have the greatest track record when it comes to synopsis — doesn’t have the ability to contend, and instead we’re supposed to read Francesca as naïve and misguided about her feelings.
It’s also true that the show’s third season feels like a bit of a reset, with expanded possibilities for all of its characters. So giving Bridgerton The benefit of the doubt here is that we could also be set up for an interesting story of a fun, consensual polyamory — one that allows for romance between both Francesca and John as they work through the marital plot threads of Francesca’s original story. And Francesca gives us the headache of falling in love with her husband’s cousin. In other words, instead of forbidden love, we get a story that ultimately embraces queer and open, multifaceted relationships without undermining what Francesca feels for John. (Quinn’s original story quickly ships with John to make way for Francesca’s new love interest, so anything that allows her to stick around for a while will be a positive — she’s a delight.) Season three showrunner Jess Brownell stated He wants Francesca’s story to play out over several seasons, so we can explore all these possibilities in the future.
Our other primary contender, Eloise (Claudia Jessie), fits a lot of the parameters for what we think of when we think of a “liberated queer woman” — she’s an independent, proto-feminist with an anarchist streak, with a penchant for the workers. hangs with class, and has so far shown zero interest in traditional family life. From the moment she and Benedict hang out in a tree swing together in season one, she’s been serving up sapphic vibes since establishing their private, quirky-Bridgerton-only club.
Yet Eloise, queer or not, also represents the show’s biggest deviation from the books, as all these details make her a very different character from Quinn’s ancestors. if While the show remains strictly faithful to the book’s trajectory, fans of the show may be seriously underwhelmed by Eloise’s story, which sets her up with motherhood and domestic life. So far, the show seems to be feinting in that direction at least; But this season is an exercise in why leaving the books behind might be the show’s best decision.
At various points, the themes of the books become quite regressive, so it’s been nice to see how the show has smoothed out some (but not all) of the rough spots and stayed true to them in spirit. But not everyone is on board with the changes — especially when they don’t interfere with book fans’ ideas of their favorite couples.
There is fandom It was believed for a long time That’s hinted at by Quinn Bridgerton The writers were contractually bound to keep the novel’s main romantic relationships intact. Fans have often parroted this narrative, both to reassure themselves when the story unsettles them, and especially to dismiss the possibility of any weirdness in the main relationship.
But in fact, Quinn said quite the opposite: In a recent Facebook comment, he debunked “contractually bound” myth, and between A 2021 interview She talked about the possibilities of queer relationships and queer Bridgertons on the show. We wouldn’t even need to point that one out expand Expect a family as big as the Bridgertons zero Weird kids among them, and in 2024 we don’t have to point out the same way that changing a character’s gender or sexual orientation doesn’t significantly change anything else about their character. The switch probably won’t even fade the most Bridgertonof 45 million audience
Spectators clamor is Shocked, however, resented these changes — especially the swapping of “Michael Sterling” with “Michael Sterling,” John’s cousin. There’s absolutely nothing about this character’s personality or plotline that can’t map to a woman, and the twist that this wrinkle—a subplot about infertility—could easily be dealt with in an interesting way, especially if the show explores unconventional options for John and Francesca’s wedding. Still, some fans are outraged.
a “Mega-thread” dedicated to complaints about the main character change Bridgerton The subreddit has almost a thousand comments. Fans are bombarding social media accounts Bridgerton As well as the actors, demanding that the show undo Baduja’s casting. A application The effect garnered 16,000 signatures in a handful of days since the season dropped halfway through; And when it is considered satisfactory that it represents a little more than 0.03 per cent BridgertonIts viewership, those voices are loud, shrill and very, very bitter.
It’s impossible not to notice that the same level of vitriol wasn’t attached to the show for making Benedict weird. It’s hard to imagine that much of the rage swirling around Michaela’s character seems to be a product of blanket, garden-variety misogynoir and homophobia.
The mods on the aforementioned subreddit, r/Bridgerton, seem to recognize this; In their mega-thread for complaints, they also announced a new rule forbidding general casting complaints here: “If you have a negative comment or want to say you’re disappointed that your favorite character is changing regarding race, shape, or sexuality, delete it. will be dropped,” they wrote. “This ruleset covers both LGBTQ casting and POC casting choices.”
That’s exactly what the fans who are complaining about making such educational decisions are mad about – blah blah diversity, something too woke – but that’s exactly why it matters. If the loudest, most vocal, most opinionated fans had their way, queer black characters might not get their moment to shine and we might never get to enjoy Michaela’s eyes. sparkling The moment he sees Francesca, or the way Benedict reaches for his first kiss with another, pauses, then raptures.
I’ve been hard Bridgerton In the past, if I never thought we would get to this point. but Bridgerton Rare among streaming juggernauts — which is rare enough. This is a show that is not only committed to its diversity, but has the resources to tell a variety of stories well. if indeed Bridgerton his feet originally planned The eight-season run — and it seems likely given its massive popularity — will make it even more unique among both streaming and Netflix hits for telling transnational and queer stories on a budget rarely devoted to such stories.
And those stories — thank God — are happening, whether fans are on board or not.
