Dearest gentle reader, if you thought we wouldn’t return to spill the tea on Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1—when the dashing, rakish (and very eligible) Mr. Benedict Bridgerton takes the reins of romantic lead alongside a Miss Sophie Baek—you thought wrong. There’s much to discuss, and we’ve been foaming at the mouth in anticipation, eagerly waiting to share our thoughts on the latest marriage mart season has to offer, especially after sharing our disappointment with Bridgerton Season 3, which fell short of our expectations in the romance department.
Season 4, Part 1 sees Benedict (Luke Thompson) contending with his insecurities and obsessing over the mysterious Lady in Silver, aka Sophie (Yerin Ha). Meanwhile, Sophie herself is the daughter of a nobleman who’s been relegated to being a maid to her wicked stepmother. Part of the fun of it is the fact that it’s basically a Cinderella story. But let’s get into the details, shall we?
Sherin, you’ve mentioned that last season was more of a historical drama than a romance. Has Season 4 realigned itself within the romance genre?
Sherin Nicole: It was doubtful at first. Early on, the season felt flat. As though it had lost its focus and was so concerned with inside jokes and familial interactions that it forgot what made the series pop off. That’s the romance, with a capital R. That genre is specific. Without it, Bridgerton would be just another in a line of historical dramas. A lot ot things didn’t make sense to me (I talk more about those in my review for RogerEbert.com), but to finally answer your question, based on three of the four episodes. It looks like we’re getting our fairytale back. We’ll have to wait and see, but it was missed.
Did you get the romance you wanted in the first half of the season?
Mae Abdulbaki: I did. I had low expectations going into this season because of the way things played out in Season 3. But Season 4, Part 1 was exceptionally more pleasing. It actually had romance. The isolation of the characters certainly helped in that regard. Benedict taking Sophie to “My Cottage” (I still laugh) was the perfect way for them to get to know each other better and to develop that intimacy between them. The spark was sparking! We even get a bit spicy before we’re left on that delicious cliffhanger. Makes me excited for Part 2.
Did you? And what aspects of the romance this season did you most enjoy?
SN: The depth of the character development worked for me. The creators have spent years adding layers to Benedict. We see how much he doubts himself and how much he longs for connection. Although we’re meeting Sophie for the first time, ep 402 is like a dating profile (if apps were honest). We see so many sides to her. Sophie’s faith in herself and in fairness makes her someone we want to see win. I didn’t feel like Penelope and Colin were as developed. Everything was about her being unseen and only showing herself through Lady Whistledown, while Colin’s entire evolution was ‘vacation bae.’ A Regency glow-up is not a personality. Benedict and Sophie have conversations that go beyond what they think they know about each other. They have adventures and embarrassing moments. They have the lake and the rain. There’s also the external pull of society and the internal push of their attraction. Those are the things that hooked me. Polin lacked the little things, like their relationship was taken for granted, or their development happened off-screen. Ooh, something else I really like is how deeply Season 4, Part 1, explores the relationships between various character duos—building tension by keeping us guessing which ones will completely change and which ones will fall apart.
Were there any swoony moments you can’t wait for everybody to see?
MA: This season is swoony in a different way. Whereas Season 2 felt like Anthony and Kate were colliding, Benedict and Sophie kind of fall into each other, as though they’re each a breath they didn’t know they were holding for so long. They have a couple of especially heart-fluttery, swoony moments. There’s one specific scene, a point-of-no-return, if you will, that is so sexy and full of tension that I can’t reveal it due to spoilers. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the library scene at My Cottage. The lingering looks, the proximity before they realize how close they are, and back away. Good stuff, and I think Part 2 will bring even more.
You mentioned the various character duos this season. Which ones have been your favorite, and perhaps your most unexpected in terms of development?
SN: Girl, cottages are having a moment in romance series. I immediately thought of the one in Heated Rivals. Okay, this is an unpopular opinion, but I’ve never liked Eloise. She and Hyacinth are forced to spend time together, and their differences cause Hyacinth to rip Eloise’s face off. I liked that moment of realization for Eloise so much because it seems to be preparing her for her season. Where, hopefully, she’ll be less judgmental and more open to understanding other people. By contrast, I can’t say much about Francesca and John, but their development as newlyweds doesn’t work for me. We talk about that more in our spoiler episode:BRIDGERTON SEASON 4 HOT GOSS: Pouring out the Tea, which will be available for streaming on Tuesday and podcast on Wednesday. However, watching Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury discover new sides of their friendship felt so real. I was seated and talking to the screen. We can’t say much about that either, but the writing excels there. Oh, and I also like one of your faves, the continued dance of Lady Bridgerton x Lord Anderson. Talk about a slow burn that crosses seasons.
Okay, I know you’re probably have something to say about that pairing, but can we talk about our new favorite characters too? Alfie (David Moorst) is number one for me. There’s something about how he’s a papa bear, baby, and bestie all at once. He’s got a sharp wit and a sharper tongue, too. Mr. and Mrs. Crabtree (Billy Boyle, Susan Brown) are going to be fan favorites for sure. Who are your top newbies?
MA: Ooh, yes, I love Alfie, too! He’s such a sweetheart. So protective and fiercely loving. He’s also nosy, which is hilarious. I’ve really enjoyed Posy (Isabella Wei) this season. She could have easily been written as being unintelligent, but I found her awkwardness and enthusiasm endearing. Unlike most other young ladies in the ton, Posy doesn’t shy away from being herself. She’s not performing for anyone or trying to impress. She just is, and I love that about her. The fact that she’s kind to Sophie and cares for her makes me like her even more.
Sophie is an obvious choice, but she’s easily become one of my favorite leading ladies of Bridgerton. She knows how she wants to be treated and demands respect in that way, maybe because she’s never gotten it from her stepmother. She can be ungraceful when she doesn’t know what to do with herself, but she also carries a quiet strength because she knows her own worth.
Speaking of Sophie, how do you feel about the family dynamic of Penwood House? We haven’t talked about Araminta (and I should’ve realized sooner that it was Harry Potter’s Katie Leung as Sophie’s stepmother!)
SN: Justice for Cho Chang! I had no idea. Araminta is everything we want from an evil stepmother. She absolutely cannot be trusted, and we can’t wait for her to catch a karmic ricochet (a purple wedding link in Game of Thrones would be nice). Leung eats it up, and her widow-y costuming is some of the best in the season. It’s black-on-black with shine and texture, just like Araminta. I can’t help but wonder if she’s more of a black widow spider or if Part 2 will reveal a sympathetic backstory, like in Demon Slayer. She cannot be forgiven—especially if what we suspect is true—but something about Leung’s performance seems to hide a well of pain.
Before we get into our final thoughts on Part 1, is there anything you’re hoping will happen in Part 2? Also, is it weird that Penelope and Colin are always having sex in cramped spaces and sitting at odd angles like a pair of contortionists? And did you find yourself editing some of the story beats in your head? There’s so much here that doesn’t make sense to me. Fortunately, Benedict and Sophie do.
MA: The way that I laughed when Penelope and Colin were trying to get it on in that carriage, though it did feel like the show was trying too hard to make it their thing. The Colin stuff is still weird to me. Like this man is still around, but he barely appears. Penelope has her story with Queen Charlotte, but, and I say this as someone who doesn’t even like Colin all that much, Colin could’ve had more to do, or at least an expansion of his story. He still feels so poorly developed.
I didn’t do much editing in my head (though I do think we could’ve seen a couple more flashbacks between Sophie and her dad), but I did find myself thinking of characters who could’ve been mentioned, like Cressida Cowper. I’m still a bit salty about how her storyline ended, and she doesn’t even get a mention this season.
As for Part 2, I hope we get to see even more of Benedict and Sophie together. I want so badly for Benedict to realize who Sophie is on his own and for a discussion about his bisexuality, even if I don’t know yet what that would look like. I hope we see more of Michaela, too, but I know you have your frustrations with that storyline.
What did you find yourself editing, and what are your final thoughts on Part 1 so far?
SN: But seriously, where is Cressida? She had such a strong character arc in Season 3. I’m fine with Michaela. She’ll be great when her character steps into the spotlight. It’s the writing of Francesca and John’s story that frustrates me. I tend to stand 10 toes down for the romance tropes, and I worry we’re losing an important one that has nothing to do with Michaela’s gender. Based on the books, as much as I love John, perhaps everything would have held together better if he had become Johanna alongside Michael becoming Michaela. I’m not sure, and it would be spoilers to discuss. We’ll have to see how things resolve leading into Francesca’s season. Which, if the stories go in the order of the books, would be after Eloise.
I talked about the things I would edit in-depth on our Geek Girl Riot episode, but upfront, I would have introduced Sophie first. We know Benedict and the Bridgertons already. Because of that, we could’ve waited until after the masquerade ball to see what’s going on in their household. This is a Cinderella story—we needed to meet and get to know our Lady in Silver first. That would have increased the anticipation at the ball and shown us why she hypnotized Benedict the moment he saw her. I understand they were going for mystery, and there are stories where that works, but Cinderella is always about establishing the girl who crashes the ball first. Even the book Season 4 is based on, An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn, starts with Sophie.
Still, when that cliffhanger dropped at the end of episode 404, I was all in and betting all my chips on Benedict and Sophie’s happily ever after.
What are your final thoughts?
MA: Season 4, Part 1 has been a big step forward in terms of getting back to what really makes the show good. I was worried that after last season, despite liking parts of it, Bridgerton was taking a nosedive in the romance department. So I’m pleasantly surprised by how generally solid this season has been. There are fewer storylines, which further brings Benedict and Sophie to the forefront, allowing them time to properly shine. The show is nothing without its romantic leads, and it’s to Bridgerton’s benefit (and ours) that we have strong ones this season. It helps soften some of the issues and weaker storylines. And a quick shout-out to the elder ladies—Lady Bridgerton, for her blooming romance, and Lady Danbury and Queen Charlotte, whose friendship this season got me all misty-eyed.
Bridgerton Season 4 – Part 1 is streaming now on Netflix
Bridgerton Season 4 – Part 2 streams Feb 26
