Dearest Gentle Reader,
It would not have been a successful season if this author had remained hidden and not shared her thoughts with a captive audience. This social season, the ton was abuzz with whispers from the upstairs and downstairs of the many houses in Mayfair, especially when it came to one mysterious Miss Sophie Baek and the ton’s most sought-after rake, Mr. Benedict Bridgerton. Most surprisingly, this season signals a “ladies, we are so back” spirit that was lost last year, and this author is most excited to rehash the goings-on in London.
This author will also stop writing as if she’s a Regency-era town gossip and instead write as a 21st-century town gossip.
Sophie and Benedict brought a Breath of Fresh Air to the Bridgerton couplings
Unlike previous seasons, one half of the main couple is not a member of society this time around. A spin on the classic Cinderella tale, Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) is a maid of Penwood House who decided to sneak out to a ball and happened to meet Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), sparking an instant connection and prompting Benedict to go on a silly goose chase to find her—only because he couldn’t recognize her without a mask.
To be frank, I didn’t have much hope for Season 4 after the mess that was the third season, despite Benedict being my favorite brother. But Ha and Thompson’s chemistry was so strong, we have once again reached the levels of romance and yearning evident in Season 2 with Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony (Jonathan Bailey). This season’s main love story has a different pace: it’s more of a slow burn, with a quieter, yet steadfast, feel to the relationship, fitting for Sophie’s and Benedict’s characters.
Both characters have felt like outsiders in their respective worlds, never quite belonging, until they found each other. Sophie and Benedict presented a softer presence compared to the other Bridgerton siblings and romantic interests and were a bit unserious in their own right. So, it makes sense for their relationship not to go through explosive fights or angry confessions of love, but to still progress with the depth the audience craved.
Their relationship started with a meet-cute at the ball and a somewhat innocent dance outside, then we saw them having lighthearted fun over kite flying and art. At multiple points during the show, we see them offering little nuggets of themselves to each other and taking them in with care, like their scenes in the orangerie. Even in their intimate scenes, we see them bring that softness and lightheartedness into the room.
What felt a bit lacking to me was the resolution to their forbidden relationship issue. Everything felt heightened in Episode 7: Violet is finally on board with Benedict’s love life, Benedict discovers that Sophie is moving to the Americas, and the police take Sophie in because of Araminta’s (Katie Leung) accusation of thievery and impersonation of nobility. It all felt somewhat impossible to figure out and promised so much scandalous fallout. Yet, it all seemed to have resolved within a ten-minute conversation at the Queen’s Ball. Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) was there in the room, but that didn’t even yield any interesting conclusion.
But at least we got a happy post-credit wedding scene, and Benedict finally completed his first painting: a portrait of Sophie in her silver dress from the first ball, with her mask off.
When The Upstairs and Downstairs Worlds Collide
After three seasons of listening to uppity members of the ton whining about this and that, it got a little suffocating. But now, Sophie has introduced us to the world behind the curtains. In Episode 2, we got to see the run-up and the outcome of the first ball from Sophie’s point of view. We saw what it was like for her to work at Penwood House and her friendships with the other servants, Alfie (David Moorst) and Irma (Fiona Marr).
After Sophie left Penwood House, the maid war was a significant plot in the show. It brought about changes at Featherington House, with Mrs. Varley (Lorraine Ashbourne) resigning due to wage issues and ultimately replacing Sophie at Penwood House; Sophie and a fellow maid, Hazel (Gracie McGonigal), moved into the Bridgerton’s house because of Benedict. While inseparable from the main love story, this season still represented class disparity and the treatment of the servant class as its own main theme.
This new world also gave us fun tidbits. We got to see the servants not only as extras in the scene, but as real characters. We got to see more of Footman John (Oli Higginson), who’s fast becoming a fan favorite, and his romance with Hazel; head housekeeper Mrs. Wilson and her influence in the Bridgerton household; and Mrs. Varley, who wrestled with her sense of loyalty to her fellow maids and the Featheringtons.
This season might be the funniest one yet, and it wasn’t only because of Luke and Sophie’s character designs, but because we can experience the Regency Era from new perspectives and interactions that aren’t as adhering to the rigid societal rules.
Female Friendships Thrived This Season
What made this season stand out to me was how well the plotlines outside of the main couple were done. I particularly enjoyed the focus on female friendships. With Mrs. Varley leaving Featherington House and consequently breaking up with Lady Featherington (Polly Walker), we got to see Walker flex her comedic muscles as she denied missing her partner-in-crime. We also got to see the maids banding together when helping Sophie or simply gossiping at the market.
The same goes for the budding friendship between Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Hyacinth Bridgerton (Florence Hunt). It was fun to see sisterly tiffs between these complete opposites, and to see Eloise trying to appease the baby of the family, which ultimately deepened the bond between them. We also saw Eloise visiting Cressida (Jessica Madsen) after returning as the new Lady Penwood, as Eloise slowly came to understand Cressida’s point of view on her aspirations to marry well. The shift in Eloise’s views on marriage and relationships definitely points to her being the main character in Season 5. While it is exciting, I hope they don’t butcher her character arc.
But the stand-out was Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) and Queen Charlotte’s friendship. As heartbreaking as it is, we had to say goodbye to Lady Danbury, and much like the rest of us, Queen Charlotte had a hard time accepting her long-time best friend’s request to retreat from society to move to her ancestral home. Throughout Parts 1 and 2, we watched as the tension in their friendship grew and as power dynamics continued to affect them.
But more so, with the incredible acting by the two actresses, we got to experience decades of friendship and the bitterness of goodbyes, not out of a fallout, but to say hello to a new chapter elsewhere. At the end of Episode 6, once Queen Charlotte finally accepted that it’s okay for things to change, we witnessed a wordless exchange between the two women—a world of love, understanding, and memories exchanged through their eyes. Watching that scene hit me with a wave of bittersweet emotions, and it was a great relief to see them end the season laughing with great abandon like only old friends can.
Lady Violet Bridgerton, The Unexpected Diamond of The Season
Since Season 1, it’s been established that Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) is and always has been a real one. A mother to eight and doing so fabulously, running a tight ship in that house (as tight as rake sons and rebellious daughters go); and now in Season 4, we see the side of her we rarely get to see: Violet as a woman, not just a mother.
What was most fascinating was seeing Lady Bridgerton reminded of her younger self and herself on her own. I loved the scene between Lady Bridgerton and Benedict in Episode 8, where we learned that Lady Bridgerton sees a lot of herself in the carefree, fire-filled second son. “But you, you are my son… Through and through.” We saw that fire fully lit up when she batted for Sophie at the court hearing and during the confrontation with Araminta.
We also saw her backstreet relationship with Lord Anderson (Daniel Francis) fully bloom this season, which lent her a reprieve from her chaotic children. It was interesting to see romance between the more grown characters. While it was fun to see her have some fun in her private life again, it was more fun to watch her ask Lord Anderson to be her situationship. I’m excited to see her hopefully wreak havoc on the streets of Mayfair. City girl up!
What Is Grief if Not Love Persevering: Francesca, John, and Michaela
Hannah Dodd as Francesca Kilmartin is an absolute stand-out in Part 2. We heard whispers from two years ago that John Kilmartin (Victor Alli) would be leaving us sometime in the story to make way for Francesca’s romance with Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza). But I didn’t expect it to be so soon. Not long after soft launching, some headaches, John died peacefully in his sleep, and we followed Francesca, navigating grief as a young widow.
The show didn’t fail to show how grief touches each person differently: Michaela coped by celebrating his life, Hyacinth went through an existential breakdown, and Francesca coped by holding on to control and trying to continue what she thought John would’ve wanted. Dodd’s performance was layered and poignant; she conveyed the waves of sadness and fondness when faced with things related to her late husband.
As a whole, we also got to see the Bridgertons rally for one another, navigating the complex boundary of support and trying to fight a system that failed women in an especially hard time. Francesca’s confrontation with Lady Bridgerton was an especially good scene, discussing how even with their shared status as widows, they are not going through the same thing.
So, what’s next?
Someone on Twitter said that this is truly the Season of Love, and I wholeheartedly agree. We got to see so many different flavors of love: familial, platonic, romantic; heated and passionate, slow burning and quiet, fun and lighthearted. There’s plenty of love for everyone!
All in all, I think Season 4, especially Part 2, was superb.
But that’s not all. The season ended with a plot twist: with Penelope Bridgerton (Nicola Coughlan) raising her jersey to the rafters, the newest Lady Whistledown papers came as a shock to everyone. Who do you think assumed this identity?
