The period-romance drama that has millennials fantasizing about fictional characters and their unmatched personalities, Bridgerton, has confirmed a season three for the show. The show is created by Chris Van Dusen, who has taken inspiration from author Julia Quinn’s eight-part novel series, also based around the Bridgerton family.
The show is set somewhere between the years 1795-1837 and revolves mostly around the Bridgerton family, which includes a total of eight close siblings, namely Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and lastly, Hyacinth. They all hail from a family of nobles and belong to the high London society. The story of the show follows their lives and how our leads try to find their place in the intimidating world of nobles.
The show has an elaborate cast of various interesting characters, including Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury, Julie Andrews as Lady Whistledown, Jonathan Bailey as Anthony, Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne, Claudia Jessie as Eloise, Bessie Carter as Prudence, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope, and many others who contribute immensely to the show.
The makers of the show have revealed that they wanted to take the traditional period vibes of the show but add more unique and fresh themes to it. The show surely checks the aesthetic box for its viewers with its costumes and set designs, and even the script, which makes you want to become a part of their world.
The show can be bunched with the likes of Pride & Prejudice; for fans who want to see more modern values and progressive and empowered women in traditional historical settings, this would be the show to binge. The first season received such positive reviews from both critics and audiences that it did not take very long for the show to get the green light for at least three more seasons.
The first season of the show set the foundation for its future seasons with its perfect ratio of melodrama, romance, and exciting twists and turns that keep the show intriguing. While the show seems perfect on the surface, a careful watch of the first season itself will show you a few toxic themes within the show, though many choose to ignore them.
Bridgerton Season 1 Ending Explained
The show released its first season on December 25th, 2020, and is said to have been based on Julia Quinn’s first novel, “The Duke and I.” The show has an anonymous gossipmonger called Lady Whistledown, who is present in the show only as a narrating voice but still manages to hold an important role within the show, especially during the end.
Season one of the show brought to us two families, the Bridgertons and the Featheringtons, and we started off the show with the Bridgerton girls trying their best to maintain themselves for marriage proposals they would soon be getting after officially entering their debutante gala. With the marriage market open for families to make a move, Lady Whistledown takes it as her cue to reveal scandals and create havoc to make the show more exciting.
The season wrapped with so many revelations that left fans speechless and even more prospects for future romances that left fans eagerly waiting. The first big blow that the season finale brought was the fact the Lasy Whistledown was actually Penelope Featherington, one of the girls living across the Bridgerton family. We find that the reason why she secretly publishes the scandalous newsletter covered with all of the high society’s imperfections is back. She wishes to fight against the hypocrisy the rich hold on to so dearly.
Exposing all the wrongdoings of the noble people in her community is her way of making people realize that their high status does not make them any better or even superior, that they are just the same as everyone else.
The Tragic Daphne-Simon Love Story
Once fans recover from the shock of the truth of Lady Whistledown’s identity, we move to another surprising turn of events throughout the season when the male lead, Simon Bassett, charms Daphne but also refuses to be with her. The entire season focuses on the love story of the two, which gets way too complicated for both the audience and the couple.
While the two hit off with each other at the start, things got a bit rough when Simon hesitated in showing his love to Daphne, which created way for fights and misunderstandings in their relationship. Simon did not want to be involved with their families. With his father not being in his life for the most part, Simon always struggled with his familial relationships.
He made it clear that he was not interested in the debut balls or even in marrying a girl and creating a family with her. Though his fears were justified, his family and Daphne continued to push him, and the two eventually got married. The season ended their relationship with a heavy undertone. While the two were probably in love with each other, they were still not the best fit because they clearly wanted different things in life.
Simon also mentioned not wanting kids, but Daphne had other plans in mind, which included forcing Simon into sleeping with her and impregnating her. Simon does so under pressure, and by the season finale, the two have a son, an heir to the Duke of Hastings position.
Daphne forcing Simon to impregnate her caused a lot of controversies when the show was airing, with people, rightfully, highlighting the fact that the entire scene could not be considered a “love-making” scene but one that depicted marital rape and how it is brushed off as nothing when it happens to men.
Death In The Featherington Family
The Featherington family, another important focus of the show, suffers heavily by the end of the season, all thanks to the bad decisions of the family’s patriarch, Lord Featherington. The man was infamously known for making bad decisions and being addicted to gambling and betting. He takes things one step ahead by borrowing money from people who would not be all that nice if one did not return their money on time.
And when the Lord decides to spend all of his earnings from gambling on prostitutes and to keep up the pretense of his lavish lifestyle, the bookies devise a plan and successfully execute their plan of killing off Lord Featherington. His death throws off the Feathrington family and leaves them without a male to take of them.
While Lady Featherington is left to question who will inherit their house because she has only girls for children, we see one of her housekeepers pass on a note to her which may have the answer to her question. Though it is not disclosed who will get the house and look after the girls, we know that suffering and tragedy will not be leaving their house in the next season.
The Meaningful Last Shot
The season finally rolled its credits with the last scene of just a honeybee sitting on a window sill while Daphne gave birth to her first son. The bee holds significant meaning in the show, especially for the Bridgerton family. It was revealed in the earlier episodes of the show that Lord Bridgerton had unfortunately passed away because of a bee sting.
Anthony, the older son, is left to deal with the fear of bees, constantly wondering that it might be his time soon, all the while trying to be just as responsible as his father so as not to taint his legacy. The bee is representative of his fears, not just of bees but also of being the older male in the family, left to take care of his sisters and mother, making sure the house runs in order.
The season ended on a dark note for many. Simon and Bassett are not likely to be the focus of the second season, which is going to bring its own obstacles for the family. The show, in a subtle manner, portrays the tainted realities of the rich and noble who hide behind the garb of expensive clothes and a hundred servants, all for them to look better and superior.
But the reality is far from the perfect image they try to maintain because every day, they struggle to maintain their upkeep, worry about trivial things that could potentially ruin their image, and ignore all of their actual problems instead of facing them head-on. The case remained for Simon and for Lord Featherington, who saw running away as the better option.
