Bridgerton season 4 takes its swing at the well-known Cinderella story. Throughout Part 1, many elements in the opening four episodes lay a solid foundation, but it is the love story's main trope that struggles the most.
Benedict and Sophie's initial introduction sets the tone well and perfectly portrays why Benedict (Luke Thompson) is so taken with the Lady in Silver from the beginning. Unlike everyone else at the Masquerade Ball, who is far too familiar with the luxuries and extravagance of the decor and experience they are surrounded by, the Lady in Silver is transfixed and amazed by a light fixture.
With no interest in finding a husband and her main goal of the night being to just enjoy herself, Sophie (Yerin Ha) is a fresh breath of air for Benedict, who is just as happy to never find his way walking down the aisle. Of course, given the storyline this romance finds itself in, it cannot be so easy for Benedict to just know who this woman is that has caught his interest, and thus begins the question of who the mysterious Lady in Silver really is.
So, similar to previous iterations of the same plot, Benedict searches for the true identity of the woman he cannot forget. Although Part 1 highlights Benedict's determination by focusing on the mouth of each woman Benedict comes across as he aims to find a match, no one he meets properly fits the facial features of the woman he had spent the night speaking to.
This exact detail becomes moderately frustrating when Benedict is finally brought face-to-face with Sophie. Unlike every other woman that Benedict had come across, Benedict spends no time actively searching her face for familiarity, as he had done with the others.
Benedict and Sophie's love story is too Cinderella Story so far
While this could easily fall into the same conversations as previous versions of Cinderella re-tellings, it is also important to note that Bridgerton is not nearly clear enough about its timeline. In between the Masquerade Ball and Benedict finding Sophie and bringing her to the cottage, the only way to determine the length of time was through Benedict and Eloise suggesting they had been to about six or seven balls.
Later, a Lady Whistledown article suggests that months had passed since Sophie's firing as a maid. Meanwhile, Benedict states that the Lady in Silver's face had become more of a memory than real. Yet, Bridgerton never directly gives an exact amount of time. Has it been weeks, months, maybe a year, between the Masquerade Ball and when Sophie began to work for the Bridgerton family?
If the time jump between the Masquerade Ball and Benedict meeting Sophie in person was substantial, then Benedict's not recognizing Sophie could seem more justified. But, without a clear determination of how much time had passed, Benedict just comes off as yet another Prince-type who fails to see the resemblance between a woman in a partial face mask and the woman standing directly in front of him.
The idea of a forbidden love brought about by class difference is a plotline that works more favorably for the couple, as Benedict and Sophie exist in a life stuck between not being able to be together because of their class status and the power dynamic at play of Sophie working for Benedict's family. Outside the Cinderella plot, Benedict and Sophie's romance in Part 1 is fun-loving and playful, as they bond through flying a kite and their time away from the rest of the world.
Ultimately, even though Benedict and Sophie's romance is based on the concept of Cinderella, season 4 as a whole works at its best when that plotline is left behind. The show's humor in many of its other characters helps raise the bar of entertainment, and even Benedict and Sophie's bonding is enjoyable to watch in all settings.
The Cinderella element of the setup is an integral part of how and why Sophie can attend the Masquerade Ball. Yet, it fails to escape easy comparisons to the original fairytale and the several more recent modern remakes.
Benedict and Sophie's romance and the dangers and excitement of forbidden love should have been the most important part of viewing their season and love story. Unfortunately, the use of Cinderella as a backdrop and setup risks easily overshadowing the actual character growth and development that Benedict and Sophie must undergo before eventually finding their way to each other.
Other stand-out moments from season 4 so far include the back-and-forth between Penelope and Queen Charlotte, the desperation Queen Charlotte has toward Lady Danbury's potential traveling, Eloise and Hyacinth's growing dynamic surrounding their opposing views on marriage, the groundwork being laid for Francesca's upcoming season, and Violet gaining a romantic life of her own.
Penelope's role in season 4 shows how flipping Colin and Benedict's seasons was a key decision, as season 4 has played into everyone knowing the truth about Lady Whistledown's identity. While there are still significant faces missing from the first four episodes, notably Daphne, Simon, Anthony, and Kate, Bridgerton has done well in keeping Penelope involved in the show on a constant basis.
So far, Penelope is the only character to have gotten married in her main love story season and then remained relevant in the following year. Although Colin remains faithfully by her side, he has no real storyline or plot of his own, at least not in the first few episodes. Meanwhile, both Daphne and Anthony all but disappeared after each of them got married.