With each passing season, Bridgerton has found itself successfully telling the main love story while simultaneously ignoring all who have come before. Although initially an upsetting detail, it has grown into a problematic trend.
Bridgerton season 4 part 2 moves many things forward, such as giving Hyacinth and Gregory slightly larger roles in preparation for each of their society debuts. While it is understood that both Eloise and Francesca are set to be the next two Bridgerton leads, giving Gregory and Hyacinth a stronger foundation helps the audience start to get behind them for when it is eventually their turn.
Bridgerton also does well to keep Francesca an essential player, especially after the character was barely present in the first two seasons of the show. With Benedict taking the lead during season 4, it meant seeing the new, romantic lead side to a character who had mostly been on the sidelines in the previous few seasons. Meanwhile, Eloise continues to make her mark in each of her appearances, standing out as the most vocal Bridgerton sibling. However, season 4 could not escape its troubling acts of continuing to disregard previous season leads.
Where are the stars in Bridgerton season 4?
Daphne and Simon have once again not been present at all during season 4. Anthony and Kate did appear, but only briefly and without any real consequences to their arrival.
While Colin is present, he is mostly there to fill space, having no real story of his own. Penelope is the only previous series lead to be given a more substantial plot in a season following her own love story, and it ends in an arguably controversial manner.
Penelope's arc in season 4 suggests that perhaps Penelope's big reveal to everyone that she was Lady Whistledown may have been better off being a contained reveal to only the Bridgerton family, the Featherington family, and Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury, as season 4 got plenty of humor out of their knowledge of Lady Whistledown's true identity. Yet, everyone else knowing the truth only made things more difficult for Penelope to get true gossip. No longer a wallflower, and everyone knowing her identity, were partial reasons for Penelope's decision to put an end to Lady Whistledown forever, allowing the residents of the area to carry on without fear of being watched so closely, up until the end, that is.
For as much as it may be a controversial decision to separate Penelope from the Lady Whistledown narrative, at least at the conclusion of season 4, there is something to say about Penelope's arc, because she actually has one. Colin does nothing other than play happy husband and supportive brother, but he has none of the information he would need to make him truly helpful to Benedict in discussing matters of the heart.
Colin and Penelope's marriage as a whole, as well as their roles as parents, are completely ignored beyond showing that they are happy. The audience is not truly privy to what their marriage looks like or their dynamic as parents. Their baby is barely ever seen or referenced while Colin and Penelope are out and about.
Anthony and Kate follow a similar problem, but even more so. This is the second season in a row that they have been cast aside. Anthony and Kate do not need to be major players in every episode to be important, but they should appear in more of the episodes as the Viscount and Viscountess. Their roles, which were emphasized as being so integral in season 2, have been meaningless ever since.
How has their marriage been going? How are they as parents? Will their roles with the rest of the family be more integral? They should be. Anthony and Kate were certainly fan-favorites during their season. While they will no longer be the front and center love story, that does not mean they can not play important roles as the rest of the Bridgerton siblings undergo their own love stories.
Bridgerton needs to find a way to balance the main love story while showing every Bridgerton sibling and their partner as being important to the story in each season, even if they do not have a main plot. Daphne missed several weddings and a funeral (which Anthony and Kate were also absent from). It's painful and confusing to witness. Bridgerton's second season found ways to incorporate Daphne into the show, even though it was only for a few episodes. Why couldn't the last two seasons do the same?
Bridgerton season 4 part 2's stumbles in key moments
Season 4 part 2 does work to show more of the family dynamics, such as between Eloise and Benedict, Hyacinth and Eloise, Francesca and Benedict, and Colin and Gregory. Yet, certain aspects are confusing and undeniably frustrating.
Audiences spend the entire season waiting for Benedict and Sophie to finally have the chance to be together. Yet, when the moment finally comes, their wedding is reduced to a post-credits scene, which is more of an exciting plot point in a Marvel movie than making sense for an episode of Bridgerton.
This was the wedding of the season's main couple. Their wedding should have been a part of the episode, not separate. Fans could have backed out of the episode if they did not know to stick around for extra scenes. It is disrespectful to Sophie and Benedict, who had the responsibility of offering an engaging love story. The least the season could do is honor them by showing their wedding before the credits rolled.
At the conclusion of season 4, Violet teases that there is a stronger chance of seeing Benedict and Sophie appear more in the future than they thought possible. However, with how Bridgerton has treated previous couples, it is unlikely that Benedict and Sophie will have a substantial role in season 5.
The new season could be the opportunity the series needs to make these changes and bring these main characters back into the story. Being married is not the end of a love story, and it does not mean there is nothing left to say.
Bridgerton should continue to set the foundation for the characters whose turn is coming. That does not mean ignoring those who came before. They are meant to be a family after all, and the Bridgerton sibling dynamic is part of what made the series so engaging in the first place. While Bridgerton may be a romantic love story first, as a television series, it can not be denied how important the family angle is as well.
Stay tuned for more news about Bridgerton season 4.