Bridgerton Finally Gets It Together

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The fourth season of Bridgerton, adapted from Julia Quinn’s An Offer From a Gentleman, is a strong installment. This season focuses on Benedict Bridgerton, who receives much more compelling character development than Colin did in season three. Newcomer Yerin Ha delivers a fantastic performance as Sophie Baek, Benedict’s love interest, and her character immediately adds significant depth to their budding romance. Sophie works as a maid, making a relationship with a Bridgerton completely forbidden – it’s a Bridgerton take on the Cinderella story. However, this familiar framework actually strengthens the show, providing a substantial obstacle to the central relationship – something more meaningful than just miscommunication or hidden secrets, and rooted in the social rules of the show’s unique historical setting. It’s a welcome return to the kind of compelling conflict that made the first season so captivating.

While Bridgerton is based on romance novels, it’s always functioned more like a traditional TV show with many storylines. Unlike shows like Heated Rivalry, which focus entirely on the central couple, Bridgerton is packed with side characters and their own complicated lives. Each episode isn’t just about the featured Bridgerton sibling and their love interest; it also follows the queen, the Mondriches (a couple introduced in season one who haven’t had much purpose since), and starts setting up storylines for future seasons with other Bridgerton siblings. The show has consistently struggled to balance the central romance with these many supporting plots. However, season four—or at least the first part released today—is the first time Bridgerton has successfully created subplots that enhance, rather than distract from, the main love story.

It’s understandable why the Bridgerton series tries to tell so many stories at once. The books aren’t just about individual romances; they create a whole world through Lady Whistledown’s gossip, filled with secrets, ambition, and social climbing. So, it makes sense for the show to expand on minor characters and create more complex storylines beyond the central love stories. However, this approach has become frustrating. Penelope’s secret identity as Lady Whistledown is a major plotline, but stretching it out over multiple seasons has removed all the suspense. We’ve known for a long time that Eloise doesn’t want to get married, and her repeated insistence on this has become tiresome. After seasons of waiting for something to happen with her character, any potential drama has simply faded away.

The side plots often feel unnecessary and over-the-top, even when they aren’t intentionally disruptive. For example, while Colin and Penelope are struggling in their relationship, the show frequently cuts to Benedict enjoying a very lengthy and exuberant experience with multiple partners. It’s funny, but it doesn’t quite fit the tone, and more importantly, it pulls focus from the emotional core of Colin and Penelope’s connection and their growing feelings for each other.

The fourth season of Bridgerton does something impressive: its side stories actually connect to the main plot. Because Sophie is a maid, and her relationship with Benedict involves issues of class and work, the other storylines explore similar themes. We see the Featherington’s housekeeper fight for a fair wage, Lady Danbury struggle with the limitations of her role as the Queen’s friend, and the Mondriches deal with the challenges of a relationship where one person has less social power. Even Eloise’s consideration of becoming a spinster is framed through a class-based lens. This is a classic Shonda Rhimes technique – using smaller stories to deepen and complicate the main narrative. It’s a hallmark of Grey’s Anatomy, something Bridgerton hadn’t quite achieved until now, and season four finally gets it right.

Season four is a welcome improvement because it finally acknowledges the harsh realities of the time, something that’s been missing since the beginning. The appeal of a Regency-era romance lies in the serious consequences for women who couldn’t secure a good marriage, but Bridgerton had been downplaying those stakes. The show hinted at issues like racism and social division, only to quickly ignore them by portraying a world that’s unrealistically diverse and ignores the history of colonialism. Previous conflicts, like the potential fallout from Penelope’s identity being revealed, felt resolved too easily, and even the Queen’s involvement in matchmaking felt superficial. However, season four smartly focuses on a persistent, genuine problem within the Bridgerton universe: the rigid class system. The lives of the wealthy aristocracy depend on the labor of servants who have no real power and can’t freely choose love or marriage. This season finally explores what it would cost someone to cross those boundaries, bringing back a sense of genuine risk and consequence.

Despite the show’s promising start, it’s still wise to be cautious. Previous seasons of Bridgerton have stumbled in their later episodes, and this season could suffer the same fate when all the storylines converge. More importantly, the connection between Sophie and Benedict needs to develop beyond just longing; if their chemistry doesn’t ignite, the season won’t be saved by any grand themes. However, right now, everything is coming together beautifully, making this the most enjoyable Bridgerton has been since its debut. Surprisingly, all it took was a Cinderella-inspired storyline and a focus on a beloved character, Mrs. Varley, to get things back on track.

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2026-01-29 17:55