Bridgerton Season 4 is an exceptional television series in which fantasy reigns supreme and Regency-era accuracy remains only an idea. Bridgerton Season 4 brings with it smokey eyeshadow, men who truly yearn, string quartet rendition of Pitbull’s ‘Give Me Everything Tonight,’ Bridgerton has it all! Goal of this show: to captivate its audience and capture hearts – creating romantic depictions which remain unrealistic yet desirable for us all to watch. Bridgerton Season 4 Part One premieres on Netflix Australia January 29 at 7pm.
Bridgerton Season 4 Embraces a Cinderella-Style Romance
This season follows Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) through an epic romantic story: a situationship. However, as in earlier eras, class becomes the ultimate barrier as forbidden liaisons occur between noble gentlemen and maids.
Fans familiar with Julia Quinn’s book series know all too well that Season Three of Bridgerton will draw heavily upon Cinderella-themed tropes: an oppressive stepmother, an alluring ball, and one leading man’s quest to track down his mysterious lover are just a few examples.
Benedict’s Masquerade Romance Begins With Hidden Identity
Netflix has provided an outline of the plot to those unfamiliar with it: Benedict briefly meets an alluring young lady at his mother’s masquerade ball and, with Eloise (Claudia Jessie) helping, begins searching for who it is; only to discover she’s actually Sophie – working for Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung).
Fate intervenes once more and brings their paths together – leaving Benedict confused between his affection for Sophie and the ever-elusive Lady in Silver (whom Benny does not realize is one and the same person).
An Offer From A Gentleman has long been a fan-favorite novel and creator Shonda Rhimes has already stated it as her favourite season – an indication of Bridgerton Season 4’s potential to shake up pop culture and possibly change our perceptions of modern men forever! So we spoke with showrunner, executive producer, and writer Jess Brownell to find out more.
Benedict and Sophie Bring Bridgerton Higher Stakes
One reason is that this adaptation is the closest yet. Another is that Sophie and Benedict’s romance opens us up to an entirely new world; one with higher stakes than any period drama we’ve seen before on this show (or many others, for that matter).
Yes, Mr Darcy famously declared he would marry Elizabeth Bennett regardless of her inferior birth; but unlike in Pride and Prejudice he didn’t just cast her aside and declare his affections for one of the servants instead – something new here with Benedict and Sophie’s story giving Brownell an ideal basis for a captivating romance storyline. According to Brownell: “I think the upstairs downstairs component brings new richness and depth,” as it provides “real and juicy obstacles that they wouldn’t otherwise face if they had therapy sessions together instead – just got them in one room together and talked more; everything would have been fine by now!”
Bridgerton Deepens Its Fantasy Through Social Division
“But this obstacle…in Regency times, your class was an inviolate boundary, so while our [Bridgerton] world may be more inclusive racially, class remains very much an impassible boundary in that time period. So for Benedict and Sophie to come together requires immense courage – giving the season great stakes.”
Season 4 features some of the most intriguing tropes to explore, as the idea of servitude and social strata are central themes throughout – not just Benophie’s love story.
As evidenced by teaser trailers, household staff will play an integral part this season of Glee. As they explore this unfamiliar terrain in a world replete with glamour and romance, Brownell says the production team worked hard to ensure it didn’t derail its magic: “The production team talked extensively about portraying downstairs life as realistically as possible while not undermining its fantasy genre too drastically,” according to Mamamia’s interviews with Brownell.
Bridgerton Season Four Redefines Upstairs Downstairs Worlds
“People come to Bridgerton to relax and have a good time, so as you progress through Part One you will notice slightly different versions of the downstairs. For instance, Bridgerton Downstairs provides a pleasant environment in which to reside; its kitchen provides a lovely working environment which speaks volumes about who the Bridgertons are as people. But when visiting Penwood House and meeting new characters who may appear this season you might notice subtle variations in both production design and circumstances.”
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Season 4 will showcase society in Regency-era England more realistically than any previous season, yet viewers must suspend disbelief to enjoy it fully. When the first trailer for Season 4 released, viewers had one main question for Benedict Bridgerton (Taron Egerton).
Masquerade Ball Sparks Bridgerton’s Most Complicated Romance
As Austin Ames in A Cinderella Story did, Benedict faces the age-old male problem of not recognising a woman when her face is hidden by fabric. Based on trailers alone, it seems clear the show will closely follow the plot of the book; Benedict often searches desperately for his mysterious lady friend (even when she stands right there in front of him!). We decided to ask Brownell her thoughts on this common male issue.
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“Well it requires some suspension of disbelief – after all we are living in a fantasy world!” Brownell noted. “However, it does provide a comment on class in that era – when Benedict first meets Sophie he doesn’t recognise her because his mind just wouldn’t allow for that possibility at that point in history – nor would he even consider that this mysterious lady could possibly be his maid (servant class weren’t visible back then); therefore this element plays into our hands somewhat.”