WHO ELSE LOVED BRIDGERTON?

If you didn’t watch Bridgerton during the Christmas holidays then you are definitely in the minority. According to Netflix, the show is projected to be watched in 63 million households [in 4 weeks of release] and will be the platform’s fifth biggest original series launched to date. What are you waiting for?

Bridgerton is a romantic period series created by Shondaland, as part of a mega deal with Netflix. It is the story of Daphne and Simon’s love affair in a fantasy Regency London, based on Julia Quinn’s book “The Duke and I”. Shot in Bath, Somerset, the show features Regé-Jean Page as the Duke of Hastings, and Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne Bridgerton, amongst other prominent actors.

Now that the hype has died down a bit, we can focus on the themes that made Bridgerton so great. I know I know, it’s SHONDALAND so what do you expect? It’s definitely not on the same level as Scandal, Greys Anatomy et al, but it is a nice feel good show which shows that the team at Shondaland can have a bit of fun too, and create great British content.

So what’s all the fuss? For me, I especially loved the diverse characters and the themes explored:

1. Marriage

Marriage is complicated and is hard work. We saw this first hand on the show as they explored the dynamics of different marriages from young to old.

We saw the difference between the marriages of the Featherington parents who married for status and security, and the Bridgerton parents who married for love. For this reason, they each guided their children in the same paths.

The older Duke of Hastings [Simon’s father] was in a loveless and selfish marriage — traits that Simon may have inherited if he hadn’t found love with Daphne.

After Simon marries Daphne, we see them enjoy the initial thrill of marriage and new sexual escapades, however this quickly fades away when Daphne finds out the real reason he doesn’t want children. Here we see how they fight, then communicate and eventually compromise to make their marriage work. Bridgerton shows us that there is more to marriage than just falling in love!

2. Sex

The sex scenes were great! Bridgerton showed the realities of sex both within and outside the confines of marriage. It especially shows the importance of sex education. If Daphne’s mother had spoken to her about sex she wouldn’t have been clueless about Simon’s supposed inability to have children. However, in order for women to be seen as pure in those times, it was wiser for them to know nothing of sex until it was time — on their wedding night.

3. Black Excellence

The diversity of the cast was excellent. From the Queen of England to the Duke of Hastings to Lady Danbury, the show was so colourful and I loved it!

I’m totally loving the move to colour blindness in film, where any actor can play any role regardless of their skin colour.

4. Fashion

Every outfit was just right for each character. 19th century high fashion with modern elements, it was colourful, glittery, OTT and definitely gorgeous. Apparently, the design department ended up building a wardrobe of over 7,500 costume pieces for the drama.

5. Gossip/Suspense

Who else was shocked about Penelope? No one saw it coming. There were small hints here and there but it became a little more obvious after she leaked the pregnancy of Marina, as she was one of the very few people who knew the intricate details. I loved the addition of film legend, Julie Andrew’s voice as Lady Whistledown.

I’ll give the show a strong 8.5/10.

Bring on season 2! There are eight Bridgerton books so fingers crossed we can get all eight on screen.