‘Bridgerton‘, based on the themes of Regency romance and alternate history is a TV show adaptation of ‘Bridgerton‘ books by Julia Quinn. The series has amassed popularity worldwide since its first season airing in December 2020. The show focuses on a different Bridgerton sibling’s romance every season.
Season 3 of Bridgerton recently aired on June 13, focusing on Colin Bridgerton and his friends-to-lovers romance with Penelope Featherington– even though according to the books, the third in line for romance was supposed to be Benedict Bridgerton. This has spiked speculations about whether this due romance story of Benedict would be shown in the fourth season or not. With this in mind, let us dive into how Benedict’s romance is depicted in the book, and with who?
Who Is Benedict’s Love Interest In The ‘Bridgerton’ Books?
Benedict’s romance unfolds in the third book of the series titled ‘An Offer From A Gentleman‘, wherein he meets a mystery woman at a ball, who he believes to have set the standard for the perfect woman in his life, so much so that he never forgets her, even if he doesn’t know her name. This woman is later disclosed to be Sophie Beckett, the daughter of an Earl forced into working as a maid by her stepmother after her father’s demise.
This Cinderella trope story then goes on to both Benedict and Sophie meeting again years later, while Benedict is still yearning for the mysterious woman from the ball. After a few interactions, it is revealed to Benedict that Sophie is in fact the mystery woman and their romance takes off beautifully.
Not to forget the differences in social strata, the couple is faced with many judgmental opinions and prejudice along the way- but they pave their way through and are successfully married by the end – making it yet another happy ending in the ‘Bridgerton‘ series.
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‘Bridgerton’ On Netflix Explores Benedict’s Sexuality In A Different Way
Although according to the books, the third season of ‘Bridgerton‘ was supposed to have Benedict as the lead, instead it followed the romance of another one of his brothers – Colin. That is not to say that Benedict did not undergo massive changes in the season.
The season starts off with Benedict having an encounter with Lady Tilley Arnold, a widow who is later shown to have casual physical relations with Benedict. This storyline later introduces Tilley’s friend Paul at a dinner with Benedict. These three later end up forming a casual Throuple sparking up themes of polyamory, sexual exploration and queer relationships.
Although the season ends with Tilley falling for Benedict, and Benedict respectfully declining her request to marry – it seems to explore Benedict’s deeper instincts than in the books. Showrunner Jess Brownell had mentioned that by delaying Benedict’s season, the team gets to “play” with the character more and that’s exactly what the results drew in.
This new improvement in the show has brought in some very mixed reactions. On one hand, some are happy that Bridgerton is finally exploring more diverse themes when it comes to sexuality and romance than done in the books – with both Benedict’s sexual exploration and the gender swap of Francesca’s love interest from Michael to Michaela. While some believe that these new changes in the show are complex, the storyline wants to delve into the queer side more.
Nonetheless, fans are now excited more than ever to see how the coming seasons of Bridgerton will unfold and what other changes might be added to the Bridgerton family’s journey.
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