beach bum

I’m glad this migraine at least waited until after I’d mainlined Bridgerton to kick in. Hoo BOY, that was an amazing rollercoaster. I hardly know where to begin, though I guess it will be with Cressida’s semi-triumphant return. My girl! I did wonder why the Penwoods moved, and then when it came out their cousin had married and the new wife wanted to move to the house in town, then everybody started speculating about who the new wife was, I gasped and said, "OMG is it Cressida?!"

I love that she got a love match, too, that here is a man who loves her flamboyance and is clearly happy to indulge it. I love even more that, while she is clearly still her attention-seeking self, she really did seem contrite when she apologized to Pen. I also love, though, that the narrative gave Pen space not to accept the apology, without looking like she was at fault. Cressida tormented her for years, and that’s not something that a few words, no matter how sincere, will erase. I hope we can see Cressida backing up the words with deeds. I also found it funny that while at first she was upset that Lady Whistledown wasn’t going to write about her ball, she quickly acknowledged that was a positive, given the queen’s snub.

I really love that she and Eloise reconnected, and that she had insightful things to say about Mary Wollstonecraft! That scene was great for showing how Eloise has really self-reflected, as was Eloise sneaking Hyacinth into the ball. I like how Eloise is starting to recognize that she can both make a difference as a woman and have her own family, if that’s what she wants.

Speaking of making a difference as a woman, get it, Mrs. Mondrich! I’m so excited at the possibility of seeing more of that whole family in the coming seasons. I don’t think their son’s title is the same as the title of the guy Hyacinth marries, which is kind of a shame. He seemed really taken with her at her practice ball, which was so cute! And Gregory sure has good taste. That girl that caught his eye was a stunning little thing. It all gives me hope we might actually get their seasons, after all.

Which, I’m going to guess Season 5 will be Francesca’s story. I confess I’m disappointed for a few reasons, the main one being right now that I was absolutely wrecked by that storyline. I’m not kidding, I started sobbing the minute "Fields of Gold" started playing while they gazed at the moon, and when the heck did "Fields of Gold" become a signal of tragedy ahead? I like that song, I object! And dammit, I’m getting choked up right now just writing about it. How did the show that nearly lost me last season come back to do this? What is this Star Trek shit? But as much as I love Michaela, this is tempting me to write so many fix-its, because I love John and Francesca, and I love John, full stop. The actor is beautiful, and the character is beautiful. Of all the men on the show thus far, he’d be my pick for a Regency suitor.

Of course, that said, the death and mourning storyline is thus far being portrayed really well. I love that we see multiple ways of mourning, and that grief isn’t linear. I did have to stop and walk away for a bit after it was revealed Francesca wasn’t pregnant, because. Y’know. Infertility. It’s a tough topic. It turned out well for me, but that doesn’t mean it was great when it was happening. It also makes me wonder what, or if, the show has anything planned to allow her and Michaela to have children to raise, since I know they did in the book. Bridgerton is still a world that’s homophobic, so it may be they decided that Francesca would be at risk of a child being taken away from her, especially if said child were the heir to a Parliamentary seat, if it was ever discovered—or even suspected—that she and Michaela were in a relationship. I just. I wish she had that little piece of John to hang onto.

I wish Violet and Marcus were hanging on, too. I was so elated when she accepted his marriage proposal, but something told me it wasn’t going to last. It’s not just her devotion to her children, I feel like she’s still so tied to the ghost of her husband. I like that the show made it explicitly about getting to know herself again, though. I love that. I loved finding out that she was like Benedict before she got married, and that she wants to find that wild joy for life again. I wish she could find it with Marcus, but I think she’s right that marriage requires her to play a role that means she would lose that connection with herself, and I can’t fault Marcus for both respecting and loving himself too much to continue sneaking around. I really hope they both find other love interests, though, and I really hope we get more of Violet’s story when she finds hers. It was just so wonderful seeing a gorgeous older actor like Ruth Gemmell looking hot and sexy in lingerie.

And that brings me to the main attraction, Sophie and Benedict. A storyline which is perfection because Sophie is perfection. Yerin Ha is an amazing actor, conveying so much with every shift in expression, and Sophie is such a fantastic character. I love her dressing down Benedict for presuming to kiss her in a way he never would a lady, for asking her to be his mistress without consideration for the ramifications on her or any potential children, and for contriving to meet with her when she’d made it clear she didn’t want to see him and thus made clear her answer.

I love Benedict, I do, but he was very up in his privilege, and I was glad to see both her and Mondrich setting him straight. Plus his conversation with whatsit, Hiscox or whatever. I do wish Violet had dressed him down for presuming to take her to task for her relationship with Marcus, when Benedict’s spent the past few years living the life libertine. Double standard who? All three of her older sons have now thoroughly debauched their brides before marriage. None of them have any room to talk.

Anyway, I do feel for Araminta, because she’s not wrong about how overwhelmingly difficult it would have been to re-enter the marriage mart as a young widow with two very small children. On the other hand, the grudge she holds against Sophie when it’s abundantly clear Sophie’s father was unstinting in his love (and financial support) for both her and her two daughters who weren’t even biologically his—something that was a huge deal in the actual Regency, and clearly is in the show—is completely unreasonable. While I’m sure at least some of it is resentment that he didn’t ‘fess up about Sophie beforehand, I suspect some of it is also guilt displaced into hatred. As Araminta tells Posy, she didn’t manage to give either husband an heir. Yet she did end up with an unwanted third daughter she clearly decided she didn’t have to treat as a daughter.

I know the whole thing with the will is from the book, but it really bugged me. Especially as an earl, Penwood would have had a solicitor executing his will. Such a person couldn’t—and doubtless wouldn’t have seen a reason to—stop Araminta’s treatment of Sophie, including making her a maid, but he would have been the one dispensing the dowries for each girl. I mean, it’s clear somebody is in charge of making sure Araminta gets the extra money for every year she kept Sophie in the house. But it wouldn’t have been possible for her to use Sophie’s dowry on Rosamund, who was honestly the last person I expected to look at her mother and essentially say, "Your obsession is irrational and boring." I was expecting Posy’s rebellion, but not that! Also, good on Eloise for using her new insights to encourage Posy toward her own happy ending.

Leaving the question of dowries aside, I love that Violet spontaneously came up with the cousin angle as a way to allow Sophie and Benedict to both marry and stay in society. And that Charlotte was so amused by the audacity that she went along with it! Every scene between Charlotte and Lady Danbury was gold. I’m going to miss Lady Danbury so much, but again, I really look forward to the dynamic developing between Alice and Charlotte. But to return to the topic at hand, Sophie and Benedict’s wedding was just perfection. I love the boho cottagecore aesthetic the show developed for them. I also love that we got to see the painting! I hope this means Benedict is seriously taking up the brush again. I know the revelation that Anthony paid for his position in the Academy knocked his confidence, but he really is good. I would love to see him pursue his art.

What I’m already bored by, if I’m honest, is the mystery of the new Lady Whistledown. Her repetition of "such fun" reminded me of the queen and Lady Danbury, which made me think maybe Alice, but she would have asked Pen before using the name. I mean, it might be her writing at the queen’s direction, but I still think she’d find a way to let Pen know, and something about the tone of the voice sounded too mean-spirited. But, again, I’m honestly already bored by it at this point. They might pull something next season to make me change my mind about that, like making it Cressida. I’m just nervous it really will be a Star Trek situation.

Dear Season 5, please don’t suck.