YMMV / Bridgerton

• Accidental Aesop:
  • Given how much trouble is caused by (at least some of) the younger women not knowing how pregnancy happens, or anything at all about sex for that matter, a lot of viewers have noted that the series is a pretty good case for why comprehensive sex education is a necessity.
  • With how much of an ass Anthony is, with both his little sister and mistress calling him out for thinking he knows best about handling their situations when he obviously doesn't, another Aesop could be, "Sometimes a person of privilege doesn't understand when their well-intentioned actions cause The Chain of Harm."
• Adaptation Displacement: The Bridgerton novels were fairly popular in romance fan circles — and especially among fans of historical "bodice-ripper" romances, among whom Julia Quinn is a marquee name — but its readership was a drop in ocean compared to Netflix audiences, many of whom didn't even know the show was an adaptation. It is also not uncommon to see those who have consumed both claim the show is in many ways an improvement upon its source material.
• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Is Lady Featherington devastated by her husband's death or the uncertainty of her and the family's future under his heir? Notice how she doesn't start crying until she discovers that the money is gone.
  • Was Simon lying when he said he thought Daphne understood conception, and if so, did he deliberately deceive her about his fertility? He certainly knew she was very naïve about sex — he had to explain masturbation to her, after all — but he probably assumed her mother would give her The Talk before their honeymoon and may have figured she'd be more thorough than she was. Then again, he didn't tell Daphne he wouldn't have children, he told her he couldn't, and as she points out, there is a very big difference there.
  • Did Penelope reveal Marina's pregnancy solely to protect Colin, or was it at least partially motivated by making sure Marina couldn't "steal" him from her?
  • Is Anthony suicidal? Or just desperate to escape from his duties as viscount? He seriously considers challenging Lord Berbrooke to a duel, and does nearly carry one out with Simon. Dying or having to flee the country (because duels are illegal) would be the probable outcomes in either case. Given how unhappy he seems, one is left to wonder if this was as much about his own unhappiness as anything to do with Daphne's honor.
  • Given the reveal late in the series that black people in this universe have only been treated as equals for a generation at most, and their position in society is still tenuous, how unreasonable is it for the elder Duke of Hastings to be concerned about his legacy, even if he goes about it in the worst possible way?
  • Is Marina a tragic victim of circumstances, or a ruthless social climber? We only have her word for the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy and she shows herself willing to hurt any number of people to secure her own future. On the other hand, having an out-of-wedlock pregnancy is NOT to be taken lightly in this time period whatsoever. This is plainly seen when she's humiliated and Put on a Bus after her pregnancy gets revealed to all of high society. She had a lot more to lose and few people cared who the father of her baby was to begin with.
  • Does Violet want her children to be happy, or to marry as soon as possible? Does she see marriage and happiness as synonymous?
  • Is Edwina as naive and "blind" prior to episode 6 as she seems (and claims to have been in episode 7)?
  • Queen Charlotte. Is she really just a petty and vain Grand Dame who uses the social season and her hunt for Lady Whitsledown to distract herself from problems she can do nothing about (such as her husband's mental illness, or the war that has engulfed all of Europe) or are their more practical hidden reasons to her actions? When she believes she has discovered Whistledown's identity, rather then swiftly punishing her as she has claimed reaptedly she wishes to, she instead attempts to recruit Whitledown as an ally of the Crown, to help sway public opinion in their favor. It's also possible that her extending her favor to the Bridertons, and presenting a match between Daphne and her nephew (a Prussian Prince) is about gaining a handle on a powerful noble family that seems very likely to soon have connections all over England in addition to it's already impressive wealth and influence. Their is also the fact that, at the time of the show, Prussia had been badly damaged by the War of the Fourth Coalition, and fostering a match between a Prussian Prince and an English noble woman might strengthen ties between the two nations, as well as present a means for extracting Prussian royalty from what could soon become a war zone again.
• Aluminium Christmas Trees: While Queen Charlotte and her ladies-in-waiting shunning contemporary fashions, by wearing styles up to forty years out of date, is exaggerated, in real life Charlotte didn't like the French fashions that had come to dominate England in the 1800s. Instead, she insisted on court gowns still retaining panniers.
• Angst? What Angst?: Lady Danbury has this when we see the backstory of her parental relationship with Simon. She watched her best friend, Sarah Hastings, painfully die in front of her due to postpartum blood loss. The doctor couldn't do anything to stop the fatal hemorrhage as her husband left his dying wife's side to proudly parade his firstborn son. Later, she sees that the son her best friend died to have has been declared "dead" by his father due to a simple stutter. Nonetheless, he's a sweet and academically gifted child. Lady Danbury gives him a passionate speech to do his absolute best and dismiss what everyone else thinks of him. When Lady Danbury attempts to show the senior Duke that his son has overcome his stutter and is more than worthy of his love, he says that the only courtesy that she can give him is to take his son and Get Out!, showing no regard for the friendship she had with his late wife. Yet in the present, Lady Danbury is a Parental Substitute and Cool Old Lady to Simon, showing that she's on his side.
• Awesome Music: The violin covers of famous songs such as "Wildest Dreams" by Taylor Swift and "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus count as this.
• Base-Breaking Character:
  • People are not sure how to feel about Marina in the series, with some hating her and some liking her and wanting to see more. Some of it stems from the book, in which she is dead and only really mentioned in the context of her depression (and as a burden on her marriage, already making her portrayal controversial). However, the series gave her an arc and has an entirely new context, raising questions about the implications of putting a black woman through a Trauma Conga Line only to kill her off to make way for a white couple's love story. Fans have differing opinions on whether that should be altered at all and in what way.
  • Penelope became more divisive after the reveal that she is Lady Whistledown, as it means she can and does ruin people's reputations at the stroke of a pen even if she believes she's doing the right thing, with her worst exposes thus far being Marina's pregnancy and Eloise fraternising with radicals. Some argue she had no choice or that they deserved it, but others disagree and find Penelope's actions as Lady Whistledown to be disproportionate. Moreover, the producers have been open about Pen being one of their favourite characters, which rubs some sections of the fandom — who prefer other characters — the wrong way.
  • Same goes for Colin after he scoffed at the idea of ever courting Penelope, whom he views as a friend, at a party, leaving her feeling heartbroken and humiliated. Some fans like Colin for his Oblivious to Love nature, while others feel that he's crossed into Jerkass territory. He is also often heralded — especially by casual fans who haven't read the books — as uninteresting. This notion is probably not helped by his admission that he feels he has nothing going for him compared to his brothers.
  • Eloise can be divisive. Many love her for her quirky nature (helped by Claudia Jessie's performance) and for being the black sheep of the family, uninterested in things like marriage and children. Her comments often make her an Audience Surrogate, and her frustration with societal expectations is sympathetic. Others find her snarky commentary unnecessary at times, falling too far into Not Like Other Girls territory. Some also see her as out of touch and self-centered. Her fight with Penelope in Season 2 furthered the divide as Penelope accuses her of complaining about her circumstances but not doing anything about them. Some feel that this was unfair and incorrect (as Eloise had been actively studying feminist writing), while others feel that it was true and were happy to see her called out.
  • Is the Featherington family subplot, especially in season 2, a fun and enjoyable addition to the story with some great comedic performances from Polly Walker and Bessie Carter? Or is it mostly a grating Plot Tumor that eats up an unnecessary amount of valuable screen time that should really be dedicated to the titular Bridgertons and their love interests?
• Broken Base: As with other ship-heavy fandoms, shows with Rotating Protagonists, and adaptations, there can be quite a bit of factionalism among Bridgerton fans. The antagonism is stoked by the feeling some factions have that the creators display favoritism towards certain characters at the expense of others.
• Critical Dissonance: Although it wasn't exactly panned, critics were less enthusiastic about season 2, meanwhile it became even more of a hit with audiences than season 1, largely due to preferring Anthony and Kate than Daphne and Simon and finding their chemistry more compelling.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Lady Danbury is a beloved side character for her take-no-shit attitude and great one-liners.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • The series takes place in an alternate timeline where a British king fell in love with a black woman, resulting in black people being accepted into the British aristocracy. A mere three months later, Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry would give an interview revealing how difficult life actually is for an interracial couple in the British royal family.
  • What we learn of Anthony's backstory in season 2 makes Violet's words to him in season 1 seem harsher and less sympathetic, especially when she compares him to his father and when she criticises him for acting like an older brother... which he is.
• Heartwarming in Hindsight: While Simon doesn't outright say it, one of his reasons that he doesn't want to have children is that he's scared of becoming his father: abusive, cruel, and cold to an innocent child. Season 2 has Daphne mention that he's offscreen because he has become a Doting Parent to the new Hastings baby, spending all time with his child when Daphne visits her family.
• He Really Can Act: Jonathan Bailey received a lot of praise for his performance as Anthony in season 2, with some declaring him one of the best romantic leads in years. People were also especially impressed by his and Simone Ashley's onscreen chemistry.
• Ho Yay:
  • Benedict and Henry's friendship sometimes comes off as something more, and Henry actually is gay, muddying the waters somewhat. How much was Henry being friendly, and how much (if any) was him flirting?
  • There are also some Penelope/Eloise shippers. In the books, they have a pact if they both end up spinsters that resembles a Boston marriage. Penelope marrying Colin is what prompts Eloise to seek out Philip in the first place as she had expected to spend the rest of her life with Penelope up until that point.
  • Some fans thought Lumley might have had a crush on Anthony.
• Hype Backlash: After becoming a huge hit, many viewers were left underwhelmed and a non insignificant portion said it was outright bad. Generally-speaking, if you go into the show expecting it to be a serious period drama you'll probably be disappointed, as Bridgerton is more of a lighthearted, escapist romance series with Regency-era flavoring.
• Jerks Are Worse Than Villains: We can't possibly hate Lady Whistledown, an anonymous admired writer who exposes most of the scandalous secrets lying between the Bridgertons and Featheringtons alike, and whose Voiceover Letter provided by Julie Andrews makes her very enjoyable in hindsight. However, the show itself doesn't shy away from featuring such characters that get on the nerves of the viewers.
  • Lord Nigel Berbrooke, the suitor Anthony chose for Daphne, behaved like a huge asshole for trying to blackmail her into marriage by threatening her family with scandal, then forcing himself on her. Fortunately, Lady Whistledown brings him down very easily.
  • Cressida Cowper, for her arrogant demeanor towards Daphne, which she gets from her mother, and her attempt to ruin her reputation by revealing her and Simon's moment of intense passion outside the gardens out of pettiness and entitled jealousy for her rival. Even after Daphne becomes a duchess, this doesn't stop Cressida from still being a nuisance to her.
  • Simon's father, the Duke of Hastings, is harshly despised for his monstrous cruelty, from abusing his son to disowning him over his stutter, all because of his obsession to ensure that the Hastings lineage would not be ruined.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • "DAPHNE! YOU MUST! MAKE! HASTE!"
  • People have gotten mileage out of Daphne and Anthony trying to figure out how to light the stove to heat some milk, and then ultimately giving up and deciding to drink it cold.
  • Anthony repeatedly saying "I am a gentleman" as he does or says something ungentlemanly.
• Narm Charm: Some viewers admitted they might laugh or be weirded out if someone smelled them in real life, but that it's a sign of how smitten Anthony is when he does it to Kate.
• Older Than They Think: As mentioned by the cast members themselves, Julia Quinn's first The Bridgerton Series novel predated the Gossip Girl books by a few years and certainly predated the series by almost a decade. Despite this, Bridgerton is frequently touted as a Regency era Gossip Girl due to the Voiceover Letter nature of both series' gossipy narrators^note Gossip Girl’s narration is blog text, while Lady Whistledown’s is society papers and the implication that their real identities are hidden among the casts of their respective shows.
• Plot Tumor: Most of the subplots in season 1 in some way relate to the main couple or Bridgerton family, or appear to set up a future storyline. However, most of the season 2 subplots, such as the Featherington heir after Lord Featherington's death, seem to exist in their own right, making them feel like more of a weight on the season.
• Portmanteau Couple Name:
  • Saphne or Daphmon = Simon/Daphne
  • Kanthony or Kathony = Kate/Anthony
  • Polin = Penelope/Colin
  • Benry = Benedict/Henry
  • Philoise = Phillip/Eloise
  • Peneloise = Penelope/Eloise
  • Meloise = Marina/Eloise
  • Theloise = Theo/Eloise
• Realism-Induced Horror:
  • The scene of Simon's mother Sarah hemorrhaging post-partum is played completely seriously. She bleeds out on the bed as the doctor and servants attempt to stop the hemorrhage, only for their attempts to fail in saving her. Lady Danbury can only go to her friend's side to offer comfort in Sarah's last moments while the Duke of Hastings parades around a newborn Simon, ignoring his dying wife.
  • Eloise later recounts that their mother nearly died in the same manner when Hyacinth was born. A flashback even shows how serious the situation was; a 19-year-old Anthony (as the new viscount) was asked to choose whether the doctor should save his mother or baby sibling; a horrifying choice to make at such a young age. Fortunately, both Violet and Hyacinth survived and it's shown how incredibly lucky the Bridgertons were to not lose her.
• Signature Line: Both male romantic leads have Anguished Declarations of Love that made audiences' heart melt so much they became bigger than the show.
  • For Simon it's either "when one burn for someone who does not feel the same" (which was actually originally in the second book) or "to meet your best friend in the most beautiful of women is something entirely apart."
  • For Anthony, it's "You are the bane of my existence, and the object of all my desires." Other contenders include "it is maddening, how much you consume my very being... all I find myself being able to think of, all I find myself being able to breathe for, is you" and "I know I am imperfect, but I will humble myself before you because I cannot imagine my life without you".
• Signature Song: The violin cover of "Wildest Dreams" by Taylor Swift that plays during the Sex Montage on Daphne and Simon's honeymoon quickly became the most iconic and recognizable song off the season 1 soundtrack.
• Stoic Woobie:
  • Simon is often seen well-composed and subtle, including suppressing his feelings for Daphne, as he hides his childhood trauma.
  • Anthony is quite stoic, or at least he tries to be, pushing aside his feelings as he feels he has to for duty's sake.
  • Kate has a tough exterior, but she underwent a similar Promotion to Parent as Anthony after losing both her birth parents and felt like she owed Mary for taking her in. She's used to putting her sister first to an extreme degree, to the point where she doesn't feel like her own needs or wants matter.
• Strawman Has a Point: Anthony, clearly in a grumpy mood due to anxiety over Kate's accident, snaps at Colin for taking out a large sum of money from the family's finances without asking. The other siblings jump to Colin's defence and act coldly towards Anthony as if he is being unreasonable. But... Anthony was absolutely right, not to mention Colin was about to give that money to a scam. Benedict defends him saying he's only 21, as if Anthony wasn't 19 when he took over the family finances. Plus, legally the money belongs to Anthony, not the family as a whole. This was standard for the aristocracy, with the "family" fortune really belonging to a specific individual head of the family (especially if that person held a peerage). While their father might have left sums of money to his other sons, that is not what is depicted on the show (so far). So, Anthony was angry that Colin was effectively stealing since he (somehow) drew upon Anthony's accounts without permission.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: This is not a sentiment that the majority of the fandom shares — the original books are not that popular outside romance novel circles, and there are changes that many would agree to be improvements anyway. But to fans of the source material, this rings true, to the point that fans of the show and fans of the book pretty much have a Fandom Rivalry going on.
  • This sentiment is more prevalent for season 2 than season 1, as season 1 was a relatively faithful adaptation of The Duke and I (even including the controversial scene) and The Duke and I is not that popular in the fandom, whereas The Viscount Who Loved Me is very popular and season 2 took significant creative liberties with the plot, such as dragging out and dramatising the Kate/Anthony/Edwina love triangle, when it never went that far in the book.
  • Fans of the character Benedict and his book love interest Sophie were fuming when it was announced the third season would skip the third book An Offer From a Gentleman (Benedict's book) for the fourth book Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Colin's book). Even some Polin fans were a little upset that the show didn't wait till season 4 to allow the characters to mature and grow up first as they do in the books (Penelope is 28 and Colin is 33 in book 4, whereas they're only about 19/21 at this point in the show).
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic:
  • As detailed above, many find Daphne's actions in order to get pregnant deplorable, and feel no sympathy towards her hurt over Simon's lying since her raping Simon is WAY WORSE than Simon lying to her about her fertility.
  • The fandom is split over whether or not they can sympathize with Penelope after she is revealed to be Lady Whistledown, especially regarding her actions towards Marina. Many feel that she spitefully revealed Marina's pregnancy, which very nearly ruined her and her child's life, over a crush Penelope has no reason to believe is requited. Wanting to save Colin from a marriage built on deception isn't wrong of her, even if she does have the ulterior motive of a crush, but the way she goes about it makes her seem more concerned with hurting Marina than actually protecting Colin. Especially as she had a way to communicate the information privately (her existing friendships with him and Eloise) and did not take it. It's worth noting that Penelope's actress Nicola Coughlan has stated that she herself was mad at her character for ruining Marina's life as well as her sisters'. She views her character as a Jerkass Woobie.
    Nicola Coughlan: I think people will be mad. I was mad with her. It's not only Marina's life that she's basically condemned, but also her sisters'. She's playing with fire. I always think of nature and nurture with Penelope. By nature, she's very sweet. But she hasn't been nurtured in her family. Her mom is super judgy and bitchy. I think there's a lot of Portia Featherington in Lady Whistledown. It's an amalgamation of how Penelope has heard women speak and gossip.
• Watched It for the Representation: Part of the series' appeal is seeing black and brown people as the leads of a period romance, a genre that has historically not been diverse. Not as servants or outsiders, either — they're integrated into English high society and allowed to be high-class lords and ladies, adding to the escapist appeal.
• WTH, Costuming Department?: Most of the clothes are gorgeous, but...
  • Some of the dresses inexplicably have waistlines all the way up in the middle of the bust◊, rather than right under it, which is both unflattering and makes whoever gets stuck with them look much younger than they're supposed to be. Though the latter may be intentional because most parts are played by actresses that are much older than their characters.
  • They not only put the characters in corsets — in the Real Life Regency period they would have been wearing stays, and in any case the highly fashionable Empire silhouette didn't even require the narrow waist that a corset was meant to create, since no one was supposed to see your waist anyway — but they also have them wearing the corsets right against their bare skin rather than over a shift, meaning Daphne at least is chafed so hard that she bleeds and has scabs.

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