bridgerton books plot
The show is based on Julia Quinn's Bridgerton book series about the titular family which begins with The Duke and I (the basis of Bridgerton season 1) and follows each of … Her bangs were more compelling than she was, and most of the time her bangs were extremely distracting. I think one of the great strengths of the Bridgerton books is the dialogue – and for whatever reason, Bridgerton chose not to use it, which was a pity. I found myself watching while on the treadmill and not noticing time passing until I’d been on the incline walk for over an hour. They are set between 1813 and 1825. Rewatching most of it today (skipping forward through some of the sideplots) and am still so struck by the look and feel of the production being so lush and mapping pretty closely to how I imagine romance novels when I read them. I’m not disappointed because I figured they’d mess around with the characters & the plot & surprise! The illusion relies on their whiteness to make them automatically alluring to viewers, and it was noticeable when they were placed against working class or wealthy POC characters who are actually interesting. I’m enjoying watching it for the costumes and ridiculous plots. Partly because I realise how far I have come in my own growth and understanding of consent, etc., but also because I could not look away. I’ve not thought about the reviewing/analysing process in those terms before, and it explains why sometimes I watch my little cursor flicker on the screen for ages before the words will come. I’ve just finished the series. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate is the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams… The characters acknowledge race when they are Not White but no one who is White does so or has to? And I want more Eloise and Penelope. With the show, I find myself in a similar position. Loved the costumes (even with a shocking lack of bonnets!) I don’t like Simon (although he’s certainly pretty) because I’m not here for rakes with angst and daddy issues. Lara: I give set and costumes an A. New to SBTB? Oh, and I loved Penelope in the books and so far she’s very unsympathetic here. My biggest issue with the adaptation is with Daphne– not primarily that her hair color is wrong, which it is– but that Daphne needs to exude warmth and charisma. He’s got the power in the relationship in a way Daphne doesn’t, and he uses it to withhold information from Daphne. That is awful. Oof, I just finished episode 6, the episode with the consent issues. As someone who has raised daughters, I think Eloise can only be the rebel because Daphne is the dutiful daughter, much like Anthony and Benedict. Bad enough that the script walks right up to the double standard and then does nothing with it, but I’m also not there for him breaking his promise to look after her. I’m generally sick of “I can never LOVE cause my bad daddy hurt my feelings” storylines and also I assume this will eventually become a “babies fix all problems” thing which…nope. I’m not a big fan of the way they have portrayed Anthony but it’s a small quibble. But I wish they had a fight with these type of arguments. costumes! I struggled with Penelope’s scenes and dialogue while also being riveted to the performance. My mom loved Sabrina Bartlett, the actress who played Siena, and felt that she would have done a better job with Daphne. You have to really, really like Daphne. Speaking of problematic. Possibly will think it’s “cake” forever.) I spent the first couple days after the show came out in a low level funk, worrying about my non romance reading online friends who kept posting about how much they were enjoying how light and fluffy it was. In the books, Benedict likes to draw and is talented at it, but the series … Frankly, I think that if Simon had not shown up at Vauxhall, Daphne would have gone back inside, accepted the Prince, and lived a content life with oodles of children. Shana: I love a marriage of convenience, so I’m hoping for a happy ending for Marina, especially if that involves some solid women friends who won’t backstab her. What series would you like dramatized? I need Marina to have an HEA. Not sure that Colin is charming enough, but he wasn’t immediately wrong. The only characters I actually like are Eloise, Lady Danbury, Queen Charlotte, and Mrs. Featherington because at least she’s HONEST about what she’s doing. Similarly to being over rakes, I’m also over heroes with issues with their father that they never deal with/”the line ends with me to punish my dead dad!”. A story that couldn’t decide what it actually wanted to say? If Marina had been going after Benedict, she would have been fine. While Marina already had a lot going on this season, I can’t understand why they erased her mental illness instead of taking the opportunity to show a woman living with depression. I actually find it interesting how adaptation changes the story while still including the elements of the story. Book 4 in the Bridgerton series is dedicated to the one and only Penelope Featherington (aka Lady Whistledown) and yes, she and Colin Bridgerton finally … It is based on Julia Quinn's novels set in the competitive world of Regency era London's ton during the season, when debutantes are presented at court. What would you be willing to do? I cannot for the life of me figure out if I actually want to watch this show. Amazing.). And, not just because I was a guest, I’m an avid fan of What Would Danbury Do?, a podcast hosted by Rudi Bremer, Kate Cuthbert, and Adele Walsh. !” With Daphne eventually apologizing for her actions. No case is too cold! But there is only so long one in a position such as ours can hide. BOOKS I WOULD I LIKE TO SEE FILMED IN A SERIES: The Walsh Family by Kate Canterbary. And I was left feeling very invested in the continuing adventures of Eloise and Marina in season two. Also, changing the dialogue meant that the story became far less witty and far more angsty. Also it helps that Ruby Parker (Marina) and Polly Walker (Mrs. Featherington) had excellent on screen chemistry and worked so well together. (Downside: Eloise may never find out how babies are made. One of the challenges of adapting the Bridgerton books as a TV series rather than, for example, eight different movies, is that there’s a lot of new plot that needs to pad out each episode! I would consider giving the second season a shot depending on how the reviews come back, and just treat each season like a “book” rather than a continuing series. I give Siena an A+. But he was so used to running away that he used the Prince’s interest as a way out. I think Danbury was criminally underutilized, but she was also very fun to watch. Half-throttle nonsense wrapped up in gorgeous costumes and sets. Preferably before you walked down the aisle, you dummies. I just finished episode six last night so with the caveat that I don’t know exactly how it ends but I *do* plan to at least finish…I am…eurgh. But maybe I’m giving Daphne too much credit. Anthony Bridgerton hasn’t just decided to marry—he’s even chosen a wife! And that plays into what I saw as another theme for the show which was how different women in different ranks of society: from courtesans, to queens to debutantes to country cousins all were in so many ways very powerless but were trying their hardest to make a space and survive and maybe even be happy a little: Sienna and her insistence on making Anthony understand how important his role in her life was, Madame Delacroix and her knowledge that her discretion and her carefully curated facade meant her livelihood, Marina knowing she had no choices but trying to choose the lesser of all her evils, Lady Featherington and her constant hustle for relevancy. Sarah: YES exactly that. Podcast 451, Your Transcript Has Arrived! diverse casting! Did they mention where she was and I missed it? What is?) Reviews are ALL OVER THE PLACE, this one included. Ladies Danbury, Featherington, Bridgerton and the Queen were all powerhouses in their own ways, and Difficult Women who were over dealing with nonsense from the men in their lives. And the less said abut her two sad little bangs the better. And finally I am glad the show didn’t go too deeply into racial politics. I liked their banter. If Anthony's story with Siena expands from a few lines in … This show was specifically developed to target me as an audience who is familiar with the world, with romance conventions, with period drama, and eager to see a new take on all of it. I want Eloise to make a wonderful love match. Lara: That’s precisely it! I don’t know. (Also, I want to look as good in a hat as Lady Danbury.). I have read the series a couple of times and the first book (The Duke & I), was always my least favorite. My shins were not happy with me. Watching Season 1 made me thing about how they could potentially better integrate Black characters into Season 2 if they follow the storylines of the books. Strong Food Opinions and Sandwich Debates With Amanda and Sarah, Knit, Purl, a Baby and a Girl by Hettie Bell, After the Gold by Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton. Belle was better, even if it imagined a more luxurious life for the heroine than the real historical figure she was based on. But if that doesn't worry you then tighten up your corset, put on the family jewels, and follow us into the delightful world of the Bridgertons. The actress was gorgeous and had quite a bit of screen presence, but the optics of having the one debutante of color in such dire straits was a bit yikes. Ack, I have been dying for this review! Penelope has loved Colin since she was 16. I loved everything about Bridgerton’s visuals, from Charlotte’s wigs to the Featherington’s garish dresses. I’m glad to see this review. Fucking up the patriarchy and whatnot. Books Two Romance Novel Newbies Lose Their Virginity to Bridgerton A pair of skeptics dip their toes into the genre by reading Julia Quinn’s The Duke and I. They’ve made them mean, when what I liked about reading Quinn was that her characters were rarely actually mean. She also did quite wrong in The Scene. Anyway, after a few days of thinking about the show, I think in addition to the production just being gorgeous, what I most enjoyed was the multigenerational storytelling. A lot of my feelings on this series say so much about me and where I am in my social justice journey. Daphne did annoy me in some of her subsequent scenes (with Marina, maybe? Well, maybe it’s because she’s just supposed to serve as the hot love interest of Anthony and not much else? I also haven’t read the books in awhile, and was fine with them being source material, without being totally faithful to script or dialogue. PACING: I think the series would have been better served if the first book was 4 episodes, then you wouldn’t have the dramatic padding of the Marina and Siena stories. Daphne was a bit problematic because she was boring. Wow.”. Simon is…very clean after lying in a London gutter in 1813. Sarah: Yes. Sarah: Oh, yeah, no question: thinking critically is HARD work. Loved her! Shana: We thought the colorblind casting was a good idea, and occasionally enjoyable, but poorly executed. P.S. Two, the casting didn’t take into account the effect of sprinkling POC, mostly Black people, into couples without thinking about how those pairing would be racialized to viewers and while also missing an opportunity to say something thoughtful and new in the AU they halfheartedly created. While the series' first season focused on Daphne Bridgerton and her relationship with the Duke, Simon Basset, they are only just one part of the Bridgerton universe. I am very curious about what they are planning to do with Eloise/Marina/Sir Phillip in Season 2, because if they follow the source material, that is THE WORST thing to do to the character of Marina. Like the narration and the framing of the show calls her actions “wretched,” but so so subtly. I’d also say that while I found Daphne dull as a character, I thought the chemistry between her and Simon was electric. I entered a room and attempted to dissolve into the shadows. Lord and Lady Bridgerton eventually have four children: Edmund, Miles, Charlotte, and Mary. I had forgotten all about Marina from To Sir Phillip (which I remember not liking at all). Methinks not. A series written by women, for women, made for a woman’s gaze, where sex scenes were very sensual – yes please! Sarah: That has been STUCK in my head, Kiki. Even though I have plenty of critiques over how the show handled race, I’m glad that they didn’t just do a colorblind world, and attempted to explain that an intervention had been made. (Special shoutout to Lady Danbury’s jewels.) And I found myself nodding and agreeing pretty much the whole way through. I googled for spoilers and once I realized that they’d changed That Scene but didn’t exactly fix it, I posted a PSA / warning for my fellow survivors that it’s not all fluffy escapism and that Simon and Daphne’s dark moment is pretty freaking dark, with a link with spoilers. Example: the first time I saw a ballroom scene with so many different people in it, I was beyond delighted. I even enjoy the Smyth-Smiths, Bridgerton’s sequel, better. Why did they leave out so much of Quinn’s dialogue? Or they literally don’t notice? The big ball scenes really showed off the gorgeous multicultural cast. There are so many ways the rape scene could have been removed and maintained the tension between Simon and Daphnew. It’s like the show didn’t want to avoid the topic, but also didn’t want to engage with it. Yay, I’ve been hoping for this review! Picture this, you’re young, have very little power and agency beyond what your husband grants you. Sigh. Simon wearing those boots and those billowing white shirts stalking through the halls…whew! Whistledown is much more cutting in the show than in the book and I think the show suffers for it. Shallow of me, I guess, but I just want to enjoy something pretty right now. Because if they screwed that up, I really wasn’t interested in the rest of it. (My memory of book plots is so weak that I had to google who he ACTUALLY ends up with). It’s so beautiful though!! This is a portion of our conversation, talking about the wonderful and woeful parts. Sarah: Yes. I don’t like Daphne because she’s prissy and bossy. Because I am constantly sitting there trying to figure out which pop song they’ve Regency-fied. We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. You have to challenge your preferences – where did they come from? Mrs Featherington treats her horribly, but as the story progresses, one gets the sense that she is actually doing what she genuinely thinks is best for Marina, based on her own experiences – I’m not sure she would treat her daughters much differently. I think Simon wasn’t completely innocent even though Daphne was much more in the wrong. Marina being with Philip frees up Eloise to become half of an f/f Regency power couple with Pen. PB & Mayo Sandwiches (and Girl Scout Cookies) With Amanda and Sarah, 448. So along with the absence of any real story for Danbury, Marina, and Charlotte, we’re constantly forced back to the most uninteresting pairing I’ve watched in years. Catherine: Agreed, it is absolutely GORGEOUS to look at, undeniably (and have we adequately addressed how ridiculously hot Regé-Jean Page is as the Duke? If Netflix's 'Bridgerton' gets eight seasons, one for each of the eight books in the romance series by Julia Quinn, here's what the plot of each would be. Polly Walker was just excellent all around anyway. It’s not as if it has it’s own hashtag icon, or that publications like Architectural Digest of all places covered it. “I thought I could rely on you… To believe in me,” The Serpent good guy Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle) complains during a, Netflix’s stylish, time-twisty true crime drama The Serpent tells the story of serial killer Charles Sobhraj, who murdered at least a dozen Western b, Spoilers are ahead. I agree with so many of your comments re: the sort-of colourblind casting. I’m sorry that as an “adaption” it wasn’t everything, for the book fans. What Happens In The Bridgerton Books Mild Spoilers, Major spoilers are ahead. Wow.” Since finishing it, I have been pondering how to discuss Bridgerton. The Duke and I was one of the first historical romances I read and it really left a mark on me and not in a great way. I’ve just been trying to figure out how to fix that scene. At this point, I rather hope the show just cuts its losses with Marina. Which I was 100% there for, I have to say. Catherine: I think a C minus. Some parts really did not.