my detailed review of Bridgerton episodes 1-6 for anyone who doesn’t want to watch another show that uses r*pe as character development and entertainment but still know what happens
I will be the first to admit, I really wanted to watch this show when I saw the previews. Especially the fact that it was a period show with actual POC in places of power, I was psyched. That and the Duke... Yes. I’m a sucker for shows with that fake love to real love trope. I hoped it would be less cliche... I was disappointed. It fell for ALL the cliches. Still entertaining for a bit, nonetheless.
To summarize what happens in the first 5 episodes:
tw: rape. attempted rape. sexism.
Daphne is finally of age to marry. She is ready to play the role she needs to but she wants to find love like her parents. Her dumbass older brother who has his own complex going on marries her off to some old creep without her permission. When Daphne tries to turn down the engagement, he attempts to rape her. The Duke runs over to help and... Daphne already knocked the guy out with one punch. We’re all impressed.
For the next hour and a half or so of my life, I have to watch dumbass Daphne who apparently has never so much as fingered herself STILL nearly marry this guy because her brother is a dick UNTIL the Duke tells him about the attempted rape. The dude goes and gets a SPECIAL LICENSE to marry her still against the family’s wishes until Super Mom steps in and gets him exiled from society. Love her.
Finally douchebrother is like: ok maybe I should let Daphne make more decisions for herself EVEN THOUGH she still does not REALIZE she was almost raped because she STILL doesn’t know what sex is. NONE of these girl know what sex is. Apparently in this strange realm, when girls hit puberty no one TELLS them why they have their periods and they are NEVER tempted to masturbate even the slightest. Sure. Ok.
Fast forward through the little contract they made to pretend to be in love, the Duke eventually tells her he was never even so much as her friend because he is afraid of fooling her into not marrying the Prince that is eyeing her which would be great for her status. Bleh. She gets sad. He gets sad. Daphne nearly marries the Prince. Then they confess their love for each other by aggressively making out in the gardens where they are caught by: douchebrother.
Douchebrother challenges his best friend the Duke to a duel to the death. Cool. At dawn, they draw their weapons. Douchebrother aims at the Duke. The Duke aims to the sky. And somehow DAPHNE almost gets shot as she rides her horse directly into her brother’s way. Genius. No one is hurt. Daphne asks the Duke why he would rather DIE than not marry her to appease her brother for “taking her innocence”. Now here’s the kicker...
We had already found out that the REASON the Duke said he will never get married is because his final words to his dick father before the man died were essentially: I’ll never marry. I’ll never have kids. Your bloodline ends here you fucking prick. Thanks for making my life miserable.
I understand why the Duke did this. But honestly, bro... He’s not even gonna know.
RATHER than telling anyone this, the Duke says he doesn’t want to marry Daphne because her greatest dream is a big family and he can’t have kids. CAN’T. Not won’t. She says fuck it, I love this guy and I don’t want him to die, we’re getting married anyway. They get married. They’re miserable. They confess they truly love each other and will enjoy this marriage. They fuck. Daphne FINALLY knows what the fuck sex is... Almost.
They continue to fuck consistently through episode 6. Daphne finds out that the Duke has been PULLING OUT the entire time and she learns why. Rather than TALK to him about it, she decides to take control during sex and MAKE him cum in her. He panics. They fight. It’s fucked up. Now... additional context.
I can KIND OF understand why the writers did this. They needed to have that same fear that Daphne could be pregnant while trying not to have her STRAIGHT UP rape him while he was drunk like she did in the book. Idk if she GETS pregnant. I stop watching here. Every other subplot in this show is stupid to me and now the main one got ruined, so... It’s not like I didn’t already see the trope I wanted to see. The rest can burn for all I care.
There is SO MUCH grey area to the circumstances surrounding this that is fucked up. The ONLY certain thing is that this is DEFINITIVELY rape. He did NOT consent to cum inside her and she believed she knew what that meant at that moment which means she knew what she was doing and how he would react. The reasons for why it happened... Just dumb. Both parties are dumb. This should not have happened regardless.
I won’t bore you with how dull the other storylines are because they are honestly the pinnacle of cliche, but you can ask if you would like further detail.
There. Now you don’t have to watch it to know what happens. Daphne is a moron. Neither of them deserve love. The entire ton needs to be destroyed. AND no idea who the fuck Lady Whistledown is. Do not care in the slightest.
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