We don’t talk enough about how powerful this moment was when the Bridgertons formed a protective human shield around Sophie to prevent her from being exposed at the Queen’s Ball. As someone who spent so much of her life carrying the silent shame of being an illegitimate child who desperately longed for a family to call her own, the simple act of allowing herself to be surrounded by the love and support of others was such a pivotal moment for Sophie as a character. Rather than being treated as a bastard child or a mistress to be tucked away out of sight, Sophie is shielded from society’s scrutiny by her found family—protected by their collective love and loyalty instead of being hidden like some shameful, tawdry secret. Quite transformatively, Sophie permitting herself to receive love creates this radical shift in perspective that the problem lies not within her, but rather in the oppressive nature of society as it imposes unjust, arbitrary rules that degrade a person’s dignity and self-worth. While we began the season seeing how alienated/isolated she was due to her tendency to suppress her emotions out of self-preservation, now we end the season with Sophie discovering a newfound sense of belonging and acceptance through the growing support system of her loved ones, no longer forced to bear the burden all on her own.
And this simple moment also reflects the distinct shift in how Benedict relates to his family, who do not hesitate to rally behind him despite just finding out about his relationship with Sophie a day prior. As someone who has self-deprecatingly referred to himself as a “free spirit” lacking true focus in his life, Benedict previously expressed his sense of disconnect from his family as he shirked his responsibilities to them due to underlying feelings of inadequacy. However, this season made it very apparent that those negative self-perceptions were entirely unfounded, manifested in the way Sophie repeatedly reminds him of how much his family loves and depends on him (Francesca conveying that Benedict “[does] not give [himself] enough credit,” Eloise questioning “why [a lady] would not” choose to be with him, Violet expressing that he has never been a disappointment to her.) This underscores how, in spite of his past noncommittal, carefree approach to life, Benedict’s loved ones have never seen him as a joke worthy of their ridicule because, like Violet, he has always served as the beating heart of their family. They instantly recognize how strong his convictions/feelings for Sophie are and, as a result, are willing to risk whatever it takes to allow him to be with the woman he loves more than life itself, regardless of the potential consequences that could fall back on them.
In that regard, it is quite beautiful how Benedict and Sophie’s relationship allows both of them to expand their notion of family, with Benedict empowering Sophie to seek out support from the multitude of people in her life who love her as well as redefine her own worth, and with Sophie encouraging Benedict to recognize how much love and faith his mother and siblings have in him, finally able to take his place as a Bridgerton instead of feeling like an imposter in his own family.
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