Do you think married Benedict gets an invite to the Featherington husband cheese club? Cause I have to say, it would be really funny if Ben did get an invite, and Anthony didn't. Not because I dislike Anthony but because I think it would be really funny if he was offended when he found out he didn't make the cut.
Just stalked your account (sorry not sorry) and you're so real because I too would die for Polin and will never get over the ships that killed me, including Portwell and Samcedes. It's PW and SC fanfiction until I die. I stay in those AO3 tags every single day.
It’s rough out here in these fangirling streets, lol. Also my goodness I haven’t really been truly active on here in forever but welcome!
Fourteen authors got together and wrote fics based on randomly exchanged moodboards. So, we got a moodboard and were told to use it for inspiration and go go go.
I’m linking the entire collection here; the pic is the summary for my contribution. Second pic is the moodboard I was assigned (title added by me). But all these fics are bussin. Go check them out!
MELISSA’S 225 FAVORITE SHIPS OF ALL TIME ranked by my followers
194. ej caswell and gina porter - hsmtmts
“You wanna know what I see right now? I see one of the bravest people I know.”
So. Okay. Now that I'm finished, my overall thoughts
Under a cut and I'm going to say this first -- I have always given my subjective opinion whenever I see something for the first time. I don't hate anything nor am I really interested any of the fandom wars that go around. I'm not here for an argument, I'm just expressing how I feel.
Also, I'm long winded. As usual. I have a lot of feelings. :)
I definitely liked it more than I thought I would. There are definitely things I really enjoyed even! But overall I found it… lacking.
Benedict and Sophie :
I have some complicated feelings about this. I think the show heard some of the push back about Season 3's abundance of subplots and disgruntledness over the main couple's screen time and kind of swung too far in the other direction? And I mean, Benedict and Sophie, out side of the My Cottage stuff, don't actually have a lot of scenes together either. But the story focuses so heavily on them that it feels like I'm watching a Benedict and Sophie movie over Bridgerton the ensemble show.
Which is fine for the romance in an anthology show it's just that there are some… issues.
First of all -- they did keep their promise in really sticking close to the book. Because they really did! But, for me, it wasn't a great book to begin with. Julia Quinn's books aren't that great (sorry) to begin with and one of the nice things is that Bridgerton usually moves away from them to do their own thing. This season, so far, feels like it's so hard to do a book adaptation that it loses something the other seasons had.
Secondly -- So much of what we got feels like a rehash from the first three seasons. So many of the beats, so many of the story points, are things we've already done. It's like this season is a Frankenstein of the first three seasons mashed together. Nothing felt new. And part of that is a product of Julia Quinn writing the same story 8 times (and she totally did). And part of it is that Bridgerton just isn't interested in taking any risks? I don't know - cause I don't think there's a bad story here. But they somehow managed to make it feel… very bland.
Thirdly -- with the zeroed in focus, I really missed not just my favs but interaction among the family in general. Where's the whimsy of the Pall Mall from Season 2? Or the crazy drawing room scenes of Season 1? And even Season 3 held tension in a delightful way as Whistledown finally unfolded. There's just such a disconnect of this love story from the rest of the world. Bridgerton feels so unpopulated and secluded.
And fourthly, with the darker tone (which I suspect are going to get darker in the second half with tragedy) everything felt drab and dour. Where's the romantic flurry of Season 1? The heart racing tension of Season 2? The magical fantasy of Season 3? It just feels… missing.
So. Okay, that all said I know I'm coming off as super harsh, and I don't really mean to be. It's not at all BAD. It's a decent story on its own. But one that just feels boring and drab to me. (sorry) I hope those who have been looking forward to it at least enjoy it.
Also said, I really want to shout out Yerin Ha. Sophie is such a great character in the book, and Yerin is a delight, bringing out a wonderful Sophie and doing what she can to salvage the somewhat lifeless script. I actually really adore her -- and I'll have more positive things to say outside the romance plot.
I feel a little indifferent about Luke Thompson. He doesn't sparkle the way Jonny Bailey does. He doesn't smolder like Rege-Jean Page. And he doesn't do nuanced intensity like Luke Newton. He's not a bad actor, and part of it is that Benedict just lacks in the character department, but I just don't feel the romantic intensity from him in the way I feel it from the other three leads so far.
I will say, I think the Masquerade Ball felt lacking. I just didn't feel the magic then. (Part of that was production design, which I'll speak to in a bit.) The stuff at My Cottage was much better, really sweet, and probably the best portion of this love story. But then it ends on that truly terrible cliffhanger -- made worse by the fact that the staircase scene was attempting to be another carriage scene which… it just wasn't.
I don't necessarily think they completely lacked chemistry, but it just was not on par with all of the previous seasons. Sorry :/
The Maid Wars
The Sophie stuff I did like related to all the downstairs stuff. I adored her friendship with the other help. She had great chemistry with them, and I love the friendship they all shared, both at the Penwood house and then later at Bridgerton house. I totally would have watched an entire episode with just the servants having to deal with the shenanigans of the Bridgertons. That would have been a lot of fun, tbh.
I also enjoyed that it brought out Sophie's sassier nature. She's an absolute force in the book, and I'm glad they retained that here, too.
A bit of that Bridgerton whimsy returned when dealing with the maid wars, too, which felt like it was missing most of this first half.
Also, it broke my heart a little to watch Portia and Varley fight (you know they'll eventually make up!)
The Penwood House
I honestly knew this was going to be an issue. The thing is -- I know this is a Cinderella story and they have to have their parts. But they really kinda did the evil mother and two hateful daughters when they started with the Featheringtons back in Season 1.
The Featheringtons at least got the luxury of becoming fleshed out. Araminta feels arch in her evilness (the actress is great - the part is not.) The two sisters are also done incredibly well - and maybe would hit better if they didn't feel like Prudence and Phillippa. (Posy is so sweet though - she was, too, in the book, and I hope nothing but the best for her in the second half)
Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury (and the Mondriches)
Even though Queen Charlotte was pissing me off this season with her treatment of Penelope and Lady Danbury, I kind of thought the tension here worked. It felt like it's own little play and Golda and Adjoa are such great actors that their little side story really worked.
I will say though, the whole thing of QC AGAIN picking a Bridgerton as her 'diamond' or whatever feels so stale at this point. If they're going to keep them around (and maybe they won't - I do think Danbury is going to leave at the end of this season, only to pop back in when Hyacinth needs to meet her relation for her book) they need to find something else for them to do.
Meanwhile, I don't know how anyone can complain about Will and Alice's time onscreen. They were barely there, and honestly, a refreshing delight of logic and sense when they were. I didn't mind them one bit.
Violet and Marcus
I have no idea what the general consensus is about this plot line, so perhaps this is controversial? While I am all about an older woman finding love again, really, I am… I wasn't really a fan of this plot line in Season 3 and I'm not really a fan of this plot line in Season 4 either. I mostly just don't care. (eesh, sorry)
Eloise (and Hyacinth and Gregory)
Eloise has been one of my favorite characters from the beginning, and Claudia Jessie truly does a beautiful job bringing her to life. But I'm beginning to feel about Eloise how I felt about Benedict last season -- that they're running out of story for her and they're kind of stalling for time. She doesn't really get to do much more than stand around and feel like an outside.
And don't get me wrong - there's some precedent for that as she is supposed to be lonely as she starts off on her own journey. But I'm kind of getting tired of the rhetoric that Eloise is the worst because she doesn't want to be married or be involved in society in anyway. She's not - and if there wasn't a love story with her coming up, I'd say it's totally fine that she find happiness without romantic love. That's a valid story to tell -- as well as a valid story that you don't need a romantic connection to not feel lonely in the world.
I loved that Hyacinth was getting more to do, I love her, and want her developed more, and I can totally see her wanting to be a part of of society. But Idk if I fully love Hyacinth vs Eloise because while there is truth to Eloise being a selfish person at times it still feels like it's pushing too hard on Eloise needs to find her own romantic love to be fulfilled instead of just needing to find her own story to settle in.
Also, was there only, what, one real Pen/Eloise scene in this whole thing? I missed them almost as much as I missed Polin.
And… because I need to talk about it somewhere -- Gregory is adorable. Let's get him a plotline. And let his brothers be a part of it, please.
Francesca and John
Controversial opinion time - this may have been my favorite solid plot line of the season (so far). Francesca is clearly gay and struggling to understand her sexuality. She does love John - and their scenes are sweet and intimate and there is a love there even if it isn't sexual. But it's not sexual and that is a problem.
And I love Fran's journey to figure it out. Her chat(s) with Penelope were adorably awkward and I loved that friendship.
Also, her awkwardness at the arrival of Michaela. Michaela is a delight btw - any woman who drives her own carriage? My god, we're in for a treat if her personality continues to sparkle like it has in her ten seconds of screen time so far.
Also, it's going to gut me when they kill off John. Just he is sweetness personified.
Penelope and Colin
sigh here we go. I had started to make my peace with knowing Colin would barely be there, but truly, Pen barely has any time either.
There was beginnings of a Lady Whistledown plot line in that first episode that really did not develop during the rest of the episodes (only kind of sort of). She was so stressed out though!! God, I really missed her. I do think this is wrapping up the LW storyline -- it ended, originally, in book 4, so I wouldn't be surprised if they followed suit. But idk how the show sustains without it. :/ I felt like the books really were missing something when it was no longer a thing, and I fear the show would, too.
One of the reviews said that Nicola Coughlan and Pen were truly the heart of the show, and I know I'm biased, but I feel the same way. It makes sense for her character to grow up and move on, and I actually want that for her. But, I'm sad at the thought of it.
Meanwhile. Colin is perfect in the two minutes of screen time he got. No notes. Luke Newton, continue to be the king you are and enjoy that paycheck.
I can see them being around for Eloise's season because it's Eloise, but unless the show gets better at writing more developed plots for it's past characters, I can see Season 5 being their last or at least drop to a single episode cameo or something.
The Production
Okay, so, what was up with production this time around? The sets looked cheap. Why was the masquerade ball not as brilliant as it could have been done? The Penwood house was a repainted Featherington house. Terrible CGI. The costumes were meh. The wigs were terrible. The editing was questionable. Why do these TV shows take two years if everything still feels cheap?
Other things :
I'm so happy Phillippa showed up for a small cameo. It was nice to see her!
Anthony and Kate had more chemistry in their two second promo spot than Benedict and Sophie had in these four episodes. (oops) Why did their baby look younger than Polin baby though?
Background character development was fun - a lot of the single ladies from last year are now married, and that was kinda cool to see.
the one last gay kiss for Benedict kinda made me chuckle.
Possibly one of my favorite moments in the season was Penelope basically saying all the men of the Ton suck. The five exceptions are clearly - John, Will, Mr. Finch, Mr. Dankworth, and Colin :)
Where was Genevieve this season? I did miss her. I mean, there isn't really a role for her, I get it. But still missed her.
Penelope needs friends who are not siblings of her husband. Clearly, they'll never do it, but what I'd give for a Kate, Sophie, and Pen scene.
The fact that Colin is not in the promo for the second half has me concerned. I also now wonder if they cut a few of his scenes in part one. Ug.
So yeah. I didn't hate it by any means. But I didn't love it either, and didn't feel the sparkle and excitement that I felt with the other seasons. But it's perfectly entertaining for a few hours if nothing else. I guess we'll see how it shakes out in the back half, but I'm not holding my breath.
Fwiw - my mother watched with me - and she enjoyed it the same as she's enjoyed every other season. So take that as a General Audience Member reaction as you will.
I agree with so much of this, thank you for making me feel like I’m not being a jerk!
The thing I realized as I was watching, sadly, was…I mean, I was sitting there and said “…I’m bored.” regarding Sophie and Benedict, but also many aspects of this season. I know characters grow, maybe some of them have gotten to a place I no longer enjoy? Or maybe they’ve written them too ooc for what I expected from what I’ve seen and how I’ve interpreted past seasons? Maybe love at first sight or Cinderella story just isn’t the trope for me? Or maybe it’s just a very vanilla season? I don’t know honestly if it’s me, or the show, probably some combination of both, but I just feel like this show brought me SUCH joy in the past and right now I just don’t feel invested in this season. I think Yerin is phenom though.
AND did I hear right that John said to Fran they haven’t even been married a full year yet?!?! HOW?! They got married right after Polin and Pen has that baby and he looks like he’s over a year old! Are they saying THAT lil toddler is meant to be less than 3 months old?!?! And that Kanthony’s baby is over a year? That was my biggest “wtf? How is time working?” for me lol
baratheonpilled
titsay
