#asksnopinions

[antifranchael]

These Franchela shippers are so tiresome. Them shitting all over Michael is beyond obnoxious. It’s clear most of them have never read the book and are only going by what they’ve heard and placing 21st century values on a story that takes place in Regency England. No Michael’s arc cannot work with a woman and most importantly neither can Fran’s. Her entire reason for getting back out there after John’s death is bc she wants to become a mother. Ofc she will probably have a baby with John so it won’t matter.

S3 was such a disaster on multiple fronts and I have less than zero interest in S4. They all but wrote out Kanthony and family scenes are fewer and fewer. I have absolutely no desire to watch Fran drool all over her husband’s cousin and likely vice versa. I personally don’t think gender bending any spouse would work in the context of the universe they’ve built and it’s a crappy thing to do to book fans in general but if they were going to do it Jess picked very poorly.

I’m so tired of fandom acting like this is the best thing ever and acting like Michaela is superior to Michael simply because she’s a woman. None of them will acknowledge that transforming a white, male rake into a dark skinned presumably promiscuous lesbian is not a good look. Especially when the show has a history of poor treatment of dark skinned characters/actors.

THIS!!!!!!!!!!

Especially after watching season 4. Cause WTF was that?!

[antifranchael]

What’s more important: to keep some book accuracies (with the mmc being a rapist and abuser I’ve heard?) or to for the/one of the first times allowing sapphics to see a relationship like ourselves in a mainstream show, that’ll positively affect WLW representation in the future?

If you're adaping a book and marketing your adaptation as "an adaptation of the book" - as Bridgerton is and has done, then book accuracy is more important.

ESPECIALLY if your book erasure focuses on a woman GENUINELY moving on (not the crap they were doing with Violet this/last season), falling in love again, or struggling with something as incredibly sensitive and delicate as miscarriage and a desire for a baby.

Which btw. is statistically far less likely to be displayed in a respectful and serious manner on TV.

That being said, if you wanna see the disgrace, that is Shona handling Sapphic couples, I invite you to watch Grey's Anatomy. Because at this point, Francesca and fem Michael, are basically the regency copy of Callie and Arizona.

The lesbian who knows who she is and is experienced and funny and preppy and wild and self-assured.

And the insecure lesbian/bisexual that is crushing on her, and until now has only seriously dated men, and she needs to be "taught" to embrace her sexuality or her sexual desirability by the more experienced party.

And of course the whole thing is looked down on with one accepting family and one that's behind, but eventually somewhat accepting and it's big drama around them being together.

If all that floats your boat, it's already in Grey's Anatomy. You didn't fucking need to turn Michael into another worthless alliteration of that trope. 😒

Actually good representations of sapphic couples I can recommend (being part of the sappic community) are :

Stef and Lena "The Fosters"

Hen and Karen Wilson "911"

Nomi and Amanita "Sense8"

And even older versions, like Willow and Tara on "Buffy"

& if you want Period "Dickinson" has Emily and Sue

The argument of Bridgerton having to be "One of the first times allowing sapphics to see a relationship like ourselves in a mainstream show" is bullshit. Nowadays there's tons of that representation out there. Us, in the "West" (which is the only place that season is gonna be available- I guarantee you that) haven't been victims of persecution or "don't say gay policies" on TV in decades.

And unless ur ass travels back in time, their relationship is not "like ours" are anyway. 💀

[antifranchael]

[antifranchael]

I haven't watched the new season of bridgerton but I have seen clips (I can't help myself), and from what I've seen, our suspicions were 100% on point. Not only did Francesca not achieve an orgasm, but anytime she tries to beintimatee with John, there is an element of uncertainty or confusion whenever they do anything of the sort. When she tried to passionately kiss him, she immediately slowed down, almost stopping as if she was waiting for the passion to hit. Meanwhile, whenever Michaela is in her line of sight, she's flustered and nervous because she is attracted to her.

Francesca is NOT bi, but a lesbian, and anyone who tries to deny that is just trying to do damage control because they know that's not okay that they decided to change the nature of Fran and John's relationship, it's just the hard truth.

Yes, Francesca loves John, but it's not the typical romantic, passionate love Bridgerton focuses on as THE love. She has love FOR him but is definitely not IN love with him. The book made it all apparent that John and Francesca were not only happily married but were also passionate about each other. There was NO attraction from Francesca's side for Michael; it even took so long (mostly due to him running away, but I digress) for Francesca to even look at him that way, but here Francesca is already feeling things the moment she met Michaela, and that's just cruel.

People will always root for the things they want to see in media, it's just how we work, unfortunately. However, there are those people who try to gaslight others to accept their fantasies as if that's ok, just because "all the other Bridgertons are in straight relationships lets just have this one thing". They ignore those that also want to be represented, such as the people who struggle with infertility and those who are unsure about finding a second great love after losing their first (tbh this is probably given to Violet from what I've seen, which just makes John's character even more sad).

It doesnt matter anymore, Michael doesnt exist, and Francesca is definitely getting a different story than the one in the books (seeing as Fran was more upset over not getting pregnant for John and not the fact that John is dead). I can already tell they'll make Fran want a baby because of the whole heir thing as apposed to her feeling lonely and wanting a child which will make her 100% not sure to commit to Michaela because, unlike what some people think, two cis women in the 1800s can't have a child together and thus that will be their "what's keeping them apart" instead of it being their guilt over John and Fran's love for one another.

I think you honestly clocked the entire season dynamic perfectly just from those circulating clips. It is actually wild how accurate your read is without even seeing the full episodes.

The showrunner and the actress definitely leaned into the interpretation of Francesca as a lesbian woman navigating compulsory heterosexuality. The intimacy scenes remain consistently awkward and uncertain, which contrasts with the chemistry she has with fem Michael. That lack of spark with John really changes the tragedy of his death from a romantic loss into the loss of a safe, companion-esque partnership. (In my opinion.)

Her mourning period pivots quickly toward the pregnancy disappointment rather than lingering on the romantic loss of John. (At which point I gotta give a shoutout to Ben for going to bat trying to save Fran from an invasive "test" - he failed, but it was 100% one of my favourite scenes this season ❤️)

From a historical perspective, this actually creates a terrifying situation for her legally and financially. In the book Michael inherits everything and protects her, but a female Michaela obviously remains barred from holding the Kilmartin title. Failing to produce a male heir means the estate passes to some random distant male relative (Featherington style), leaving Francesca completely vulnerable and potentially homeless (I mean, she's a Bridgerton, Anthony would never let her be homeless, but technically, he's no longer responsible for her, that's how it worked in the 1800s).

That makes the pregnancy plot less about an emotional desire for motherhood and more about basic survival.

[antifranchael]

I simply don’t agree that Francesca never had any romantic love for John. She made a face after kissing him at their wedding and everyone has spun it into, “Well she’d probably rather kiss a girl!” As someone that was raised kind of sheltered, I knew almost nothing of intimacy as I’m sure Francesca doesn’t as well. I remember my first kiss and my first time having sex and they were both nothing like I thought they’d be. Why does this have to mean Francesca isn’t attracted to him? I enjoy it now but it took me a minute because my parents taught me nothing and violet doesn’t teach her daughters shit. I don’t know why people are so determined that she couldn’t have been bisexual and she has to be a lesbian. The undermining of her relationship with John is what upsets me. The author of the books recently confirmed that she truly did love John so I don’t know why people think just because Francesca’s actress thinks Francesca is a lesbian that has to make it true? Bisexuality is erased so often and I’m frankly sick of it. I don’t mind Michaela (sorry to come to this blog to say that) but to say she never loved John has made me start to block people. You can love more than one person.

I'm bisexual... well, technically I'm into women, but I do think men can be attractive... I'm not up on lingo, let's just go with - me too, and demisexual, so I get you. I wish there were more respectful depictions of ibisexuality, but I learned a while ago that it's not something you can get out of a Shondaland production. My personal favorites were Rosa from Brooklyn Nine Nine and I weirdly also liked David on Schitt's Creek?

The Francesca thing is not just the kiss. It's what comes after. The immediate reaction to Michaela like DAYS after the wedding & IN FRONT of John. In season 4 we learn she never experienced an orgasm during her entire summer/winter/honeymoon with John? And their whole relationship - while personality-wise clearly aligned, was still very awkward in S4. Even Fran's reaction to John's death was odd. (Like, not to grief shame, or to shame neurodivergent people - but that's just not what love looks like in context.)

I completely agree - you can love more than one person and you can be IN LOVE with more than one person.

My argument is that Francesca wasn't IN LOVE with John and I have my doubts that she LOVED him beyond thinking of him as a safe haven/comfort.

That said, since the actress thinks Francesca is a lesbian (& there's a good chance that's how she's been directed) that obviously shows in the performance and it basically just confirms everything that's already been said on this blog.

That is my opinion. I specifically didn't post on this blog for OVER A YEAR because I wanted to take people's advice and watch season 4 first. I have. My opinion has NOT changed.

[antifranchael]

People need to get a grip. It’s been two seasons going into three with Franchaela being major focuses, and there’s enough material where it’s not just about the gender swap that people have an issue. JB proposed and got the gender swap into the show, and is is showing *clear favoritism* about it. Many are noticing.

Season 3, Franchesca had a huge story line and the gender swap came as a plot twist that overshadowed any conversation of development having to do with Polin. Season 4 was more balanced, but some of the most emotional beats were having to do with Francesca, again overshadowing Benophie in the end. Not to mention how much more promo Franchesca was getting in comparison to the *main couple*. And now, season 5 is Franchesca and Michaela where many people wanted Eloise, and it’s barely been two months after season 4 released.

And don’t give me some nonsense about “Eloise wasn’t set up cause she’s not writing to Phillip blah blah blah.” Both season 3 and season 4 had room where Philloise could have been set up if the pacing and writing were tighter and had their priorities straight. Hell, even if there is a time skip, it could have been two years later and we find out what happened in the time skip, how Eloise began writing to Phillip and we have the first few episodes or first half of the season being a recap of what was missed. Literally anything is possible with good writing.

But no, Franchesca is the priority because that’s what the showrunner wanted. I’ve seen so many people start saying they’re just exhausted by this character and story line, people who were fine with gender swap too, and I absolutely agree. I love this book, was starting to like the idea of the gender swap, but they’ve managed to butcher it in ways where the gender swap is actually the least of the problems.

You hit the nail right on the head with this observation.

Seeing someone else point out the blatant truth feels incredibly validating, thank you ❤️

The showrunner clearly prioritized her own preferences over telling a cohesive story for the actual main couples.

Season three gave way too much screen time to a twist things for future seasons.

Then season four did the exact same thing to Benedict and Sophie.

They forced Francesca into the spotlight constantly just to rush this specific plotline for season five.

The writing issues clearly go far beyond the initial character changes - Your point about Eloise makes perfect sense.

Good television writers easily establish a time skip and a pen pal romance.

The writers simply chose to bypass those creative solutions to fast track their favorite project.

They sacrificed the profound narrative of complex love and trauma and grief just to push this specific vision forward.

The entire structural foundation of the original book got tossed aside for forced screen time. It leaves readers feeling completely exhausted by the whole situation.

[antifranchael]

I get your not gonna change your mind about franchaela, but can you at least stop tagging your posts with the ship tag, so you're not clogging up the tag for people who actually enjoy the ship

no. the internet is a public space. i have to see shit i don't like, so do you. get over it. 😒

[antifranchael]

Yeah so the problem is that this IS homophobic. I have never seen a blog entirely dedicated to a specific change in Bridgerton before this, but the second Michael was Michaela, they started popping up like daisies in spring. Calling the next season Jess's "self-insert fanfiction" is hilarious, because the author of the books herself SIGNED OFF ON THE CHANGE AND FULLY SUPPORTS IT.

Furthermore, Francesca in the show DOES love John. She loves him so much that after his death all she could think is that she failed him. The way she screamed when she found him was pure agony. Love isn't sex. Just because Francesca didn't feel sexually attracted to him, does NOT mean she didn't love him with all her heart.

Knowing your kind (homophobe) you will read this and do whatever mental gymnastics you have to do to make yourself the victim here. There are millions of straight love stories in this world. Hundreds of thousands where the lead woman falls in love with another man after the death of her husband. Hundreds of thousands of miracle baby stories. This ONE SINGULAR STORY CHANGING does not impact your life so much that you have to publicly disparage and shit talk something that is going to benefit SO. MANY. PEOPLE.

Francesca being biromantic and homosexual is a fantastic, new, interesting story line that does NOT disrespect the books or the characters in any way. Especially when the author herself fully supports this change.

Self-analyze and figure out the source of your homophobia and anger. Because thinking Francesca didn't love John purely because she couldn't orgasm with him is reductive, it's overplayed, and it's not representative of millions of real relationships.

The worst part is, you will read all of this, and think you've still done nothing wrong.

Get therapy.

Please be so absolutely fucking serious right now! 💀

Being called a homophobe and being told to get therapy by a complete stranger while actively being a literal lesbian is actually the funniest thing to happen on this website today. 😂

The call is coming from entirely inside the house at this point. 🔥

​Let's talk about the Julia Quinn argument first - Authors SELL the television rights to their life's work for millions of dollars. The publishing industry operates as a massive corporate machine designed exclusively to make money. We all know exactly how Hollywood contracts work. Pretending her PR statement changes the reality of the gutted source material is just pure delusion.

Let's also discuss John and the romance aspect of the story : The entire foundation of the original tragedy requires them sharing a profoundly deep and completely passionate first love!

Relegating him to a comfortable beard and giving her an immediate physical reaction to Michaela completely destroys the emotional weight of his death!

You need that world-shattering and all-encompassing first love to make the ensuing grief and the eventual second-chance romance actually mean something!🚩🚩🚩

We completely lost a beautiful narrative exploring the severe medical trauma of miscarriage and infertility.

Reducing my very real frustration over losing vital women's health representation down to mental gymnastics just shows your complete lack of reading comprehension. 😒

If you want to have a villain to yell at today, go find someone else to project your weird savior complex onto, because lecturing an actual lesbian about queer representation while cheering for the erasure of complex trauma for women, is a massive joke.