#fei.exe

[bluerainlily]

The many ways to say "Sophie Baek"

Across season 4 of Bridgerton, Benedict says "Sophie Baek" "Miss Baek" "Miss Sophie Gun" and "Miss Gun" exactly once each, but "Sophie" a whooping forty-two times.

[bluerainlily]

listened to luke thompson as mr. darcy in the bbc audio drama version of pride & prejudice. they split the story in two parts and naturally ended part 1 with mr. darcy asking lizzy to marry him. oh luke thompson's "fumbling a proposal as a mid-story cliffhanger" cinematic universe ...

[bluerainlily]

"Delaying" Benedict and Eloise's seasons — the two siblings most resistant to the conventions of marriage — is the most on brand, in character thing for Bridgerton to do.

[bluerainlily]

The many ways to say "Benedict Bridgerton"

Did you know that across season 4 of Bridgerton, Sophie says "Benedict Bridgerton" twice, "Benedict" six times, and "Mr. Bridgerton" twenty-one times?

[bluerainlily]

“When one makes an error, one must apologize.”

“Forgive me.”

“You were his error.”

And so on and so on.

We see Sophie profusely apologize a lot, notably when LIS steps on Benedict’s shoes, when Sophie spills tea on his hands, etc. He’s so quick to assure her that she has nothing to apologize for. She’s done nothing wrong.

But to Araminta, it’s not about the errors Sophie makes or doesn’t make. It’s not about how valuable the shoe clips are. It doesn’t even matter that it’s Posy who actually stole them. To her, Sophie IS the error, and thus must apologize for her very existence.

Sophie internalizes this too. (“My very existence is a shameful secret.”) My poor girl.

[bluerainlily]

If I had any talent for gif making I’d make a set that parallels Benedict saying “You know what’s interesting about staying in bed all day?” in 4x03 to Benedict saying “Perfect time for sleep” in 4x06.

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this is the note benny actually wanted to send (source: trust me)

[bluerainlily]

I've been thinking about how Bridgerton has a formula, in which episodes 1-4 delivers one arc that leads up to a big midpoint cliffhanger (a proposal of sorts), which turns the story upside down, and in episodes 5-8 we get a second arc with higher stakes. As well, episode 5 is usually a really strong episode, probably my favourite in every season, that often takes a big swing in the last moments, which elevates the stakes of that second arc.

The Fake Dating trope concludes when Daphne says she and the Duke will marry at the end of episode 4. In the end of episode 5, we get that iconic "I burn for you" line and the consummation, which (for better or worse) sets up the conflict of their second arc.

The Enemies-to-Lovers trope comes to a head in episode 4 when Anthony proposes to Edwina, despite Kate's objections. In the end of episode 5, we get a role reversal where Kate tells Anthony that he must marry Edwina.

The Friends-to-Lovers trope leads up to Colin's proposal, moving them from friends to lovers. In the end of episode 5, Cressida claims she's LWD, a major conflict that'll follow Polin for the rest of the season.

The Two-People Love Triangle trope ends when Benedict chooses Sophie over LIS, and makes the mistress offer. In the end of episode 5, Benedict and Sophie confess their love, but also Alice overhears them and Benedict fights with his mom, which elevates the Forbidden Love part of their story.

If anyone's familiar with "Save the Cat" plot structure, Bridgerton does it to a tee, each and every season.

It's also got me thinking that, when considering the show as a whole (and assuming we'll get renewed through Greg and Hyacinth's seasons), we are at the halfway point of Bridgerton. And you can really see how season 4, as a whole, acts like an episode 4. The tagline for season 4 part 2 was "CHANGE IS IN THE AIR." It's the season that "turns the story upside down" in terms of subverting what came before:

Expanding into the downstairs world

No female diamond / debutante presentations to the queen

No Hyacinth clocking the main couple, etc.

Of course, at the end of season 4, we probably have the biggest cliffhanger the show's ever had: a new LWD.

A tagline for season 5 is "LOVE BEGINS AGAIN," which really aligns with my thinking about how season 5 might act like the "episode 5" of the show as a whole, in that it'll take a big swing and set up "a second arc" of sorts for the rest of Bridgerton. Of course, one such big swing is the first queer romance to lead the show (exciting!), but I wonder if there'll be other big changes to shake up the rest of the cast too: not only to launch our future leads, but also for the ensemble — especially Violet, Lady D, Queen Charlotte, and the Mondrichs.

Specifically, for Violet, I think s1-4 can be read as one big arc to reclaiming her independence. Also, for all she loves love, and tries to instill that value in her children, over the years her children have also taught her something new about love. In s4 alone, 2 scenes stood out for me: Benedict's "it's a tad hypocritical" crash out, and Francesca's "we're not the same" monologue. 2 scenes that made Violet rethink her approach to parenting her children.

(I also found it a bit sweet that Violet and Anthony teamed up in episode 6; yes, it is unfortunately a team-up against my beloved Benophie, but out of context I just like the implication that their relationship has grown from s2 and they can now lean on each other to co-manage the household.)

Of course, season 3-4 also sees Violet opening herself to love again with Marcus — which ultimately ended up being about getting reacquainted with herself, her wants and desires, beyond being a wife and a mother. Her turning down Marcus's approval, in my opinion, is the perfect midpoint that'll "turn her story upside down," and I can't wait to see what she'll do in s5-8.

It's also my hope that she'll be less pushy about getting the rest of her children married, now that she's turned down a proposal. I also hope that Benophie's love story opens up Violet and the family to realize that love isn't just found within the rigid structures of the marriage mart, which will influence how Violet counsels Francesca, and even Eloise.