Speaking of queerness in Bridgerton, what did you think of that scene where Benedict was dancing with his random woman of the season and she deliberately turned him around so that he was leading from the side where all the women were standing in the couples around them? I think that had to be intentional, and I’m curious to see if it will end up meaning anything.
I hadn't noticed that, that's cool! I am always so distracted by the choreography being What It Is (never over the first season and the big climactic dance when they explicitly discuss waltzing and THEN THEY POLKA) that I rarely clock things like that.
However, without watching again, my immediate guesses are that reasons were twofold:
a) To show Lady Arnold's character of being strong, independent, and in charge (and particularly in charge of their relationship) and that Benedict is willing to go along with that. This is likely the larger reason! And then there's
b) simple visual contrast! It can be hard, in a dance scene, to make your main couple stand out from the others, when the men are usually a sea of dark suits and the women a sea of variously-toned long dresses. Pride & Prejudice (2005), for instance, solved this problem by having the dancers alone but still going through the group dance steps. This is another neat way of doing it, especially because it's also shorthand for Lady Arnold's character, as above!
So I guess my read is that this isn't implying that Benedict is queer so much as it's implying that he gets pegged.
