(Spoilers ahead! Content warning—the show covers topics that may not be appropriate for all audiences, such as sexual content, sexual assault, toxic relationships, and death.)
Bridgerton premiered on December 25, 2020, and has become the most viewed series on Netflix over the past two months. Based on a series of books by Julia Quinn, the show follows Daphne Bridgerton through her family’s journey to have her wed by the end of the courting season. The show also sees other families, such as the Featheringtons and the Cowpers, struggle to find matches for their eligible daughters. What has made it so popular?
Many think it’s the costumery, done by designer Ellen Mirojnick, who has worked on other hits such as The Greatest Showman and Fatal Attraction. She says of the dresses to Vogue, “This show is sexy, fun, and far more accessible than your average restrained period drama and it’s important for the openness of the necklines to reflect that.” Over 7,500 costume pieces were put together in five months, with the main character, Daphne Bridgerton, having over 100 costumes.
Even though the show has become so popular, there are clear issues with it, such as queer-baiting and “color-blindness.” The show claims to have queer romances, although the sole reference to a queer relationship is a man cheating on his wife with another man at a party. There are also queer-coded characters, such as Benedict Bridgerton, although nothing ever comes of that, and he is seen in a heterosexual relationship.
On the subject of color-blindness, the show seems to break barriers with its inclusive casting and main characters who are written as POC, but its plot choices and colorism have drawn criticism. It looks at first like they just cast the best actors for each role, not caring about race, but moving through the series there are some comments about “us” and “them” that show that their society has not always looked like this. Patricia A. Matthew says “I don’t really know what ‘right’ looks like for Black characters in an England that in 1813 had abolished the slave trade but not slavery,” and that seems to sum up how race is portrayed in the series. It’s not a super important aspect of the show, but it definitely has an impact. Another issue is the possibility of colorism, as of the only three POC main characters (Simon Bassett aka the Duke of Hastings, Marina Thompson, and Lady Danbury), two of them are lighter skinned with eurocentric features such as smaller noses.
The show has also come under fire for its portrayal of toxic relationships, especially Daphne and Simon’s. It seems to romanticize them, even though it is clear they want very different things in life and some of their differences seem irreconcilable. On this topic, Simon is very clearly childless and never intends to have children because of a vow he made to his father. Daphne wants nothing more than to be a mother, and won’t let anything get in the way of that dream. However, by the end of the series, Simon is excited to have children and to be a father. This could present not wanting kids as something that can be changed with a conversation, when in reality it’s a lifestyle choice that could tear apart a relationship.
Even with all the issues, I still really enjoyed this show and would recommend it, although there are some mature scenes that could be sensitive to some. It’s a beautifully made show, and escaping to a fictional world is something that many people need right now.