Written by: Zoe Yoo
I can’t count how many times the story of the girl in the glass slipper has been told, retold, and then retold yet again. You know the one with the Evil Stepmother, Fairy Godmother, Prince Charming, etc., etc., etc. It’s a tale as old as time, and every time another movie gets the tagline (or even title) of “A Cinderella Story” I can’t help but groan. However, Bridgerton season four managed to surprise me with its refreshing reinvention. If you were like me and were apprehensive of the new season, please take this review as me begging you to reconsider. That said, this author will have to warn you that there will be SPOILERS, so do proceed with caution.
I will say, because I’ve been a fan of Bridgerton since I binged the first two seasons during what would become a life-changing winter break, I was looking forward to this new season despite the overdone trope. But at the same time, I was wary of how season four would be because of how much of a mess season three was. I’m not joking when I say I had to watch a recap before starting the new season because I trauma-blocked it from my memory. Although, I’m definitely biased because season three centered around Penelope and Colin, who I genuinely cannot stand for reasons I will not bore you with. So many unnecessary side plots took up screentime that could have been used to develop the main couple and turn haters like me into fans.
One thing that season four did an amazing job of was remembering that this is Sophie and Benedict’s story. They effectively focused on developing their relationship, along with the individual characters. And thank God for that because the world has fallen for Benophie as much as the two of them have for each other. The Cinderella meet-cute was a gorgeous scene, and although I’m usually the insta-love trope’s biggest opp, the show used it as a way to set up some S-tier YEARNING; and as you know, a man who yearns is a man who earns. Although part one of the season had everyone screaming at their TVs for Benedict’s “Be my mistress” line, he more than made up for that momentary lapse into dumbassery with his love confession. I won’t give the entire confession away, but it includes lines like “the thought of spending a single day without you torments my soul,” and the man saying “I love you” with tears in his eyes no less than FOUR TIMES. Seriously, he went to the Anthony Bridgerton School of Yearning and Groveling. I can go on and on about how much I love Sophie and Benedict, but then this review would be 20 pages long, and I’d be a fool to think anyone would read that.
I mentioned earlier that a major problem with season three was the presence of too many unnecessary subplots. And yes, there are still subplots in this season, but they didn’t feel unnecessary and actually added to the main storyline instead of existing in their own world. In season three, the Mondrichs took up so much screentime, and their storyline didn’t connect to Colin or Penelope at all. In season four, they took up less screentime, and their subplot actually connected to Sophie and Benedict. I mean, Alice Mondrich comes up with the masterful plot to get society to approve of Benedict marrying below his station. After that stunt, I think she’s got it in her to be the new Lady Whistledown. Which, by the way, was an INSANE plot twist that I absolutely loved.
Now, understand, Bridgerton can’t get rid of their subplots entirely because 1) we get attached to the other members of the family and want to see more of them, and 2) they’re kind of like Marvel in the sense that they have to set up future seasons. And I don’t think any other season has been as successful as this one in terms of future-season setup. Hyacinth and Gregory, the two youngest Bridgertons, are finally starting to get more screentime and their own storylines! I absolutely loved their awkward little school-dance-esque ball.
And of course, you can’t talk about Bridgerton season four without talking about Francesca. Most people already knew it was happening because of the books, but John’s death absolutely killed me. One of the key topics Francesca’s story tackles is infertility, and while some fans were worried this plot would be discarded with the change from Michael to Michaela, Bridgerton season four shows that this will not be the case. Francesca’s grief was utterly heartbreaking, especially the scene where she finally breaks down and cries, “We have both lost our husbands, but we are not the same. You have eight children. Eight pieces of your husband to remember him by. Eight!” I can’t wait for Francesca’s season, as it promises to be the most gut-wrenching of them all. Speaking of which, Francesca and Michaela’s scenes were PERFECT and are already giving me so much buzz. The scene where Francesca, Michaela, and John were working on the puzzle together and John builds the land (because he’s the foundation), Michaela builds the sky (because she’s the future), and then they both put the last piece in together (the part where the land meets the sky) was an incredible nod to the complicated yet beautiful love story that Francesca will have.
To go along with all of these phenomenal character moments and storylines, there is also fantastic symbolism, song choice, and costume design. I absolutely loved how themes of classism were shown through the use of staircases. There’s one scene where Sophie and Benedict are walking together towards the stairs, maintaining tantalizing eye contact as Sophie heads downstairs and Benedict heads upstairs, symbolizing their different social classes forbidding them from being together. Later on, when looking for one another, Benedict runs down the stairs, and Sophie runs up until they meet in the middle for a passionate confession. In terms of song choice, picks such as “Enchanted” by Taylor Swift and “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron had me absolutely screaming, already imagining the potential edits that’ll be flooding my feed. Finally, Sophie’s ballgown, which she wore when she and Benedict were finally accepted by society, was so Cinderella-coded and really wrapped up the trope beautifully.
There is so much I wish I could talk about, including but not limited to: the amazing performance of Katie Leung as Lady Araminta (the Evil Stepmother), the wonderful friendships between Sophie and Alfie, the loveable Posy, the emotional goodbye between Lady Danbury and Queen Charlotte, and more. But, I’ll end my review by saying, although season two will forever be my personal favorite (just because of how much I love Anthony and Kate), season four is by far the best overall.
Featured Image Caption: Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) and Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) on one of the Bridgerton Season 4 posters.
