★★★☆☆
Dearest gentle reader,
Netflix released Part 1 of Season 4 of the steamy Regency-era show Bridgerton on Jan. 29, with the second half set to come out on Feb. 26.
Each season focuses on a different Bridgerton sibling as they pursue love amid tumultuous, often scandalous, events. This season focuses on Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), the second-oldest son in the family.
Benedict is an aspiring artist and wanderer who repeatedly proclaims his intent never to marry, instead preferring to drink and debauch himself at his local gentlemen’s club. He claims that all the debutantes of London are singularly interested in marriage and “display no true animation, no zest for life, no personality.”
In his mother’s own words, he is a rake set on paving his own path outside of good society.
In a foreseeable turn of events, he meets an enchanting woman at his mother’s masquerade ball. Dressed in a silver gown and face mysteriously concealed behind a mask, Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) is alluring, seemingly indifferent to marriage, and the only woman to truly catch Benedict’s eye.
But she has a devastating secret: she is not a true member of London’s elite society. Sophie is only a maid who snuck into the masquerade party.
Then, the series leans into an almost identical Cinderella-esque love plot. When the clock strikes midnight, Sophie must escape the ball before everyone drops their masks and reveals their identities. In her hurry, Sophie leaves her glove, and it—predictably—ends up in the hands of none other than Benedict Bridgerton.
Sophie leaves the glitz and glamor and returns to her normal life as a maid working for Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung), a twice-widowed woman with two young daughters she is anxious to marry off.
The plotline hugs the classic Cinderella tale closely, and it shoves the references in your face every chance it gets: a missing glove that only fits one woman, a pair of silver shoes worn to a ball, two spoiled stepsisters, and a malicious stepmother figure. It almost seems like the writers were afraid viewers would forget the classic story.
As a result, the progression of the season is predictable.
Benedict is consumed by his search to find the glove’s owner. He trades in partying for promenading, as he tries, in vain, to find the mystery woman by attending the season’s balls. His search for Sophie drags on in a tediously long fashion, with repetitive sequences of him speaking with young ladies, only to be overcome with disappointment when he realizes they are not her.
By the end of Part 1, Sophie still has not revealed her identity.
This season is certifiably less steamy than previous ones. Bridgerton is loved for its R-rated scenes and racy scenarios, but this season deters from that successful formula, being incredibly tame compared to the others. While the romance between Benedict and Sophie is sweet, they lack the intense flame that all other Bridgerton couples have.
The initial meet-cute is intriguing, but it does not quite justify Benedict’s later actions to find Sophie. They share a dance, a short conversation, and a chaste kiss, but nothing that merits Benedict turning London upside down. An explosive first impression could have warranted Benedict’s piqued interest, but the encounter didn’t surpass one of a flat fairy tale.
While lacking in certain areas, Season 4 of Bridgerton continues to bring viewers back to the enthralling world of Regency London, with beautiful gowns and opulent sets. Hopefully, the second half of Season 4 will amp up the passion and provide substantially more chemistry between Benedict and Sophie.
