Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Bridgerton Season 3 as well as Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels.
The Big Picture
Benedict is rumored to be the star of
Bridgerton
Season 4 due to his self-discovery and revelation about his sexuality.
Other Bridgerton siblings still need time for their stories, making Benedict the most viable pick for the spotlight.
Given his personal revelations, Benedict could even potentially have a same-sex romance, showcasing
Bridgerton
‘s readiness for queer love stories.
With yet another season of Bridgerton, it is once again time to speculate about which sibling will be the star of the show’s upcoming season. Initially, in its first two runs, it seemed like the show was going to adhere to the order of the Bridgerton novels published by Julia Quinn, with Daphne’s (Phoebe Dynevor) romance with the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page) followed by Anthony’s (Jonathan Bailey) rivals-to-lovers story with Kate (Simone Ashley). However, this quickly changed when Season 3 was announced with Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) as leads. The tale of Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and his beloved Sophie was put aside, to be explored in a later season. And, well, the time might just have come to put Benedict in the limelight.
Bridgerton Season 3 ends with a lot going on for a handful of the titular family’s kids. Francesca (Hannah Dodd) has just married Lord John Stirling (Victor Alli) and might’ve also just met the love of her life in the form of his cousin, Michaela (Masali Baduza). Eloise (Claudia Jessie) is taking a trip to Scotland with her younger sister, and who knows how many eligible bachelors she might meet up north? As for Benedict, he just learned a very important fact about himself and is now free to explore his pansexuality however he sees fit. Maybe with a center-stage romance? As you can see, there is a lot up in the air, and Season 4 can devote its minutes of screentime to any Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell decides to go with. Even Violet (Ruth Gemmel) has something going on for her!
However, it is simply time for Benedict to shine. The second-born Bridgerton has been having tentative romances in the background of his siblings’ love stories for three seasons now. He has earned his moment in the sun. Besides, he’s also been trying to find himself for quite some time, and Season 3 has given him an essential part of a person’s personality: a full grasp of his own sexuality. With all the pieces now falling into place, he has everything he needs to find love. Perhaps even in another man? Who knows? With Michaela, Bridgerton has signaled that it is ready to start centering queer love stories, but Benedict could very well be the first one of his siblings with a same-sex love interest. Finally, with all his still single — or soon-to-be widowed — brothers and sisters still in need of time for their stories to bloom, the time is right for Benedict to take the lead.
Bridgerton
Set in the glamorous world of Regency London, the Bridgerton family maneuvers through the opulent and treacherous landscape of high society. Daphne Bridgerton, the family’s eldest daughter, enters the marriage market, sparking a whirlwind romance with the enigmatic Duke of Hastings.
Release Date December 25, 2020
Creator Chris Van Dusen
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 3
Studio Netflix
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‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 Ends with a Big Revelation for Benedict
Benedict has had his fair share of romances between Season 1 and Season 3. In fact, in every new season, he’s been associating with a new lady. In Season 1, it was Genevieve (Kathryn Drysdale), the modiste, alongside whom Benedict engaged in his first threesome. Things seemed to actually be going somewhere, and Benedict even told Anthony about the affair, but Season 2 saw him getting involved with Tessa (Emily Barber), a nude model with whom he has a passionate night. Once more, the relationship did not last long. Season 3 sees him in the arms of the widow Lady Tilley Arnold, and this time things get serious — but not because Benedict and Tilley actually get married in the end. Though Tilley is inclined to take their fling to the next level, Benedict decides to remain single for a little while longer, all because he wants to explore a new side of himself that he has just discovered
After another threesome, this time with Lady Tilley and her dear friend Paul (Lucas Aurelio), Benedict realizes that he is also attracted to men. Bridgerton has been hinting at this possibility ever since Season 1, in which Benedict reacted with interest to two men hooking up at a party, but, up until this point, everything remained on a purely theoretical level. Now, Benedict wants to live his sexuality to the fullest, and to waste this with another background romance when our boy has already had so many of those would be a mistake. The best course of action for Bridgerton might be to take An Offer from a Gentleman’s Sophie and genderbend her, making Benedict’s love story the first same-sex romance involving a protagonist in the show — either that or run with Sophie, but make it clear that they have an open relationship, which Benedict would be clearly partial to considering his rejection of marriage and traditional society.
Related What Will Happen to Lady Whistledown After ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3?
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Benedict’s understanding of his sexuality is also the culmination of a long self-discovery process. Ever since Season 1, he has been trying to find his place in the world as a second son who has no pre-determined roles to fulfill. Unlike Anthony, Benedict inherits no titles and thus can choose his path in the world — within the limitations of the ton, of course. During Seasons 1 and 2, he tries exploring an artistic career as a painter but ends up throwing it all away upon discovering that his older brother basically bought his way into the Royal Academy with a large donation. Finding out who he is on a sexual and/or romantic level might also be the clue that Benedict needs to figure out what he was made for — and it would be a pity if all of that took place in the background of someone else’s romance yet again.
The Other Bridgerton Siblings Still Need Time for Their Stories
Image via Netflix
There’s also the matter of whose romance we would even watch unfold center stage, if not Benedict’s. Of course, Season 3 seemed to wrap up firing in all directions, but, let’s face it, only one of those bullets looks like it’s going to hit its target. In Eloise’s book, she forms a bond through letters to Sir Phillip Crane (Chris Fulton) and eventually agrees to marry a man she has never met. As of this moment, Sir Phillip is still married to Marina (Ruby Barker) and needs time to become a widower, as well as to receive his first letter from Eloise. The same thing goes for Francesca. It would simply be too much of a downer, even considering the inherent sadness of When He Was Wicked, for her to get married only to lose her husband seconds after leaving the altar. Francesca needs time to lose her husband, not to mention to grieve his death, before properly starting her courtship with Michaela. As for Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) and Gregory (Will Tilston), well, they have serious growing up to do before finding love.
This leaves only one eligible brother. Benedict isn’t just the best choice for Bridgerton Season 4, he is the only viable one. With no one and nothing standing in his way, it is about time for Bridgerton to adapt An Offer from a Gentleman. As he falls in love with Sophie or whatever they decide to call her, Francesca can get to experience her first moments of marital bliss — made not-so-blissful by the presence of Michaela — and Eloise can learn of Marina’s death, as well as grow in a way that makes sense for her to start sending letters to Phillip Crane. After so much time as a supporting character in his siblings’ romantic adventures, Benedict’s moment has come in a way that the show just can’t deny.
‘Bridgerton’ Seems to Be Pointing at a Benedict-Centric Season 4
And neither is it trying to. The last episode of Bridgerton Season 3 features Benedict and Eloise talking about a masquerade that their mother Violet is planning to throw as soon as the next ball season starts. For those familiar with the books, said masquerade is precisely the ball in which Benedict meets Sophie, the bastard daughter of an earl who is turned into a maid in a recreation of Cinderella. In Collider’s own interview, Luke Thompson stated that he can’t confirm right now what this conversation between his character and Eloise means. “Yes, absolutely a masquerade ball is mentioned, but they’ve changed the books before,” he said. “We’re still very much in Season 3 land. I don’t have those conversations in advance. I think that would be something for the writers at this stage.” Still, the writers wouldn’t drop such an obvious hint if they were about to change the books once more, would they?
Through a romance with a maid, Benedict’s story could also help Brigderton widen its universe. The show has been showing signs that it wants to go beyond traditional young, heterosexual romance. It wants to explore queer couples, marriages of convenience, love blossoming after death… and why not a love that dares to defy the limits imposed by the ton? So far, through his more libertine ways, Benedict has introduced us to parts of Regency London to which even Anthony is a stranger. Through him, we have gotten in contact with artists, the working class, and widows in control of their sexuality. Why not keep the streak going and bust the doors of Mayfair wide open with a love story involving a maid? One thing is for certain: as the revelation of Lady Whistledown’s identity at the end of Season 3 suggests, Bridgerton is about to evolve into a different, but equally marvelous, show. And devoting a season to Benedict seems like the right way to usher in this change.
Bridgerton is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
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