There was never a doubt that Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) would live happily ever after by the time Bridgerton’s Cinderella-like fourth season drew to a close. But that doesn’t mean that the second half of the season is lacking in surprises.
Gold Derby has already covered the ways in which the hot and heavy Episode 5 sex scene broke new ground for the Regency-era drama. Now we’re asking showrunner Jess Brownell — along with Ha and Thompson — to take us inside other key moments from the final four episodes, including Francesca’s grief following the death of her husband, the return of Cressida’s, Lady Danbury’s exit… and the prospect of a new Whistledown.
Luke Thompson and Hannah DoddLiam Daniel/Netflix
A death in the family
Few storylines in Bridgerton history have been as sad as the untimely passing of Francesca’s hubby, Lord John Stirling (Victor Alli). And few moments have been as upsetting as the new widow being forced to submit to an exam to confirm whether she’s carrying his heir. Did Francesca truly believe she was pregnant?
“Fran is such a tricky character,” Brownell notes. “She’s someone who is capable of convincing herself of things, because she does have a journey to go on to really understand who her authentic self is. So I do think that it’s a bit of delusion. Maybe there’s a very quiet voice deep inside that knows she’s not pregnant, but I don’t know that Fran is listening to her quiet voices very often at this stage in her arc.”
John’s death also has a profound impact on Benedict, who steps up to speak at the service and attempts to stop Francesca’s exam. “You’d think that he’d be very good at having his own voice because of his artistic streak, but often an artistic voice is maybe a nice smoke screen to avoid having to have a voice in your own life,” Thompson notes.
“There’s something about the experience of death that actually forces Benedict to kind of get real and to assert himself,” the actor continues. “It becomes part of the process of him finding his way to Sophie as well. Death, generally, is the thing that makes life valuable and makes you think, ‘Wake up, I don’t have much time.’ It’s both the most horrible, scary thing, and the biggest instigator of life, isn’t it?”
Brownell stresses that she believes Francesca genuinely loved John, and also that the friendship that builds between Fran and his cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza) in the back half of Season 4 is genuine. But how deep do those feelings really go? “Fran is someone who is not super in touch with herself, so what people might be perceiving from Fran is not necessarily what Fran is aware of,” the showrunner explains.
The bath scene doesn’t disappoint
The heavily anticipated Episode 8 bathtub scene once again demonstrates that Benedict and Sophie are all about equality between the sexes. After Sophie explains why she hasn’t been able to trust his feelings for her, Benedict helps Sophie realize that perhaps she needs to have a look at her father’s will herself.
“It’s a powerful moment for a character to realize that there’s love right in front of her — if only she chooses to believe in it,” Brownell says. “And sometimes before you take action, you just need to get your hair washed by a really hot man! Luke and Yerin play that scene with real tenderness, which contrasts in a really beautiful way with the [Episode 5] sex scene, which was all about urgency.”
By this point, Benedict has pieced together that Sophie is his Lady in Silver thanks to finding her necklace, which he’d previously sketched. Without secrets between them, the bath almost symbolizes a clean slate. And Ha calls that her proudest moment of the season.
“It’s the most exposing for me,” the actress notes. “That conversation is really the pin-drop moment for Sophie, and how she fully becomes someone who is able to open the gate to her heart and let this person in. It’s alsonice to see that when a woman says that [she doesn’t want to have sex], she doesn’t have to repeat herself. Love and pleasure can be expressed in so many different ways. I’m proud of Sophie for doing that. I get quite vulnerable doing those scenes, but as Sophie has taught me, sometimes you do have to be vulnerable to show other sides of yourself.”
Ha particularly likes the moment when Sophie takes charge and pushes Benedict against the tub wall. “That’s what’s great about [intimacy coordinator] Lizzy Talbot,” she says. “Every single thing that we decide to do always has a motivation and intention.” The move also kept filming from feeling like a cold plunge. “The water kept spilling out and getting lower and lower and lower,” Ha remembers. “They did have to fill it up with warm water [repeatedly].”
The odds are in our favor to see more of Sophie’s passion in the future. “All bets are off now that they’re together,” Brownell says. “If we’re thinking about Season 5 and beyond — get it, Sophie! She’s lived a hard life. If she wants to indicate what she wants more, I think she’s more than earned the right.”
Jonathan Bailey, Luke Thompson, and Yerin HaLiam Daniel/Netflix
Anthony gives Benedict his due
As the second-born son, it takes a lot for Benedict to stand up to his older brother, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), who returns from India in Episode 5 just in time to urge Benedict to realize what taking a mistress would mean. “I think all of us really trust Anthony at this point,” Brownell says “He was the perfect person to come in and deliver the reality of this situation, reiterate the stakes and the way that it would affect the family. Benedict’s plan could ruin Hyacinth and Eloise’s chances on the Marriage Mart, and it could really isolate the family from society in so many ways.”
Anthony ultimately tells his brother that he trusts him to make the right decision on his own. “It completely ups the pressure on a character who is much happier dodging pressure and easily fitting into things,” Thompson says. And when Anthony returns in the finale to be the best man at Benedict’s post-credits wedding, he tells his brother that their father would be proud of him — just as Anthony is.
“It felt important for Anthony to recognize the truth of the situation,” Brownell says. “Benedict’s love for Sophie is very different from anything else he’s felt before, and he’s actually put the work in and the commitment to earn her.”
For Ha, returning to My Cottage for the ceremony was special for multiple reasons. “It felt like when couples book a destination wedding because they have a sentimental attachment to that place or city,” she says. “I met Johnathan that day as well. It was so lovely to have everyone together and celebrate our season essentially.”
Brownell always asks her writers to think about a character’s journey and the images that would best to sum it up. That’s how they landed on Season 4’s parting shot: A new piece of art by Benedict Bridgerton hanging in My Cottage. “For Benedict to complete a painting is a really good visual representation of that newfound commitment,” Brownell says. “The fact that it is a painting of Sophie [unmasked] as the Lady in Silver is the marriage of fantasy and reality that has been opposing all season.”
Ha says she did a full 90 minutes of glam to pose for photos that an artist used to paint the portrait. The actress also admits that she asked if she could keep the Lady in Silver mask at the end of the season. While that request wasn’t approved, she did get to take home her second choice: Sophie’s necklace.
Jessica Madsen Liam Daniel/Netflix
Cressida’s return serves a higher purpose
After the way Cressida (Jessica Madsen) treated Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) in Season 3 — pretending to be Lady Whistledown and attempting blackmail — it’s fair to say that not a lot of fans were rooting for a comeback. But Brownell always knew there was more to Cressida’s story, which is why she returns as the new Lady Penwood.
“I feel like Cressida did atone, in her own way, for the sins of her past, and has continued to atone while being away in Wales with all the sheep,” she says. “So it was important for me this season to have some justice for Cressida.” Brownell also used Cressida’s return to advance the season’s arc for Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and help bring her closer to her younger sister, Hyacinth (Florence Hunt).
“The thing about the Hyacinth-Eloise story that I felt very passionate about isn’t that Hyacinth needs to teach Eloise that she’s been wrong about marriage this whole time,” the showrunner observes. “Eloise’s feelings about marriage being a prison for women is really powerful, and she’s way ahead of her time. Growth for Eloise is recognizing, ‘Hey, Cressida, I understand that you just were trying to survive.’ Getting to watch Eloise realize that she can think marriage is bogus, but it doesn’t mean [that belief] is right for other women was really, really important to me.”
Emma NaomiLiam Daniel/Netflix
Alice’s rise is official
Score one for Lady Agatha Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), whose plan to find Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) a Lady in Waiting with promise succeeds. Clever Alice Mondrich (Emma Naomi) gives the queen the idea to upstage Cressida’s ball and sets in motion the opportunity for the Queen to sanction Sophie and Benedict’s relationship.
Brownell notes that the setup of Violet (Ruth Gemmell) blackmailing Sophie’s evil stepmother, Araminta (Katie Leung), into agreeing to the lie that Sophie is the daughter of a noble relative of her illegitimate father comes from Julia Quinn’s novel. But having the queen also involved in that scheme made it resonate more.
“The queen agreeing to this wacky lie is her way of giving a gift to Lady Danbury and saying, ‘I’ve been really resistant all season, but I know it means something to you for Alice Mondrich to ascend into this role, and I’m going to go along with it,’” Brownell says. “It doesn’t quite play out the way Alice intended, because the Bridgertons end up handling it even better than she imagined. But I’m still really proud of Alice for that big speech she gives to the queen about ‘You’re missing all the good gossip.’ I think she’s right.”
Brownell confirms that Alice will be more connected to the main action in the show moving forward: “The queen is always trying to involve herself in the goings-on of the Marriage Mart, so Alice will be tied to that now.”
Hugh Sachs, Golda Rosheuvel, and Adjoa Andoh Liam Daniel/Netflix
Charlotte and Agatha have a long goodbye
In Episode 6, Queen Charlotte summons Penelope to hear how releasing her final issue as Whistledown at Cressida’s ball stole the host’s thunder and reiterates that she looks forward to reading whatever Penelope pens next. “You may go,” she tells Penelope, who exits. Then Charlotte stops Agatha from leaving and the two look at each other. Charlotte simply nods, giving her consent for Agatha to leave her side and return to her ancestral land. “Thank you,” Agatha says, a tear falling down her cheek.
It’s an achingly beautiful moment — the simplicity of which came about because the episode’s script was running long. “It was one of the last scenes being written in that episode, so part of the discussion was keeping it economical,” Brownell recalls. “So we landed on, ‘Maybe no words are exchanged,’ and that ended up being so powerful, because those are two of the greatest performers. Man, did they sell that!”
The writers also went in. an unexpected direction for the duo’s final scene. At the queen’s ball, Agatha notes that Charlotte will win her bet with Penelope on Benedict’s marital status. The two cackle andthen acknowledge how much fun they have together and that they’ll miss each other. Charlotte commands her own tears to stop and the women cackle again.
“They’ve had so many difficult conversations this season, we were looking for a way to end that storyline that felt refreshing,” Brownell says. “Danbury can be quite intense, and the queen can be intense in a comedic way, so giving them this lightness and moment of shared joy felt like it really spoke to their friendship.”
Rest assured, we haven’t seen the last of Agatha. “We wanted to switch up the dynamics between the queen and Lady Danbury and let Danbury do something for herself,” Brownell says. “But she will absolutely be returning to town after a bit of a time jump — and be very involved.”
Ruth Gemmell and Daniel Francis Liam Daniel/Netflix
Violet chooses herself
After that Shonda Rhimes-written love scene in Episode 4, we were all rooting Violet and her new love interest, Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis). In the finale, though, the couple breaks up after Violet confesses she isn’t ready to marry again when she’s only now rediscovering herself.
“We debated how that story was going to end, because we really, really love Marcus Anderson and the actor who portrays him,” Brownell says. “But it felt like Violet is just getting her mojo back. After the scene with Benedict where she talks about her youth and how she was wild and carefree, for her to get into another serious relationship would be her once again taking care of someone else — or at least being in partnership with someone else.
“Violet is realizing that she needs to be a little more selfish for once in her life,” the showrunner continues. “That’s something that we’ll continue to play with over the next couple seasons.”
Whistledown is back?!
In the final moments of Season 4, a new issue of Whistledown arrives — and this one’s not written by Penelope, who is busy with a novel instead. The resurrection of the column isn’t in Quinn’s books, so viewers can’t simply use Google to unmask the new gossip scribe.
“Now we’ve created a world where we have a genuine mystery for viewers about who Whistledown is,” Brownell says. “That’s something we’re really excited about.”
Ruth Gemmell, Hannah Dodd, Simone Ashley, and Claudia Jessie (Courtesy Netflix)Liam Daniel/Netflix
Which Bridgerton finds love next? Stay tuned…
Although the writers are already deep into plotting Season 5, Brownell isn’t ready to confirm which Bridgerton will be at the center of the next series. Indeed, Benedict’s wedding hints that it could either be Eloise or Francesca. “I can’t make anything official until the sacred honoring of Yerin and Luke has had its time,” Brownell emphasizes. “We’re waiting on that announcement for a little bit longer.”