Bridgerton, Season Four (2024)
The third season of the sex-saturated Regency romp finally brings about a romance for Lady Whistledown herself, whose role in society has become precarious because Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) is determined to unveil the social gossip once and for all. And she thinks with the approaching summer season, she can at last discover the notorious wit behind the scathing public commentary that arrives each week in the society pages. Little does she know, the talented author is none other than Penelope Featheringon (Nicola Coughlan), an overlooked redheaded wallflower whose exposure to her best friend, Eloise (Claudia Jessie) has lost her a relationship.
Though sworn to secrecy, because Penelope had to trash-talk her reputation to keep the queen from assuming her Lady Whistledown, Eloise has become friends with a snotty socialite and continues to pretend Penelope does not exist. With her two older sisters married, and desperate to get out of her mother's household before she is deemed an old maid, Penelope decides to take matters into her own hands. She reappears in society with a whole new wardrobe, desperate to attract a man, but finds her heart flummoxed by the return of the globe-trotting Colin Bridgerton (), who has returned from his misadventures older, street-smarter, and more cynical than when he left. And when Penelope solicits his assistance in teaching her how to attract an eligible gentleman, sparks fly... but there's a problem. Colin absolutely despises Lady Whistledown, and Penelope fears his affections for her may wane if he ever discovers her alter-ego.
But it's even worse when someone steps forward to take claim for her column, and declares themselves to be the notorious gossip sheet writer!
It's a terrific season for Penelope, particularly in the second half, but she deserves better than Colin. They did him dirty. Colin in the first season is an empathetic, passionate young man who falls stupidly in love with a pregnant girl and is willing to marry her and raise her child. He is innocent and sweet, and I couldn't wait to see him finally recognize his feelings for Penelope. Unfortunately, this season does him no favors. He returns from his travels a man-slut who engages in emotionless sexual trysts with multiple prostitutes, who only realizes he has feelings for Penelope when he thinks someone else may take her away from him. Instead of being protective of her and her reputation, he fingers her in a carriage, sticks his hands up her skirt at any opportunity, and risks her reputation with premarital sex. Just once, I kind of hoped the author could give me a Colonel Brandon type Regency hero of strong moral character, but instead, all the Bridgerten men suck. They're all promiscuous, they all have no respect for lower class women, and in the real world, they'd all be riddled with syphilis. Bottom line? I hate this Colin. I want the sweet, innocent one back. And what's more, the only reason for the sex scene pre-wedding was because the writing denies us one afterward, because Colin is sulking about a personal discovery about his new wife. Lame.
Eloise continues to be my favorite character, although a good deal of time is spent on her sister Francesca, an introvert if ever one sat in an uncomfortable silence, and her adorable relationship with an equally introverted nobleman. That was insanely adorable. But it wastes my time with a subplot for Benedict that goes nowhere (it's just more proof that he wants sex with anything that moves, and not to be committed to anyone, ever), spends too much time on Penelope's boring and shallow sisters, and seems to move quite slowly despite being eight hours long. There are some genuinely touching and funny moments, and the last episode in particular is excellent. It would serve as a terrific series finale, if the show were to end here. The costumes are outrageous this season and don't even try to be otherwise, and the covers of various famous pop songs continues to be smart and fun. If you enjoyed the first two seasons, this one is more of the same, but I wanted something more from it. Maybe some depth, since Penelope is the only character on the show that has shown much of that for the last three years. Or maybe I just had a hard time not wishing she had found someone better than Colin, a man who breaks her heart, doubts her character, speaks over her, and comes across as a man-child rather than an honorable soul.
Sexual Content:
The usual amount. Colin wakes up in bed with two naked women a couple of times. Once he has feelings for Penelope, he feels her up in a carriage and brings her to a climax with his hand. Their kissing scenes often turn to groping. He takes her alone to their future home, where they undress and have graphic sex (including nudity). There's a couple of sex scenes between a married couple, backside nudity on a man, and several scenes in which Benedict engages in threesomes (kissing both a man and a woman, and saying how much he enjoys it). Much fuss is made over Penelope's sisters not really knowing how babies are made despite being married, and their mother awkwardly tells them how to get pregnant (we see them trying, and being quite bored in the process). Cleavage on all the period gowns.
