Let’s talk about Bridgerton

February 22, 2021

Bridgerton, I must say…

I remember seeing Bridgerton trending on Netflix after its release, but I had no idea what it was about. Slowly, more and more Bridgerton memes started to pop up on my Instagram feed that the show became unavoidable. After binging The Queen’s Gambit (a brilliant show, by the way), I figured why not start Bridgerton? I still had no idea what the show was about, but I figured if so many people are raving about it, why not give it a shot?

Haven’t heard of Bridgerton? You can watch the trailer here:

Here’s why I think…

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Diversity

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Okay, right off the bat, I was blown away by the diverse casting of the show. And I mean diversity in its most holistic form. From the poster to the fact that there was an African American queen, to the inclusion of characters with varying sexual orientations, I was thoroughly impressed. As a person of colour, it has felt like for so long; we haven’t seen people who look like us grace the forefront of television and movies. In recent years great strides have been made to put together diverse casts, but this cast in particular honestly blew me away.

Characters

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The characters in this show are so charming. I don’t know if it’s the dialect of the time period that the show is set in, but there’s a certain enchantment in their personalities. I resonated with Eloise Bridgerton the most, and I think that she exemplifies the modern-day woman who seeks independence and the free will to discover herself and pursue her passions. I must also say that even though the time period of the show depicts an entirely different era of women’s rights, I enjoyed seeing their courage, their resilience, and their strength. I especially enjoyed watching them be defiant. When a man tells them to do something, they don’t always listen. Instead, they act in ways true to their desires and what they feel is right for them, which I think is the way I think it should be!

Plot

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I found this post on Instagram, and I thought it was really interesting (it also gives some suggestions on things to watch next). The only show/movie that I’ve seen enough of to say that it’s similar to Bridgerton definitively is Gossip Girl. I definitely got hints of Gossip Girl from Lady Whistledown (LW), the town’s resident gossip columnist. LW’s anonymity helps the plot along in an interesting way. Whatever the characters do, LW knows about it. If LW doesn’t know about it, the characters are probably doing it to get LW off of their tail. The plot always seems to come down to LW.

Escapism

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Honestly, given the times that we’re in, Bridgerton was the perfect little world for me to escape into. It was 8 episodes long which was both not too long and not too short. It was also romance-heavy. The women in this show were quite often swept off their feet (both figuratively and literally), giving the show a sweet and endearing effect.