Season 4 of Bridgerton is inspired by Julia Quinnthe book of A gentleman’s offer — but there were also some major changes.
Bridgerton’s final season follow that of Benedict (Luke Thompson) love story with Sophie (Yerin Ha) from the third novel in Quinn’s series. As some fans know, Benedict’s world is turned upside down when he crosses paths with a mysterious woman in a friendly Cinderella-inspired encounter.
Viewers initially expected to see Benedict as the lead in Season 3, but the Netflix show hasn’t followed the novels exactly when it comes to details, or the order of the stories. Season three marked the first time Bridgerton pivoted to focus on Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan), who are the protagonists of Quinn’s fourth book, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton.
Showrunner Jess Brownell later it was broken what changes he wanted to do the series and why.
Bridgerton’s decision not to follow the exact order of Julia Quinn’s book series has certainly not gone down well with everyone. The historical drama, which premiered in 2020, focuses on members of the wealthy Bridgerton family as they search for love in 19th-century London. Season 1 focused on Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and (…)
“I’m not really trying to shake things up too much. I really believe in the vision of the show,” Brownell told Refinery29 in April 2024. “I really want to serve the stories and the books in the best possible way. Naturally, it felt like, for Penelope and Colin, it made sense to lean into a romantic comedy. So this season has a little bit more humor and forbids. something that’s going to feel slightly elevated in terms of being different from last season.”
Thompson, on the other hand, he didn’t seem upset due to the fact that Benedict’s story was delayed.
“It would be nice to give the character full exploration, that would be a lot of fun, but the way the show works is it’s a big ensemble show,” he told Country and Town House in May 2024. “As long as they give me interesting things to do, I don’t really care.”
Although Season 4 was heralded as the closest to its source material before its premiere, there were still several significant changes. Keep scrolling to see the biggest differences between the show and the book:
Identity of Lady Whistledown
Since Penelope is not introduced as Lady Whistledown until Colin’s book, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton – the gossip writer’s identity was still under wraps when Benedict was single. by Quinn A gentleman’s offer showed Whistledown sharing her thoughts on Benedict’s love life, which it was still the case on screen although people knew that Penelope was behind the column.
Season 4 leaned toward change by showing Penelope struggling with the consequences of the Queen knowing her identity and demanding her input on the success of this season’s matches.
Bridgerton timeline
In the book series, Benedict settled down with Sophie before Colin and Penelope found their happily ever after. While Benedict and Colin were available bachelors in Quinn’s version, season 4 has Colin enjoying marriage and the arrival of his first child.
Time jump of three years
Netflix viewers need to suspend their disbelief when it comes to Benedict kissing Sophie—who wears a mask—at his mother’s dance and then bumping into Sophie as a maid days later. He doesn’t realize that the two women are actually the same person, which creates confusion when he falls in love with both.
The book made Benedict’s inability to connect the dots a little more believable by having Benedict and Sophie’s interaction at the dance take place three years before they met again unmasked, allowing Benedict to tell the two women apart.
Benedict’s illness
In the show, Benedict injured himself saving Sophie’s life, resulting in an infected cut that got worse once they got to My Cottage. In the book, Benedict simply suffered from a fever that took a few days to recover from.
Their first kiss
Speaking of Benedict’s illness, he went in and out of consciousness in both versions. Season 4 shows Sophie taking care of him, but in the book, she takes it a step further by kissing Benedict in his sleep.
The lake scene
Yerin Ha and Luke Thompson in Bridgerton Season 4
netflixIf Season 3 was all about the carriage scene, Season 4 was building up to the lake moment. Sophie stumbled upon Benedict in the lake, while he was swimming naked, which led to them sharing a kiss. That’s where things end in the show, but the book had different ideas.
The infamous M-Word
Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha in Bridgerton Season 4
netflixThe first part of season 4 ended with Sophie traveling to Bridgerton House and accepting a job for Benedict’s mother. They interact on multiple occasions, leading to the development of feelings and a connection on the scales (a Olivia Rodrigo“Bad idea, isn’t it?”) before Benedict asks Sophie to be his lover.
Quinn’s version did not prolong the story so far Instead, Benedict’s lover’s proposal to Sophie took place right at the lake before they returned from My Cottage.