Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell broke her silence on the backlash Benedict received for his shocking love offer in Season 4.
During the first part of the new season, which premiered on Thursday, January 29, Benet (Luke Thompson) finds himself falling in love with two different women: a mysterious guest at his mother’s ball and a maid named Sophie (Yerin Ha). The spectators, and these who reads Julia Quinnthe book of A gentleman’s offer — Know that the two women are the same person, but Benedict struggles with his feelings, especially since Sophie’s social class would prevent them from marrying in the Regency era.
Benedict finally thinks of an idea, which he suggests to Sophie after they connect to her mother’s house by a staircase (for Olivia Rodrigos “Bad idea, right?”). He tells Sophie that she deserves better…only to ask her to be his lover.
“In the time frame, it was not reasonable for Benedict to think that was the right question,” Brownell said. TVLine despite admitting it was “a big mistake on Benedict’s part”.
Season 4 of Bridgerton is inspired by Julia Quinn’s book An Offer From a Gentleman, but there were also some major changes. The final season of Bridgerton follows Benedict’s (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 (…)
Brownell acknowledged that viewers were rooting for fictional romance may not be thrilled, adding: “He should see Sophie as more than her class. For him to ask that question at that moment, outrage is absolutely the right reaction.”
While reflecting on Benedict’s outdated view of marriage, Brownell explained why the character reverts to traditional values when it comes to finding a wife.
“A lot of his progressiveness, not with his sexuality but in other ways, has been performative,” he noted. “He’s incredibly privileged and he hasn’t really taken that privilege into account. He’s enjoyed life to the fullest, but he’s never done anything really scary.”
Brownell also noted that there would be consequences if Benedict had an actual relationship with a maid. Despite the social status of the Bridgertons, they would be punished by society, and this would affect Benedict’s sisters, who would no longer be considered. viable options for marriage.
“Benedict’s deep down he’s not as brave as he’d like to be because he’s never gone out in a way where he’s had to be brave,” Brownell added.
Brownell previously said she was excited to finally explore Benedict as the show’s romantic lead. After his season was delayed because of Colin (Luke Newton) advancing the love story despite the order of the original book, Brownell teased his vision of Benedict.
“It felt important for him to explore the fullness of himself before settling down. He’s someone who has a lot of desire, and we wanted to see him living a big life before going into settlement mode,” she told Netflix’s Tudum in June 2024 about Benedict exploring his sexuality. “I’m excited about where we’re going with him in Season 4. There’s a lot I want to say about it, but it’ll probably have to wait.”
Most recently, Thompson, 37, and Ha, 28, discussed the takeover like the following Bridgerton drive
“We hit it off, and it’s a weird thing because it’s not a prerequisite,” Thompson told Town & Country earlier this month. “Chemistry in real life doesn’t necessarily translate to chemistry (on screen). Actors are much more comfortable living in this imaginary world; I was probably a lot more shy meeting her in real life than doing the scenes.”
Thompson pondered what Benedict would push for. “He loves the romance and the fairytale nature of things, but he’s not so good with reality and what that actually entails, maybe negotiating a real relationship with someone,” she explained. “He’s kind of stuck in fairyland.”
He added: “Her problem is that maybe she doesn’t dare to dream so much, so they are completed in this way. There is something very modern about it.”
Part 2 of Bridgerton Season 4 premieres on Netflix on Thursday, February 26.