Bridgerton is Back, Baby: A Review of Bridgerton Season 4 Part 2

Dearest Gentle Reader, welcome back to Reading Has Ruined My Life or welcome if this is your first time entering our fair ton. My name is Lady Z, and I shall guide you on today’s journey into the decadent and scandalous world of Bridgerton.

The second half of season four finally released! I have been waiting all month, I have been foaming at the mouth, gnawing at the bars of my enclosure whilst waiting for what felt like far too long for the rest of season four. And boy howdy, now that I’ve seen all of season four, do I have thoughts.

If you have not watched Bridgerton yet, then please note there will be major spoilers ahead. I cannot be trusted not to spoil scenes or the plot of season four in my review. I also recommend you read my review of season four part one before continuing. And one final note before I reveal my thoughts, season one of Bridgerton was my first foray into the series. I have not read any of the novels, one day I will change that, but today is not that day. With that, it’s showtime!

Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek and Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton. 

Benedict Bridgerton done fucked up. He came to the realization that he was in love with Sophie Baek at the end of episode four, and then he asked her to be his mistress. He’s still holding out a small bit of hope that he will find the Lady in Silver and marry her. Despite drawing and painting the Lady in Silver’s image I don’t know how many times over, and despite being in Sophie’s presence for weeks, Benedict has not realized that Sophie and the Lady in Silver are one and the same. 

Sophie refuses to tell Benedict she’s the woman he’s been looking for. She does have feelings for him, but she’s also grounded in reality. She’s a maid, she’s the bastard daughter of an Earl, she has no dowry; there’s no way she can marry Benedict Bridgerton, the ton would eat them alive! What’s the couple to do? Can they find a way to be together? And can Sophie finally claw her way out from her evil stepmother’s clutches?

Season four is officially my favorite. The show stuck the landing. It didn’t miss once. Well…it did miss once, we’ll talk about that later, but the story, the details, the acting, the chemistry, the visuals! I can’t say it was perfect, but it was pretty damn close.

Yerin Ha and Luke Thompson gave phenomenal performances as Sophie Baek and Benedict Bridgerton respectively. Their chemistry is insane! Anyone who says the pair has no chemistry is lying. Or need their eyes checked. Every scene these two shared had longing and yearning. Not to mention the angst! Sophie and Benedict’s relationship is a forbidden romance, there is a consistent push-pull struggle as they long to be together but circumstances, society, and Benedict’s stupidity keep them apart. Their struggle and desire to be together kept me wholly engaged and invested. Not to mention, this pair made scream at my tv I don’t know how many times. I lost track of how often I was yelling that Sophie and Benedict needed to run away and just be together, society be damned.

Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton and Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek in Bridgerton.

All that said, the season’s best performance came from Hannah Dodd as Francesca. Francesca’s character quickly became a favorite of mine in season three when Hannah Dodd took over the role. Her awkward, socially anxious, introverted nature is one I heavily relate to. I know it’s heavily antiquated to call a character a cinnamon roll, but that is exactly what Francesca is to me. A precious little cinnamon roll.

Season four part two showcases Dodd’s range. Francesca goes through intense heartbreak with the sudden loss of her husband, and my heart broke for the character while watching. The guttural scream at the end of episode six, the feelings of despair, loss, and depression being stamped down in order to continue on in episode seven, and the trauma of a rudimentary medical examination just to find out she wasn’t pregnant before finally breaking down; it all culminates in an harrowing performance. I have never cried while watching Bridgerton, but Dodd’s performance broke me.

Masali Baduza as Michaela Stirling (left) and Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton (right).

Now, I have but one issue with this season. Personally, I found Araminta Gun, portrayed by Katie Leung, was not utilized as much as she should have been. We still could have seen so much more from her. I need to make this clear, Katie Leung’s performance is not the issue here. She did a fantastic job portraying this villainess. This is an issue with the writing.

Araminta feels like a stock character more than anything else. I noted in my review of part one that she came across solely as the evil stepmother archetype, and that remains the same in part two. I know and understand Araminta’s motivations, but I fear it’s because I was explicitly told them. Perhaps more flashbacks would have worked in Araminta’s favor. Additional scenes between Araminta and Sophie would have also helped tremendously. Unfortunately as it stands, Araminta comes across as an evil stepmother stock character and is the one obvious failing of this season’s writing.

From left to right: Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li, Katie Leung as Araminta Gun, and Isabella Wei as Posy Li.

Finally, we’ve got to talk about the final twist of season four. Perhaps one of the most divisive decisions of the season if not the entire series. I have seen many people excited about there being a new Lady Whistledown, but I’ve also seen quite a few comments about how unnecessary this is as it deviates from the book series. A new Lady Whistledown needed to step up. Bridgerton thrives on drama and gossip and the mysterious behind the authoress. Gossip is how this show began, gossip is how this show will end.

With Penelope revealing herself to be Lady Whistledown at the end of season three, season four began with a different tone. With her secret out, there was no mystery, there was no danger for the ton. In fact, the ton was going to Penelope to publish their insignificant gossip. The mystique of Lady Whistledown disappeared with Penelope coming out. Had she continued with the moniker, the paper would have lost all mystique, quality, and even the viewers care. A new Lady Whistledown absolutely had to step in. A new gossip columnist gives the characters, and viewers alike, something to worry about, something to keep them on their toes. The walls have eyes yet again, secrets are never safe. A new Lady Whistledown adds mystery back to Bridgerton. It’s one that will be talked about for many years. No mystery identity has been this big since Gossip Girl began her famous blog!  

Also, it’s Varley and Portia. That is my guess as to who the new Lady Whistledown is. Alice Mondrich is a red herring. What’s not a red herring is Julie Andrews’s accent changing at the end of season four. Julie Andrews’s narration has always been done in a very posh English accent. Yet at the end of season four, her voice takes on a more “common” accent. This teeny, tiny details leads me to believe the new Lady Whistledown is not a member of regency high society. Plus Varley has already proven many times that she has a way with gossip. She is a lot more cunning than people give her credit for. I believe she’s the mastermind behind the new Lady Whistledown, and Portia’s just there.

Bridgerton came back with a bang for season four, and it stuck the landing with a fireworks show. The show brought back yearning, it brought back longing, it brought back angst; season four is phenomenal. It's at the top of my Bridgerton ranking list.

With that, I shall bid you all adieu. Thank you very much for joining me today, Book Nerds! I hope you enjoyed your time here at Reading Has Ruined My Life. I will see you all again next week with another new post. If you can’t wait that long then I highly suggest giving RHRML a follow over on Instagram (@ReadingHasRuinedMyLife). I post there almost daily so come back often to revel in literary goodness. You can also follow the blog on Twitter and BlueSky (@RHRMLBlog). Want something not related to books? Then check out my podcast Nothing to See Hear. The show stars me and two of my dearest friends as we talk about everything and anything. We have episodes on haunted houses, Disney, Scooby-Doo, Barbie, weird moments of history; we talk about it all. There’s bound to be something that strikes your fancy. You can currently find the show on Spotify and YouTube.

Until next time, stay safe, wash your hands, and read some good books for me.

See y'all then, bye!