'Bridgerton' Season 4: The Benedict and Sophie Era Is Here!
On the first photos of Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek (and more) from Bridgerton Season 4
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Dearest Gentle Reader,
It’s been one week since Bridgerton’s Season of Love virtual event, and I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s no secret that I am eager to see Bridgerton Season 4.
I have read Julia Quinn’s An Offer from a Gentleman, the Bridgerton novel on Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Beckett’s interclass romance, twice. After the virtual event on Valentine’s Day, I reread the Cinderella retelling with a whole new perspective. I noted dialogue I hope will be in the season, some that may not translate, scenes that would excel on screen, and others that may need to change. I have loved Benedict and Sophie’s love story since I discovered it alongside the Netflix series in 2020. Ever since, I gladly celebrated any nod to Benedict’s season, even when the series shuffled the books’ order.
It’s why, if you’re subscribed to my newsletter, you have already seen two other posts about Bridgerton Season 4 within the last year. I couldn’t help but follow the joy and write about the journey to Benedict’s season and Yerin Ha’s casting as Sophie Baek. I jumped to write about the few details that Shondaland and Netflix unveiled in Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha’s first joint interview (and photoshoot).
Once again, I find myself eager to write about this show that I love, that makes me think more deeply about love in all its forms. Unsurprisingly, I have too much I want to write about. So, this letter is all about the spectacular photos shared at Bridgerton’s Season of Love event. I hope you enjoy!
Penelope and Colin Bridgerton and their baby, who showrunner Jess Brownell assures has a name that will be revealed in due time, are almost too sweet for words. His red hair! If the show follows their first-born son’s name from the books, there is a chance this baby is Thomas. Regardless, Penelope and Colin are adorable. It’s great that Bridgerton can extend their Happily Ever After beyond Season 3’s epilogue because their characters are still on the show. There’s a bit of that with, albeit only, Daphne in Season 2 and then Anthony and Kate in Season 3.
I can’t wait to see Penelope and Colin’s lives “fully merged” and “wife guy” Colin, as Brownell teased. It seems like even the costumes are nodding to that. Penelope and Portia Featherington are wearing what looks to be lighter versions and a mixture of Bridgerton Blue and the Featheringtons’ signature yellow and green. The mere fact that Portia is there supports Brownell’s comment that Lady Featherington has not moved out of Featherington House yet.
It also feels intentional that this photo, which IMDB credits to Season 4’s first episode, includes members of the Bridgertons’ household staff in the background.
Dowager Viscountess Lady Violet Bridgerton and Lord Marcus Anderson’s slow-burn romance is one of Bridgerton Season 3’s best surprises. It’s thrilling that Season 4 will continue their story as soon as the second episode. Their costuming also appears to be telling a story. Like the previous photo, Violet is wearing a lot of purple, but this gorgeous look seems to blend with the blue often associated with her family. Meanwhile, Marcus’s ascot matches Violet.
Violet has discussed how her “garden is in bloom” since Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. She also tells Francesca, the third-born Bridgerton daughter, that Francesca and John Stirling’s romance teaches her that love doesn’t have to look one way in Season 3. I would not be shocked if all that comes together for Violet and Marcus with Season 4’s dominant forbidden love trope.
Not that this relationship is forbidden, but Violet’s eternal love for Edmund may make it feel that way. Who knows! I’m totally guessing!
Who is more incredibly extravagant than Queen Charlotte (and Brimsely)?
I want to speculate about what her wig symbolizes, but I don’t know enough about the context of this photo to do so.
Brownell shared that Charlotte and Lady Danbury’s friendship will be heavily featured in the season, and Golda Rosheuvel teased what’s next for Charlotte now that she knows Lady Whistledown’s identity. I’m anticipating the vulnerable side of Charlotte that Hugh Sachs, who plays Brimsely, said comes through in “breathtaking” scenes. Sachs also shared that this rarer side of Charlotte “sends Bimsley into a tizzy,” which all but explicitly confirms more from their friendship.
Spending more time with Brimsley than usual would make sense since Season 4 pivots to the other characters, often working-class ones, who make up society. I’m also wishing on a star that there will be a Brimsley and Reynolds reunion soon. Sachs has confirmed, per Shonda Rhimes, that Reynolds is not dead (!!!).
I’m so glad I have this newsletter. It gives me a place to geek out about these stunning sets, three of which are the show’s studio back lot.
These sets are so realistic (as far as I can tell) with the details in their Georgian and Regency architecture. They’re massive! They span about 2 acres of Netflix’s back lot at Shepperton and will hopefully help Bridgerton’s production move more swiftly. Executive producer Shonda Rhimes mentioned “thinking about stuff such as permanent sets and lots, and things like that that will really help us speed the process up” in May 2024. It’s great to see that idea come to life.
Luke Thompson shared that his photoshoot with Ha was the first time he saw the sets, which he said have “a real magic.” For me, that magic extends to My Cottage, Benedict’s country estate. I don’t want to spoil too much for those who wish to read the book or be surprised when Season 4 releases. Just know, I love it!
These photos of Isabella Wei as Posy Li, Katie Leung as Lady Araminta Gao, and Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li say so much. Posy and Rosamund’s Masquerade Ball outfits are similar to in the book. Araminta wearing black could mean she’s still mourning the late Earl of Penwood.
I like that Posy and Rosamund’s costumes are green and pink. Those colors often appear in the outfits of the step sisters in Cinderella adaptations.
Mostly, though, I’m excited to see these new characters in action, especially after the Season of Love event. Brownell teased that the fourth season will humanize the characters who are more often than not villainous in the book. I like that there's an intention to understand why the characters make the decisions they do, even if you disagree with them. That’s more interesting than one-dimensional antagonists. Brownell also credited Leung and Mao for bringing humanity to Araminta and Rosamund.
I found Ha describing the family dynamic among Sophie and Araminta, Rosamund, and Posy as an MRI scan — a suffocating situation that must be done to know what’s wrong — to be quite revelatory. If anything, it certainly speaks to Sophie’s character.
Bridgerton Season 4 is going downstairs!
The Season of Love event unveiled three new photos featuring Oli Higginson as Footman John, Sophie Lamont as Celia, Geraldine Alexander as Mrs. Wilson, Gracie McGonigal as Hazel, and Lorraine Ashbourne as Mrs. Varley.
For the most part, these characters have always existed in Bridgerton and have had incredible impacts on the characters. I often think about the Bridgerton household staff using the power of gossip to ruin Nigel Berbrooke before he can marry Daphne in Season 1. There are several exchanges between Eloise Bridgerton and John the Footman in Season 2. Varley has been ever-present and extremely helpful at Featherington House from the very beginning.
It only tracks that Bridgerton will see more of these characters as Sophie, “a resourceful maid with her own secrets and dreams,” is Season 4’s co-lead. Brownell teased that this “upstairs/downstairs” theme “brings a fresh energy and vibe to the show.” It will undoubtedly impact Benedict and Sophie’s relationship.
Brownell said the stair metaphor would come to life on landings: “We’ve just set a lot of the key moments on, like, landings between the upstairs and downstairs. Like, that’s the liminal space between worlds, kind of.” Knowing that Thompson said that “‘true love’ happens in the middle of” the fairy tale and the reality, I can already think of one An Offer from a Gentleman passage I hope to see in Season 4.
Benedict Bridgerton! I have no choice but to add The Princess Bride, The Mask of Zorro, and Romeo + Juliet to my (re)watch list ahead of Bridgerton Season 4.
I assume that this still comes from the scene when Benedict sees Sophie for the first time; he looks stunned. After three seasons of exploration, it’s beyond rewarding to know that Benedict Bridgerton will finally fall in love.
I really like that Thompson said that Benedict falling in love means that he will have to connect all the parts of his life. Not only is that a perfect opportunity to unpack his long-standing fear of commitment, but it’s also a chance to see new sides of Benedict. As someone who has been a massive fan of this character since 2020, I cannot wait to see what this personal journey — that starts with meeting Sophie at Violet Bridgerton’s Masquerade Ball — uncovers for Benedict.
As I sat down to write this, I saw a quote from Hugh Sachs about Benedict’s love for Sophie that I can’t get out of my head (complimentary): “It’s not just incredibly privileged people coming together. You know, Sophie’s really suffered and Benedict’s head over heels in love with her, and it’s…a wonderful dynamic that we’ve never seen before.”
Sophie Baek! It’s no wonder that Thompson described Benedict as “slightly blinded” by the hearts in his eyes (like the emoji, of course). She is stunning!
I’m relieved that this gorgeous lace mask with such fine details covers most of Sophie’s face. I am more than capable of extending disbelief to the media I consume. However, it will always be silly to me when one character doesn’t recognize the other in a Cinderella adaptation because of the tiniest mask ever. Aren’t eyes meant to be the windows to the soul? They certainly are in this photo!
I love that Ha described Sophie as an independent woman who won’t surrender everything, including her self-respect, because Benedict swoops into her life. You can surmise so much about Sophie just from Ha’s nuanced understanding of her.
I also like that Ha wants to highlight Sophie’s vulnerability in asking for help and learning that she, too, deserves love. Brownell characterized Sophie as anything but a “damsel in distress,” crediting Ha’s performance with bringing out the “feistiness, humor, and vulnerability” in her. Like Sex Education’s Maeve Wiley, my thing is “complex female characters,” and Sophie Baek is one of them.
It looks like Bridgerton shook An Offer from a Gentleman and this photo fell out.
This set gives me the same vibes as the gazebo in A Cinderella Story. I can almost hear a classical version of “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain playing in the background. That said, I’m expecting a version of “Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift at some point in Season 4 — it’s Benedict and Sophie’s song!
But I digress. This photo feels enormous, like Earth-tilts-on-its-axis huge. I’ve read the book thrice and am still in awe of this Bridgerton Season 4 photo. It’s intimate and scandalous and passionate and sweet — and not only because Benedict Bridgerton has taken Sophie’s glove off and kissed her bare hand. The blocking and lighting also emphasize the impact of this scene. Thankfully, it’s only one, albeit massive, part of the Masquerade Ball that Brownell confirmed will occur during a “huge chunk” of Bridgerton Season 4 Episode 1.
Unfortunately, Netflix and Shondaland have not shared when this season will be released. Entertainment Tonight still has a post up indicating that Season 4 premieres later this year. Netflix only promotes the new season as “Coming Soon,” so it’s really anyone’s guess. I’ll take what I can get in the meantime!
Until next time,
💌 Shelby